Meet California’s cannabis czar … Why do dispensary workers have to have a med card? … Opinion … and the origin of 4/20.
LEGALIZATION & LEGISLATION
Meet California’s new “cannabis czar” // Los Angeles Times
“Instead of us coming out and drafting [regulations, says Lori Ajax], “I think we want to get feedback first, draft it, and then put it out for comment. I think that might be a more efficient way to handle it.”
And then there were 24 // ABC/WPVI-TV
The Pennsylvania State House has voted 3-to-1 to “allow the cultivation, sale and use of medical marijuana.” The Senate has already approved it, and the governor says, “I am proud and excited to sign this bill.”
Los Angeles County is a no-grow zone // scpr.org
“Los Angeles County Supervisors voted Tuesday to temporarily ban all growing and cultivation of medical marijuana in the unincorporated areas of the county, effective immediately.
"Until now, medical marijuana cultivation has existed in a legal grey area in the county – not specifically allowed under zoning rules but not banned either. It has also been illegal under federal law.”
COPS & COURTS
Lynnette Shaw can return to cannabis industry // East Bay Express
“Lynnette Shaw, [from Marin County] who is one of California’s oldest dispensary operators prevailed Wednesday in her bid to overturn a nineteen year old injunction barring her from the cannabis trade for life.”
BUSINESS
Only medical marijuana patients can work at dispensaries // SF Chronicle
“Many in the industry say the long-standing requirement is outdated and even absurd, especially since California was the first state in the country to allow for the medicinal use of cannabis and is finally poised to start regulating the multibillion-dollar industry.”
Can 4/20 get more mainstream than this? // MJ Biz Daily
General Mills has incorporated the unofficial 4/20 holiday into ads on billboards and buses in Denver, encouraging and frustrating the cannabis industry.
Another sign of the mainstreaming of cannabis // New York Times
“After decades of thriving in legally hazy backyards and basements, California’s most notorious crop, marijuana, is emerging from the underground into a decidedly capitalist era.
“Under a new state law, marijuana businesses will be allowed to turn a profit — which has been forbidden since 1996, when California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis — and limits on the number of plants farmers can grow will be eliminated.”
HEALTH
What’s your sperm count after smoking? // SFGate.com
You know that old rumor that pot smokers have lower sperm counts? Well, a University of Rome study says the opposite.
EVENTS
What you might expect on 4/20 // SF Funcheap
The unofficial marijuana holiday known as 4/20 falls midweek this year. Will it be foggy on April 20th at Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park? You won’t be able to tell if past years are any indication, because the smoke and vapor exhaled by the mostly mellow crowd makes it difficult to see.
And if you go, please take out some trash this year. Please?
Hempcon comes to the Cow Palace // Hempcon.com
What’s new? Show up at Hempcon, starting at 3pm today, and ending Sunday, to find out.
OPINION
Time to reschedule cannabis under DEA rules // Los Angeles Times
“The schedule 1 designation for marijuana has been a ludicrously restrictive classification since it was imposed in 1970, lumping cannabis in with heroin and LSD. The DEA has twice considered and rejected requests to reclassify the drug over the last two decades. The last time was in 2011. Frankly, a change is long overdue.
Want legalization? Try these tips from states who have experience // Sacramento Bee
“California likes to trumpet its record of pioneering public policy, but the state is a follower when it comes to legal cannabis.” Have a look at these strategies.
IN OTHER NEWS….
Decades of searching finds man behind original “420” // SF Evergreen
You may know the story about how “420” became code for after-school pot smoking at a San Rafael school, but you’ve never met the man who inspired it. [Flip to page 12 of this link.]
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