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Crosscurrents

Cannabis News Roundup: What are your rights at work?

By Pixabay user 3dman_eu. Licensed under Creative Commons CC0/cropped.
Joint

Your legal rights regarding cannabis at work ... Okay to grow; not okay to grow ... San Francisco considers a cannabis commission ... Events, a comic, and more. 

[Click the blue hyperlink headline to read the full story.]

LEGISLATION & REGULATION

California joins states asking for removal of tough sentencing guidelines // Office of the Attorney General

“’I am deeply troubled by Attorney General Sessions’ decision to pursue "the most serious penalties in all cases," said Attorney General [Xavier] Becerra. ‘We’ve been down that rigid path before and know it doesn’t make sense. In fact, we've seen the damage it can do.’”

What are your rights regarding marijuana at work? // KALW

“Your Legal Rights,” KALW’s call-in legal affairs program, examines marijuana in the workplace.  [Audio]

Okay to grow your own in Santa Rosa // Press Democrat

Mayor Chris Coursey said he was concerned about burdening a code enforcement staff that would be unlikely to prioritize any odor or other nuisance complaints stemming from a proliferation of backyard grows.

“’I don’t want to tell the community that cannabis growing in your yard is illegal and then not be able to enforce it when we get calls,’ Coursey said.”

Not okay to grow your own (outside) in Walnut Creek // East Bay Times

“The City Council unanimously voted May 16 to continue the interim urgency ordinance adopted in April for another 22 months and 15 days. The ban prohibits outdoor cultivation and any commercial growth or sales of recreational marijuana.”

COPS & COURTS         

Pot convictions can be erased under Prop. 64 // Sacramento Bee

“This lesser-known provision of Proposition 64 allows some convicts to wipe their rap sheets clean and offers hope for people with past convictions who are seeking work or loans.”

San Francisco considers a cannabis commission // SF Weekly

“[T]he proposed cannabis commission and department will operate like some existing commissions work today.

“’As introduced by Supervisor Sheehy, there would be a commission that would issue permits, and there would be a director who would do the daily administrative tasks,’ Barnes explains. ‘The entertainment commission is a good example of this, where they have a commission that ultimately issues entertainment permits...”.

Hash oil maker faces prison after fire // Press Democrat

“A Santa Rosa hash oil manufacturer accused of endangering a nearby school when his plant caught fire last summer with thousands of volatile butane canisters inside has pleaded guilty to charges carrying up to 10 years in prison, a prosecutor said Thursday.”

San Francisco to Charlotte drug runs end with prison // Charlotte Observer

“Lavon Williams, 38, of Jamaica, N.Y., flew at least 11 times between the cities with about 40 pounds of marijuana each trip, prosecutors said.”

Tribal consultant not guilty // Argus Leader

“A man whose company helped the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe establish a marijuana grow room on tribal property was found not guilty by a Moody County jury Wednesday of conspiracy to possess and possession of marijuana.”

BUSINESS

Dispensary consolidation begins // Press-Democrat

“Peace in Medicine is integrating with its longtime partner SPARC, the San Francisco Patient and Resource Center, a Mission Street dispensary that sells and provides about $10 million in cannabis products each year to its members.

“There are 12,000 active Peace in Medicine members, whose doctors’ recommendations are current and valid, and 20,000 active SPARC members.”

Banking reform bill introduced // Reuters

“Republican and Democratic senators on Wednesday renewed their drive to make banking easier for marijuana-based businesses in those U.S. states where the drug is legal, undeterred by signals from the Trump administration about maintaining tough marijuana restrictions nationally.”

California’s senators are not among the eight co-sponsors.

HEALTH

More positive news for kids with epilepsy // New England Journal of Medicine

“Among patients with the Dravet [epilepsy] syndrome, cannabidiol resulted in a greater reduction in convulsive-seizure frequency than placebo and was associated with higher rates of adverse events.  [Editor: It’s not clear if that last phrase is good or bad, so ask your doctor if CBD is right for you.]

Cannabis and heart attack connection questioned // Green State

“Does smoking pot significantly increase one’s risk of heart attack or stroke? A slew of recent media headlines (e.g., CBS News, March 10: “Study links pot use to higher risk of stroke, heart failure,”) imply that the answer is ‘yes.’ But a more thorough review of the relevant literature finds no such definitive conclusion.”

EVENT

Cannabis Cup comes to Santa Rosa // High Times

The two-day affair begins June 3.

OPINION

“Green Rush” taking over Santa Rosa // Press Democrat

Pot shops and warehouse grow sites are surpassing housing developments as the biggest change agents in Santa Rosa.

IN OTHER NEWS....

“Doonesbury” strip takes on Big Cannabis // Washington Post Syndicate

What’s a small grower to do when faced with industrial grow centers?

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