Alameda, CA Closes Door on Medical Marijuana
November 14th, 2008 by Perry
Alameda County, CA just became the most recent city to close the door on medical marijuana, passing a 45-day moratorium on the expansion or establishment of dispensaries. The move comes in response to the “Purple Elephant,” a dispensary which opened on Webster St., a busier part of town.
City officials claimed the owner “snuck through” the permitting process by only writing that he was seeking to open a “retail operation.” Although why not ask a question when you see the name Purple Elephant, if you’re so concerned?
Some 14 years later, a new generation of county supervisors is still sorting through its options. For example, in July, the board agreed to allow licensed dispensaries in unincorporated Alameda County to carry hashish, but would not allow these same dispensaries to carry food made with marijuana.
The move is no doubt intended to give local legislators time to find a legal way to remove the Purple Elephant and create a lasting ban. Again, the vague wording of Prop. 215 continues to cause confusion and harassment of legitimate business owners.
Seal Beach, CA Bans MMJ
November 12th, 2008 by Perry
Joining a number of other Orange County cities, Seal Beach has banned the medical marijuana dispensaries from its city limits.
Eight other cities in Orange County also have moratoriums or bans on pot stores. Another city, Laguna Woods, recently passed a law permitting the dispensaries. While permission to possess MMJ is still recognized in Seal Beach due to state law, the city ordnance means medical marijuana patients will have to drive farther than necessary to get their prescriptions filled.
The recent wave of bans is a result of vague verbiage in Prop. 215, which legalized medical marijuana, but did not address how it would be dispensed or regulated.
SF to Go Dutch on Prostitution Policy, Maybe
October 23rd, 2008 by Perry
The American city that continues to embody and pioneer radical left-wing politics, is at it again. On the November ballot, its citizens could be the first in the country to have legalized prostitution.
If Proposition K passed, the measure would prohibit local authorities from investigating, arresting or prosecuting anyone for selling sex. Advocates say it would free up roughly $11 million the police spend each year arresting prostitutes, and allow them to form collectives.
And let’s not forget about the working girl’s perspective. “It will allow workers to organize for our rights and for our safety,” said Patricia West, 22, who said she has been selling sex for about a year by placing ads on the internet. She moved to San Francisco in May from Texas to work on Proposition K.
Marijuana Becoming Subject to Bureaucracy
October 21st, 2008 by Perry
Now that marijuana is becoming accepted into our culture, it’s also becoming subject to one of the biggest perils facing modern man: bureaucracy.
Alex Coolman @ Drug Law Blog notes a recent trip to a NORML conference that he was “struck by the strong push to regulate, normalize and formalize the discourse around medical marijuana.”
The major players in this area seem to understand that medical marijuana has a truly astounding potential to grow – particularly when the federal administration changes – and are moving now to set in place structures that will allow that growth to be as safe, responsible and sustainable as possible.
While it’s vital to have a strong infrastructure in place, and lobbyists to compete with law enforcement PACs, you can’t help but feel the movement is starting to stray from its original high-minded goals.
Ultimately however, the effect on the marijuana movement is a positive one, as the article goes on to explain:
California is actually a very interesting example of how this field is regulating itself. Standards are getting created and implemented by the people who work in the field, and they are evolving not as a function of law enforcement but in an attempt to encourage good health and good business.
However, he also noted the irony of watching medical marijuana representatives squabble over the same kinds of accountability standards that you might see in Tylenol or Aspirin.
San Mateo to Draft Pot Laws
October 17th, 2008 by Perry
San Mateo city officials are pondering instituting a city code for marijuana growers, co-ops and patients, to address gaps left by the proposition that made medical marijuana legal in the California 12 years ago. The decision comes more than a year after three dispensaries were shut down in a raid involving local police officers and federal agents.
Following last years raids, law enforcement officials claimed the clubs were not acting as collectives. Owners and directors of the clubs argued they are collectives because members are pooling their money for marijuana, providing a safe place to buy it and access to resources about using it.
Whether or not San Mateo legislates the pot clubs, at least addressing the issue is a good first step.
California Supreme Court Backs MMJ
October 17th, 2008 by Perry
In a resounding victory for medical marijuana activists, the state supreme court of California recently denied a request to hear the county’s attempt to repeal MMJ laws. The San Diego Union-Tribune says the decision is “an affirmation of the legitimacy of state medical marijuana laws,” according to Adam Wolf of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU actually worked in conjunction with Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office to fight the case against the county, which has spent about a year or so in court due to the county’s appeal efforts. The lawsuit filed by San Diego, San Bernardino and Merced County in 2006 was tossed out by two lower courts. The state Supreme Court’s refusal to consider the case Thursday ends the matter, which means it’s time to use the gas lamps to spark up some doobies.
By the way, earth to San Diego: you’re like 10 minutes from Tijuana, Mexico. I wouldn’t worry so much about a little medical marijuana… probably not their biggest concern.
2006 Marijuana Mid-Term Results
November 8th, 2006 by Alex
Well, all the results are in and it’s time to get them out to the public. The conclusions from these mid-term elections are mixed. Seeing how close some of the major ballots came to being passed, it looks like we’re on the right track towards legalization.
Honorable mentions go to Eureka Springs, Arkansas and Massachusetts for passing ordinances and low level resolutions aiding in the deprioritization of marijuana arrests.
Read below to see official sites and measure summaries:
California
Measure P (Santa Barbara) - Complete pot deprioritization
Measure K (Santa Cruz) - Complete pot deprioritization
Measure Y (Santa Monica) - Complete pot deprioritization
Colorado
Amendment 44 - Legalization of up to 1 ounce of marijuana for adults 21+ years old
Montana
Initiative 2 (Missoula) - Complete pot deprioritization
Nevada
Question 7 - Remove all civil penalties for the private possession, create state-wide system for taxation & distribution
South Dakota
Initiated Measure 4 - Allow the physician-authorized use of cannabis for medicinal purposes
[all data via NORML]
2006 Stoner Voters Guide
August 31st, 2006 by Alex
Marc has done just about everything he can to facilitate action. He’s written about the House of Representatives, how & when to vote, using MySpace to further the cause, useful tips on how to initiate conversation, information on RockTheVote.com and then he starts going state-by-state on who he supports and who you should contact. Wow. Guess Marc blows the old lazy stoner myth right out of the water.
Since tFS is based in California, we are going to transcribe Marc’s section on who he supports for Governor:
