San Diego Issues Medical Marijuana ID Cards
July 8th, 2009 by Rick
After dragging ass for years, by way of the U.S. Supreme Court, secret stings and raids on medical marijuana dispensaries, San Diego has finally complied to California’s medical marijuana law and began issuing medical marijuana ID cards to the medical marijuana patients.
Jordan Jarvis, a medical marijuana patient and operator of Top Quality Collective, said:
This kind of medicine has given me the ability to get up and do things and be part of a society again. [...] We can now get ID cards that are and should be respected among law enforcement without harassment. [...] It’s groundbreaking.
San Diego breaking down and issuing medical marijuana ID cards is a big step in California’s medical marijuana movement, yet after so many attempts to circumvent prop 215, something tells me it’s not the end of their fight politically.
U.S. Supreme Court Denies Appeals
May 19th, 2009 by Rick
A case that has gone all the the way to the U.S. Supreme Court has been rejected today, striking another blow for state medical marijuana laws.
Three years ago, some lawyers for San Diego and San Bernardino counties in California tried to claim that the state violated federal drug law when they legalized medical marijuana. These counties refused to issue medical marijuana cards in accordance with the medical marijuana law and dared to take the case all the way to the top. In a serious negative track record, the counties lost in:
- the initial state trial.
- the appellate courts.
- the state Supreme Court.
- the U.S. Supreme Court.
They were even threatened with a lawsuit from San Diego NORML, back in 2005 for not complying to the state law when they held back from issuing medical marijuana cards. The Justices today, flat out denied a hearing to the counties.
So now, out of all other legal options, the counties have to finally abide by state law and issue medical marijuana cards to patients and stop arresting medical marijuana patients.
Thomas Bunton, a lawyer in the San Diego County counsel’s office said:
The cards are objectionable because the state law authorizes individuals to engage in conduct that the federal law prohibits. [...] We are disappointed that the court did not take the case to resolve what we believe was a conflict between federal and state law.
As far as this case went, it was the sole one that threatened the state medical marijuana law. Joe Elford, lawyer for Americans for Safe Access said:
No longer will local officials be able to hide behind federal law and resist upholding California’s medical marijuana law.
Elford said that this case will provide ammunition for other cases pending — where other counties are still holding out from issuing medical marijuana cards.
Either nobody wants to deal with the hot potato that marijuana becomes in the news or the Supreme Court doesn’t want to rock the boat, lest it too gets swallowed by the sea of green. At any rate, the fact that it is once again left up to state law is a good sign of things to come.
Oceanside May Ban Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
May 13th, 2009 by Rick
Although voters in California passed a medical marijuana law twelve years ago, not all cities allow medical marijuana dispensaries. In fact according to Americans for Safe Access, 30 cities across California have permitted them, while another 110 have banned them.
Oceanside is the latest city to tackle the issue with the city council trying to decide how to regulate the dispensaries. No dispensary has been applied for as of yet, but there have been inquiries. A vote on Wednesday will set a 45-day moratorium, giving them time to figure out which direction to go.
SoCal Medical Marijuana Raid Update
February 13th, 2009 by Perry
More than a week after a string of federal dispensary raids in Los Angeles and San Diego, the MMJ community is still concerned about Obama’s federal pledge to not interfere with state marijuana laws. More specifically, that he hasn’t exactly lived up to it so far.
The Americans for Safe Access recently held a meeting in San Diego where they addressed the crowd with some fairly promising news: In response to flooding the White House switchboard, a representative contacted the ASA, and publicly addressed the issue.
The raids were a part of “Operation: Endless Summer,” an aptly named effort to eradicate drug dealing near several different communities, which also seized six pounds of marijuana from legal dispensaries.
Fishing For Pot in All the Right Places
January 22nd, 2009 by Perry
If I ever run out of weed, I might just want to hang out off the coast of San Diego because there seems to be weed all over the place.
In the latest installment of “Just How Much Weed Did Border Patrol Seize?” this time’s winning catch is 1,100 pounds. Agents arrested two men after finding the vessel in Mission Bay with marijuana located in a compartment underneath the boat’s floor.
This doesn’t appear to be an isolated incident, as the arrests are just the latest in the ongoing battle by border patrol agents to stop the flow of marijuana from Mexico to Southern California.
San Diego vs MMJ Laws: Supreme Court Round
January 20th, 2009 by Alex
After getting a smackdown from the California Supreme Court, San Diegan legislators, led by Bill Horn (R-San Diego) from North County, are seeking to overturn state medical marijuana law by appealing to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).
County officials sued the state in 2006, and after they lost, an appellate court refused to hear the case. Most people would stop at that point, but San Diego is being stubborn as all hell.
Horn said plans are, “To take it as far as we can and get a definitive answer,” since the state’s highest court was apparently not clear enough with their definitive answer of ‘No’ to the county’s lawsuit.
Luckily for us, the Supreme Court doesn’t just take any case thrown its way. A lawyer representing San Diego said the court would probably decide by June whether it would hear the case. Let’s hope SCOTUS tells San Diego to quit the shenanigans.
Ventura County, CA Creates MMJ Card
December 15th, 2008 by Perry
Waiting to see the results of several lawsuits against local governments, namely the San Diego case, Ventura County, CA is now installing a medical marijuana program.
The biggest benefit of the program is that patients now have something from their local government to prove to law enforcement that they are enrolled in a medical marijuana program. Users who do not have programs authorized by their county must use whatever has been issued by their doctor, which doesn’t always fly with law enforcement officials.
Online Marijuana Assessment
November 12th, 2008 by Perry
Now in use at over 195 universities, Wesleyan recently added an online marijuana assessment to its health center’s online services.
The assessment takes into account usage, habits and lifestyle and compares them with national and global averages and creates a somewhat personalized program. Developed by San Diego State University, the program is aimed at giving information to students about their drug habits.
Most schools also have a similar test for alcohol, but it seems like a pretty ineffective way to council or answer real questions you might have about drug usage.
