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Media July - December 2006

Jan-July 2007 | Jan-June  2006 | July- Dec 2005 | Jan-June 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Marijuana now a low priority in SF

San Francisco, CA Dec 28, 2006 -- San Francisco joined other cities such as Oakland, Santa Monica, Santa Cruz, and Seattle that have passed similar legislation to make marijuana arrests a low priority in a quite move on December 1, World AIDS Day.

The bill [>>>]

Tucson, AZ Dec 28, 2006 -- A federal judge has ruled against the founders of an Arizona church that deifies marijuana and uses it as a sacrament.

U.S. District [>>>]

Marijuana co-op duo out on bail
HAYWARD: Attorney for owner, manager of club denies drugs were sold to people without medical need

Oakland, CA Dec 14, 2006 -- Two people arrested in a raid at a Hayward medical marijuana cooperative were selling the drug to anyone, not just people with medical conditions, the federal government contends.

The attorney [>>>]

San Diego, CA Dec 14, 2006 -- A week after a Superior Court judge threw out their case against California's medical-marijuana laws, San Diego County's supervisors have voted to appeal the ruling.

The case [>>>]

Fresno, CA Dec 11, 2006 -- A corner has finally been turned in the case of an imprisoned medical marijuana patient facing federal charges.

Joe Fortt [>>>]

State should allow use of medical marijuana
Patients entitled to comfort without fear

Ann Arbor, MI Dec 12, 2006 -- There's a well-known drug available for pain relief - one that some patients already use, despite its illegal status.

But medical [>>>]

Boca man credits medical marijuana for his health

Palm Beach, FL Nov 21, 2006 -- On Monday, Irvin Rosenfeld started his 25th year of smoking nearly a dozen joints a day. Getting busted is the least of his problems.

His more [>>>]

Redding, CA Nov 21, 2006 -- Bruce Mirken says he has a simple solution to the pot garden problem in the north state.

Legalize it [>>>]

Oakland, CA Nov 20, 2006 --Longtime advocate and activist, Dr. Mike Alcalay died Saturday in Oakland California. He was the medical director of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative - a free medical marijuana clinic under Proposition 215. Prop. 215 legalizes medical marijuana in California.

Dr. Alcalay [>>>]

California Medical Survey
The Adverse Effects of Marijuana

Oakland, CA Nov 17, 2006 -- In the past 10 years, California doctors have authorized cannabis use by at least 350,000 patients. What have they learned about its adverse effects?

According to [>>>]

Claremont, CA Nov 17, 2006 -- If it were up to Darrell Kruse, anyone who wanted to consume or cultivate marijuana should be able to - for medical reasons, of course.

"There are [>>>]

San Luis Obispo, CA Nov 17, 2006 -- San Luis Obispo County's qualified medical marijuana patients and caregivers will pay $78 for a medical marijuana identification card if they choose to sign up for the state-mandated program.

With a [>>>]

San Diego, CA Nov 16, 2006 -- A state judge on Thursday rejected San Diego County's challenge of California's decade-old law permitting marijuana use for medical purposes.

The ruling [>>>]

Medical Marijuana Patients Get Day in Court to Challenge Counties Refusal to Follow California Medical Marijuana Laws 
ACLU, Americans for Safe Access, and the Drug Policy Alliance to Represent Patients in Major Court Hearing

San Diego, CA Nov 16, 2006 -- The American Civil Liberties Union, Americans for Safe Access and the Drug Policy Alliance will appear in San Diego Superior Court tomorrow to represent medical marijuana patients and their caregivers and doctors in a lawsuit brought by three California counties seeking to thwart the state’s Compassionate Use Act. The ten-year-old Compassionate Use Act exempts from state criminal penalties the small group of seriously ill patients who use medical marijuana based on a doctor’s recommendation.

A press [>>>]

San Luis Obispo, CA Nov 16, 2006 -- The county has a medical marijuana identification card program, now that the county Board of Supervisors has given its final OK.

A 2003 [>>>]

Susanville, CA Nov 16, 2006 -- Local medical marijuana grower Timothy Ziegler, 47, insists he’s doing nothing wrong by asserting his right to grow and distribute medical marijuana — despite firm resistance from Lassen County’s law enforcement and government communities.

Ziegler claims [>>>]

San Diego, CA Nov 16, 2006 -- San Diego County gets its day in court today in its challenge of California's decade-old law permitting marijuana use for medical purposes.

The county [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Nov 15, 2006 -- Pending the formality of a second reading next Tuesday, San Francisco has joined several cities, most recently Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, and Santa Barbara, all in California, as well as Missoula, Montana, and Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in making marijuana the lowest local law enforcement priority. The ordinance was approved 8-3, with only one neighborhood group in opposition.

Camilla Norman  [>>>]

Livermore, CA Nov 15, 2006 -- City officials are moving forward with plans to permanently ban medical marijuana dispensaries.

An existing [>>>]

Fresno, CA Nov 15, 2006 -- A jury has been selected and opening arguments will begin today in the federal trial of Merced marijuana activist Dustin Costa, but it is unlikely there will be any debate on the hotly disputed issue of the drug's medicinal value.

Before his [>>>]

Pot club stands fast in eviction 
Hayward man who owns Newark's Kindcare digs in his heels

Newark, CA Nov 14, 2006 -- As it turns out, just saying no isn't so easy when it comes to medical marijuana.

It's a [>>>]

S.F. Passes Marijuana Tolerance Law 
Some Believe To Lenient

San Francisco, CA Nov 15, 2006 -- San Francisco's Board of Supervisors passed a law that essentially says when it comes to marijuana, the city doesn't much care.

The proposal [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Nov 14, 2006 -- The Board of Supervisors voted today to outlaw the use of Styrofoam and other polystyrene products by city restaurants and to effectively decriminalize the use, sale and cultivation of marijuana by adults.

The food [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Nov 14, 2006 -- San Francisco’s marijuana-friendly reputation could get a boost today if the Board of Supervisors decides to officially make the drug the lowest priority for local law enforcement officials.

Supervisor Tom [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Nov 13, 2006 -- San Francisco's Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on legislation that would set nearly all crimes involving marijuana as the lowest law enforcement priority for city police.

The legislation [>>>]

Medical marijuana law leave patients, police in a fog 
State regulation criticized on both sides of drug divide

Seattle, WA Nov 13, 2006 -- In her spacious suburban home, Robin DeBow cleans countertops until they gleam, vacuums the carpets to plush perfection and then turns toward her most pressing chore -- tending the large pot plant budding in her sunny front room.

It's a

Getting tough on pot outlets
 
Dispensaries face strict codes

Pasadena, CA Nov 13, 2006 -- Here, near the 10th anniversary of voter-approved medicinal marijuana in California, the going is rough for purveyors in the San Gabriel Valley. The two latest dispensaries opened and quickly shut down due to county permit violations.

"Medical functions

Chicago, IL Nov 12, 2006 -- The war in Iraq loomed large last week as voters registered their disenchantment during the midterm elections. But lost in all the headlines and nightly news stories about the Republican loss of power were limited status reports on the other American conflict: the War on Weed. In Nevada, an initiative that would have legalized possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for anyone over 21 failed with only a 44 percent yes vote. Las Vegas -- where prostitution and gambling are legal and public intoxication common -- is not quite ready to end the prohibition of pot.

Nonetheless, what  [>>>]

San Diego, CA Nov 12, 2006 -- The people have approved it. Government has struggled with it. And this week, the county of San Diego will mount an attack to overturn it.

It is [>>>]

Oakland, CA Nov 11, 2006 -- The extent to which medical cannabis users discontinue or reduce their use of pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drugs is a recurring theme in a recent survey of pro-cannabis (PC) California doctors. The drug-reduction phenomenon has obvious scientific implications. Medicating with cannabis enables people to lay off stimulants as well as sedatives -suggesting that the herb's active ingredients restore homeostasis to various bodily systems. (Lab studies confirm that cannabinoids normalize the tempo of many other neurotransmission systems.) The political implications are equally obvious. Legalizing herbal cannabis would devastate the pharmaceutical manufacturers and allied corporations in the chemicals, oil, "food," and banking sectors. Put simply, the synthetic drug makers stand to lose half their sales if and when the American people get legal access to cannabis.

In the [>>>]

Santa Cruz, CA Nov 10, 2006 -- Now that growing, selling and using marijuana on private property is essentially allowed in Santa Cruz after the overwhelming support for Measure K this week, police are worried about how to carry out their state-sworn duties and parents and teachers wonder how to explain this one to their children.

"I'm just [>>>]

Gavin NewsomSan Francisco, CA Nov 6, 2006 -- Shona Gouchenaur of Axis of Love caught up to S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsom the day before election day at a press conference for Rob Black, losing candidate for District 6 Supervisor.  Mayor Newsom expounds on topics such as medical cannabis, AC/DC, and candidate Rob Black.

Washington DC Nov 9, 2006 -- The narrow, 48 percent to 52 percent defeat of South Dakota͇s medical marijuana initiative will not affect steady progress toward nationwide protection for medical marijuana patients, officials of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) in Washington, D.C. said today. They pointed to other results showing strong support for medical marijuana, polls showing strong support for the 11 existing state medical marijuana laws, a growing consensus in the medical community that marijuana does have therapeutic value, and a new Congress that will be much more receptive to legislation to protect patients.

"For the [>>>]

Reno, NV Nov 9, 2006 -- Backers of a move to legalize small amounts of marijuana in Nevada said they're not bummed out by its defeat at the polls.

If anything [>>>]

Denver, CO Nov 7, 2006 -- Colorado voters snuffed out a ballot measure seeking to legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for those 21 and older, according to a projection by the Rocky Mountain News.

Amendment 44 [>>>]

Support short for medical marijuana 
Opponents concerned about controlling use

Sioux Falls, SD Nov 8, 2006 -- A movement to legalize the use of marijuana for medical uses was headed for defeat with partial election results available late Tuesday.

South Dakota's [>>>]

Three cities to vote on local LLEP initiatives Nov 7
Voters qualify reform ballot initiatives across California

Nov 8, 2006 -- Voters in the cities of Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, and Santa Barbara will have the opportunity to make a statement that it's time to stop wasting law enforcement resources investigating, arresting, and prosecuting adult marijuana users on election day , November 7. Committees in all three cities submitted enough signatures to qualify their lowest law enforcement priority for marijuana offenses initiatives (LLEP) for the ballots, and the city clerks certified the results. The respective city councils had the option to either adopt the measures directly into law or place them on the ballots for the voters to decide. Bound by the duty of their office to uphold the democratic process, all of the councils voted to place the initiatives on the ballot.

Santa Cruz [>>>]

Lawndale to initiate ban of marijuana dispensaries
Leaders reject a recommendation to allow but regulate facilities that distribute pot for medicinal purposes.
 

Great Falls, MT Nov 8, 2006 -- A ballot measure recommending Missoula County law enforcement officials make adult marijuana offenses their lowest priority passed Tuesday night.

The measure [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Nov 6, 2006 -- An ordinance to put marijuana infractions somewhere below spitting on the sidewalk on San Francisco’s law enforcement priority list is slated for a vote after its language was changed to give police discretion to investigate marijuana offenses that may pose a risk to public safety.

But a [>>>]

Medical marijuana remains in legal limbo
Prop. 215 approved by voters decade ago

Paul CodySan Diego, CA Nov 6, 2006 -- Paul Cody said he harvested his medical marijuana crop early to avoid losing it to another bust. Paul Cody has titanium rods jutting up either side of his spine. Without them, he couldn't sit upright in his wheelchair.

Over the [>>>]

Mollie FryCool, Ca Nov 5, 2006 --- Dr. Mollie Fry never thought telling her patients where to get the medicine she recommended for pain, depression and nausea would be a problem.

Federal drug [>>>]

Sacramento, CA Nov 5, 2006 -- Ten years after California voters approved Proposition 215, a landmark medical marijuana law, many qualified patients still run a gantlet of federal drug agents and hostile police and prosecutors.

This year [>>>]

CCAPasadena, CA Nov 5, 2006 -- Claiming that it is operating illegally, officials tried late last week to shut down a recently opened medical marijuana dispensary in an unincorporated county area.

"It is [>>>]

Sioux Falls, SD Nov 4, 2006 -- This Tuesday, South Dakotans will vote whether or not to make marijuana legal in the state for medicinal purposes.

Smoking marijuana [>>>]

Oakland, CA Nov 4, 2006 -- Tod Mikuriya, MD (Berkeley), was the first California doctor to monitor patients' use of cannabis systematically. In the early 1990s his interviews with members of the San Francisco Cannabis Buyers Club documented Dennis Peron's observation that people were self-medicating for an extremely wide range of problems.

The broad [>>>]

Gathering will mark 10 years of legalized medical pot use
Despite setbacks, veterans of California's pioneering movement will celebrate.

San Francisco, CA Nov 4, 2006 -- With pomp and a bit of pot-inspired pageantry, the battle-tested veterans of California's medical marijuana movement will come together this weekend to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Proposition 215, the milestone ballot measure that redefined cannabis as medicine.

Those planning [>>>]

Sioux Falls, SD Nov 4, 2006 -- A medical marijuana ballot issue in South Dakota is being supported by people who want to legalize drugs, a top federal drug official said Friday.

John Walters [>>>]

Los Angeles, CA Nov 3, 2006 -- Got a headache? Do your high-heeled shoes make your feet hurt? What about dry skin? Undercover, with hidden cameras, we found that with a simple complaint and $175 cash, you can get a recommendation for medical marijuana -- making it legal for you to smoke anywhere in California! We expose how simple it is to skirt the law…

This doctor [>>>]

Mbabane, Swaziland Nov 3, 2006 -- Faced with agricultural crisis and an irrepressible and growing marijuana farming sector, the southern African kingdom of Swaziland is now considering the production of another form of cannabis -- hemp. "Swazi Gold," as the locally produced pot is known, is a valuable commodity, fetching up to $5,000 a pound in the European market, and with growers of traditional crops such as cotton and sugar seeing tough times because of falling prices, generations-old, small-scale, traditional marijuana cultivation is being transformed into a major cash crop in the economically staggering nation.

Known in [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Nov 3, 2006 -- A decade ago Californians passed the nation's first medical marijuana law, but the future of that statute is no clearer now than when voters headed to the polls on Nov. 5, 1996.

The federal [>>>]

Medical Marijuana Scores High in National Survey
Canadians increasingly aware of medicinal benefits new research shows

Toronto, Ontario Nov 3, 2006 -- Medical marijuana is making its mark in mainstream Canadian society. According to a recent national survey commissioned by Cannasat Therapeutics Inc. and conducted by Maritz Research (*),80 per cent of Canadians believe that adults should be allowed to legally use medical marijuana if recommended by a physician. The survey also found that a majority of Canadians are aware that medical marijuana is legally available through Health Canada for treating everything from cancer to multiple sclerosis.

Survey results [>>>]

Palm Springs, CA Nov 2, 2006 -- A search warrant was served around 10:45 a.m. at Palm Springs Caregivers at 2100 N. Palm Canyon Drive, and federal drug agents along with Palm Springs police are searching the business, which is a medical marijuana dispensary.

The search [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Nov 2, 2006--Ed Rosenthal is being prosecuted--and persecuted--by federal authorities for growing pot for medicinal purposes.

Axis of [>>>]

Dennis Peron, shown being greeted by David Nash at his birthday party in April 2000, will be on hand at this weekend's 10-year anniversary of the passage of Proposition 215.San Francisco, CA Nov 2, 2006  -- This year marks the 10th anniversary of the passage of Proposition 215, the Compassionate Care Act, which received 56 percent of California voters' support in 1996. Since that time, 10 other states have passed similar laws, and support for medical cannabis is growing, according to a report by the Marijuana Policy Project.

The report [>>>]

Torrance to close medical marijuana dispensary 
Public's health and safety is cited in the action against the Green Cross on Hawthorne Boulevard. The business can protest the decision.

Torrance, CA Nov 2, 2006 -- The city of Torrance has revoked the business license of a controversial medical marijuana dispensary, officials said Wednesday.

Less than [>>>]

Nov 2, 2006 -- Although Canadians are hardly trading maple leaves for pot leaves, newly published findings suggest Cheech and Chong would feel right at home here.

In a [>>>]

San Diego, CA Oct 31, 2006 -- Police arrested seven medical marijuana advocates Tuesday for refusing orders to disperse while protesting outside a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency convention in Mission Valley.

Officers took [>>>]

SALINAS MAN SAYS SEIZED POT PLANTS WERE MEDICAL

Salinas, CA Nov 1, 2006 -- In the latest in a series of marijuana busts in Monterey County and statewide, sheriff's deputies report seizing 27 pot plants from the residence of a Salinas man who claimed he and his mother use the cultivated drug for medical purposes.

The plants [>>>]

Bismarck, SD Nov 1, 2006 -- Editor’s note: This is another in a series of stories on ballot issues and candidates facing South Dakota voters in the Nov. 7 general election.

Voters will [>>>]

Voters may say: Relax, it's only pot 
Ballot measures in Santa Monica, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz would require that police not bother adults over the private use of marijuana.

Oct 31, 2006 -- Voters in three California cities will decide Tuesday whether to require their police departments to make the private use of marijuana by adults the lowest law enforcement priority.

The ballot [>>>]

Los Angeles, CA Oct 31, 2006 -- A one-year moratorium on the issuance of permits for new medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles was approved Monday by the City Council's Public Safety Committee.

The committee [>>>]

Riverside, CA Oct 30, 2006 -- Oct 30, 2006 -- Riverside County will not join a legal challenge to California's medical marijuana law, scheduled to be heard in San Diego Superior Court Nov. 16.

The county [>>>]

Santa Rosa, CA Oct 30, 2006 -- Federal agents were preparing to raid the home of Mendocino County District Attorney Norman Vroman at the time of his death to search for maturing marijuana plants and a possible stash of illegal weapons, a newspaper reported Monday.

Agents told [>>>]

Boulder, CO Oct 30, 2006 -- -- I was on an RTD bus recently when two young buffoons sparked up a doobie a couple rows behind me. I turned and stared as these clowns tried to hide their joint and hold searing lungfuls of smoke until I turned away. "Put it out," I said. "I don't want it in my face." "What?" one replied.

So I [>>>]

Marijuana sales, distribution major part of local economy 
Impact in Colorado Springs could be equivalent to $80 million in retail sales, account for 1,100 jobs

Colorado Springs, CO Oct 27, 2006 -- On Nov. 7, Colorado voters will decide whether to legalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by any person over 21.

Initiative 44 [>>>]

San Luis Obispo, CA Oct 29, 2006 -- The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors plans to take the last step in establishing a medical-marijuana identification-card program when it meets next month.

In August [>>>]

Winnipeg, Manitoba Oct 29, 2006 -- A well-known herb was touted as a way to ease the painful muscle spasms of multiple sclerosis at a conference on the neurological disease Saturday.

Toke [>>>]

Ukiah, CA Oct 28, 2006 - At its Oct. 24th meeting, the county Board of Supervisors voted to discuss establishing county guidelines for the growing and production of medical marijuana.

The board [>>>]

Sioux Falls, SD Oct 28, 2006 -- With election day little more than a week away, proponents of South Dakota's medical marijuana initiative are increasingly nervous about the measure's prospects in the face of a coordinated onslaught by the state's Republican political establishment, state and local law enforcement, and even the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP -- the drug czar's office). Given South Dakota's social conservatism and a number of hot-button other issues on the ballot, including abortion and gay marriage, the assault by law enforcement only makes voter approval of the measure more difficult. But with no polling on the issue in the state since 2002 (when it got 64% approval), it is hard to gauge exactly where the vote is likely to go.

Known on [>>>]

Oct 27, 2006 -- Inspired by successful local initiatives making marijuana the "lowest law enforcement priority" in Seattle and Oakland, activists in three California cities -- Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Santa Monica -- are busy working to ensure that similar measures pass there in November. Similar measures are also on the ballot in Missoula, Montana, and Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

"Lowest priority [>>>]

Grant KreigerOttawa, Canada Oct 27, 2006 -- In a decision handed down Thursday, the Canadian Supreme Court has thrown out the conviction of Alberta medical marijuana activist Grant Krieger, who had been convicted of marijuana possession with the intent to distribute. The high court held that the trial judge had erred by directing the jury to find Krieger guilty.

Krieger, who [>>>]

Barcelona, Spain Oct 27, 2006 -- A Spanish medical marijuana activist group, the Amigos de María, has announced the creation of the first publicly known medical marijuana dispensary in the country. Operating through the Internet, the "Cannabis Pharmacy" will provide information about medical marijuana, encourage patients to grow their own, and put patients in contact with listed growers who are prepared to donate part of their crops for patients.

While the [>>>]

Pot club advocates: S.F. permit process is too confusing
Planning Department backs restrictions; deadline for registrations in eight months

San Francisco, CA Oct 27, 2006 -- With less than eight months left before all medical cannabis dispensaries in The City have to be registered under new permitting regulations, some say the process is too ambiguous or difficult to understand.

Last year [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Oct 25, 2006 -- In a major victory for medical cannabis patients, Judge Charles Breyer dismissed three counts involving marijuana cultivation against Richard Watts, ruling that the U.S. Attorney's Office had violated theSpeedy Trial Act.  Judge Breyer [>>>]

Gary SilvaSky Valley, CA Oct 25, 2006 -- A Sky Valley man is accused of growing marijuana, but says he has a good excuse.

Gary Silva [>>>]

Los Angeles, CA Oct 24, 2006 -- Anyone wanting to open a new medical marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles within the next year might see their plans go up in smoke, under a plan approved Tuesday by a City Council committee.

The council's [>>>]

Rochester, MN Oct 24, 2006 - A chemical component extracted from the cannabis, or marijuana, plant may relax the colon and reduce stomach cramping after eating, a U.S. study found.

Doctors at [>>>]

DR. GREEN SUES WEEDTRACKER
Asks $10,000 for Defamation

Los Angeles, CA Oct 24, 2006 -- CA-Envelope-pushing medical marijuana distributor Richard Sentz, also known as Dr. Green, has threatened the dispensary review site Weedtracker with a lawsuit for allegedly posting defamatory statements about his business, according to an email sent on 9-11-'06. The "demand letter" sent by attorney James Anthony requests that Weedtracker pay $10,000 to Mr. Sentz, remove all defamatory statements about Sentz, and reinstate his membership with the forum-based web site.

Here is [>>>]

Santa Cruz considers curbing marijuana citations
Some residents worry city is going too far with measure that would require police officers to look the other way

Santa Cruz, CA Oct 24, 2006 -- Santa Cruz may be attached to the mainland. But in many ways, it is an island.

Separated from [>>>]

Gardena seeks to revoke marijuana stores' licenses
City officials contend the owners of both businesses lied on their applications, stating they sold "herbal remedies."

Gardena, CA Oct 24, 2006 -- Gardena has become the latest South Bay city to take on medical marijuana, moving to revoke business licenses for two storefront dispensaries.

The city [>>>]

Flin Flon, Manitoba Oct 23, 2006 -- Demand for medical marijuana has grown by 80 per cent this year for a Saskatoon company that grows the plant in an old northern Manitoba mine shaft, its president said.

In fact [>>>]

An Interview with Jeffrey Hergenrather, MD
What Have California Doctors Learned About Cannabis?

Oakland, CA Oct 23, 2006 -- It has been 10 years since California voters enacted Proposition 215, making it legal to grow and use cannabis, with a doctor's approval, for medical purposes. Prop 215 didn't create a record-keeping system because the authors didn't trust the government and didn't want to generate a master list of cannabis users. So, over the course of the past decade, a vast public health experiment has been conducted in California but no state agency has been tracking doctors who approve cannabis use or patients who medicate with it.

To assess [>>>]

DEA raids Green Cross in Torrance, makes seizures
Affidavit says federal officials believe the medical marijuana facility director and his brother are common drug dealers.

Torrance, CA Oct 20, 2006 -- Federal agents raided a controversial medical marijuana dispensary in Torrance on Thursday, seeking evidence that could lead to criminal drug dealing charges against its owners.

Workers at [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Oct 19, 2006 -- Ronnie "Abdullah" Whitaker was released on his own recognizance yesterday by Judge Charles Haines who upbraided the Asst. DA for charging Abdullah with sales of less then a gram of marijuana.

Arrested at [>>>]

Covina, CA Oct 19, 2006 -- The City Council has revoked the business licenses of three shops selling medical marijuana in the city, the latest move against such establishments in the San Gabriel Valley.

Several cities [>>>]

On the Spot: Dr. Abrams Responds

San Francisco, CA Oct 18, 2006 -- As part of our new On the Spot web feature, Dr. Donald Abrams, the new director of clinical programs at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and an expert in complementary therapies, agreed to answer your questions.

Below we’ve [>>>]

Hartford, CN Oct 18, 2006 -- In 2004 and 2005, Connecticut came very close to passing a compassionate use bill to provide patients with access to physician-recommended marijuana. But both years, the bill got mired in political debates and never made it out of the legislature.

Drug Policy [>>>]

issoula, MT Oct 18, 2006 -- A ballot initiative that aims to make marijuana crimes the single lowest priority for Missoula County authorities - pegged below even jaywalking on the hierarchy of enforcement - has met heavy opposition from adversaries who argue the drug would become more available to young people.

But proponents [>>>]

Santa Barbara, CA Oct 17, 2006 -- With an initiative on the ballot to make pot possession a "lowest-priority" crime in Santa Barbara, the city's weed smokers will have to clear their foggy memories and remember to vote in November's upcoming election.

Measure P [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Oct 17, 2006 -- A medical marijuana dispensary director who is accused of marijuana cultivation and money laundering was granted release on $1 million bond by a federal magistrate in San Francisco Tuesday.

Sparky Rose [>>>]

Charges in medical marijuana case stand
Judge: Couple missing caregiver documentation

Fort Collins, CO Oct 17, 2006 -- A Fort Collins couple still faces charges of possession and cultivation of marijuana after a judge refused Monday to dismiss the charges under Colorado's medical marijuana law.

It was [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Oct 16, 2006 -- Medical marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal pleaded not guilty in federal court in San Francisco today to expanded charges that include tax evasion and money laundering as well as marijuana cultivation.

Rosenthal, 61 [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Oct 16, 2006 -- Ed Rosenthal and Rick Watts were arraigned in federal court in San Francisco today before Magistrate Larson. The government explained its 25-count indictment, which included charges of manufacture and distribution of marijuana, maintaining a place for manufacture and distribution, possession for the purpose of distribution, conspiracy, money laundering, and tax evasion. Ken Hayes was named in the indictment, but was not present for the arraignment. The three defendants have different and overlapping charges. Each of them face life in prison and millions of dollars in fines.

Both defendants [>>>]

Palm Desert, CA Oct 16, 2006 Medical marijuana will be on the agenda when the Public Safety Committee of the Coachella Valley Association of Governments meets 10 a.m. today at 73-710 Fred Waring Drive, Suite 119, in Palm Desert.

Kevin Ruddy [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Oct 16, 2006 -- In another in a series of Federal attacks on medical cannabis, Ed Rosenthal, 61 will be arraigned in U.S. District Court in San Francisco  Monday morning.

Facing a [>>>]

Claremont, CA Oct 14, 2006 -- City hall last week sent a letter to Darrell Kruse ordering him to cease operation of his Claremont medical marijuana dispensary. The deadline for Mr. Kruse to shut down was Thursday, but as day broke Friday, the marijuana activist’s shop was still open for business.

“I’ve defied [>>>]

Willits, CA Oct 14, 2006 -- After some juggling occasioned by the death of Mendocino County District Attorney Norman Vroman, an educational conference on medical marijuana has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 21, from noon to midnight or later.

The conference [>>>]

Palm Springs, CA Oct 14, 2006 -- Collectives for growing medicinal pot could someday sprout in industrial-warehouse areas of this resort town.

Under a [>>>]

Fresno, CA Oct 14, 2006 -- Nine people — including the owners of a medicinal marijuana clinic in Modesto that was raided last month — pleaded not guilty to drug charges in federal court Friday in Fresno.

Luke Anthony [>>>]

Ottawa, Canada Oct 13, 2006 -- According to a top Canadian military general, Taliban forces in Afghanistan utilize forests of ten-foot tall marijuana plants to evade Canadian troops. The plants provide a nearly impenetrable barrier, and dense camouflage, for Taliban militias, and render thermal devices for detecting movement obsolete.

Marijuana plants [>>>]

Fed jury slaps `Guru of Ganja' with host of new pot charges
Ed Rosenthal says it's federal effort to shut down state pot clubs, "deprive people of their medicine"

San  Francisco, CA Oct 13, 2006 -- Oakland "Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal was re-indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on a host of marijuana-related charges, roughly six months after an appeals court tossed out his earlier convictions.

The superseding [>>>]

San Benito, CA Oct 13, 2006 -- Applications accepted two days a month

San Benito [>>>]

Amsterdam, The Netherlands Oct 12, 2006 -- For international travelers, Amsterdam has long served as a kind of nirvana. Considered a forward-thinking capital light years ahead of the rest of the world, much of the city's exceptional status is due its coffee shops -- essentially marijuana bars -- where smoking pot is perfectly legal. Coupled with other liberal sex and drug laws that have ensured a level of tolerance no European city can rival, Amsterdam has acted for many as a role model of what an enlightened 21st-century city should be.

But things [>>>]

Sun Valley would process marijuana petition
Election could proceed if petition requirements met

Sun Valley, ID Oct 12, 2006 -- The citizens of Sun Valley could vote on whether to legalize marijuana within the city limits if a political advocacy group pushing the measure meets the city's requirements for initiative petitions.

"We will [>>>]

Thousand Oaks, CA Oct 12, 2006 -- Steve Comstock, a 23-year-old Thousand Oaks resident, says he's dying from Hodgkin's lymphoma and is in dire need of medical marijuana to relieve the painful condition. Loren Green, a 58-year-old man who works in Agoura Hills, says he uses marijuana to ease his symptoms of depression, anxiety and arthritis. But the condition of neither person failed to prevent the Agoura Hills City Council from enacting a recent moratorium barring medical marijuana cooperatives from the city.

The council [>>>]

Carson City, NV Oct 12, 2006  -- The Green Party's Craig Bergland has become the first Nevada gubernatorial candidate to endorse the ballot question legalizing possession and use of small amounts of marijuana.

"I am [>>>]

Eureka Springs, AR Oct 10, 2006 -- A petition to get a marijuana reform measure on the ballot in Eureka Springs, Ark., has ended in success with a vote scheduled for next month.

Leaders of [>>>]

Medical Marijuana Measure Should Pass

Yankton, SD Oct 11,2006 -- Next month, South Dakota voters have an opportunity to embrace what might be considered an act of compassion by passing Initiated Measure 4, which would provide certain seriously ill individuals with access to marijuana for medical purposes.

The motivation [>>>]

mTucson, AZ Oct 10, 2006 -- National attention could be focused on southern New Mexico later this month when an Arizona couple with an unusual set of religious beliefs faces federal drug charges in a Las Cruces courtroom.

Dan and [>>>]

Man says hemp oil cured his cancer
Legion trouble helping to get message out about ‘amazing’ oil

Rick SimpsonMaccan, Nova Scotia Oct 10, 2006 -- Rick Dwyer says officials with the provincial command of the Royal Canadian Legion were wrong to revoke the local legion’s charter but he figures the action will nonetheless help all Canadians.

"The attention [>>>]

Madison, WI Oct 9, 2006 -- Supporters of legalizing marijuana urged people to vote for candidates who support the drug's legalization at a rally this weekend.

Organizers estimated [>>>]

Sacramento, CA Oct 7, 2006 -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has refused to sign AB 1147, "The California Industrial Hemp Farming Act," which earlier this year passed the Senate (by 26 to 13) and Assembly (44 to 29). The bill would have allowed California farmers to grow hemp -the cannabis plant that has been bred for fiber and/or seeds. "Industrial hemp" contains only trace amounts of THC -.3 percent or less, as defined by AB 1147.

Cannabis is [>>>]

Palm Springs, CA Oct 7, 2006 -- A local medical marijuana dispensary is open again. Federal agents and local police raided the place on Wednesday.

Palm Canyon [>>>]

Medical marijuana doctor opens up shop in Claremont
Establishment joins marijuana dispensary as city braces for possible legal battle

Claremont, CA Oct 7, 2006 -- A medical marijuana physician has begun issuing prescriptions at a newly opened Claremont office, the COURIER has learned, the announcement being the second in as many weeks that a medical marijuana facility has set up shop without the city’s consent or prior knowledge.

Madison Burbank [>>>]

Modesto, CA Oct 6, 2006 -- The Tuolumne Narcotics Team is helping to further investigate the California Healthcare Collective, Modesto's only medical marijuana dispensary.

On September [>>>]

Modesto, CA Oct 6, 2006 -- At least five California different medical marijuana dispensaries have been raided in the last ten days, bringing the total so far this year to more than 30, according to medical marijuana supporters. But that means nearly 200 existing dispensaries have not been raided, suggesting that what is occurring is more like a low-level battle of attrition than an all-out assault by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its allies among recalcitrant state and local law enforcement and elected officials.

Here is [>>>]

Washington DC Oct 5, 2006 -- Good news for ageing hippies: smoking pot may stave off Alzheimer's disease.

New research [>>>]

Feds raid medical marijuana dispensary
As the home to three dispensaries, the valley is one of the main sites of a battle between state and federal authorities

Palm Springs, CA Oct 5, 2006 -- A medical marijuana-laced "tip" left for an employee at Palm Springs' Spa Resort Casino in September ended with a search-and-seizure raid on a Coachella Valley medical marijuana dispensary on Wednesday.

Agents from [>>>]

San Francisco, CA Oct 4, 2006 -- A dozen patient/activists rallied at San Francisco to protest the DEA's raid on New Remedies dispensary yesterday. Patients marched to the Federal Building chanting, "Hey-Hey Ho-Ho the DEA has got to go!" and were greeted by honking motorists. [>>>]

Photos From Tuesdays Raid at Mission Caregivers

MissionSan Francisco, CA Oct 3, 2006 -- Photos taken from today's raid which occurred at 9:00 this morning and lasted until 1:00 PM. [>>>]

San Francisco, Ca Oct 4, 2006 -- Fifteen arrested in actions in Oakland and The City; lawyer deems events ‘outrageous’

Federal drug [>>>]