Kharla Vezzetti

May 4, Ridgecrest, CA: A medical marijuana raid by the Naval Criminal Intelligence Service has led to the arrest of five defendants on federal charges. The defendants were charged for distributing marijuana for the R&C Collective next to the China Lake Naval Base. Read more.

Unlike the DEA, NCIS does not operate under the Justice Dept and therefore, it seems, is not upholding AG Holder’s memo to honor state MMJ laws.

Other federal agencies that are outside the DOJ do not seem to be bound by the AG’s directive.…

SACRAMENTO – Legislative committees considered a pair of marijuana bills last week, approving Mark Leno’s bill SB 1449 to make petty pot offenses an infraction, and narrowly passing a much watered-down version of Assemblywoman Buchanan’s bill AB 2650 to limit dispensary siting.

On April 20th (fittingly enough) the Senate Public Safety Commitee voted 5-2 to approve Mark Leno’s bill SB 1449 to downgrade possession of less than one ounce of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction. Although it was supported by all the drug reform groups, what ensured the bill’s passage was support from the California DA’s association and the Judicial Council, which complained of the burden to the courts of processing misdemeanor cases for an offense whose maximal punishment is a $100 fine.…

In a surprise legislative move, a bill that would drastically limit medical marijuana
dispensary siting has been introduced by Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (D-Contra Costa).
It is scheduled for hearing in the Assembly Public Safety Committee on April 20th. As currently amended, the bill, AB 2650, would forbid any medical marijuana collective, dispensary or other provider from being located within 1000 feet of a school.

PLEASE CALL IF YOU LIVE IN ANY OF THE *** DISTRICTS

Assembly Public Safety Committee
Jim Beall (San Jose) (916) 319-2024 ***
Jerry Hill (San Mateo) (916) 319-2019 ***
Anthony Portantino (Pasadena) (916) 319-2044 ***
Nancy Skinner (Berkeley) (916) 319-2014
Tom Ammiano (SF) (916) 319-2013
Danny Gilmore (Hanford) (916) 319-2030
Curt Hagman (Anaheim/Whitier/Diamond Bar) (916) 319-2060

Also, constituents are asked to call:

ASSEMBLY HEALTH COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN:
Bill Monning (Santa Cruz) (831) 425-1503 ***

In addition, anyone living in Joan Buchanan’s district (A15: San Ramon, Oakley, Elk Grove, Livermore) should call her office at (925) 328-1515 to express their disappointment in her sponsorship of AB2650.…

UPDATE: April 4 – One week after Davidovich’s acquittal, the San Diego DA’s office brought new charges against medical marijuana defendant Donna Lambert, over possession of two legally registered guns in her home. Deputy District Attorney Steve Walter said outside court Friday that the two jury verdicts [Davidovich and Jovan Jackson] should not be interpreted as a widespread rejection of the office’s approach to prosecuting medical marijuana cases. Read more.

March 28 – After a two-week trial, a jury has fully acquitted Eugene Davidovich on four counts of possession and sales of marijuana.…

March 17 – As federal DEA pressure subsides in California, opponents of medical marijuana are pushing to impose new and unprecedented restrictions on medical marijuana cultivation through local ordinances of dubious constitutionality.

In Long Beach, a city within LA County, the city council adopted a dispensary ordinance that requires all patient collectives to grow marijuana on their own premises within the city limits. The Los Angeles DA’s office has maintained – falsely – that this is necessary under state law. In fact, state law has no such restrictions; patients from anywhere in the state can join in collective cultivation projects.…

UPDATE: BILL TO DECRIMINALIZE MINOR POT POSSESSION OFFENSES SIGNED BY GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER

Cal NORML Release – March 14, 2010

SACRAMENTO State Sen. Mark Leno (D-SF) has announced the introduction of a bill (SB1449) to downgrade possession of one ounce or less of marijuana to an infraction instead of a misdemeanor.

By making possession an infraction, the bill would spare possession offenders the necessity of a court appearance and criminal record. Instead, they would simply pay a ticket.

Leno’s bill would save the state millions of dollars in court costs by keeping minor pot offenders out of court.…

UPDATE March 24 – AB 1811 was passed by the Assembly Public Safety committee on March 23rd and will now go to the Assembly floor. CalNORML director Dale Gieringer testified in favor of the bill at the hearing.

March 10 – A bill to legalize medical marijuana paraphernalia has been introduced by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-SF). The bill, AB 1811, modifies the existing drug paraphernalia law to exempt items designed or marketed for lawful purposes, notably medical use of marijuana.

AB 1811 would protect both patients and vendors from bogus arrests, which continue to be reported despite passage of Prop.…

Feb 18, 2010 – Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has re-submitted his bill to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana in California. The new bill, AB 2254, the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act of 2010 is identical to its predecessor AB 390, which was approved by the Public Safety Committee in January. Because it was introduced last year, AB 390 ran out of time to be heard on this year’s calendar.

Advocates are hopeful that AB 2254 will move forward this year through the Health Committee, as the legislature has yet to hold hearings on the health aspects of legal marijuana.…

Studies Show Marijuana Safe and Effective in Treatment of Chronic Pain & Neuralgia

SACRAMENTO, Feb 17th – In a landmark report to the state legislature, the California Center
for Medicinal Cannabis Research announced that its studies have shown marijuana to have
therapeutic value (report at http://www.cmcr.ucsd.edu).

The CMCR, established at the University of California in 2000 to conduct controlled
scientific studies of medical marijuana, reported positive results in six different human clinical trials regarding chronic pain, spasticity and vaporization.

Four studies showed marijuana to be safe and effective in relieving the chronic pain of
neuralgia.…

MEDIA ADVISORY
February 16, 2010

CONTACTS
Ali Bay (916) 651-4003
Rand Martin (916) 441-1034

Medical Cannabis Report, Commissioned by State, to be Released

SACRAMENTO – In 1999, the California Legislature and Governor enacted Senate Bill 847 (Vasconcellos), which commissioned the University of California to establish a scientific research program to expand the scientific knowledge on purported therapeutic usages of medical marijuana. The legislation passed with a strong bi-partisan vote and was supported by former Attorney General Dan Lungren as well as a coalition of statewide public safety and health organizations.…

California voters will have the opportunity to vote for marijuana reform this November. The Tax and Regulate Cannabis Initiative or “TC2010”, sponsored by Richard Lee of Oaksterdam University, will appear on the November 2 ballot as Proposition 19.

The initiative would decriminalize marijuana at the state level, while giving local county and city governments the power to legalize, tax and regulate production and sales if they see fit. In particular, the initiative would make it legal for adults 21 and older to possess one ounce of marijuana in the privacy of their homes and to cultivate up to 25 square feet of garden space for personal use.…

January 20 – LA’s long-debated medical marijuana ordinance is likely to be approved on a final vote next Tuesday.

By an 11-3 preliminary vote, the Los Angeles City Council moved to adopt a medical marijuana ordinance requiring collectives to locate outside a 1000-foot buffer from sensitive use properties (schools, libraries, churches). Collectives can exist in residential areas unless they abut a residence.

View the ordinance (PDF)

Since the vote on first reading was not unanimous, a final vote (where only a majority is needed) will take place on Tuesday, January 26.…

January 12 – The California Assembly Public Safety Committee will be voting on Tom Ammiano’s landmark bill to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana (AB390) this Tuesday, Jan 12th. The bill is expected to be heard when the committee convenes at 9 am.

The bill, based on legislation proposed by Cal NORML and originally drafted for former State Sen. Vasonconellos, would legalize the use of marijuana by adults over 21 and regulate its
production and sale in a manner similar to alcohol through the Alcoholic Beverages Commission.…

– California NORML Release –

SACRAMENTO, Jan 12, 2010. In a historic vote, the Assembly Public Safety Committee voted 4-3 to approve Tom Ammmiano’s bill to legalize and regulate marijuana, the first time a legislative body has ever voted to repeal MJ prohibition. The bill does not have time to move forward to the next legislative step, which would involve hearings by the Health Committee, and will therefore likely die at the end of the week, but Ammiano said he would re-introduce a similar bill in an upcoming session.…

December 17 – At a rollicking meeting where someone signed in as “Santa Claus” for public comment, LA City Council yesterday once more put off their vote on a medical marijuana ordinance, at least until a special meeting they will hold on the topic January 13. (Santa didn’t show, but he was thanked for stopping by.)

Councilmember Reyes lead off the presentation of maps from the planning department, thanking them for their efforts and asking councilmembers to take the maps and statistical analyses back to their offices and study them before making a decision.…