Ammiano Bill AB 473 Passes Appropriations Committee; Stalls on Assembly Floor

UPDATE May 31 – AB473 stalled on the Assembly floor. Rep. Ammiano has vowed to continue the fight. SACRAMENTO, May 24 – The Assembly Appropriations Committee approved Tom Ammiano’s medical marijuana regulation bill AB 473 with amendments. The amendments include an extensive new declaration of purposes, dubbing the bill the “Medical Marijuana Regulation and Control …

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LA Voters Say Yes to Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

May 22 – Medical marijuana dispensaries will remain open in Los Angeles after voters approved Measure D allowing 175 dispensing collectives to remain open in the city. The election came weeks after the California Supreme Court ruled in the Riverside case that cities may ban dispensaries altogether. In an election with slim turn out, Measure …

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CALIFORNIA SENATE PASSES STEINBERG BILL TO CLARIFY LEGALITY OF DISPENSARIES

Take Action to Support SB439 SACRAMENTO May 20 – The California Senate approved a bill to clarify the state’s law protecting medical marijuana collectives. The bill, SB 439 by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (Sacramento), protects collectives and cooperatives that operate in compliance with the Attorney General’s guidelines, and makes it clear that their …

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PROTEST A.G. HOLDER VISIT TO BERKELEY – SAT MAY 11 @ 8:45 AM

May 10 – Join us in protesting Attorney General Eric Holder’s visit to Berkeley this Saturday, May 11th, 8:45-11am. Holder has been invited to address the commencement of Berkeley Law School at the Hearst Greek Theater. Just days ago, Holder’s Dept. of Justice

A group of men and women stand together on the steps of a building. One woman, speaking at a podium with microphones, has Cal NORML supporters standing behind her. A sign in front reads "END FEDERAL INTERFERENCE." The backdrop includes banners from the Berkeley Patients Group Medical Cannabis Dispensary. CA Norml

Cal NORML Denounces Federal Forfeiture Suit Against East Bay’s Oldest Medical Cannabis Dispensary: BPG

HIV patient Robin Bishop speaks at a rally in support of Berkeley Patients Group. BERKELEY CA, May 8th. Medical cannabis advocates rallied today to protest the Obama administration’s latest assault on medical marijuana: the U.S. Dept of Justice has filed a property forfeiture lawsuit against the landlord of the East Bay’s oldest operating medical cannabis …

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California Supreme Court Rules Cities and Counties May Allow or Ban Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

May 6, 2013 UPDATED 11:15 AM – In a unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court ruled that local governments may ban medical marijuana dispensaries. In the decision, City of Riverside v. Inland Empire Patients Health and Wellness Center, the court ruled that California’s state medical marijuana laws do not preempt the authority of local governments …

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RIP Mike Gray: Screenwriter, author and activist

It is with sadness that CalNORML reports the death of Mike Gray, Gray was a documentarian and the award-winning screenwriter of the prophetic movie China Syndrome (starring Michael Douglas and Jane Fonda) who took an interest in the drug war after reading a 1992 article in the LA Times by DPA’s Ethan Nadelmann. Written in …

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US Drug Nannies Send More Dispensary Landlord Letters

California NORML Release April 30, 2013 US Attorney Melinda Haag has issued a spate of new landlord letters targeting medical cannabis dispensaries in Northern California. Cal NORML has so far heard reports from dispensaries in San Jose, San Francisco and Ukiah. The letters warn landlords that the facilities are operating too close to a school …

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CA STATE SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES MEDICAL MARIJUANA REGULATION BILL; BALKS AT CORREA ZERO-TOLERANCE DRUG DUI BILL

SACRAMENTO, APRIL 30. The State Senate Public Safety Committee approved Sen. Steinberg’s bill to regulate medical marijuana, SB 439. Steinberg said the bill was not yet in final form, but rather a “vehicle to engage stakeholders” in fashioning reasonable regulations and curbing abuses. He said he had been in contact with Assemblyman Ammiano (who has …

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