Kharla Vezzetti

Berkeley Activists Press for “Kinder and Safer Streets”

1999 – Marijuana activists are pushing the city of Berkeley to stop police from arresting minor pot offenders in violation of the city’s 20-year-old Marijuana Ordinance, which declares that marijuana should be lowest enforcement priority.

Police statistics show a dramatic doubling in the number of marijuana arrests last year following a crackdown aimed at clearing street people off Telegraph Ave. The increase was driven by a near tripling in the number of felony pot arrests, mainly for petty sales or intent to sell..…

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US Court Rules Against Cannabis Clubs: A Green Light for More DEA Raids

SAN FRANCISCO, May 3, 2002 – US Judge Charles Breyer has issued a summary judgement for the government in its case against the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club plus two other Bay Area cannabis clubs.

In his decision, Breyer rejected the clubs’ interstate commerce clause challenge, noting that marijuana distribution is economic activity and is accordingly considered interstate commerce under previous Ninth Circuit precedent. He dismissed the notion that clubs could invoke substantive due process rights, indicating that these could at most apply to individual patients, not distributors.…

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Prop 36 Aims to End Imprisonment of Drug Users

An electoral showdown is looming in California this November over Proposition 36, which would end prison sentences for non-violent drug users (www.drugreform.org).

Modeled on Arizona’s successful Proposition 200, Prop. 36 would allow most offenders charged with simple possession of drugs to opt for a diversion program instead of imprisonment. Criminal charges would be dismissed upon successful completion of the program.

Prop. 36 is tightly written to exclude dangerous and violent criminals. It applies only to first and second time drug possession offenders who are not charged with other crimes simultaneously and have not had a serious or violent “strike” in the past five years.…

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CA Assembly Approves Bill to Downgrade MJ Possession to an Infraction

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

SACRAMENTO Aug 30: The California state Assembly voted 43-33 to approve Sen. Mark Leno’s bill SB 1449 downgrading petty marijuana possession from a misdemeanor to an infraction. The bill passed thanks to support from the CA district attorneys and courts; similar legislation had been voted down by the Assembly three times in the past.

The bill now heads to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s desk for his signature.

As usual, the vote split largely along party lines, with Democrats voting 40 – 8 in favor of more lenient penalties and Republicans 2 – 23 against.…

CA Assembly Rejects Medical Marijuana Resolution SJR 14

SACRAMENTO Aug 30: In a disappointing display of legislative perversity, the California Assembly rejected State Senator Mark Leno’s medical marijuana resolution SJR 14.

The Assembly may still have a chance to revisit the resolution in the coming extraordinary session.

SJR 14 would call on the President and Congress to end federal raids and interference with state laws, permit an affirmative defense for MMJ defendants, encourage MMJ research, and create a comprehensive federal policy to assure safe access to medical marijuana. See text of SJR 14

The vote was 37-29, four short of the 41 needed for passage.…

Stop SB1131- Medical Marijuana Tax Bill

State Sen. Ron Calderon (D-Montebello) is seeking to push through a last-minute bill to establish a statewide BOE tax registration system for medical marijuana sellers, distributors, growers and transporters. In order to bypass the normal legislative hearings, Sen. Calderon has sneakily devised the bill as a “gut-and-amend” to another bill, SB 1131, which has already been approved by the Senate. Text of SB 1131

SB 1131 would require all commercial growers, retailers, wholesalers, and transporters to register with the state, but would DO NOTHING to legally protect them by changing the law to explicitly legalize wholesale or retail sales.…

Anaheim Court Decision Rejects Federal Preemption Argument

August 18 – In its long-awaited ruling in Qualified Patients Association vs. the City of Anaheim, the California Court of Appeals ruled that Anaheim could not use federal pre-emption as a grounds to ban medical marijuana dispensaries. The court struck down a lower court decision that had sustained a demurrer to QPA’s suit against Anaheim on the grounds that dispensaries were illegal under federal law.

On a second issue, the court found with the city of Anaheim as to whether the QPA could sue on the grounds that the city’s ordinance violated the state Unruh Act by discriminating against them on the basis of a disability or medical condition.…

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Driving, Worker Safety Not Affected by Legalization

Opponents of this November’s Prop 19 initiative are blowing hot air about the supposed impacts of marijuana legalization on highway safety.

The opposition has shrewdly named itself Public Safety First, in line with opinion polls that show driving under the influence of marijuana is a major public concern.

Opponents have lined up the support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which stated, “we are deeply concerned (the initiative) will result in more impaired driving and thus more injuries and fatalities.”

Fortunately, however, a careful review of the scientific evidence shows that fears about marijuana’s impact on road safety are unwarranted.…

CAL NORML Joins Coalition Opposing President Obama’s Pick To Head The Drug Enforcement Administration

Cal NORML Release – July 21, 2010
CONTACT: Dale Gieringer, Director (415) 563-5858 mailto:[email protected]

CAL NORML Joins Coalition Opposing President Obama’s Pick To Head The Drug Enforcement Administration
DEA raid on Mendocino licensed MMJ grower shows agency out of control

Citing the raid by DEA agents on Joy Greenfield, the first patient to register in Mendocino’s path-breaking licensing program for medical marijuana growers, Cal NORML joins a national coalition of groups calling on the administration to withdraw the re-appointment of Michele Leonhart to head the DEA.…

Legalization Initiative Prop. 19 on November Ballot

The Control and Tax Cannabis initiative to legalize marijuana for adult use in California will appear on the November 2nd ballot as Proposition 19.

Coincidentally, this was the number of the original California Marijuana Initiative of 1972, the first-ever marijuana decriminalization initiative. The CMI fell short with 33% of the vote but set the stage for California’s landmark decriminalization law, the Moscone Act, in 1975. (A vintage poster for the 1972 initiative is shown at left.)

This year’s Prop 19 has picked up key endorsements from labor and civil rights advocates.…

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