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1 US CA: New Vehicle Laws Take Effect on New Year's DayMon, 29 Dec 2003
Source:Sacramento Observer (CA) Author:Lanaras, James Area:California Lines:67 Added:12/30/2003

Drivers Not Allowed To Watch Television Screens

California drivers face new vehicle laws that take effect on Jan. 1.

The fine for seat belt violations will double to a maximum of $41. It increases to a maximum of $106 for a second offense, depending on the county, the California Highway Patrol said. The figures include court costs.

Parents face misdemeanor charges if they knowingly supply alcohol to anyone under age 21 who then drives and causes a traffic collision.

Drivers under age 17-and-a-half will have to complete a driver education course before they can get an instruction permit. Currently a 15-year-old may get a permit if he or she is already enrolled in an instruction course. Drivers under age 18 must still have a licensed adult driver present in their vehicle for the first six months on their provisional driver's license.

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2US CA: Major Parole Moves on the TableSat, 27 Dec 2003
Source:Sacramento Bee (CA) Author:Delsohn, Gary Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/29/2003

The governor's ideas, if enacted, would reduce the prison population and save millions of dollars.

Convinced that California can no longer afford its $5.3 billion prison and parole system, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration is exploring moves that would all but eliminate parole conditions for nonviolent, nonserious offenders and eventually -- through early release and lighter penalties -- dramatically shrink the prison population.

Some of the moves result from recent court settlements. Others are efforts whose planning began under former Gov. Gray Davis and have been speeded up by Schwarzenegger.

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3US CA: Hempery Proprietor Facing Charges Of Possession, Intent To SellFri, 26 Dec 2003
Source:Daily Review, The (Hayward, CA) Author:Meyers, Michelle Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/28/2003

A Hayward medical marijuana dispensary owner plans to defend herself against felony drug possession charges in a case that could be one of the first tests of a related new state law.

Cheryl Adams, who owns the Hayward Hempery and its Hayward Patient Group, was arrested at 12:20 a.m. Dec. 12 in front of the TownPlace Suites hotel at 39802 Cedar Blvd. in Newark, where she had been living. She allegedly was driving with 5.32 pounds of marijuana in 29 small plastic bags, said Newark police Sgt. Fred Zachau.

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4US CA: Pot Club Owner To Fight Drug ChargesFri, 26 Dec 2003
Source:Tri-Valley Herald (CA) Author:Meyers, Michelle Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/28/2003

Hempery Proprieter Booked For Possession, Transport, Intent To Sell

A Hayward medical marijuana dispensary owner plans to defend herself against felony drug possession charges in a case that could be one of the first tests of a related new state law.

Cheryl Adams, who owns the Hayward Hempery and its Hayward Patient Group, was arrested at 12:20 a.m. on Dec. 12 in front of the TownPlace Suites hotel at 39802 Cedar Blvd., Newark, where she had been living. She allegedly was driving with 5.32 pounds of marijuana in 29 separate small plastic bags, said Newark police Sgt. Fred Zachau.

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5US CA: New Laws/2004 - Pot Measure Stuck At Starting LineFri, 26 Dec 2003
Source:Sacramento Bee (CA) Author:Fletcher, Ed Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/27/2003

A program to issue medical ID cards and clarify parts of Prop. 215 lacks startup funds.

Next Thursday was supposed to be a big day for medical marijuana users.

That's the day Californians with AIDS, glaucoma, cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic pain and other ailments could begin getting state-issued identification cards -- thus freeing them from jail time as they debate their medical need with cops.

That won't happen.

State officials charged with running the program say they don't have enough money to get it going.

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6 US CA: PUB LTE: Fatal Flaws in the War on TerrorFri, 26 Dec 2003
Source:San Jose Mercury News (CA)          Area:California Lines:36 Added:12/26/2003

Daniel Sneider (Opinion, Dec. 18) accurately points out the strategic error in shifting the thrust of our ill-conceived "war on terror" to Iraq long before consolidating whatever gains might have been enabled by military action in Afghanistan.

Even before launching an attack on the Taliban and Al-Qaida in late 2001, the Bush administration had blundered conceptually in announcing a "war on terror" in simplistic (and polarizing) rhetoric.

Our problems with the Muslim world have more to do with its resentment of decades of exploitation at the hands of the West. While it is true that exploitation was facilitated by the feudal nature of Islam itself, we will not solve the basic problem by capturing or killing a few men -- any more than we "solved" our (self-created) problem with the Colombian cocaine trade by killing the heads of the cartels.

That our troubles in both Colombia and Afghanistan are linked to illegal drug markets dependent on our stubborn persistence in a failing domestic policy seems to have escaped any notice by pundits -- but perhaps I'm expecting too much.

Tom O'Connell, Redwood Shores

[end]

7 US CA: Home-Grown VictoryWed, 24 Dec 2003
Source:Los Angeles City Beat (CA) Author:Kuipers, Dean Area:California Lines:91 Added:12/26/2003

Medical marijuana advocates are celebrating more than just a little stash under the Christmas tree this week, as a recent ruling by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals may have ended federal prosecution of many prescription pot users in California. In a major victory for backers of Proposition 215, which legalized medical marijuana use in 1996 by a large majority of state voters, the three-judge panel ruled on December 17 that federal agents lacked the authority to bust two users in the case Raich v. Ashcroft.

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8US CA: Boost For Medical MarijuanaSun, 21 Dec 2003
Source:Long Beach Press-Telegram (CA)          Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/24/2003

Court ruling sends a clear message to government agencies.

To all the narrow-minded and misguided government agencies from Long Beach to Washington still persecuting medical marijuana patients, we'll put this as succinctly as possible: Stop. It is time for you to give up this cruel and pointless fight against good citizens who are suffering and simply seeking relief from an effective, relatively benign and potentially free drug.

Last week's ruling from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals could not be clearer: The federal government cannot continue prosecuting medical marijuana patients in California and the six other states whose voters overwhelmingly, in most cases approved propositions decriminalizing marijuana for medicinal use. Patients are now free to grow their own or obtain it without cost with a doctor's recommendation, something the voters of California tried to establish seven years ago when they passed Proposition 215.

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9US CA: Key Court Victories Boost Medical Marijuana MovementTue, 23 Dec 2003
Source:Los Angeles Times (CA) Author:Bailey, Eric Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/24/2003

After Several Successes, A Seven-Year Struggle By Advocates Nears A Critical Point In 2004.

SACRAMENTO -- After struggling for years against the federal government's prohibition of marijuana, activists in the medical cannabis movement scored several victories in 2003 a*" and say next year could produce a key showdown in the legal debate over pot as medicine.

In June, well-known medical marijuana activist Ed Rosenthal avoided prison in a case that received national attention. Eight jurors told a federal judge they would have acquitted the self-proclaimed "Guru of Ganja," had they known he was cultivating cannabis for the ill.

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10US CA: OPED: Working To Make Medical Marijuana Laws Fit WithMon, 22 Dec 2003
Source:Alameda Times-Star, The (CA) Author:Miley, Nathan Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/24/2003

AS author of Oakland's original medical cannabis ordinance, I would like to share my thoughts about ways to serve all of our goals, including compassion and public safety.

After California voters adopted Proposition 215 in 1996, legalizing medical cannabis through

out the state, the city of Oakland showed great leadership by adopting standards to regulate medical cannabis to ensure safe access to patients in need. By authorizing medical cannabis dispensaries, our city showed common sense -- keeping cannabis and patients off the streets and out of the cross hairs of dangerous drug dealers.

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11US CA: Column: Copying and Pasting Letters to the Editor Amounts to PlagiarismSun, 21 Dec 2003
Source:Modesto Bee, The (CA) Author:Sly, Judy Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/23/2003

When a high school or college student copies material off the Internet or out of an encyclopedia and presents it as his own work, the teacher should give him an F. Or maybe two -- one for effort and the other for ethics. Such an act is plagiarism.

When a Bee reader copies the work of another and submits it as a letter to the editor with his name at the bottom, that, too, is plagiarism. We don't give out grades, but we're doing our best to keep such letters out of the paper.

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12 US CA: PUB LTE: There Are Better Ways to Win the Drug WarSun, 21 Dec 2003
Source:Los Angeles Times (CA) Author:Moen, Vivian Area:California Lines:38 Added:12/23/2003

Re "Judge Gray, a Drug-War Foe, Will Run for Senate," Nov. 20:

Judge James P. Gray's press conference called for policy changes in our war on drugs.

He feels voters are ahead of politicians and editorial boards.

Voters spoke when they passed Proposition 215 for medical marijuana and Proposition 36 treatment over incarceration.

Judge Gray incarcerates drug offenders but says we cannot punish ourselves out of this problem. Other countries changed policy and saw a reduction in crime, corruption and other community damage.

Vivian Moen

Fountain Valley

[end]

13 US CA: PUB LTE: A People's Victory in the War on DrugsSun, 21 Dec 2003
Source:Los Angeles Times (CA) Author:Boire, Richard Glen Area:California Lines:30 Added:12/23/2003

Re "Medical Pot Users Win Key Ruling," Dec. 17: The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' medical marijuana decision is really big news. Finally, a federal court is willing to clear the sick off the war-on-drugs battlefield. The decision is momentous not only for medical marijuana users but for how it may very well define the overall reach of federal power under the commerce clause. It's important for the federal government to be reminded -- from its own courts -- that it has no general police power. This decision sends just such a reminder. Let's hope that the Supreme Court affirms the 9th Circuit's decision and tells the Drug Enforcement Administration to stop arresting sick people.

Richard Glen Boire, Davis, Calif.

[end]

14US CA: Dornan To Make Drugs An IssueMon, 22 Dec 2003
Source:Orange County Register, The (CA) Author:Wiscko, Martin Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/22/2003

Rohrabacher's Youthful Substance Use And Medical-Marijuana Bill Are Targets.

Bob Dornan thinks he's found Rep. Dana Rohrabacher's Achilles' heel, the issue that will be the Huntington Beach incumbent's downfall when the March Republican primary rolls around.

Drugs.

In his challenge to Rohrabacher, Dornan has quickly made the subject an issue, focusing on his opponent's drug use as a young man and his support for legalizing medicinal marijuana.

"Anybody who wants to legalize marijuana or any other illegal substance is the enemy of this country," said Dornan, who served nine terms in Congress before being upset by Loretta Sanchez in 1996 and has now set his sights on Rohrabacher's coastal district.

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15 US CA: Editorial: Dope DistinctionsMon, 22 Dec 2003
Source:Daily Press (CA)          Area:California Lines:78 Added:12/22/2003

It's hard to know which part of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to celebrate most: the part that grants medical marijuana users new protections from federal prosecution, or the part that uses constitutional states' rights arguments to do so.

In a 2-1 decision, the court ruled that patients who use marijuana for medical purposes are free to do so, as long as the marijuana was grown themselves or was given to them by growers. In that way, the federal government would have no pretext to arrest them, given that the feds had used the Interstate Commerce Clause to justify their efforts to prosecute individuals under federal drug laws.

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16 US CA: PUB LTE: Marijuana Bill Protects Legitimate MedicalSun, 21 Dec 2003
Source:Orange County Register, The (CA) Author:Root, Rick L. Area:California Lines:34 Added:12/22/2003

I have to agree with Mark Dornan that there are indeed significant differences between his father, Bob Dornan, and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher ["Dornan, Rohrabacher aren't cut from the same cloth," Commentary, Dec 14]. But in pointing out those differences, Dornan the younger spins the facts.

Dornan charges that HR 2233, a bill Rohrabacher co-sponsored, would "legalize marijuana." The truth is that HR 2233 would prevent Drug Enforcement Administration resources from being wasted on targeting legitimate medical marijuana patients in states where medical marijuana has legal status. I'm thankful that Rohrabacher has the courage to protect individual liberty and states' rights and to see that our precious federal resources are sensibly directed.

I'm concerned that our federal representatives treat all citizens with equal respect and protection per the spirit and letter of our Constitution.

Rick L. Root

Westminster

[end]

17 US CA: Weed WinThu, 18 Dec 2003
Source:Chico News & Review, The (CA) Author:Indar, Josh Area:California Lines:103 Added:12/21/2003

9th Circuit Court Rules In Favor Of Local Medpot User

Medical marijuana advocates scored a major court victory against the federal government Tuesday, as a panel of three judges in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of an Oroville woman whose marijuana garden was raided by the Drug Enforcement Agency in August of 2002.

Diane Monson, who made headlines when agents from the federal DEA ripped up her six-plant garden, said she was happy and relieved the court battle was over.

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18US CA: Court Boosts Medical PotWed, 17 Dec 2003
Source:Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA)          Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/21/2003

San Francisco - A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that a congressional act outlawing marijuana may not apply to sick people with a doctor's recommendation in states that have approved medical marijuana laws.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that prosecuting these medical marijuana users under a 1970 federal law is unconstitutional if the marijuana isn't sold, transported across state lines or used for non-medicinal purposes.

"The intrastate, noncommercial cultivation, possession and use of marijuana for personal medical purposes on the advice of a physician is, in fact, different in kind from drug trafficking," Judge Harry Pregerson wrote for the majority.

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19US CA: Oroville Woman At Center Of Medical Pot RulingThu, 18 Dec 2003
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Dell, Terry Vau Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/21/2003

OROVILLE An Oroville woman Wednesday hailed a "landmark" court ruling that said the federal government did not have the right to uproot her six-plant medical marijuana garden last summer.

"I was growing within the law and I'm very thankful to (the court) for giving me back my rights and my medicine," said Diane Monson.

The 46-year-old Oroville woman had joined an Oakland pot patient, Angel Raich, in suing Attorney General John Ashcroft over the seizure by federal agents of small amounts of marijuana prescribed by their doctors.

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20 US CA: Czar - Drug Test StudentsWed, 17 Dec 2003
Source:Tahoe Daily Tribune (South Lake Tahoe, CA) Author:Ferchland, William Area:California Lines:81 Added:12/21/2003

Marijuana Use Among Teens, Potency Escalate

Youths are more dependent on marijuana than cigarettes or alcohol, provoking the White House drug czar to call for drug testing at middle and high schools.

John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, made the statement during a keynote speech at a conference attended by members of the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting at Embassy Suites on Tuesday night. Walters said school drug testing would not be used to punish children, but the results can be used for rehabilitation and education. Drug testing is used for Fortune 500 executives, pilots and law enforcement. It will work for teenagers, Walters told the dinner crowd of about 240.

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21US CA: Federal Court Sides With Users Of Medical PotWed, 17 Dec 2003
Source:Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN) Author:Cooper, Claire Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/21/2003

SAN FRANCISCO -- The highest court in the West ruled Tuesday that personal use of medical marijuana in a state that permits it can be outside the control of federal authorities.

The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals directly affects only Angel Raich of Oakland and Diane Monson of Oroville. But its rationale would apply to others who, like Monson, grow their own pot supplies, or, like Raich, obtain it free from local grower-caretakers without involving interstate traffickers.

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22US CA: Column: Plea to Free Inmate Dying from CancerFri, 19 Dec 2003
Source:San Jose Mercury News (CA) Author:Chung, L.A. Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/21/2003

Perhaps today, Beverly Dias can go home to San Jose to die. Or not.

She is three-quarters through a six-year sentence for cocaine possession at the state women's prison in Chowchilla, a place so far that her family's ancient cars have not been able to make it to visit as she grows weaker and weaker.

Hepatitis C, and the resulting liver cancer, has coursed through her body, swelling her abdomen, bruising her skin and making it painful to walk. Prison doctors say she has less than six months to live.

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23 US CA: Drug Czar Says Pot Guard Endangers Public LandsWed, 17 Dec 2003
Source:Daily Camera (CO) Author:Thompson, Don Area:California Lines:58 Added:12/21/2003

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Mexican cartels have taken over much of California's marijuana farming, boosting both the potency of the drug and the propensity for violence from armed guards protecting the crop, the nation's drug czar said Monday.

They're planting huge marijuana plots on public lands, creating a growing danger to hikers and hunters stumbling into the line of fire, said John Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy, in advance of appearances Tuesday in Reno and South Lake Tahoe, Nev.

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24 US CA: Appeals Court Upholds Medical Marijuana UseWed, 17 Dec 2003
Source:Seattle Times (WA) Author:Ostrom, Carol M. Area:California Lines:134 Added:12/21/2003

DeMaris Strohm heard from a friend yesterday that a federal appeals court ruled that state laws protect medical marijuana users from federal prosecution. The West Seattle grandmother promptly burst into tears.

"I said, 'Praise God!' and I started crying - out of happiness that I can have my grandson come and stay with me and not worry about the federal government busting down my door," said Strohm, 50.

She has used marijuana with a doctor's permission since 1997 for pain and extreme weight loss after a brutal car accident.

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25 US CA: 9th US Court Protects Pot PatientsWed, 17 Dec 2003
Source:San Francisco Examiner (CA) Author:Soltau, Alison Area:California Lines:82 Added:12/21/2003

San Francisco may be free to grow medical marijuana without recriminations from the Federal Government after an appeals court ruled Tuesday that a law outlawing marijuana may not apply to sick people with a doctor's recommendation in states that have approved medical marijuana laws.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ruling 2-1, said prosecuting these medical marijuana users under a 1970 federal law is unconstitutional if the marijuana isn't sold, transported across state lines or used for non-medicinal purposes.

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26US CA: Flaws in the Penal SystemThu, 18 Dec 2003
Source:San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Author:Edmondson, Rashida Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/21/2003

'Let My Dying Mom Out of Prison'

"I don't want my mommy to die in that place by herself. I want her to come home first so we can hug her and take lots of pictures together. Will you please let her come home before God takes her to His home? Please?" -- Karma Dias, 10

During the holidays, Karma Dias, like most of us, will be spending time with her family and loved ones. But unless a judge shows compassion, Karma's mother will not be there, because she is dying in prison.

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27US CA: Cops Bust Marijuana OperationFri, 19 Dec 2003
Source:Oakland Tribune, The (CA) Author:Counts, Laura Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/20/2003

OAKLAND - Police officers serving a search warrant at a West Oakland warehouse at 8 a.m. Thursday were greeted by the strains of Rick James singing "I love Mary Jane" and a pungent smell.

They said they uncovered the largest pot-growing operation any of them had ever seen -- just seven blocks from the police station.

The Glove Company building at 1121 7th St. had been converted into a massive marijuana nursery. The basement and second floor contained more than 1,000 potted plants -- from seedlings to mature plants heavy with large buds -- as well as bags of soil, empty pots, drying plants and bags of weed ready for sale.

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28 US CA: Column: Hallinan's Finest HourWed, 17 Dec 2003
Source:Anderson Valley Advertiser (CA) Author:Gardner, Fred Area:California Lines:169 Added:12/19/2003

Terence Hallinan has lost his bid for re-election to Kamala Harris, who says she will maintain his approach to law enforcement while running a more efficient district attorney's office.

Hallinan's humane charging policies have had direct, beneficial impacts on the lives of countless thousands of citizens. Here's one small example, hardly ever publicized... "Welfare fraud" is a crime that usually involves poor people failing to notify the Dept. of Human Services that they got a low-level jobs (so their checks don't get cut off and maybe they'll have enough to buy their kid a bike...) In such cases, Hallinan allowed people to avoid prosecution by making restitution to the state. Which meant they could hold onto their jobs and their public housing. To his critics, such cases represented "failure to prosecute" and the stats were used against him in the media. But in the real world, many of those failures to prosecute translated into lives not ruined, homelessness averted.

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29 US CA: Medical Marijuana Activists Urge City ActionThu, 18 Dec 2003
Source:San Francisco Examiner (CA) Author:Soltau, Alison Area:California Lines:105 Added:12/19/2003

Medical marijuana advocates have called on The City to take an active role in providing cannabis to sick people now that a court ruling has blocked the federal government from prosecuting.

A 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Tuesday decreed that the federal government could not prosecute people with doctors' prescriptions for medical marijuana if they were not obtaining the drug across state lines or profiting from it.

Previously, San Francisco and other Bay Area cities tussled with the U.S. Justice Department because California law provides for medical marijuana with a prescription but the Federal Government forbids it under the Controlled Substances Act.

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30US CA: Editorial: Medical Pot Wins, AgainThu, 18 Dec 2003
Source:San Francisco Chronicle (CA)          Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/18/2003

ALTHOUGH it may be short-lived, the federal court ruling this week on medical marijuana offered a ray of encouragement to those who advocate for its clinical use and a signal to the U.S. Justice Department to rethink its heavy-handed policy of punishing those who use or cultivate pot only to alleviate human suffering and pain.

The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco dealt at least a temporary setback Tuesday to the government's effort to derail the state's medical marijuana law, ruling 2-1 in favor of two women who, with doctors' advice, use locally grown pot to ease many physical discomforts, including pain from a brain tumor.

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31 US CA: PUB LTE: Letting a Judge DecideThu, 11 Dec 2003
Source:Los Angeles City Beat (CA) Author:Mirken, Bruce Area:California Lines:42 Added:12/18/2003

Two weeks ago, Judge A. Howard Matz demonstrated justice and compassion in refusing to send Los Angeles medical marijuana defendant Scott Imler to jail for helping the sick. But most such acts of mercy could soon be illegal. ["Street," Dec. 4.]

U.S. Rep. Mark Souder (D-In.), chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees drug policy, is now seeking co-sponsors for the "Drug Sentencing Reform Act." This bill would sharply limit the ability of judges like Matz to show mercy to defendants in drug cases, including medical marijuana cases. Indeed, the measure would treat medical marijuana providers like Imler as worse than child molesters under federal law.

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32 US CA: 'Our Little Secret'Mon, 15 Dec 2003
Source:Orange County Weekly (CA) Author:Moxley, R. Scott Area:California Lines:232 Added:12/17/2003

Audio tape reveals cover-up of drug bust involving a sheriff's son already on trial for a videotaped gang bang

A bombshell audio recording reveals police suppressed evidence that Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl's teenage son was caught smoking marijuana while awaiting trial on charges he participated in a 2002 videotaped gang rape of an unconscious 16-year-old girl.

Official records show that Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo secretly ordered Sgt. Richard Downing to bury evidence of Gregory Scott Haidl's involvement in an Oct. 26 San Clemente drug bust. Records also prove that Sheriff's Lt. William J. Hunt--chief of police services in San Clemente, where the sheriff has jurisdiction--released Haidl without arrest and chauffeured him home. In a subsequent report, Hunt downplayed the ride as a "courtesy to another member of the department whose son was in a situation he should not have been in."

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33 US CA: Supervisors To Consider Medical Marijuana, Animal Shelter, Headwaters ProMon, 15 Dec 2003
Source:Times-Standard (CA) Author:Tressler, James Area:California Lines:47 Added:12/15/2003

EUREKA -- In a busy end-of-year session, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors is expected to look at a medical marijuana ordinance, send the county treasurer in search of money to build a new animal shelter, and decide on a list of Headwaters Fund-related projects.

Second District Supervisor Roger Rodoni has brought forth a proposed county ordinance that would effectively make District Attorney Paul Gallegos' medical marijuana guidelines the law of the county. The ordinance is needed because a new state law goes into effect in January aimed at establishing clearer medical pot guidelines. The law restricts patients to having no more than 8 ounces of dried marijuana and no more than six mature or 12 immature plants.

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34 US CA: PUB LTE: Drug WarsMon, 15 Dec 2003
Source:Los Angeles City Beat (CA) Author:Lane, Gary Area:California Lines:37 Added:12/15/2003

Thank you for the Tommy Chong update and a pulse-reading on the movement ["Tommy Chong's Next Movie," Dec. 4]. There is some twisted irony going on here in California with the state now being run by a man who has made millions starring in violence-glorifying movies while a local, respected, family man, who has made millions of people laugh in his movies and on TV, is in prison for selling pipes. Using the ridiculous logic of Tommy's arrest (or perhaps more appropriately, the apprehension of his on-screen persona), the feds ought to be busting every gun manufacturer in the country if one of its firearms had ever landed in the hands of someone who happened to so much as think about using it to commit a crime, let alone execute one. The feds just don't get it. If Mr. Schwarzenegger wants to show some righteous gumption, he'd get behind front-burner social issues like marijuana decriminalization and medicinal marijuana advocacy and make some noise about the federal government's absurd incarceration of Tommy Chong.

Sure would be refreshing if a politician with clout took a courageous and forward-thinking stand against this administration's dangerous, expensive, home-wrecking and out-of-touch anti-marijuana policies. Or am I just California dreaming?

Gary Lane

North Hollywood

[end]

35 US CA: The Agony Of EcstacyThu, 11 Dec 2003
Source:Los Angeles City Beat (CA) Author:Romero, Dennis Area:California Lines:381 Added:12/15/2003

Those 20,000-strong mega-raves at the Orange Show Fairgrounds in San Bernardino are no more. Big downtown events are fewer and farther between.

Superstar DJs are finding fewer and fewer gigs on the rave circuit. And fans of euphoric trance and emotional ecstasy are relegated to a handful of smaller, legit venues, places such as Pomona's Glass House, downtown L.A.'s Orion, and Qtopia in Hollywood. Not like it was.

At Qtopia, for example, raving is still alive but not so well. The promise of techno-hippie pastures filled with hugs and uplifting tunes has given way to kids crashed out on the dirty concrete and vibing to infantile trance. On a recent Saturday night at the club, all the trappings of e-culture are in evidence, but little of the original uplift. Green lasers pierce man-made fog as ravers begin hitting the ground with ecstasy-induced fatigue. Pot smoke clouds a concrete patio outside, nearly every single inch of which is covered in graffiti art. Cholos, skaters, and club kids bounce to the sound.

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36 US CA: PUB LTE: Cancer Patient Denied Asylum in CanadaSat, 13 Dec 2003
Source:Los Angeles Times (CA) Author:Bowers, Edward Area:California Lines:32 Added:12/14/2003

Re "Pot User's Refugee Bid Is Rejected," Dec. 9: I wish I could find consolation in knowing that the U.S. doesn't have a monopoly on senseless immigration policy. Does Paulah Dauns, a member of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board, really think that Steve Kubby will be allowed access to medical marijuana should he be returned to Placer County? It's hard to believe the Kubbys went through the trouble of leaving the country to avoid a mere four-month jail sentence unless they believe the danger of Steve joining the ranks of Proposition 215 martyrs is real. Unfortunately, there is only one way for Kubby to prove officials wrong: die a slow, painful death in prison. For what?

Edward Bowers

Sherman Oaks

[end]

37 US CA: LTE: Canada Can Keep Kubby and His 'Pot Problem'Tue, 09 Dec 2003
Source:Auburn Journal (CA) Author:Monahan, Mike Area:California Lines:49 Added:12/13/2003

I really don't have a problem with the (Steve) Kubby pot problem, even though I do wholeheartedly believe that the medicinal marijuana initiative that was passed is bogus and only made it easier for potheads to keep being potheads.

My problem has been the ongoing message in the Auburn Journal, which has published letters that are transparently clear in support of Kubby from a pro-pot viewpoint.

Once again, you have piqued my awareness of the Kubbys and the avoidance of serving time in our jurisdiction, Journal, Dec. 7. The term was determined, as I recall, not for pot but for a few other illicit items that were found in the Kubbys' possession that in no way can be construed as something for "medicinal" use.

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38US CA: Kiwanis Club Saves DARE At SchoolsFri, 12 Dec 2003
Source:Tri-Valley Herald (CA) Author:Swarts, Aaron Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/12/2003

Nonprofit group raised $50,000 to rescue

TRACY -- When state budget reductions forced Tracy Unified to cut the DARE program at the beginning of last summer, the Kiwanis Club of Tracy vowed to raise the $50,000 necessary to save it.

After months of hard work, the efforts of the Kiwanis Club can be described in two words: Mission Accomplished.

"Although we were not ready to officially hand the check over, it appears our fund-raising efforts were on track," said Dave Simpson, a Kiwanis Club member. "We really believe this is a message from the community that they want to see the DARE program working in our schools."

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39 US CA: Medical Marijuana Tug Of WarFri, 12 Dec 2003
Source:Daily News of Los Angeles (CA) Author:Gougis, Michael Area:California Lines:143 Added:12/12/2003

Lenient Sentences Underscore Conflicting State And Federal Pot Laws

Operators of a West Hollywood cannabis club, let off recently without jail sentences by a federal judge, say they see the light sentences as bittersweet victories in the fight to safeguard California's legal right to smoke marijuana for medical purposes.

Their battle is with the federal government and they have a lot of supporters on their side -- including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer and local law enforcement officials.

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40 US CA: Column: The Purge In PortlandWed, 10 Dec 2003
Source:Anderson Valley Advertiser (CA) Author:Gardner, Fred Area:California Lines:189 Added:12/12/2003

"Marijuana: the Blazers' Toughest Foe" screamed the five-column banner headline on the front page of the Portland Tribune Dec. 5. The Tribune is a twice-weekly free paper, slightly more substantial than its San Francisco counterpart, the Independent.

The hook was that Zach Randolph, a 22-year-old power forward who left Michigan State in '01 after his freshman year and has blossomed into an NBA star, got arrested last week for driving under the influence. Randolph was driving home after a game in his Cadillac Escalade when a cop pulled him over, ostensibly for speeding. The cop claimed he smelled marijuana. Randolph was made to pee in a bottle. The contents of his bodily fluids will be revealed to the world later this week. Meanwhile he has been humiliated in the local and national media.

[continues 1524 words]

41US CA: Hayward OKs Medical Marijuana ClinicsSat, 06 Dec 2003
Source:Tri-Valley Herald (CA) Author:Meyers, Michelle Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/10/2003

Debate Could Move Dispensaries To Unincorporated Areas Of Alameda County

HAYWARD -- The Hayward City Council sanctioned three existing downtown medical marijuana dispensaries this week, leaving a fourth dispensary -- a newcomer to the debate -- out of the grandfathering agreement.

The council's decision pretty much nips in the bud the 10-month discussion on the extent to which Hayward should allow the dispensary operations, amid conflicting state and federal laws and efforts to revive downtown.

But the issue likely will remain a buzz in neighboring areas of unincorporated Alameda County, where the fourth Hayward dispensary -- now located through double doors of a Main Street coffee shop -- might relocate.

[continues 781 words]

42US CA: Column: Not a Case for the Dishonor RollTue, 09 Dec 2003
Source:San Jose Mercury News (CA) Author:Pitts, Leonard Jr. Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/10/2003

The coroner says he called it homicide only because he had no choice.

Under Ohio law, he explained, his only other options were to categorize the death as accidental, natural or suicide. None of those, he felt, adequately accounted for how Nathaniel Jones died -- i.e., after being beaten with nightsticks wielded by Cincinnati police officers.

The officers say they were seeking only to subdue the 41-year-old black man after he began acting strangely -- dancing and barking out numbers -- and then became combative during an encounter outside a fast-food restaurant.

[continues 573 words]

43 US CA: PUB LTE: Beware Drug Reform ActMon, 01 Dec 2003
Source:San Mateo County Times, The (CA) Author:Mirken, Bruce Area:California Lines:41 Added:12/06/2003

JUDGE A. HOWARD MATZ demonstrated justice and compassion in refusing to send Los Angeles medical marijuana defendant Scott Imler to jail for helping the sick. But most such acts of mercy could soon be illegal.

U.S. Rep. Mark Souder, D-Indiana, chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees drug policy, is now seeking cosponsors for the "Drug Sentencing Reform Act." This bill would sharply limit the ability of judges like Matz to show mercy to defendants in drug cases, including medical marijuana cases. Indeed, the measure would treat medical marijuana providers like Imler as worse than child molesters under federal law.

[continues 92 words]

44US CA: Lawsuit Dismissed In Placer Medical Marijuana RaidSat, 06 Dec 2003
Source:Sacramento Bee (CA) Author:Campos, Art Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/06/2003

SACRAMENTO - The remaining portions of a federal civil rights lawsuit filed against Placer County by medical-marijuana activist Steven Wynn Kubby over a raid at his home have been dismissed.

Placer officials made the announcement in a press release Friday, saying that Kubby and his wife, Michele, agreed to the dismissal recently and that U.S. District Court Judge Morris England signed the order.

The Kubbys, who fled to Canada following Steven Kubby's conviction in 2001 on drug charges in Placer County, received no monetary damages, Placer officials noted.

[continues 132 words]

45US CA: Hayward Council OKs Keeping 3 DispensariesThu, 04 Dec 2003
Source:Daily Review, The (Hayward, CA) Author:Meyers, Michelle Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/06/2003

Debate Could Now Move

HAYWARD -- The Hayward City Council on Tuesday night sanctioned three existing downtown medical marijuana dispensaries, leaving a fourth dispensary -- a newcomer to the debate -- out of the grandfathering agreement.

The council's decision pretty much ends the 10-month discussion on the extent to which Hayward should allow the dispensary operations, amid conflicting state and federal laws and efforts to revive downtown.

But the issue likely will remain abuzz in neighboring areas of unincorporated Alameda County, where the fourth Hayward dispensary -- now located through double doors of a Main Street coffee shop -- might relocate.

[continues 787 words]

46 US CA: Column: Unanswered QuestionsTue, 02 Dec 2003
Source:Anderson Valley Advertiser (CA) Author:Gardner, Fred Area:California Lines:139 Added:12/05/2003

Last week we reported on a very costly phone campaign arranged by Americans for Safe Access through an outfit called Left Bank Solutions. Some 600,000 voters in California and Oregon -constituents of four Congressmen who'd voted against de-funding federal raids on medical marijuana providers-got pre-recorded messages from either Marney Craig (a member of the Ed Rosenthal jury who'd felt "hoodwinked" by the Court) or Angel McClary Raich (who attributes her survival to cannabis). Marney's message said, "Your Congressman had a chance to end this federal deception but he voted to let it continue..." Angel's said, "Your Congressman is threatening my life..."

[continues 999 words]

47 US CA: Column Progressive TelemarketingWed, 26 Nov 2003
Source:Anderson Valley Advertiser (CA) Author:Gardner, Fred Area:California Lines:90 Added:12/04/2003

Starting on the morning of Nov. 20, pre-recorded phone calls were placed to every voter in the Congressional districts of Wally Herger (R, Chico/Marysville), Elton Gallegly (R, Simi Valley), Joe Baca (D, San Bernardino), and David Wu (D, Portland, Oregon). The targeted representatives had all voted against a bill -HR 2799, known as the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment-that would have cut funding for DEA raids in states that have medical marijuana laws. The four Congressmen also represent districts where patients and caregivers have been victimized by the feds.

[continues 572 words]

48US CA: Prison Firm Donates To GovernorTue, 02 Dec 2003
Source:Los Angeles Times (CA) Author:Morain, Dan Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/03/2003

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who rejects donations from the state prison guards union, accepted $53,000 last week from a corporation that operates private prisons and has clashed with the union over private lockups.

The money came as the state prepared to close a 224-bed Wackenhut Corrections Corp. facility Dec. 31 in the Central Valley town of McFarland. Wackenhut made the donation after its president read a news report in which Schwarzenegger voiced support for prison privatization, the executive said.

[continues 659 words]

49 US CA: Edu: Muckrakers, Pile It OnTue, 02 Dec 2003
Source:Daily Trojan (CA Edu) Author:Melnikov, Boris Area:California Lines:125 Added:12/03/2003

"Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent," argued George Orwell in "Reflections on Gandhi." This maxim is even more relevant today as society's trust in various individuals and institutions quickly erodes.

In the last year, the American public has been bombarded by revelations of widespread child abuse in the Catholic church, round-'em-up-and-lock-'em-up Rush Limbaugh admitting he had an addiction to painkillers, a reporter at the New York Times -- the flagship of the American news media -- fired for making up stories, former drug czar Bill Bennett confessing to compulsive gambling and last, but not least, the administration accused of spinning intelligence to suit its own ends.

[continues 837 words]

50 US CA: Needle PointsWed, 09 Dec 1998
Source:San Francisco Bay Guardian, The (CA) Author:Rowen, Angela Area:California Lines:89 Added:12/03/2003

Alameda County Has An AIDS Emergency. So When Will It Fund Needle Exchange Programs?

After her arrest, Guerriere entered a seven-month recovery program. "If I had gotten HIV, I don't think I would have gone into recovery," Guerriere told the Bay Guardian. "I would have been like, 'What's the point? I'm going to die anyway.' " Since getting clean, she has continued distributing needles, in defiance of state law -- volunteering at Needle Exchange Emergency Distribution (NEED) in Berkeley, where she's a student.

[continues 623 words]


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