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1US CA: Editorial: Kamala Harris Should Leave Bias At The DoorMon, 30 Dec 2013
Source:Sacramento Bee (CA)          Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/30/2013

Like clockwork, signature gatherers mass outside supermarkets to hawk their petitions, while initiative proponents squawk about the loaded wording in the official titles and summaries given to their propositions.

The wording is supposed to be neutral. But recent attorneys general, who are responsible for titles and summaries, have meddled, knowing many voters make up their minds based on the 100-word summations.

Attorney General Kamala Harris has been especially freewheeling. That needs to stop.

As The Bee's Jon Ortiz wrote in his State Worker column last week, Harris is preparing to release her assessment of San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed's initiative to subject public employee pensions to labor negotiations.

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2 US CA: Lake County Pot Advocates Seek To Overturn OutdoorMon, 30 Dec 2013
Source:Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA) Author:Anderson, Glenda Area:California Lines:79 Added:12/30/2013

Marijuana advocates have launched a referendum aimed at quashing a newly revised Lake County ordinance that bans outdoor marijuana cultivation in residential neighborhoods.

The new ordinance is too strict, said Lake County resident Michael Horner, a member of the group that launched the referendum, the Community Alliance to Ban Illegal Cannabis Cultivation.

The group believes the best way to rid the county of "transient criminal growers" is to enact responsible regulations, Horner said.

His organization is working on an alternative ordinance to replace the county's ordinance, he said.

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3US CA: California Ballot Measure Would Legalize Pot UseSat, 28 Dec 2013
Source:Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV) Author:Wilson, Reid Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/29/2013

A proposed ballot measure that would legalize possession, use, growth and cultivation of marijuana would save the state of California hundreds of millions of dollars a year, according to a summary issued Thursday by the state attorney general's office.

The summary, which the office of Attorney General Kamala Harris, a Democrat, releases for each proposed ballot measure, said the state would save "in the low hundreds of millions of dollars annually" on law enforcement costs associated with enforcing marijuana laws.

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4 US CA: Calif. Pot Proposal Would Save Millions of DollarsSat, 28 Dec 2013
Source:Washington Post (DC) Author:Wilson, Reid Area:California Lines:68 Added:12/29/2013

A proposed ballot measure that would legalize the possession, use, growth and cultivation of marijuana would save the state of California hundreds of millions of dollars a year, according to a summary issued Thursday by the office of Attorney General Kamala Harris (D).

The summary, which the state attorney general's office releases for each proposed ballot measure, says the state would save "in the low hundreds of millions of dollars annually" on law enforcement costs associated with enforcing marijuana laws.

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5US CA: As Colorado, Washington Legalize Recreational PotFri, 27 Dec 2013
Source:Sacramento Bee (CA) Author:Hecht, Peter Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/28/2013

On New Year's Day in Colorado, state-licensed marijuana stores will begin selling pot purely for pleasurable consumption.

Colorado, already home to the nation's most regulated medical marijuana industry, expects to open its first two dozen stores selling recreational cannabis users up to an ounce of pot each. Another 400 applications are pending for retail marijuana shops, commercial cultivators or pot product producers.

In Washington, where voters also legalized recreational marijuana use in November 2012, the state is reviewing a flood of applications for 340 state licenses for marijuana stores expected to begin opening this spring.

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6 US CA: DUI Checks To Add Drug TestsSat, 28 Dec 2013
Source:Los Angeles Times (CA) Author:Dave, Paresh Area:California Lines:80 Added:12/28/2013

L.A. Officials Expand Use of Oral Swabs to Crack Down on Impaired Drivers.

The upcoming New Year's crackdown on drunk driving will include a new test for many people who are pulled over - an oral swab that checks for marijuana, cocaine and other drugs.

The voluntary swabbing has been used 50 times this year. But Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer is pushing to use it at more checkpoints and jails as officials try to limit the number of drivers who are impaired by substances other than alcohol.

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7 US CA: PUB LTE: Feds Need To Address Marijuana LawsFri, 27 Dec 2013
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:26 Added:12/28/2013

Kudos to Supervisor Bill Connelly for clearly elucidating his position regarding marijuana in Butte County.

I hope his call for reform at the federal level is heard in Washington. I would wish that the entire board supplicated before the feds in the form of a resolution. If they'd get off the pot, we could go ahead with reasonable regulation.

Our century-long experiment with prohibition of cannabis has yielded results: Turns out that the prohibition idea is not a good one.

- - Jay Bergstrom, Forest Ranch

[end]

8 US CA: Column: The Year In WeedWed, 25 Dec 2013
Source:East Bay Express (CA) Author:Downs, David Area:California Lines:146 Added:12/28/2013

Uncle Sam made a historic posture change, Colorado and Washington wrote their pot industry rules, the California Crackdown rolled on, dabs exploded, and the strain Girl Scout Cookies sold out.

Looking back at the biggest cannabis stories in the past twelve months, we are reminded of the apocryphal curse: "May you live in interesting times." Oh, indeed.

Uncle Sam Blinks

By far the biggest story of 2013 happened on August 29 when the White House said it would allow Colorado and Washington to proceed with their plans to tax and regulate the sale of pot. According to constitutional scholars, the federal government can't make states engage in the Drug War. Uncle Sam can, however, block any efforts to actively contravene federal drug policy - efforts like licensing pot growers and retail stores.

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9 US CA: Teens Favor Real PotThu, 26 Dec 2013
Source:Chico News & Review, The (CA)          Area:California Lines:31 Added:12/27/2013

High-School Seniors Using Less Synthetic Marijuana, More Real Weed

While teens' use of synthetic marijuana is on the decline, their attitudes toward real pot are trending in the opposite direction.

Synthetic marijuana-known by such names as K2 and spice-is made of dried plant material sprayed with various chemicals and packaged to look like weed, according to SFGate.com. After being introduced in the U.S. in 2009, an alarming number of emergency-room visits and deaths were tied to use of the drugs. But a report recently released by the National Institutes of Health found that the number of high-school seniors who have tried synthetic marijuana has dropped-from 11 percent of seniors in 2012 to 8 percent in 2013.

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10 US CA: Column: Don't Go Directly To JailThu, 26 Dec 2013
Source:Sacramento News & Review (CA) Author:Bealum, Ngaio Area:California Lines:71 Added:12/26/2013

Do people still go to jail for weed?

- -Nate

Yep. Constantly. All the time. You can even go to jail for weed when you don't have any weed.

William David Bush of Sebastopol, Calif., was sentenced to four years in jail for allegedly selling marijuana in October. He was originally pulled over for speeding, and it turned out he was driving on a suspended license. The cops searched his car because they said it smelled like pot, and they found $47,000 in cash and written details of transactions.

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11 US CA: OPED: Our Destructive Federal Prison SystemThu, 26 Dec 2013
Source:Chico News & Review, The (CA)          Area:California Lines:59 Added:12/26/2013

We Must Demand It Be Used Only for Select Serious Crimes

It is time that our population-especially our young and educated-rise up against the entire federal prison system and demand that it be used only for a very few and select type of crimes, such as international terrorism, and that it otherwise be completely dismantled.

The federal prison system houses 200,000 inmates, more than half of whom are imprisoned for drug offenses. We have young folks who are no danger to society rotting away in those prisons for selling small amounts of marijuana and other drugs, which accomplishes nothing but paying the salaries of nearly 50,000 prison guards, who happen to have the second-largest political-action committee in the U.S. Furthermore, nearly 40 percent of these prisoners in this highly racist system are black Americans.

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12 US CA: PUB LTE: Hurray For UruguayThu, 26 Dec 2013
Source:Chico News & Review, The (CA) Author:Bergstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:24 Added:12/26/2013

Viva Uruguay! There, President Jose Mujica will soon sign legislation making his country the world's first to re-legalize cannabis. But you ask: What about all those lovely children? The children in Uruguay will grow up knowing that their government is not lying to them about cannabis, as is the case here in El Norte. I'm so glad to finally see these crumblings in the wall of global cannabis prohibition. I love the herb, and I'm a good person.

Jay Bergstrom

Forest Ranch

[end]

13 US CA: In California, A Mayor's Rise Is A Sign Of The TimesThu, 26 Dec 2013
Source:New York Times (NY) Author:Onishi, Norimitsu Area:California Lines:143 Added:12/26/2013

SEBASTOPOL, Calif. - When Robert Jacob ran for the City Council here last year, he had already made the list of "Forty Under 40 of 2012" in a local business magazine. So it was to be expected that his business gave him face recognition among voters on the campaign trail, many of whom greeted him by exclaiming, "You're the pot guy!"

A founder of Sebastopol's lone dispensary for medical marijuana, Peace in Medicine, and a strong advocate of its use, Mr. Jacob far outraised and outspent his rivals by running the most expensive campaign in Sebastopol's history. He won and quickly became vice mayor but was not done.

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14US CA: Readers Answer Press-Telegram's Question: How ShouldTue, 24 Dec 2013
Source:Long Beach Press-Telegram (CA) Author:Berstrom, Jay Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/26/2013

We asked readers, How should Long Beach regulate marijuana?

Allow pot the same as we allow alcohol, tobacco

Cannabis distribution points should suffer restrictions no more onerous than stores that sell alcohol, tobacco, or pharmaceutical drugs.

Yes, we are saying to our youth that these things are OK - for adults, and those with medical needs. But not for you, kids, 'til ya grow up or, God forbid, get sick.

If the liberty of the adult citizens is not secure, the welfare of the children matters not a whit.

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15US CA: Gloria Holds Line On Pot ShopsMon, 23 Dec 2013
Source:San Diego Union Tribune (CA) Author:Gustafson, Craig Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/24/2013

Interim Mayor Cracks Down on Dispensaries As City Council Prepares Zoning Ordinance

Medical marijuana dispensaries in the city closed in recent months

The city has shuttered 21 medical marijuana dispensaries in recent months at interim Mayor Todd Gloria's behest after the illegal businesses proliferated throughout San Diego as a result of lax enforcement by former Mayor Bob Filner.

The reversal of fortune for dispensaries comes as Gloria is shepherding a new zoning ordinance that would allow them to operate legally within specified pockets in the city. The proposed legislation is set to go before the City Council in February and could finally resolve one of the most contentious issues in civic politics after years of roiling debate.

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16 US CA: Town Council Urged To Reconsider Pot BanSat, 21 Dec 2013
Source:Hi-Desert Star (Yucca Valley, CA) Author:Vaughn, Courtney Area:California Lines:69 Added:12/24/2013

YUCCA VALLEY - Medical marijuana advocates pleaded with the Town Council Tuesday, Dec. 17, to reopen the Morongo Basin's only medical marijuana dispensary. California Alternative Medicinal Solutions was the last one standing earlier this month, until a sunset clause kicked in and the dispensary had to close its storefront.

The dispensary was permitted in 2008. The Yucca Valley Town Council voted in 2010 to prohibit dispensaries in town, but allowed CAMS to wind down its operations over a few years.

CAMS was given until December of this year to shut down its operations.

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17US CA: Column: The Antipardon Pardon AttorneyTue, 24 Dec 2013
Source:San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Author:Saunders, Debra J. Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/24/2013

The Department of Justice should get a new name - like the Department That Can See No Evil, the Department of Dungeons or the Department of Cover-ups.

Once a bad law becomes the law of the land, it takes years of activism engaged by countless voices to force Washington to patch things up for a handful of the bad law's victims. In 1993, Clarence Aaron, a 24-year-old college student, was convicted for his role in a crack cocaine deal. Aaron neither bought nor sold drugs; he was paid $1,500 for connecting two dealers. Nonetheless a federal court sentenced him to life without parole.

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18 US CA: LTE: Supervisor States Position On MarijuanaSun, 22 Dec 2013
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Connelly, Bill Area:California Lines:42 Added:12/23/2013

Recent articles make it important for me to clearly state my position on medical marijuana as a Butte County supervisor. To be clear, I do not support the total legalization of marijuana and I am skeptical there are beneficial uses for medical patients.

I have stated in the past and currently stand with four points regarding marijuana. One, as currently grown, there is a real threat to personal and family safety. Marijuana is valuable and prone to violent theft. Two, if you live near a marijuana grow, there are intrusions on you and your family including traffic, dust, noise and odor. Three, generally, if there is a marijuana grow near your property, the property value goes down. Four, many of our county's problems with illegal marijuana grows originate from the difference in state vs. federal law. It is illegal across the nation, but quasi-legal here. That is confusion. I have stated marijuana laws are creating the same problems as Prohibition did with alcohol. The federal government needs to drop marijuana from a class one narcotic and regulate it from grow site to licensed sales facilities.

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19US CA: Palm Springs Council Sets Marijuana Dispensary Tax At 10 PercentThu, 19 Dec 2013
Source:Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) Author:Pena, Xochitl Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/21/2013

PALM SPRINGS - The three legal medical marijuana dispensaries will now be required to pay the city 10 percent of their proceeds starting Jan. 1 while the illegal operations will be required to pay 15 percent.

The Palm Springs City Council on Wednesday approved 4-1 the pot tax rates and a series of other changes including the issuance of a fourth dispensary license.

Palm Springs voters on Nov. 5 overwhelmingly approved Measure B - a tax of up to 15 percent on the proceeds of medical marijuana dispensaries.

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20US CA: Column: Punishment Didn't Fit Crime - Now JusticeFri, 20 Dec 2013
Source:San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Author:Saunders, Debra J. Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/21/2013

President Obama commuted the sentences of eight crack cocaine offenders Thursday, including that of Clarence Aaron, who was serving a sentence of life without parole for a first-time nonviolent drug conviction when he was 23.

Aaron's story represents the worst excesses of the federal criminal justice system. Aaron, of Mobile, Ala., had no criminal record. He had held jobs. In 1992, he was a college student who decided to address his money problems by acting as an intermediary between two career drug dealers. The dealers paid him $1,500 to set up two large cocaine deals. They got caught. The ringleaders knew how to game the system. They pleaded guilty and testified against Aaron.

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21US CA: Column: Problematic Pot ProhibitionsWed, 18 Dec 2013
Source:Red Bluff Daily News (CA) Author:Mazzucchi, Richard Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/20/2013

A new poll by the Field Research Corporation shows that a majority of California voters now support the legalization of marijuana.

This is a notable change from 1969, when they first started measuring sentiments on marijuana, when only 13% favored its legalization. The dramatic failure of punitive drug policy to reduce use, potency and crime no doubt contributes to the turnaround, as did recent successful legalization efforts in Colorado and Washington passed last year. Today only 31% of voters want strict enforcement of existing laws or tougher laws to be enacted.

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22 US CA: Marijuana Production Climbs In Merced CountyTue, 17 Dec 2013
Source:Merced Sun-Star (CA) Author:Parsons, Rob Area:California Lines:131 Added:12/20/2013

MERCED COUNTY - Marijuana production and related crimes kept the Merced County Sheriff's Department busy in 2013.

"We've seen substantial increases in every category," said Sgt. Kevin Blake, head of the Sheriff's Tactical and Reconnaissance Team.

This year, deputies eradicated a total of 77,143 illegal plants and seized more than 1,200 pounds of street-ready marijuana buds from both indoor and outdoor grows. Additionally, the STAR team arrested more than 30 people in connection with black-market plant production, sought criminal charges against dozens more and seized about 100 firearms from growers, ranging from automatic weapons to pistols, Blake said.

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23US CA: County Readies For Fight Over Medical Marijuana In 2014Wed, 18 Dec 2013
Source:Visalia Times-Delta, The (CA) Author:Gibbons, Valerie Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/20/2013

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors is gearing up for a long fight over medical marijuana rules next year.

The county will lobby for stricter rules governing the cultivation and sale of medical marijuana at the state level. The lobbying pits Central Valley counties directly against urban coastal counties in the Bay Area and Southern California that have operated under a far looser interpretation of the law.

Since the Compassionate Use Act was passed in 1996, the county has had rules in place restricting medical marijuana cultivation to indoor sites - and in restricted areas. Many cities within the county have also set up their own set of regulations, as well.

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24 US CA: Jury Convicts Woman On Marijuana, Child EndangermentWed, 18 Dec 2013
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Olson, Ryan Area:California Lines:84 Added:12/19/2013

OROVILLE - A jury has convicted a woman on marijuana and child endangerment counts for a grow and conditions at her Concow-area residence in 2011.

The Butte County Superior Court panel of four men and eight women took about six hours before reaching a verdict today in the trial of Daisy Jean Bram, 33.

The jury found Bram guilty of felony counts of cultivating marijuana and possessing it for sale. Investigators found 95 marijuana plants and 7.1 additional pounds at Bram's Yellow Wood Road residence on Sept. 29, 2011.

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25US CA: Signature Gathering Set For Marijuana Ballot MeasureThu, 19 Dec 2013
Source:Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) Author:Robinson, Alicia Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/19/2013

Medical-marijuana supporters trying to qualify a ballot measure allowing a limited number of dispensaries in Riverside have about 180 days to collect signatures.

About 12,000 voters must sign their petitions to put it on the ballot in June 2015 the city's next regular election or about 18,000 voters to get a special election called sooner.

Proponents are training volunteers and may begin circulating petitions as soon as this weekend, said Jason Thompson, an attorney representing Riverside Safe Access, the group backing the measure.

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26 US CA: Column: Step Your Game UpThu, 19 Dec 2013
Source:Sacramento News & Review (CA) Author:Bealum, Ngaio Area:California Lines:68 Added:12/19/2013

When do you see more dispensaries opening in the Sacramento area, if ever? Are they going to come back at all, even if we as a state get it legalized? I live in Rocklin, and it's hard to get my meds, except for going underground to get it.

-Rocklin roll

Good luck. Not only does the city of Rocklin have a zoning ban on medical-marijuana dispensaries (Rocklin Municipal Code 17.64.030 states, "The following uses are prohibited in all zones, and no conditional use permit shall be issued therefor: A. Kennel; B. Junkyard; C. Refuse disposal site; D. Medical marijuana dispensary"), Rocklin also has a ban on outdoor growing. Its indoor rules aren't bad, so maybe you could set up a grow room if you have the time and the money. Your best bet is to find a good delivery service. And to vote for new lawmakers that will allow medical marijuana in your town.

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27 US CA: PUB LTE: Marijuana Legalization Makes SenseThu, 19 Dec 2013
Source:Record, The (Stockton, CA) Author:Sharpe, Robert Area:California Lines:36 Added:12/19/2013

Regarding Michael Fitzgerald's Dec. 15 column, not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in need, but adult recreational use should be regulated. The days when our federal government can get away with confusing the drug war's tremendous collateral damage with a comparatively harmless plant are coming to an end.

If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidize violent drug cartels, prohibition is a grand success. The drug war distorts supply and demand dynamics so that big money grows on little trees.

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28US CA: Editorial: How Should LB Regulation MarijuanaMon, 16 Dec 2013
Source:Long Beach Press-Telegram (CA)          Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/17/2013

The Long Beach City Council has been poised to lift the ban on medical marijuana facilities in the city, but ran into a snag last week. The council hoped to allow for no more than two medical marijuana dispensaries in each of the city's nine council district and limit them to industrial areas. Turns out it doesn't work out on a map. Some districts don't even have industrial areas. Back to the drawing board for them.

But for us, we thought it would be a good time to ask you how the city should regulate medical marijuana dispensaries.

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29 US CA: LTE: Up In SmokeTue, 17 Dec 2013
Source:Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA) Author:Sullivan, Paul Area:California Lines:31 Added:12/17/2013

EDITOR: Your articles on the Emerald Cup demonstrated to the voting public what we really got out of Proposition 215. It is obvious that this was never about the medicinal use of marijuana; it was just a license to get stoned.

Dona Frank ("Country fair raises marijuana's profile," Sunday) is quoted as equating the cannabis industry with the wine industry, not the medical industry. And Jerrin Ruell uses his "medical marijuana" to make cotton candy. I've never tried that with my ibuprofen, or even considered it.

So maybe it's time to call pot what it really is, a tool for getting high. I guess Proposition 215 just went up in smoke.

Santa Rosa

[end]

30 US CA: Sonoma County Growers Win Emerald Cup AwardMon, 16 Dec 2013
Source:Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA) Author:Scully, Sean Area:California Lines:93 Added:12/17/2013

A custom cannabis strain developed in Sonoma County known as "Cherry Kola" won the Breeder's Cup at the 10th annual Emerald Cup cannabis competition, held for the first time ever at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds this weekend.

The proprietary strain was developed over a number of years by the Sonoma County Collective, CEO Asa Schaeffer said. The strain also won the second place in the annual "Flower" contest, which pitted hundreds of cannabis buds from across California in a juried competition.

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31 US CA: PUB LTE: Marijuana Should Be Regulated, TaxedSun, 15 Dec 2013
Source:Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Author:Springer, Alicia Area:California Lines:34 Added:12/16/2013

In his letter about the damage to society caused by marijuana, Robert Fay instead illustrates the terrible consequences of criminalizing marijuana. We have created a massive, dangerous criminal industry - and a corrosively huge prison population - by exiling marijuana's cultivation, sale and use away from lawful society.

If we want to eliminate drug violence and the incentive to deal drugs, we need to transfer the profit motive away from criminals, towards legitimate enterprise. Marijuana should be legalized, regulated, taxed and daylighted. There's no magic bullet - the criminal industry wouldn't disappear overnight. The current unworkable patchwork of medical marijuana laws is just an awkward first step.

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32US CA: Perris and Menifee Students Snared by UndercoverFri, 13 Dec 2013
Source:Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) Author:Burge, Sarah Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/16/2013

About two dozen students were arrested Thursday morning, Dec. 12, at high schools in Menifee and Perris as part of a semester-long undercover drug investigation in which deputies posed as students, authorities said.

Deputies descended on the campuses of Paloma Valley High School and Perris High School during second period to make the arrests, Riverside County sheriff's officials said.

Lt. Paul Bennett said deputies identified a total of 25 students, two of whom are adults, suspected of selling drugs. Officers served 22 drug-related arrest warrants on campus Thursday. Three suspects weren't in school Thursday and are still at large, he said.

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33 US CA: PUB LTE: Marijuana Regulations Will Deprive PatientsSat, 14 Dec 2013
Source:San Jose Mercury News (CA) Author:Steinke, Max Area:California Lines:26 Added:12/15/2013

If the San Jose City Council is setting rules limiting the areas were marijuana can be sold to protect the children of San Jose, it is looking at the wrong drug. Per the CDC, teenage use of alcohol is almost double that of marijuana. And while the danger of marijuana use is low, alcohol use is not. Many news stories about fights, rapes and traffic deaths indicate that alcohol use was a factor. The major effect of this law will be to make it more difficult for AIDS, cancer and other patients to get the legal medicine they depend on to get through their day.

Max Steinke

San Jose

[end]

34 US CA: Column: Feds on Medical Pot: Hazy At BestSun, 15 Dec 2013
Source:Record, The (Stockton, CA) Author:Fitzgerald, Michael Area:California Lines:125 Added:12/15/2013

Next in line for the dustbin of history: federal marijuana law, as applied to the case of Stockton's Matthew Davies.

On Friday, a federal judge sentenced Davies, "a working man, a married father of two young children, with no criminal record" to five years in prison, a plea agreement.

His crime: growing and selling medical marijuana in Stockton and Sacramento.

"My entire family has already been scarred by this," Davies wrote prosecutors. "It will be the ultimate struggle to keep our family together."

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35US CA: Marin Advocates Say Statewide Marijuana Legalization onSun, 15 Dec 2013
Source:Marin Independent Journal (CA) Author:Halstead, Richard Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/15/2013

A new Field Poll shows that a majority of Californians now favor legalization of marijuana - welcome news to some Marin residents who have long sought the move.

The poll, released last week, found 55 percent of Californians support legalization of marijuana, and 56 percent favor adoption of a statewide initiative proposed for the November 2014 ballot. The California Cannabis Hemp Initiative would decriminalize marijuana and hemp use for those over age 21.

Sponsors of the initiative have until Feb. 24 to gather the valid signatures of 504,760 registered voters. A legalization measure on the California ballot in 2010 received the support of 46.5 percent of voters.

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36 US CA: Lode Dispensaries May Not Stay LongSat, 14 Dec 2013
Source:Record, The (Stockton, CA) Author:Nichols, Dana M. Area:California Lines:94 Added:12/15/2013

SAN ANDREAS - Just in time for the holidays, Calaveras County has a record five medical marijuana dispensaries in operation, enough different stores so that some are carving out market niches.

The Little Trees Wellness Collective in Arnold is proclaiming itself the high-end shop, stocking a wide selection of smokeables and edibles, including organic vegan chocolate. Relative newcomer Green Gold Cultivators in San Andreas is the discount outlet offering prices low enough to lure customers from Stockton.

But medical marijuana patients shouldn't wait until January for after-Christmas sales. At least some of the shops could be out of business by then because of a crackdown on those that don't comply with county codes.

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37 US CA: Pot Festival Meets Country Fair at Emerald Cup in SantaSun, 15 Dec 2013
Source:Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA) Author:Mason, Clark Area:California Lines:214 Added:12/15/2013

Marijuana culture took center stage on the first day of a high-profile organic cannabis competition at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, a first for the county and perhaps a harbinger of the drug's eventual outright legalization.

Organizers expected the event Saturday and Sunday to draw 5,000 people daily to toke some of the best marijuana in the world, buy heirloom seeds, listen to music or sit in on panel discussions ranging from plant genetics and breeding to soil types and politics.

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38US CA: Medpot Manager Gets Jail, ProbationSat, 14 Dec 2013
Source:San Diego Union Tribune (CA) Author:Davis, Kristina Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/14/2013

San Diego Man Was Tried Three Times, Accused of Running Dispensary for Profit

SAN DIEGO - A San Diego man who was tried three times for operating a medical marijuana dispensary for profit was sentenced Friday to jail time and probation.

Jovan Jackson's legal troubles involving Answerdam Alternative Care collective in Kearny Mesa stretch back five years, and his lawyer said the litigation has in effect helped pave the way for other collectives to legally sell the drug under nonprofit status.

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39 US CA: Opposing Portraits Of Med Pot OperationSat, 14 Dec 2013
Source:Record, The (Stockton, CA) Author:Reid, Keith Area:California Lines:148 Added:12/14/2013

Davies Maintains Innocence As He Heads to Prison; U.S. Attorney Says Stockton Man Gambled and Lost

STOCKTON - Stockton businessman Matthew Davies was ordered Friday by a U.S. District Court judge to surrender himself to a federal prison on March 3 and serve a five-year sentence for his role in manufacturing medical marijuana and distributing it through multiple dispensaries in Stockton and Sacramento.

Davies, 36, likely will spend his time performing dairy farm work at a minimum-security facility in Lompoc. He pleaded guilty in June to federal drug charges dating back to 2010.

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40 US CA: Pot Steps Into Mainstream At This Weekend's Emerald CupFri, 13 Dec 2013
Source:Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA) Author:Johnson, Julie Area:California Lines:159 Added:12/13/2013

What was once an underground celebration after the cannabis harvest up in the hills near the Mendocino-Humboldt county line will debut in a new form this weekend at the Sonoma County fairgrounds.

Organizers expect the 10th annual Emerald Cup to draw about 5,000 people each day to Grace Pavilion, the Hall of Flowers and other areas of the fairgrounds where farmers have for generations displayed their harvests.

But this weekend, people will file through the gates to learn about organic, outdoor marijuana production, visit more than 170 vendors hawking paraphernalia alongside farming goods, and listen to panels discussing issues from legalization to business tactics.

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41 US CA: PUB LTE: Biblical Case For CannabisThu, 12 Dec 2013
Source:Jewish News Weekly (CA) Author:White, Stan Area:California Lines:23 Added:12/13/2013

How is it OK for Jews and other citizens to have access to highly addictive powerful and deadly painkillers along with other pharmaceuticals, but not be allowed to use what God says is good on the first page of the Bible? Cannabis has been documented for over 5,000 years medically without a single death; that's safety on a biblical scale. A biblical argument for Jews to not use the plant cannabis doesn't exist.

Stan White | Dillon, Colo.

[end]

42 US CA: Column: This Is Your Brain On CannabisThu, 12 Dec 2013
Source:Sacramento News & Review (CA) Author:Bealum, Ngaio Area:California Lines:75 Added:12/13/2013

I heard something the other day about marijuana and strokes. Can you enlighten me?

- -Jack

Eh. We know that marijuana can cause an increase in blood pressure. There are a few studies that claim that this increase can lead to a stroke. I found one from 1991, but the researcher clearly had a bias against cannabis. The most recent study from early 2013 may show an increased risk of stroke, but all of the stroke victims with cannabis in their systems were also cigarette users, and we all know that tobacco definitely increases the chances of stroke.

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43 US CA: Law and Reorder: Why Next June's Sacramento DistrictThu, 12 Dec 2013
Source:Sacramento News & Review (CA) Author:Miller, Nick Area:California Lines:398 Added:12/13/2013

Voters Will Elect the First New DA in Two Decades

Maggy Krell, California's current deputy attorney general, has garnered big-time Democratic support for her district-attorney run.

Next June, Sacramento will possibly elect its first new district attorney in two decades. Choosing a DA isn't "sexy," like voting for a mayor. But the DA's impact arguably can be as far-reaching. And the current DA race is about more than just deciding who's tough enough to put the most bad guys behind bars. This is especially true today, because the world of criminal justice is experiencing a radical sea change.

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44US CA: Pot Clubs May Be Forced To MoveThu, 12 Dec 2013
Source:San Jose Mercury News (CA) Author:Rosenberg, Mike Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/12/2013

Council OKs Rules That Would Bar Shops Near Homes

SAN JOSE - City officials on Wednesday began the process of shutting down medical marijuana shops next to homes as part of strict new regulations to be rolled out next year.

A minute before midnight, the San Jose City Council late Tuesday ended an hours-long discussion and voted 8- 3 to support a package of pot shop laws that they expect to take a final vote on in March.

The regulations would limit the city's 82 medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in less than 1 percent of the city - mostly in the industrial northern tip of San Jose, away from homes, schools and drug rehab centers. Those new rules could take effect next spring or summer.

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45US CA: Field Poll Says Californians Now Favor LegalizationTue, 10 Dec 2013
Source:Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) Author:DeAtley, Richard K. Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/12/2013

In a first for California, a majority of voters now favors legalization of marijuana, and most want pot regulated like alcohol, according to Field Poll results released Tuesday, Dec. 10.

The poll began asking about marijuana decriminalization in 1969. A clear majority of respondents never favored it until now. In 1969, 75 percent of Californians wanted the state's marijuana laws strictly enforced, or even toughened.

The nonpartisan poll conducted last week for The Press-Enterprise and other California media subscribers showed 55 percent now favor legalization. The split among those was 47 percent for legalizing it with age and other controls similar to alcohol laws, while 8 percent said it should be legalized so anyone could purchase it.

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46 US CA: Column: Ask Legalization NationWed, 11 Dec 2013
Source:East Bay Express (CA) Author:Downs, David Area:California Lines:119 Added:12/12/2013

Readers ask questions about pot tourism, cancer anxiety strains, and fighting the munchies.

Going to Seattle for three days, how's the new law work for a tourist? How about Colorado?

Big Steve

Big Steve, Washingtonians passed Initiative 502 last year, legalizing possession of one ounce of weed, 16 ounces of marijuana in solid form (think brownies), and 72 ounces of pot in liquid form for adults 21 and older. But you can't legally buy it anywhere - yet.

The state Liquor Control Board says it is in the process of licensing the only legal sellers of marijuana, and that's going to stretch into 2014. If you want to get all potted up in Washington before then, you're going to have to illegally transport it in or find your own hookup and break the law that way.

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47 US CA: Pot Proponents Vow Appeal To State Supreme Court In Live OakThu, 12 Dec 2013
Source:Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, CA) Author:Kruger, Harold Area:California Lines:99 Added:12/12/2013

A California organization that supports medical marijuana said Wednesday it will ask the state Supreme Court to consider Live Oak's medical pot ban.

"If you ban dispensaries and you ban cultivation, you're ripping the heart out of California's medical marijuana laws," said San Francisco attorney Joe Elford, who will represent Live Oak resident James Maral and California NORML. "This decision conflicts with the intent of the electorate and Legislature and should not be allowed to stand."

NORML is National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

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48US CA: Field Poll: In a First, Majority of California VotersTue, 10 Dec 2013
Source:Sacramento Bee (CA) Author:White, Jeremy B. Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/11/2013

In a state that pioneered rethinking marijuana laws, a majority of voters have legalization in mind.

A new Field Poll tracks the increasingly green-friendly attitude of Californians, a decades-long trend that has seen Golden State residents swing from seeking tougher enforcement to favoring the end of pot prohibition. Eight percent of voters backed allowing anyone to purchase cannabis and 47 percent said it should be available with the types of controls, like age verification, that govern alcohol sales.

Those two groups combined account for 55 percent of voters surveyed, marking a breakthrough for marijuana advocates: It is the first time a Field Poll has discovered clear majority support for legalization. A combined 50 percent backed the notion in 2010, when a legalization ballot initiative went down to defeat.

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49US CA: Entrepreneurs' Next Creation May Be New LawsMon, 09 Dec 2013
Source:USA Today (US) Author:Baverman, Laura Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/11/2013

Many Lobby for Changes to Help Their Businesses

On the payroll at the Orange County, Calif., start-up Ghost Group are two fulltime lobbyists, a policy writer, a public relations firm and marketing agency.

They have an annual budget of $1 million and a single mission: to do whatever is possible to get states and the federal government to legalize marijuana. Leading the team is the company's co-founder, Justin Hartfield, a man with a passion for the substance and no qualms about spreading the word about the opportunity that surrounds it.

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50US CA: Californians: Just Say 'Yes'Tue, 10 Dec 2013
Source:San Jose Mercury News (CA) Author:Richman, Josh Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/11/2013

For the first time in 44 years, a clear majority of California voters favors legalizing marijuana, a new Field Poll found.

And where there's smoke, there might soon be fire: A specific legalization ballot initiative now seeking signatures to get on next November's ballot also has majority support, the poll found.

"Debating about whether to legalize now is pointless, because we're going to," said Mark A.R. Kleiman, a UCLA professor and drug policy expert. "The smart debate is about how we'll do it."

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