Some on the Council Say the Action Undermines a State Law Allowing the Medical Marijuana Sales. Los Angeles police said Wednesday that they will continue to participate in federal raids on local medical marijuana dispensaries against the wishes of some members of the City Council. A continuing conflict between federal and state drug laws, they said, has created a stalemate that doesn't appear likely to soon end. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department contend that it's their job to help enforce the federal law. Council members argue that police raids, at best, send a mixed message about the city's support for the state law passed in 1996 to permit the use of marijuana for prescribed medical purposes. [continues 484 words]
Agents Hit the Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Shortly After the L.A. City Council Bars New Facilities for a Year to Write Better Regulations. The gap between state and federal drug laws became apparent again Wednesday when federal agents raided 10 local medical marijuana facilities only minutes after the Los Angeles City Council placed a moratorium on new facilities so rules could be drafted to better regulate them. The ban is for one year, but the council can extend it for another year. [continues 519 words]
Over-The-Counter Sales Of Syringes Is Approved, As Is Ordinance Making It Harder To Evict People From Rent-Control Apartments After a night of electioneering, a bleary-eyed Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved an ordinance that prevents landlords from evicting rent-control tenants after major renovations and another that allows adult drug users and others to buy syringes without a prescription. One of Los Angeles' long-standing housing problems is that the city has a large number of apartments -- particularly in poor neighborhoods -- that are in very run-down condition. Many are rent-controlled. [continues 378 words]
Activists Say the State's Anti-AIDS Programs Are Being Hindered. a Law Enforcement Spokesman Suggests That They Are Lying. A human rights advocacy group Tuesday accused police in California of routinely interfering with legitimate needle-exchange programs intended to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. Human Rights Watch, a New York-based group, alleged in a report that police intent on enforcing drug laws often arrest or hassle patrons of locally approved needle-exchange programs throughout the state. The group said that police, in effect, are discouraging people from using a public health program that could save their lives. [continues 469 words]
