US CA: Edu: Cannabis Rolled Up in Ballot
03/04/2010 01:00 AM

The Campus, 04 Mar 2010 – Marijuana Is Becoming Part of Our Culture. Hope for marijuana supporters and consumers in California has reached an all time high with the “Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act” initiative on the path for the November ballot.

US CA: The Case For Medicinal Marijuana
03/04/2010 01:00 AM

Merced Sun-Star, 04 Mar 2010 – Bar Owner Wants To Open Dispensary In Livingston. LIVINGSTON — Mike Sperry Jr. is the man with the pot plan. The 38-year-old owner of Mike’s Cozy Corner bar stepped out of the shadows Wednesday as the person who approached Livingston wanting to open a medical marijuana dispensary in town.

US CA: Rancho Cordova-Based Insurer Launches Medical Marijuana Coverage
03/02/2010 01:00 AM

Sacramento Bee, 02 Mar 2010 – A Rancho Cordova-based insurer Monday launched what it calls the first nationally available insurance coverage designed specifically for the medical marijuana industry. Only 14 states allow use of medical marijuana today, but Statewide Insurance Services is nonetheless offering coverage in all 50 states.

US CA: Majoring In Marijuana, For Medicinal Purposes
02/26/2010 01:00 AM

The Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 Feb 2010 – Oakland, Calif. – The campus tour began promptly at 3 p.m. and was attended by a fairly typical cast of characters. There was an affable, out-of-work engineer looking to study for a new profession; a long-haired youngster all but quivering with the certainty that he had found his collegiate “perfect fit”; and, with him, a well-barbered elderly man who hovered nearby looking taciturn but not unsupportive. “I’m the grandfather, along for the ride,” the man explained once the group was inside the main campus building, his tone of voice conveying a remarkable neutrality considering that, at the moment, he was surrounded by potted marijuana plants. “I wanted to make sure that this was all,” he paused, “legitimate.”

US CA: Chico Pot Grower Heads Back to Prison
02/23/2010 01:00 AM

Sacramento Bee, 23 Feb 2010 – Bryan James Epis, the first person associated with a California cannabis buyers’ club to be tried in federal court for growing pot, was ordered back to prison Monday by a Sacramento judge to serve the balance of a 10-year term. Epis, 42, had been free for nearly six years on an order issued by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after he had served more than two years of the term for growing and conspiring to grow marijuana.

US CA: Candidates Rip Medical Marijuana Regulation
02/22/2010 01:00 AM

San Diego Union Tribune, 22 Feb 2010 – Democratic Forum Draws Four for Attorney General Democratic candidates for state attorney general yesterday took varying positions on the merits of legalizing marijuana, but agreed that medical marijuana needs to be much more heavily regulated than it is now.

US CA: Dispensary Owner Faces Prosecution
02/23/2010 01:00 AM

Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb 2010 – Attorney for Medical Marijuana Distributor Says the Felony Counts Are ‘Politically Driven.’ More than four months ago, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley warned that state law does not allow dispensaries to sell medical marijuana and zeroed in on Organica, a popular Venice-area outlet, as one possible target.

US CA: OPED: Drug War Mentality Still Rules
02/22/2010 01:00 AM

Record Searchlight, 22 Feb 2010 – Recent articles and editorials in the Record Searchlight haven’t shed much light on the roots of the problem or the view of medical marijuana patients in the current rush to get ordinances passed. I will try to do that here. Medical marijuana was made legal in California by the Compassionate Use Act (Proposition 215) in 1996. The intent of this law was to protect patients from prosecution under laws directed at illegal use of marijuana. While sale or possession under state and federal laws still remains illegal, other state laws and legal guidelines have been put in place to help law enforcement and other agencies discern the difference. SB 420, the Medical Marijuana Program, was put in place to codify and clarify the intent of the citizens of California by defining Proposition 215 as part of the state Health Code. Proposition 215 was passed by the vote of the people; it cannot be amended or repealed except by another vote of the people of California.

US CA: Editorial: Position on Pot Is a Bit Hazy
02/22/2010 01:00 AM

Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb 2010 – It’s Hard to Know What to Expect From Michele Leonhart, Obama’s Nominee to Head the DEA When President Obama nominated Michele Leonhart to head the Drug Enforcement Administration last month, those hoping for a sensible federal policy regarding medical marijuana — one that promotes scientific research into its medicinal value and eschews prosecution when it is used in accordance with local laws — shivered.

From MAP – Cannabis – California