Kharla Vezzetti SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 11, 2002. In a foretaste of what could await the defendants in the DEA’s medical MJ raids, a Sonoma County patient, Keith Alden, was summarily convicted of marijuana cultivation in the first federal jury trial of a medical cannabis grower in San Francisco. The proceedings were a travesty of justice, as Alden …
Jun 6, 2002 – California saw spirited rallies against the DEA in a nationwide day of protest organized by Americans for Safe Access. Santa Rosa, where the DEA recently raided the Aiko patients’ co-operative, was the scene of the nation’s largest protest. Some 300 demonstrators turned out, closing the federal building to the public. KSRO …
OAKLAND, Jan 14 2002. BART announced that it has scrapped plants to deploy drug-sniffing dogs on its trains following a flood of protests from angry patrons and NORML supporters. BART had deployed canine units on loan from US Customs to sniff out passengers for two nights in December. They succeeded in nabbing 12 passengers for …
1999 – Marijuana activists are pushing the city of Berkeley to stop police from arresting minor pot offenders in violation of the city’s 20-year-old Marijuana Ordinance, which declares that marijuana should be lowest enforcement priority. Police statistics show a dramatic doubling in the number of marijuana arrests last year following a crackdown aimed at clearing …
SAN FRANCISCO, May 3, 2002 – US Judge Charles Breyer has issued a summary judgement for the government in its case against the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club plus two other Bay Area cannabis clubs. In his decision, Breyer rejected the clubs’ interstate commerce clause challenge, noting that marijuana distribution is economic activity and is accordingly …
An electoral showdown is looming in California this November over Proposition 36, which would end prison sentences for non-violent drug users (www.drugreform.org). Modeled on Arizona’s successful Proposition 200, Prop. 36 would allow most offenders charged with simple possession of drugs to opt for a diversion program instead of imprisonment. Criminal charges would be dismissed upon …
UPDATE: BILL TO DECRIMINALIZE MINOR POT POSSESSION OFFENSES SIGNED BY GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER SACRAMENTO Aug 30: The California state Assembly voted 43-33 to approve Sen. Mark Leno’s bill SB 1449 downgrading petty marijuana possession from a misdemeanor to an infraction. The bill passed thanks to support from the CA district attorneys and courts; similar legislation had …
SACRAMENTO Aug 30: In a disappointing display of legislative perversity, the California Assembly rejected State Senator Mark Leno’s medical marijuana resolution SJR 14. The Assembly may still have a chance to revisit the resolution in the coming extraordinary session. SJR 14 would call on the President and Congress to end federal raids and interference with …
State Sen. Ron Calderon (D-Montebello) is seeking to push through a last-minute bill to establish a statewide BOE tax registration system for medical marijuana sellers, distributors, growers and transporters. In order to bypass the normal legislative hearings, Sen. Calderon has sneakily devised the bill as a “gut-and-amend” to another bill, SB 1131, which has already …
August 18 – In its long-awaited ruling in Qualified Patients Association vs. the City of Anaheim, the California Court of Appeals ruled that Anaheim could not use federal pre-emption as a grounds to ban medical marijuana dispensaries. The court struck down a lower court decision that had sustained a demurrer to QPA’s suit against Anaheim …