Kharla Vezzetti Sacramento, September 30, 2008 – Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed Assemblyman Mark Leno’s bill to protect workers’ right to use medical marijuana. The bill, AB 2279, would have made it illegal for employers to discriminate against workers in non-safety-sensitive jobs for using marijuana as medicine. In his veto message, the governor said, “I am concerned with interference …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: 9/19/08 CONTACT: Dale Gieinger, CaNORML 415-563-5858 RECORD JUMP IN MARIJUANA ARRESTS IN CALIFORNIA California posted a record surge in marijuana arrests in 2007, according to data from the state Criminal Justice Statistics Center. Altogether, there were 74,119 arrests for marijuana in 2007, up 13% from the year before. This marks the …
DEA Targets City-Regulated Facitilites: Dep’t of Republican Justice? Cal. NORML Release – Sept 18, 2008 In response to federal threats of forfeiture, Santa Barbara’s medical marijuana coops are closing their doors as of this Friday, September 19th. At an extraordinary meeting on Aug 5-6th, the Department of Justice and DEA warned landlords of Santa Barbara’s …
The California legislature ended its regular session for 2007-8 after approving an important piece of cannabis reform legislation: Mark Leno’s bill AB 2279 to ban employment discrimination against medical marijuana patients. Urge the Governor to sign AB 2279 Altogether, the legislature voted on three cannabis reform measures in the two-year session. The State Senate approved …
AUGUST 27, 2008 – In a widening federal crackdown against medical cannabis collectives in Santa Barbara, a federal grand jury indicted John Seidenberg, 41, of Santa Ynez on Aug. 26th for growing two medical marijuana gardens for the Hortipharm collective. Seidenberg, who was originally arrested on state charges, had been preparing a Prop. 215 defense …
August 27, 2008 – Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office issued long-awaited guidelines on medical marijuana enforcement this week: Read the guidelines. For the most part, the AG’s guidelines are consistent with the opinion of California NORML’s attorneys and with the advice to providers previously posted at our website. However, there are certain respects in which …
SACRAMENTO August 20, 2008 – The State Senate approved Assemblyman Mark Leno’s path-breaking bill to prevent discrimination against medical marijuana patients by a vote of 21-14. The bill, AB 2279, would disallow the misuse of misleading and scientifically unproven urine tests to deny jobs to medical marijuana patients. California NORML strongly endorsed the bill, arguing …
AUGUST 8, 2008 – Last week saw three significant California Appellate Court rulings on medical marijuana, most of them favorable to medical marijuana patients, but one with cautionary implications for “primary caregivers.” (1) SAN DIEGO CHALLENGE TO PROP 215 & SB 420 ID CARDS REJECTED In the first, Counties of San Diego & San Bernardino …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 31, 2008 Contact: Keith Stroup, NORML 202-483-5500 ACLU Drug Policy Project 831-471-9000 California Appeals Court Upholds Medical Marijuana Law Against Federal Preemption In a case brought by the counties of San Diego and San Bernardino against San Diego NORML and others, California’s Fourth district court of appeal ruled today that the …
Los Angeles, May 22, 2008: The Second District of California Court of Appeals ruled that the state limits on medical marijuana possession and cultivation established under state law SB 420 are unconstitutional. In the case People v. Patrick Kelly, the court overturned defendant’s conviction for possessing 12 ounces of dried marijuana plants on the grounds …