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RALLY AGAINST DOJ CRACKDOWN ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA – SACTO FEDERAL COURTHOUSE, Friday Oct. 7, 11 am – 3pm

Cal NORML Release – Oct 5, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO – In yet another attack by the Obama administration on medical marijuana, US Attorneys in California have sent out a series of letters threatening landlords with property forfeiture for renting their property to dispensaries deemed too close to “sensitive areas” such as schools and parks.

Prominent among the targets is the state’s longest-operating dispensary, the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana in Fairfax, which enjoys official support from the city and has been operating without complaint since July 3rd, 1996.…

Cal NORML Release – Sep 21, 2011

California NORML and Project CBD release the results of the first “Ring Test” to assess the accuracy of analytical laboratories

Mixed findings show strengths and problems among analytic testing services

In the winter of 2010/11, California NORML and Project CBD initiated a “Ring Test” to assess the accuracy of analytical cannabis testing laboratories that have recently emerged to serve medical marijuana collectives, breeders, growers and patients.

Coauthored  by California NORML director Dale Gieringer and Dutch chemist Dr.…

September 21, 2011 – Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed Sen. Correa’s bill SB 847 to ban medical cannabis dispensaries within 600 feet of residential areas.

In his veto message, the Gov. noted that he has already signed AB 1300, giving cities and counties authority to regulate dispensaries, and that this bill would go in the opposite direction by preempting local control. “Decisions of this kind are best made in cities and counties, not the State Capitol,” declared the Governor.

California NORML thanks the Governor for standing firm against excessive and heavy-handed state interference in local government.…

September 14, 2011 – California reported a moderate decline in marijuana arrests in 2010, according to the latest figures from the Criminal Justice Statistics Center.

There were 16,585 felony and 54,849 misdemeanor marijuana arrests, down from 17,008 and 61,164 respectively in 2009. This marks the second year in a row that arrests have declined, after posting a recent high in 2008.

Hispanics accounted for 35% of felonies and 42% of misdemeanors; blacks for 25% of felonies and 16% of misdemeanors; and whites for 33% of felonies and 36% of misdemeanors.…

CAL NORML KERN COUNTY ALERT

8/11/11 – Kern Citizens for Patients Rights is organizing a referendum petition to repeal the county’s repressive, new medical MJ dispensary ban and anti-cultivation ordinance. Similar petition drives have succeeded in overturning or suspending anti-MMJ ordinances in San Diego and Butte County.

Interested supporters are invited to contact Kern Citizens for Patient Rights: Heather Epps [email protected] (661) 327-3337 or Craig Beresh [email protected] or Bakersfield NORML

Read more.

News video:
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/127563833.html

For more on local ordinances, see https://www.canorml.org/prop/local215policies.html…

Cal NORML Release, July 8, 2011 – After nine years of regulatory delay, the DEA rejected a petition by a coalition of groups including NORML to reschedule marijuana for medical use. The response came only after advocates sued in federal court for unreasonable delay. The petition, filed in 2002 by the Cannabis Rescheduling Coalition, cited a growing body of scientific evidence plus the approval of medical marijuana in several states as grounds that marijuana qualifies as having “accepted medical use” and should be removed from Schedule I.…

Take Action to support this measure

June 23, 2011 – House lawmakers introduced legislation in Congress today to end the federal criminalization of the personal use of marijuana.

The bipartisan measure – entitled the ‘Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011’ and sponsored by Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank and Texas Republican Ron Paul along with Reps. Cohen (D-TN), Conyers (D-MI), Polis (D-CO), and Barbara Lee (D-CA) – prohibits the federal government from prosecuting adults who use or possess marijuana by removing the plant and its primary psychoactive constituent, THC, from the five schedules of the United States Controlled Substances Act of 1970.…

Cal NORML Release – Jun. 22, 2011

Butte County activists submitted 12,308 signatures on a referendum petition to suspend the county’s controversial medical marijuana ordinance, which sharply limits patients’ right to grow their own medicine. The ordinance is now officially suspended for 30 days pending validation of the signatures. If, as seems likely, at least 7,600 are valid, the ordinance will remain suspended until it can be voted on in the November election.

The referendum petition was sponsored by Butte County Citizens for Compassionate Use.…

CORRECTION
Our previous posting erroneously misinterpreted the scope of the Correa bill, SB 847, banning collectives within 600 feet of residential areas.

The bill applies ONLY to collectives that have a storefront or mobile location requiring a business license, e.g. a dispensary or delivery service. It does NOT apply to patients who privately share garden space with other patients in a non-commercial manner.

The relevant language which we overlooked is:

(e) This section shall apply only to a medical marijuana cooperative, collective, dispensary, operator, establishment, or provider that is authorized by law to possess, cultivate, or distribute medical marijuana and that has a storefront or mobile retail outlet which ordinarily requires a local business license

While SB 847 does not apply to non-commercial home collectives, it does seem to apply to satellite growers for dispensaries.…

Cal NORML Release – Jun 3, 2011

SACRAMENTO – The California Assembly rejected Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s bill AB 1017 to reduce marijuana cultivation from a mandatory felony to a wobbler. The vote was 24-36.

The bill had been sponsored by the DA of Mendocino County, but was opposed by the state DAs association.

“The state legislature has once again demonstrated its incompetence when it comes to dealing with prison overcrowding,” commented California NORML Director Dale Gieringer, “With California under court order to reduce its prison population, it is irresponsible to maintain present penalties for non-violent drug offenses.…