[justalilrowdy]

and yet another story from yesterdays assembly..

California Assembly passes pot regulation bill; Senate approval doubtful
By Peter Hecht
phecht@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jun. 1, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Friday, Jun. 1, 2012 - 2:19 pm

A drive to regulate California marijuana dispensaries won a key victory Thursday, raising the hopes of advocates who argue that state oversight is critical to staving off federal raids on California's medical cannabis industry.

The state Assembly voted 41-28 to pass a bill to create a California policing agency to license marijuana stores and oversee a state-sanctioned medical pot industry from growers to delivery drivers to marijuana testing labs.

Since October, raids on California medical marijuana outlets and threats of federal prosecution against operators and landlords have shuttered scores of dispensaries across the state, including nearly 100 in Sacramento County.

Assembly Bill 2312 by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, faces a difficult road to passage through the Senate and desk of Gov. Jerry Brown. The bill, which would create a Bureau of Medical Marijuana Enforcement in the state Department of Consumer Affairs, drew no formal law enforcement support.

The legislation has been blasted by critics as short on specifics as to how California can govern hundreds of dispensaries and thousands of workers in a state medical pot trade once valued at $1.5 billion or more.

But Ammiano, who got the minimum number of "yes" votes needed to clear the 80-member Assembly, declared the vote a historic action demonstrating a Legislature "now willing to take responsibility for effective regulation of medical cannabis in California."

Under the bill, a nine-member board would oversee the state medical marijuana division and approve licenses for businesses selling, growing or transporting marijuana for use by people with physicians' recommendations.

The bill, which got no Republican support, was passed after backers lured reluctant Democrats with a key concession to California cities and counties worried about the proliferation of marijuana stores.

The original bill would have required local governments to allow at least one dispensary for every 50,000 residents unless voters said otherwise. The amended bill would give city councils and county supervisors the power to limit or ban dispensaries, preserving the current California patchwork in which tolerance for marijuana stores varies widely from place to place.

The bill also would allow cities and counties to impose a 5 percent tax on medical marijuana sales.

Republican Assemblyman Don Wagner of Irvine blasted the bill for creating an oversight board stacked with people supportive of a marijuana industry. The board's nine members would include two physicians familiar with medical marijuana, a patient advocate, a marijuana union representative and at least one medical marijuana user.

"Something smells when you stack the deck like that," Wagner said. "And we know what that smell is."

John Lovell, a lobbyist for California police chiefs and narcotics officers, said the bill is a protection measure for "marijuana dispensary business interests."

"This bill is such an extreme bill, it simply doesn't invite serious discussion," Lovell said.

Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California, said lawmakers from both parties are fearful of pot legislation in the wake of the dispensary boom and the subsequent crackdown by federal authorities.

"Californians are very strongly supportive of marijuana use for legitimate medical purposes, but they're coming to the conclusion that so many people are taking advantage of loopholes in the current law, it's made them wary about expanding the program," Schnur said.

Advocates, including a union organizing California marijuana workers and a trade organization for medicinal pot growers, argued that statewide oversight may calm federal authorities.

U.S. prosecutors have accused purportedly nonprofit dispensaries and cultivators of violating federal and state laws by using the guise of medical marijuana to reap millions of dollars in profits.

The bill that cleared the Assembly lacks the specificity of regulations imposed in Colorado, another state that legalized medical marijuana use. Colorado requires all medical marijuana workers to be licensed, and mandates patient registration and video surveillance of every pot transaction.

The California bill would leave it to the medical marijuana board to set the rules.

Arguing for its creation, Ammiano charged that "some people want to preserve the chaos and confusion to say that medical marijuana has failed or is a sham."

Assemblywoman Linda Halderman, R-Chico, suggested that debating medical marijuana regulation was a ruse. "This is about whether people should be able to legally get high," she said.

Editor's note: The headline on this story was changed on June1 to remove reference to Senate approval doubtful. Assembly Bill 2312 faces a difficult road to passage in the Senate.
the link.. https://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/01/453...#storylink=cpy

[DoobieDuck]

Wow Rowdy..that's a huge majority victiory from what I heard, I've been reading it would be very very close or loose. I'm so happy possibly all my phone calls and emails might have really worked this time, contributed to this-love it when that happens. And thanks for the link, date, author..good work..we appreciate your efforts to keep us informed. DD

[justalilrowdy]

I believe marijuana is the tree of life.. I believe it has the potential to save our lives and our planet.. Here is a link to some information that Eating Raw Marijuana Daily Reduces Stroke by 50% (w/out a high) Now that's good news!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv0jxVzX0Gs

[justalilrowdy]

and yet more evidence of the powerful medicinal qualities of the plant.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaU4s...layer_embedded

[Kushed_]

Yes, I believe the emails work!

[justalilrowdy]

Election day brought defeat for Measure D in Lake County and All incumbents were reseated. Measure D was a county grow regulation attempt by the Citizens for Responsible Regulation and The Green Farmers organization here that unfortunately was tied in with the county's "right to farm" rules and no way in hell (imho) were the supervisors going to allow that to pass. We will be regulated by something the county draws up now.

[justalilrowdy]

Tommy Chong revealed he has prostate cancer and will be treating it with cannabis oil. Here is a link to the interview from CNN https://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/bes...ncer-lemon.cnn

vaping one for Mr. Chong

[justalilrowdy]

From Hollywood Patch July 4th..
A panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal finds that Los Angeles County's ban on medical marijuana is 'preempted' by state law. A state appeals court affirmed the legality of medical marijuana dispensaries under California law and rejected bans imposed by municipalities.
A three-justice panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal held Monday that Los Angeles County's ban on medical marijuana is "preempted" by state law. The decision reverses a preliminary injunction granted to the county by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ann Jones in May 2011.
On July 24th, the city of Los Angeles is scheduled to vote on a dispensary ban similar to the one enacted by the County, but just rejected by the court of appeal.
"The (appellate court) decision puts a giant wrench into the plans of City Attorney Trutanich to persuade the City Council to enact a ban," said Elford.
"Los Angeles County's total, per se nuisance ban against medical marijuana dispensaries directly contradicts the legislature's intent," Justice Robert Mallano wrote in the 19-page unanimous decision. The county sued the Alternative Medicinal Cannabis Collective in March 2011. Principal Deputy County Counsel Sari Steel could not be immediately reached.
"The court of appeal could not have been clearer in expressing that medical marijuana dispensaries are legal under state law, and that municipalities have no right to ban them," said Joe Elford, Chief Counsel with Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana advocacy group. "This landmark decision should have a considerable impact on how the California Supreme Court rules in the various dispensary cases it's currently reviewing."
While the ruling will do doubt be welcomed by many in the medical marijuana community, it still does not make them safe from being raided and/or forcibly closed. The federal government has been enacting raids across the state, an aggressive policy change that was announced with a simultaneous raid on a North Hollywood-area shop last October.
The LAPD also appears to have left policies regarding pot shops up to each division. Over the last three years, the Devonshire Division systematically shut down dozens of shops, a move that scared off many others to the point that it is believed there are no more pot shops in the entire division's patrol area. However, serveral divisions have taken a hands-off approach to pot shops, leading to inconsistency in how the LAPD as a whole views pot shops.

[DoobieDuck]

Thanks Rowdy for posting, important info! I find this "While the ruling will do doubt be welcomed by many in the medical marijuana community, it still does not make them safe from being raided and/or forcibly closed" something everyone should take into consideration though. Be safe..DD