Skip to main content

Medical Marijuana Update

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #864)
Drug War Issues

Big news from DC on Tuesday as congressional budget negotiators included language barring the use of federal funds to go after medical marijuana where it is legal, and a whole lot of news from California, too. Let's get to it:

National

On Tuesday, a congressional budget deal blocked federal interference in medical marijuana states. In a deal hammered out Tuesday evening, the leaders of the House and Senate appropriations committees agreed on a budget bill that includes a measure curbing Justice Department enforcement efforts in states where medical marijuana is legal. The measure, in the form of an amendment offered by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), passed the House back in May. The relevant section of the bill, Section 538, lists all the states that have some form of legalized medical marijuana and says, "None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used… to prevent such States from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana"

California

Last Tuesday, El Dorado County supervisors voted not to repeal the county's cultivation ordinance. Instead, supervisors decided to appoint a task force consisting of county counsel, the sheriff, DA and activists to come up with a solution that will protect patients' rights.

Also last Tuesday, Kern County supervisors approved civil lawsuits against collectives and cooperatives. The supervisors are going after 19 co-ops or collectives located in unincorporated areas of the county. The county previously sued other collectives and most of those have closed up shop.

Last Thursday, legislators filed statewide medical marijuana regulation bills. Legislators will try again next year to bring statewide regulation to the state's medical marijuana industry. Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) has filed Assembly Bill 26, which largely revives Tom Ammiano's failed AB 1894 from this year, while Rep. Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) has filed Assembly Bill 34, which is a one-sentence placeholder bill saying it is intended to regulate medical marijuana.

Last Saturday, California doctors rejected denying organ transplants to medical marijuana patients. The California Medical Association (CMA) voted unanimously this past weekend to urge transplant clinics in the state against removing patients from organ transplant lists based on their medical marijuana status or use. The CMA House of Delegates was in San Diego for its annual meeting, and voted Saturday on Resolution 116-14 in support of patients' ability to remain on transplant lists despite their medical marijuana use.

On Monday, the Siskiyou County planning division released its draft cultivation ordinance. The ordinance would limit outdoor grows to four plants on properties an acre or smaller, six plants on properties up to 2.5 acres, eight plants on up to five acres, and 10 plants on properties greater than five acres. Comments can be submitted via email at [email protected].

On Tuesday, Butte County supervisors approved spending $446,500 to enforce the county's cultivation ordinance. The ordinance limits the size of medical marijuana gardens to 50 square feet on property larger than a half-acre, 100 square feet on properties larger than five acres, and 150 square feet on properties larger than 10 acres. The ordinance also allows anonymous denunciations of alleged violations.

[For extensive information about the medical marijuana debate, presented in a neutral format, visit MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org.]

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

At least California is looking for ways to protect people - the donor list item is huge. We're seeing the same thing in Chicago now that zoning laws are getting closer to being approved for dispensaries. Thoughts on how DC is going to proceed? News broke out today that lawyers are already picking apart the ban in attempts to make a legislative push for 2015.

Thu, 12/11/2014 - 5:22am Permalink
Bonnie Ember (not verified)

El Dorado County, Sierra Mother Lode Cannabis Update.

I
met with both my Supervisor, Michael Rinandi, & the John, The Sheriff of El Dorado County, this month to discuss Growing & Renting my homes, to growers.

Up until the time that Congress Defunded the DEA, & Loretta Lynch told the Police, not to use the Federal Forfeiture of Assets, unless their is a crime, our County was seizing assets, over Cannabis Grows.
The Sheriff would visit a grow, ask them who they were growing for & when they said:

A Dispensery, the Sheriff's slapped: Cultivation with Intent to Grow, on them.

For the past 1.5 years, after a Board Member Public meeting, where I met the D.A., Vern Pierson, I have been afraid to rent my rental property out, as everyone here grows.
Vern told me that I was not even allowed to recoup the cost of clones, soil & nutrients.
This was after the DEA was unfunded, but not before Loretta Lynch told them to cease & desist.

I live in the Hilltop area of Swansboro, & the Sheriff & the residents, had a meet & greet on  4/20/16.
The outcome was a follows:

No More Arrests. Hallelujah! We can now smoke God's herb without going to prison!

You are alllowed to have 200' per person, 600' maximum, & if you do not abide by the rules, they will fine you $1000 a day.

So now, I want to share with you, a place where Cannabis flourished, under our U.V. light. On 420, we had an 8.5 U.V. index. Very similar to Hindi Kush Regiion.
The water & air are pure.

Best of all, our homes are on acreage, & selling at about $155.' which is building costs.

When Cannabis is no longer a Schedule 1 with the Fed, watch our R.E. become as expensive as Sonoma, Napa.

Here is a Drone tour of the El Dorado Forest, & a Tree House.

tours.km3media.com/257810

Best of all, 100% USDA Rural Finance, may be available or seller carry.

Thank You, to all of you, in the trenches, still fighting to STOP PROHIBITION.

Call Bon 310 486 3447 for your Mother Lode, Cannabis R.E. before Phillip Morris finds out about us.

Sat, 04/23/2016 - 7:39pm Permalink

Add new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.