DEA Still Classifies Marijuana As a Schedule 1 Substance That Complicates Efforts to Research Its Medical Uses Patients Like Nevada County's Silas Hurd Suffer As a Result Like Silas Hurd, the Nevada County boy whose parents have gone to extraordinary lengths to secure marijuana treatments to ease his severe seizures, millions of Americans are experimenting with a drug that's caught between two worlds. Two dozen states, including California, allow pot to be used for medical purposes. A smaller number of states have cleared it for recreational use and others, again including California, could do the same. [continues 329 words]
Moved by Silas Hurd's plight, a marijuana grower who specializes in plant genetics combed his seed groups for strains that might calm the boy's devastating epilepsy. The family had bouts of relief, but inevitably the seizures returned. And a growing political backlash cast shadow on their efforts. Grass Valley - Aggressive soft-tissue sarcoma had taken his wife in 2000. Colon cancer claimed his father four years later. Brad Peceimer, a former aerospace manufacturing engineer, grew marijuana and produced medicinal remedies for both of them, to help relieve the nausea and discomfort caused by their treatments. After their deaths, he kept cultivating, fascinated with plant science. [continues 3042 words]
After a severe form of childhood epilepsy left their son, Silas, "developmentally frozen in time," Forrest and Nicole Hurd went on a desperate search for cures. Traditional medicine failed them, so they ventured beyond it. Could an enterprising medical marijuana collective hold the answers? Penn Valley - Their morning ritual was nearly complete: Breakfast was finished, teeth brushed, shoes on. Let's go. Now. Or we're going to be late. Forrest Hurd was preparing to shuttle his son to preschool and his daughter to kindergarten when something caught his eye. It was his boy, Silas, staggering in circles, eyes seemingly fixed on some distant horizon. [continues 3135 words]
This article should be required reading for all registered voters if the initiative to legalize the recreational use of marijuana qualifies for the November ballot. To me it explains quite clearly that using drugs, including marijuana, can be detrimental to finding a good job. Dennis A. Hunter, Sacramento [end]
Re "Firms struggle to find workers who can pass a drug test" (Page 1B, May 18): As society declines drug use increases as things worsen. Now businesses struggle to find persons who can pass a drug test. The main reason is marijuana. Some governments even promote it for tax income. Marijuana is affordable, simple and easy to use. It stinks, but leaves no aftereffects, no hangover. It impairs users, depressing their senses, relaxing them, causing euphoria and false perceptions, distorting reality. The effect varies depending on the person, the quality and quantity. [continues 78 words]
Re "Pain specialists are on front line in war on opioid abuse" (Viewpoints, May 18): Dr. Shalina Shah presented a very calm and sensible approach to the serious problem of the abuse of opioids and other pain killers. It is ridiculous to lay the problem at the feet of improper training of physicians. If that were the problem, we would have a much bigger problem than opioid abuse. We must expect physicians to have excellent training in all aspects of their practice. Certainly, better than government regulators of medical treatment. Richard E. Ralston, Newport Beach [end]
Lawmakers, police and medical community oppose legalizing pot. Marijuana users cannot pass drug tests. I lost a daughter to drugs. Marijuana was her gateway drug. If pot has a medical use, a doctor can prescribe it. I cannot see that the proposed legislation can pass the tests of good law. Don Metzker, Fair Oaks [end]
Re "Tobacco tax set to join state ballot" (Page 5A, May 16): If smoking tobacco causes lung cancer and is out of social favor, why is it all right to smoke marijuana, which goes into the lungs, and why is it becoming socially acceptable? Both should be treated the same, shouldn't they? Russ Brown, Caramichael [end]
Police Chiefs Group Says Congressman Misled in Remarks Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa, Stands by Comments When Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher endorsed the California initiative to legalize recreational marijuana, the one-time speechwriter for former President Ronald Reagan railed against a justice system that spends billions "to try to take care of someone who wants to smoke weed in his backyard." "How many women have been raped or people have been murdered by distracting our law enforcement?" Rohrabacher asked last week in San Francisco. [continues 386 words]
Voters Statewide Rejected Last Attempt by Seven Percentage Points New Campaign Took Time to Craft Measure and Build Coalition Reaching Out to Latinos and African Americans San Francisco - Nate Bradley, co-founder of the California Cannabis Industry Association, paused for a moment as he assessed how the latest campaign to legalize recreational marijuana differs from an effort in 2010 that was decisively rejected by voters. Bradley, who worked on the failed campaign, said the previous attempt was a grass-roots undertaking, while the latest measure is "run by experts at passing initiatives." [continues 1486 words]
Nevada and Yuba Counties Are Roiling With Political Arguments Over Pot Cultivation At Issue: Do Efforts to Ban Outdoor Farms Unfairly Hurt Legitimate Medical Pot Growers and Patients? As California eyes legalizing recreational marijuana use, local jurisdictions are sparring over how to regulate pot production and sales, with controversial cultivation measures in Nevada and Yuba counties topping the list of five initiatives set for a June 7 vote. The neighboring Sierra foothill counties are roiling with political arguments over marijuana growing, with communities divided over whether efforts to ban outdoor pot farms unfairly affect legitimate medical marijuana producers and patients. [continues 1193 words]
Re "Marijuana legalization campaign launches state drive for November" (Capitol & California, May 5): I read two articles on why smoking tobacco and vaping is bad and why legalizing smoking marijuana is good. Both articles cite concern for youths. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom promotes the marijuana initiative, while Gov. Jerry Brown says the tobacco measure removes easy access during the teenage years when most smokers take up the habit. It seems to me the state is sending a mixed message, depending on what you are smoking. The reality is that the state is concerned about the health of our youths only when it is convenient. Follow the money. Judy Groboske, Rocklin [end]
Gavin Newsom Says Too Many People Are in Jail for Drugs He and Others Point to 2010 Effort As Turning Point in Debate Opponents Unveil Their Campaign, Begin Critiquing Details The coalition behind the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in California launched Wednesday, vowing to avoid the stumbles that undermined past efforts here to legitimize the drug. The as-yet unnumbered initiative aiming for November has begun submitting more than 600,000 signatures, far more than the 365,000 needed. It was California that led the legalization debate six years ago with Proposition 19, a pivotal moment in the national discourse that spurred Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska to formally recognize cannabis, California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said at the downtown event. [continues 574 words]
Singer Had Longstanding Addiction to Percocet, According to Reports Death Investigation Is Underway, Though Official Results Could Take Weeks But the Findings Already Have Raised Awareness About the Dangers of Painkillers Superstars die of overdoses from illicit drugs. Heroin. Cocaine. There's nothing new about that. But Prince's death, already an unexpected loss for pop culture and music, could turn out to be part of a new twist on that tragic story yet another casualty in America from prescription painkillers. Since the 57-year-old artist was found slumped in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate last week, reports have circulated that he had a longstanding addition to Percocet. [continues 345 words]
Lori Ajax Is First Head of Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation Former Alcohol Regulator Will Oversee Landmark Medical Pot Rules California Must Be 'The Model to Follow,' Ajax Says Having struggled fruitlessly for years to get his marijuana delivery business a proper storefront, Stephen Zyszkiewicz had plenty of questions for California's first state weed czar when she came to speak to the industry in Oakland. He also had some advice. "If you work there," Zyszkiewicz told Lori Ajax, the chief of the fledgling Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation, "you should probably try cannabis." [continues 1414 words]
Re "Pot trail tours offer a whiff" (Travel, April 17): As I read the article written by The New York Times reporter who experienced the pot tours offered in Colorado, I couldn't help but think that the "Denver" I read could have been "Sacramento" or "San Francisco," if Californians had passed the 2010 ballot measure normalizing marijuana. But I recall a couple of weeks before that vote, President Barack Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder said that an affirmative vote would be "unhelpful" and the polls turned south and the measure was defeated. Those Californians who voted "no" in 2010 should now bow their heads and weep quietly for the lost billions of dollars of commerce and the thousands of good-paying jobs you denied your state and vow to never do so again. Don Knutson, Sacramento [end]
Re "Legal pot would be beneficial" (Letters, April 16): Our society is already a "soft" and undisciplined society with few norms or standards for our children. America is at a critical point in our history and encouraging drugs is a great mistake. I see the destruction of lives from drugs every day as I ride the light rail downtown going to work. It does take a village to bring up a child. We are all responsible to help other children live a safe and good life. Let's not rush to vote "yes" on legalizing pot. Your children's future is at stake. Joe Munizich, Cameron Park [end]
Re "Legalizing pot only for money" (Letters, April 15): I don't think many people can imagine a society where tobacco was illegal. People will find a way to smoke cigarettes whether it is legal or outright prohibited; the same is true for marijuana. We must make sure that our children are protected from drug abuse, but that does not mean that government should get in the business of raising our children. Parents are ultimately responsible for teaching their children and monitoring their children's behavior. Legalizing marijuana will bring in much needed revenue to the state. David Brotman, Gold River [end]
Re "Pot will increase drugged driving" (Letters, April 12): It seems that no one who advocates for legalizing marijuana is looking out for anyone other than their own pockets. Our government leaders see dollars flowing to state and local coffers, and now big business is getting on the bandwagon as the process looks very lucrative from their perspective. But who is looking out for our children? Who can keep our roads safe from drugged drivers? I think many voters will simply vote "yes" because they don't see the potential problems, but legalization is a dangerously slippery slope. We are looking at more deaths on the highways and elsewhere if we legalize pot. Wendy Weir, Sacramento [end]
Re "Drugged driving a growing scourge on California roads" (Insight, April 9): Drugged driving is only going to worsen if California legalizes recreational marijuana. How many more people like these two young men in Auburn and a CHP officer have to become victims before we wake up? Legislators and California voters, please use some common sense to stop the unnecessary deaths of innocent people by drugged drivers. Let's not go down the same road as states that have legalized marijuana and created more opportunities for the senseless loss of life on our highways. Bob Luca, El Dorado Hills [end]
Pills Have Led to Overdoses Across Sacramento, Central Valley Authorities Suspect Traffickers From Mexico Are to Blame With Legal Weed Flourishing in U.S., Cartels Focusing on Opioid Addicts Dr. Angella Barr spends her days in East Sacramento, talking to an ever-growing group of people who are "sick and tired of being sick and tired." Opioid addicts who have hit rock bottom. She helps housewives who've developed a tolerance to prescription painkillers, but are terrified by heroin. She helps college students who have already turned to the illicit drug. And the IV drug users who wear long-sleeves because they don't want to be judged by their track marks. [continues 1180 words]
Re "Potent drug tied to fatal overdoses" (Page 1A, March 29): Fentanyl has been making headlines nationwide and has contributed to other overdose crises, and potentially contributed to six deaths in Sacramento County. Fentanyl abuse has become a major problem in Orange County, portions of which we represent, where four people died of overdoses last year, including a 19-year-old. Unlike other drugs, fentanyl is extremely dangerous to anyone who may come into contact with it, including first responders who may not be immediately aware of its presence. [continues 91 words]
At Least 28 in Sacramento County Overdose on Street Drugs Fentanyl Is Suspected. Opioid Has Surfaced in Other States For anyone who still believes that addiction to opioid painkillers is no big deal in Sacramento, the events of the past several days should should serve as a serious wake-up call. Since Thursday, at least 28 people have overdosed on a dangerous cocktail of street drugs in what the county's top health officer, Dr. Olivia Kasirye, is calling a public health emergency. [continues 370 words]
Black People Are Behind, Left Out of Legal Cannabis Industry Only 1 Percent of U.S. Dispensaries Are Owned by Blacks Some See Sacramento Pot Tax As a Way to Help Bigger Problem It was on Good Friday when Derrell Roberts, co-founder of the Roberts Family Development Center, told me how he felt about weed. Specifically, an initiative on the June ballot that will ask Sacramento voters to approve a 5 percent tax on commercial marijuana cultivation. The money, as much as $5 million a year, would be set aside for programs for at-risk youth, including for early childhood education, tutoring, gang diversion and arts activities. Programs that his Roberts Family Development Center in Del Paso Heights always struggles to fund. [continues 1016 words]
DENVER (AP) - Marijuana is a political debate, not a legal one - for now. The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that it won't consider a lawsuit filed by two other states challenging Colorado's pot law. But lawyers say that Nebraska and Oklahoma officials could pursue other legal challenges down the road. For now, the many states considering pot laws this year won't have immediate guidance from the nation's high court about whether they're free to flout federal drug law by regulating the drug. [continues 410 words]
CURES 2.0 Can Help Ferret Out Doctor-Shopping Addicts But Only 34% of Doctors, Pharmacists Are Registered for It When California is out of sync with the rest of the nation, it's usually because we're ahead, not behind the curve. But when it comes to curbing abuse of opioid painkillers, we're lagging, particularly in our prescription monitoring program. At issue is the online state database that tracks the dispensing of controlled substances, seeking to prevent addicts from hopping from doctor to doctor to fill prescriptions. It's a useful tool. But as of last month, only 34 percent of California medical professionals licensed to prescribe or dispense controlled substances, including opioids, had registered to use it. [continues 332 words]
24 Pounds of Marijuana Taken From Drug Dealers He Was Given 10 Years Behind Bars for His Part in the Heist They Were Out-Of-Towners, and That Was One Key to Their Undoing. Three men from Florida - Clorenzo Griffin, then a deputy U.S. marshal, Andre Jamison and Rodney Rackley - robbed 24 pounds of marijuana from three drug dealers at gunpoint in a Yuba City motel parking lot Oct. 11, 2014. Following the brazen daylight stickup, and with Griffin at the wheel, the three blew through a red light at a high rate of speed just around the corner from the California Highway Patrol's Yuba City office. With a CHP officer in pursuit, the robbers abandoned their rented Jeep Patriot, and Griffin unwittingly ran straight to a building housing the Sutter County Sheriff's Office. [continues 462 words]
Re "Father tries to save the next father's son" (Forum, Dan Morain, Feb. 28): Abuse of prescription opiates has been in the news with good reason. The risk of addiction and abuse is obvious. However, we must not forget the good these drugs can do when used properly. Going too far in restricting their use can have deleterious consequences. Over 15 years ago there was a newspaper article about a young lady afflicted with a painful nerve disorder. It was thought that she would need home health care for the rest of her life. A doctor tried a controversial treatment heavy doses of morphine sulphate four times a day. The lethargy associated with opiates went away after a week when the body adjusted to them. The woman graduated from college magna cum laude and started her own business. While the risk of abuse and addiction with opiates is real, one should not overlook their potential for good and their ability to provide a better life in certain circumstances. George Alger, Placerville [end]
To make a profit, a recreational marijuana industry will need to preserve the product and prolong its shelf life by adding chemicals that will include fungicides and pesticides. VADA RUSSELL, SACRAMENTO [end]
Re "Pot initiatives fail to give public health proper priority" (Forum, Another View, Feb. 21): Rachel Barry and Stanton Glantz's suggestion to reject proposed citizens initiatives based on their personal health findings is flawed and frightening. Marijuana should not be treated similar to tobacco, which kills more than 1,000 Americans daily and causes cancer. It should be treated similar to alcohol and be socially acceptable for responsible adults to use. The implication that cannabis causes cancer, even though there isn't one single case of cancer recorded, ignores the facts. Rather cannabis has proven safe, and it's less addictive than coffee. [continues 53 words]
Heroin, Prescription Opioid Deaths Continue to Rise, Despite Controls Gary Mendell Created Nonprofit Called Shatterproof to Save Other Parents' Children California Medical Association Lobbies Against Legislation Intended to Fight Opioid Epidemic Like the pragmatic businessman he is, Gary Mendell came to town armed with facts to make his case, although a few years ago, he never could have imagined discussing the topic at hand, drug addiction. Prescription opioid sales increased almost fourfold between 1999 and 2010; overdose deaths rose fivefold. There are 25 million addicts; 15 people die every hour of every day of addiction. And so on. [continues 898 words]
The legalization of marijuana, even for strictly medicinal purposes, leads to consequences that create serious concerns regarding public safety and environmental damage. There's a strong case to be made for taxation of the product for the purpose of offsetting the costs ultimately borne by society. But proposing a sales tax that places the revenue into the state's general fund is foolish. Additional taxes levied against citizens of the state, especially those who are purchasing a product for expressly medical purposes, should be wholly set aside to target the negative effects from marijuana cultivation. The general fund is frequently raided by state government that rejects the fiscally sane notion of spending less than it collects. Don't replenish these poorly managed coffers. Todd Kerrin, Sacramento [end]
Marijuana, Like Tobacco, Should Be Legal, but Not Socially Accepted. A Robust Demand-Reduction Program Should Be Created Concurrently With Legalization The Legalization Initiatives Should Be Withdrawn and Replaced With One That Prioritizes Public Health Last July, the University of California Tobacco Related Disease Research Program held a meeting in which tobacco control researchers discussed their work with marijuana legalization advocates. At the end of the day, ACLU Executive Director Abdi Soltani observed, "It's ironic that tobacco is completely legal, socially unacceptable, and its use is declining, while marijuana is illegal, socially normalized, and its use is rising." [continues 363 words]
Re "Marijuana policies undermine health" (Forum, Another View, Feb. 14): The idea that marijuana and tobacco are equally bad for you is ludicrous. Consider: A tobacco smoker typically smokes a cigarette by himself. For about 15 minutes he continuously has tobacco smoke in his lungs. Not much later he will fire up another cigarette. Most marijuana smokers will take a quantity of marijuana equivalent to a quarter-inch of a cigarette. This gets put in a pipe or rolled into a small joint. The smoker takes about two or three puffs and is done. Most of it is left unsmoked for later or the next day or next week. Marijuana does not have the weird chemicals companies put in tobacco, and pot does not contain nicotine. If marijuana is a gateway drug to heroin then so is mother's milk. Gabriel Lewin, Davis [end]
Medical Group's Endorsement of Legalized Pot Guided by Patient Safety Regulation of Marijuana Will Allow Better Understanding of Clinical Uses The California Medical Association has long been at the forefront of controversial issues facing our state. We have proposed and helped implement forward-looking public policies around HIV/AIDS treatment and patient rights, blood donor laws, universal access to health care, physician aid-in-dying and vaccination rates. At the heart of our advocacy lies our fundamental concern for patient safety and the overall health care delivery system. [continues 355 words]
Cannabis industry does not have access to banks, financial services Federal law prohibits banks from doing business with pot dispensaries Kimberly's biggest problem is one most would envy: too much cash. She keeps it in a battered patent leather satchel she calls her "bank," separated in manila envelopes, each stapled three times across the top. Anita Chabria Recently, this kitty totaled about $96,000 for the week - which is why she doesn't want her last named used. She's scared, with "fears coming from every direction," she says. [continues 989 words]
Re "Doctors dance with a toasty partner" (Forum, Dan Morain, Feb. 7): As a cardiothoracic surgeon, I have seen my share of smoking-related illness, and it is unseemly to say the least for the California Medical Association to support or tacitly approve of smoking in any form. The pulmonary injuries from marijuana smoking are unlikely to differ from those seen in cigarette smoking, and I have seen lifetime non-(cigarette) smokers who were incredulous and chagrined that their marijuana indulgences might have induced their lung cancers. [continues 68 words]
Levy on Marijuana Cultivation in Sacramento Would Raise Money for Youth Programs Children's Services Don't Get a Big Enough Share of City Budget Children Don't Have a Lobbyist, So Council Should Let Voters Decide Tuesday night, the Sacramento City Council has the opportunity to make a statement of its values and priorities with a proposal to place a measure on the June 7 ballot to create a dedicated funding source for children and youths. It will provide desperately needed resources to help our young people succeed in their education, career and life. The proposal is to place a small tax on the cultivation and manufacturing of marijuana. The real decision before the council is not whether to tax this industry but where to direct the funds. [continues 356 words]
Re "Drug addicts finally a priority in politics" (Editorials, Feb. 4): The Bee's editorial board is absolutely right that what matters most right now is that something gets done by Congress to address opioid addiction and overdose in this country. But the most well-funded business lobby in this country is not going to go away quietly. It will be a challenge for Congress and my representative, Ami Bera, to do the right thing and enact legislation that provides for treatment and prevention of opioid addiction, as well as regulate Big Pharma. Perhaps if they looked into the eyes of the 15-year-old heroin addict who is desperately trying to stay clean like I did today, then it wouldn't be such a challenge. Bridget Whitted, Folsom [end]
California Medical Association Hopes to Limit Smoking of One Plant, Legalize Another Doctors, WHO Once Offered Testimonials to Tobacco, Embrace Marijuana Legalization Two UC Tobacco Researchers Seek to Inject Dose of Conscience into Campaign Dr. Steven E. Larson, president of the California Medical Association, was walking a fine line the other day, or trying to. "No one should smoke. It has no benefit. Yes, we'd like to outlaw it if we could," he said, speaking of tobacco. Understandably, the California Medical Association is funding a 2016 initiative to raise the tobacco tax by $2, to $2.87 per pack, and for the first time tax electronic cigarettes. [continues 853 words]
Obama Wants $1.1 Billion From Congress Over Two Years to Boost Treatment Congress Is Considering Another Measure to Help Addicts Recover Either Way, With New Demands From Voters, Action Is Welcome When there's the political will, there tends to be a political way to accomplish the impossible. It appears this finally may be the case with the nation's long-ignored epidemic of heroin and prescription opioid addiction. On Tuesday, the Obama administration unveiled a plan to ramp up spending on drug treatment and prevention, which is woefully inadequate in most states, and to expand patient access to the overdose-reversal drug, naloxone, and to other drugs proven to curb addiction. [continues 437 words]
Re "How pot legalization would work in California" (Insight, Feb. 2): As a long time believer that we should legalize and tax pot, I was impressed by The Sacramento Bee's article on how it would work. I did, however, find humor in the financial analysis statement about "most of the proceeds must be spent for the specified purposes such as substance-use disorders, education, prevention, treatment and law enforcement." Was this portion of the article written by the same people who promised gas tax for roads and lottery funding for the schools? I will vote for legalization, but don't try and fool me again about where the money will go. Billy Barnes, Carmichael [end]
City Council's Votes 8-0 to Proceed Cautiously The Sacramento City Council moved cautiously Tuesday night toward allowing commercial marijuana cultivation, passing broad guidelines to delay any operating permits and requiring that nearby businesses and residents be given notice of potential grow rooms. The council's 8-0 vote signals that the capital city, which now has 30 medical marijuana dispensaries, is prepared to license and tax marijuana cultivation rooms that supply the product. However, the city's cultivation ordinance would impose a 45-day moratorium on cannabis cultivation, with potential extensions meaning that no permits will be issued for any grow rooms for now. [continues 685 words]
Report Out of UCSF Institute Warns About Health Risks, Industry Power Researchers Wanted Measures Modeled After Tobacco Control Program Backers of Main Initiative Say Report Is Flawed and Measure Has Safeguards A ballot proposal legalizing recreational marijuana will likely launch a new profit-driven industry similar to Big Tobacco that could impede public health efforts, according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. The 66-page analysis, released Tuesday, is the first in-depth look at the state's main effort to legalize recreational marijuana this year. [continues 907 words]
City Officials Considering Plan to Tax and License Commercial Marijuana Production Council Member Says Cultivation Business Tax Could Bring $5 Million Annually Majority of Grow Sites Could Be Concentrated in Two of Eight City Council Districts California's capital city is contemplating going into the marijuana-cultivation business, but not without considerable caution and angst. The Sacramento City Council on Tuesday is expected to vote on a working framework to begin creating rules for licensing, regulating and taxing indoor commercial pot gardens. They would grow medical marijuana for California cannabis businesses, including 30 permitted dispensaries within Sacramento city limits. [continues 1277 words]
Re "Don't bogart that beta blocker" (Forum, Jan. 17): Thank you to Jack Ohman for raising concerns about retail marijuana legalization in Oregon and the implications for California. In this debate, California must be vigilant against the seduction of Silicon Valley investors, big marijuana business interests and a new tax revenue source. California must not ignore the potential for unintended public health and safety consequences. Louis Pasteur's "chance favors the mind" - coupled with the precautionary principle - should be standards that guide California. Issues that voters and regulatory agencies need to quickly become knowledgeable about include the public health implications associated with teen marijuana use and use by individuals predisposed to certain mental health conditions, the toxicity of marijuana secondhand smoke, poisonings from edibles, driving under the influence, pesticide contamination and water use. Action and public education must be based on credible science that is unbiased by big business interests. We must also learn from Colorado, Washington and Oregon. April Roeseler, Carmichael [end]
Investigator for regional narcotics team charged with trafficking marijuana to Pennsylvania Authorities seized 247 pounds of pot, $11,000 in cash and officer's badge and service weapon Yuba and Sutter reviewing more than 60 drug cases handled by officer for potential dismissal Dozens of drug cases in Yuba and Sutter counties may be irreparably tainted and facing dismissal after a narcotics strike team officer and two associates were arrested on charges of transporting 247 pounds of marijuana to Pennsylvania. Yuba County Deputy Christopher Heath, 37, was a lead investigator who filed numerous search warrants and directed raids in marijuana, methamphetamine and other drug cases for a five-agency Narcotics Enforcement Team in Yuba and Sutter counties. [continues 948 words]
Silicon Valley Financiers Investing in Marijuana Apps, Services Venture Capitalists Get Behind Efforts to Legalize Recreational Pot Use Cannabis Startups Attracting Top Talent From Technology, Finance Sectors Henderson, Nev. - Isaac Dietrich was smoking marijuana at his best friend's college apartment a few years ago when an entrepreneurial vision burst forth as heady as the most potent strains of Head Cheese or Ghost Train Haze. "We had an epiphany," he said. "Grandma doesn't want to see me taking bong rips on Facebook. So we decided we needed a place where people could post about it." [continues 2383 words]
DENVER (AP) - Snoop Dogg has his own line of marijuana. So does Willie Nelson. Melissa Etheridge has a marijuana-infused wine. As the fast-growing marijuana industry emerges from the black market and starts looking like a mainstream industry, there's a scramble to brand and trademark pot products. The celebrity endorsements are just the latest attempt to add cachet to a line of weed. Snoop Dogg calls his eight strains of weed "Dank From the Doggfather Himself." Nelson's yet-to-be-released line says the pot is "born of the awed memories of musicians who visited Willie's bus after a show." [continues 740 words]
DENVER (AP) - The booming marijuana industry went to a federal judge Monday seeking an answer to the problem that has vexed business owners trying to emerge from the black market: Now that pot is legal and taxed in some states, why can't they put the proceeds in a bank? A Colorado credit union designed to serve the pot industry - Fourth Corner Credit Union - was challenging a decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City to keep the pot bank from accessing the nation's financial system. The feds' rejection earlier this year means that the pot bank can't take deposits or issue credit - leaving many marijuana businesses operating on a cash-only basis. [continues 509 words]
