Marijuana: Gray Area In Medicinal Use Statute Proves Vexing For Users, Authorities In a world where the line between legal and criminal is almost always written in black and white, California's medicinal marijuana law stands as a wide, gray gulf between clashing factions, all searching for an answer to a single question. How much is too much? If a case that made its way to the Ventura County courthouse this past week proves anything, it's that the answer is not coming anytime soon. [continues 747 words]
After tearful testimony from a Camarillo woman who claimed marijuana provided her only relief from pain, prosecutors decided Wednesday to dismiss marijuana cultivation charges against the woman and her husband. Lisa and Craig Schwarz were among the first in Ventura County to invoke Proposition 215, the voter-approved medical marijuana act, as a defense against criminal charges. Sheriff's deputies arrested the couple more than 18 months ago after a search of their home uncovered 68 marijuana plants. After several hours of testimony at a preliminary hearing Wednesday, and only moments before a Superior Court judge was to decide if the couple should stand trial, Deputy District Attorney William Redmond moved to dismiss the case in the interest of justice. [continues 378 words]
Proposition 36: Group Calls Measure Redundant, Says It Offers No Accountability. A bevy of Ventura County law enforcement brass gathered a stone's throw from the main jail Wednesday to toss their weight against Proposition 36, which would mandate treatment rather than incarceration for drug offenders. Sheriff Bob Brooks, District Attorney Michael D. Bradbury, Probation Agency Director Calvin Remington and Judge Barry Klopfer all spoke out against the state proposition on Tuesday's ballot. Others on hand included Simi Valley Police Chief Randy Adams, Santa Paula Police Chief Bob Gonzales and representatives of police officer and deputy unions. [continues 230 words]
The helicopter hovered over the remote Lockwood Valley ranch of Lynn and Judy Osburn for nearly an hour on the morning of Aug. 4, finally landing in the spacious front yard. Then the SUVs pulled into the gravel driveway and the black-suited passengers - dozens of Ventura County law enforcement officers - climbed out. When they left, they took 342 marijuana plants, 6 pounds of packaged buds, dozens of 2-ounce bottles filled with an extract of the drug, and thousands of dollars of equipment used to manufacture it. [continues 667 words]
