EAST PALO ALTO - Close to 80 youths listened closely as four men described how their lives of violence, drug dealing and other crime came to an end when they all - for different reasons - decided they'd had enough. Eddy Pratt, who wore a dark T-shirt and short dreadlocks, emotionally described the 20 months he spent in prison for dealing drugs in his late 20s. "It was horrible," he said emphatically. "I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." "If I go to prison again for crack (dealing), it will be five years and I can't take that," Pratt said. [continues 530 words]
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO -- Law enforcement officials here want dispensers of medical marijuana to serve as honest farmers who keep their harvest safely out of the public eye. Thursday night, the city's Planning Commission voted 5 to 1 to back their plan for keeping marijuana cultivation anonymously inside buildings, and banning storefronts selling pot. "Some of this product is sold much like gourmet coffee," said Sgt. Alan Normandy, the South San Francisco police officer who spearheaded the new ordinance, speaking of medical marijuana dispensaries in other cities. [continues 57 words]
