A number of citizens of Southern Humboldt have expressed a desire for autonomy and self-governance for many years. Some SoHum folks have stumped for a county of their own, wanting to opt-out of their association with Humboldt County for feeling cut off or disenfranchised. Others have pushed to secede from the State (or the union), creating a hilly haven with it's own set of laws. By the way, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1869 that unilateral secession was unconstitutional. [continues 477 words]
Dear Editor, The drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers. In 2008, there were 847,863 marijuana arrests in the U.S., almost 90 percent for simple possession. At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, firefighters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is not necessarily lower rates of use. The U.S. has higher rates of marijuana use than the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available. Decriminalization is a long overdue step in the right direction. Taxing and regulating marijuana would render the drug war obsolete. As long as organized crime controls distribution, marijuana consumers will come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like cocaine and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition. Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy [end]
At this point in time, it may be a moot point to discuss whatever medical merits marijuana may have because the legal machinery to legalize it are firmly in place with a measure on this November's ballot. Nearly 700,000 registered voters petitioned the State of California to have marijuana considered for legalization and statewide taxation. Supporters of the initiative maintain that legalization would generate billions of dollars in revenue that could be used for transportation, healthcare and education. Sales to or possession by minors would still be banned. While supporters are quick to point out economic benefits, others say the initiative will result in increased marijuana use, cause the same kind of social ills as alcohol and tobacco and put more demands on law enforcement. [continues 263 words]
An application to form a medical marijuana collective has prompted Rio Dell to put a hold on dispensaries until some regulations can be set. The Rio Dell City Council approved a 45-day moratorium on the formation of medical marijuana dispensaries Tuesday night, citing a need for the creation of an ordinance. The temporary ban is effective immediately. The council has forwarded the matter to the city's planning commission for further review before it comes back before the council, Interim City Manager Jim Stretch said. [continues 172 words]
On Monday, March 16 at the last Fortuna Chamber of Commerce meeting, Chief of Police Kris Kitna touched on the proliferation of pot grows, both legal and illegal in the Fortuna area. The problem, he explained, are the grey areas that exist between what are termed "medical" grows that are condoned by the Compassionate Use law and grows that attempt to blur the edges of what are defined as acceptable or legal. No doubt, certain growers have taken advantage of the unclear language of the law to create confusion and avoid prosecution. [continues 108 words]
On Monday July 21 it was a joint meeting of the Fortuna City Council and the Fortuna Development Agency. All council members were present, with the exception of Mayor Campbell who was not feeling well that evening. On the subject of paying the bills, City Manager Duane Rigge reported that during this last accounting period, the City of Fortuna's bills amounted to $519,810.22, and the Redevelopment Agency's bills were $72,593.49. Without deliberation, the Council agreed to pay the bills. [continues 182 words]
