The universe of marijuana laws may be devolving into chaos, but Bill McPike remains a mellow man. For 30 years, the Fresno, Calif., attorney has defended clients against pot charges and counseled entrepreneurs on setting up shop to legally grow and sell the substance that spawned a thousand slang terms. But whatever its name over the years -- Mary Jane, weed, wacky tobaccy - -- at no other point has the law been so unsettled. A collision of federal policy, state statutes, local ordinances and old-fashioned politics means more clients for McPike to defend and more uncertainty to navigate. Although U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. said last year that federal prosecutors would back off cases involving medical marijuana usage, authorities in California and elsewhere recently have vowed to rein in what they see as an unwieldy industry of pot growers and consumers. [continues 1139 words]
Stacie Zercher has formally requested a grievance hearing before a panel of her peers in hopes they will reinstate her as the city's highest ranking female firefighter. Zercher's attorney Matt Kyle confirmed he had submitted the request Tuesday. He also confirmed an independent drug test Zercher took last week came back negative for TetraHydroCannabinol (THC), the chemical component of marijuana. The drug test Zercher took Nov. 15 after a minor traffic accident in the city hall parking lot indicated she had 87 nanograms per milliliter of THC in her urine and resulted in her immediate termination after 18 years of employment with the city of New Braunfels. [continues 354 words]
