Clubs want court to keep Costa Mesa from enforcing ordinance because it violates state constitution, they say. Two local pot clinics are suing Costa Mesa in Orange County Superior Court to have a citywide ban on marijuana dispensaries declared unconstitutional. Both dispensaries, Herban Elements Inc. and MedMar Patient Care Collective, operate out of the same office building at 440 Fair Drive. Herban Elements and MedMar are two of several dispensaries that city officials served with cease-and-desist orders in March, instructing them to close for operating outside the boundaries of their business licenses. [continues 256 words]
Newport couple hope their new 'medical marijuana information center' will help dissolve stigmas associated with the illegal drug. Chadd and Alysha McKeen don't care that passersby can see the six 3-foot-tall marijuana plants growing inside their new Costa Mesa storefront. "I want to tell people to stop being afraid of it," said Chadd McKeen, co-founder of Otherside Farms. "We want to bring it out into the open." The McKeens also put in new tile and ripped the bars off the windows at the center, which sits between a dog-grooming business and a therapeutic spa. It's all part of an effort to make the place appear open and inviting. [continues 676 words]
Newport Beach residents voiced frustrations Wednesday with drug and alcohol rehabilitation homes in the city at a hearing to decide whether the sober living home the Kramer Center should be allowed to keep its doors open. "I am tired of these group home operators who take advantage of our amenities and beautiful beaches but do not observe city regulations," said Newport Beach resident Barbara Roy at the hearing. The Kramer Center is a 12-bed, unlicensed treatment center that houses its clients in a duplex at 207 28th St. in Newport Beach. [continues 408 words]
Group: Drug Offenders Treated More Harshly Than Violent Criminals Despite Maryland's goal of seeking treatment for low-level drug offenders instead of the constant cycle of incarceration, criminal justice advocates are asking for a review of the state's current sentencing guidelines, saying they encourage longer sentences for drug offenses than for some violent crimes. The Campaign for Treatment Not Incarceration found that individuals currently convicted of a single drug offense in Maryland were treated more harshly than those convicted of assault, burglary or robbery. The campaign says as many as 70 percent of those in prison this year for drug-related offenses have a substance-abuse problem at the root of their conviction. [continues 296 words]
Students Lose Their Financial Aid If They Are Convicted of Drug Possession. Like many college students, Richard Boadu, marketing senior, has experimented with drugs. Last summer, Boadu smoked marijuana for the first time since junior high school, but at the time, he didn't know that it could cost him his education. As a current student, Boadu could not afford tuition at OU without the help of Pell Grants, which unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. Boadu was unaware at the time that if police had caught him in possession of marijuana, he could have lost his federal financial aid for one year or more. [continues 623 words]
