High hopes for business folk planning NJ pot sales

2010-05-29T12:30:09Z

After careers in human resources and business consulting, Marianne Bays is tired of the corporate world. The 57-year-old's choice for a change: trying to become one of New Jersey's first legal pot dealers.

In January, New Jersey became the 14th state to allow the sale and use of medical marijuana. The law goes into effect July 1, but it's expected to take several months bef...

Drug overdose: Medical marijuana facing a backlash

2010-05-21T14:45:53Z

Medical marijuana is facing a backlash; civic leaders complain of an overdose of pot shops

The vandals struck in the middle of the night, hurling Molotov cocktails through the windows of two medical marijuana businesses and spray-painting "NOT IN OUR TOWN" just before the Billings City Council was supposed to take up a ban on any new pot shops.

Montana and other states that have legali...

Rolling pot dispensary targeted in Calif.

2010-04-26T07:30:41Z

Rolling marijuana dispensary targeted in California, police say it's illegal

A California couple have converted a motor home into a rolling medical marijuana dispensary that has become the target of police.

Stewart Hauptman and Helen Cherry have been on the road with their Lakeview Collective for seven months, serving about 700 members from Southern Ca...

Court: Calif. medical marijuana not legal in Ore.

2010-04-19T15:17:11Z

Ore. Appeals Court: Medical marijuana from California not legal in Oregon, conviction stands

The Oregon Court of Appeals has ruled that medical marijuana authorized in California should stay in California.

Joel Berringer was convicted in Oregon of possessing of two pounds of marijuana. H...

San Jose votes to pursue medical pot regulations

2010-03-30T21:30:07Z

San Jose City Council members vote to draft ordinance regulating medical marijuana collectives

The San Jose City Council on Tuesday approved drawing up guidelines for the operation of medical marijuana collectives as a way to regulate the businesses and possibly bring in much-needed revenue to the nation's 10th largest city.

After more than two hours of debate, city leaders voted to dr...

Calif. pot clinic owner sentenced in profit scheme

2010-03-22T20:15:20Z

Los Angeles-area medical marijuana clinic owner gets 6 years in prison in pot-profit scheme

The former owner of six Los Angeles-area medical marijuana dispensaries, including one store linked to an accident that killed a motorist and paralyzed an officer, was sentenced Monday to six years in federal prison for selling pot for profit.

U.S. District Ju...

Calif. research shows pot can ease muscle spasms

2010-04-16T07:04:49Z

California research studies show pot can ease muscle spasms, pain from injuries

The first U.S. clinical trials in more than two decades on the medical benefits of marijuana confirm pot is effective in reducing muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis and pain caused by certain neurological injuries or illnesses, according to a report issued Wednesday.

Igor Grant, a psychiatrist who directs the...

Calif pot backers submit petitions for Nov. ballot

2010-06-12T16:46:59Z

Supporters of Calif. pot legalization measure submit signatures to qualify for November ballot

Backers of a California initiative to legalize marijuana said they would submit far more signatures Thursday than needed to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

Volunteers intended to submit about 700,000 signatures collected across all 58 California counties, campaign spokesman

LA City Council moves to close pot dispensaries

2010-04-16T07:31:53Z

LA City Council gives first OK to law that would close most medical marijuana dispensaries

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday tentatively approved an ordinance to close most of the city's medical marijuana dispensaries, winding down months of debate on how to limit the rapid spread of such clinics.

The ordinance, if passed next week by a simple majority of the 15-member coun...

NJ Legislature approves medical marijuana bill

2010-04-16T07:43:46Z

NJ Legislature approves bill to make state 14th with medical marijuana; governor supports it

The Legislature on Monday approved a bill that would make the state the 14th to allow chronically ill patients access to marijuana for medical reasons.

Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine supports the legislation and could sign it before leaving office next week, making it law.

The bill allows patients with ailments...

LA City Council delays marijuana ordinance vote

2010-04-16T08:35:14Z

LA City Council postpones pot ordinance vote that could close hundreds of dispensaries

The Los Angeles City Council delayed a vote Wednesday on a medical marijuana ordinance that could close hundreds of pot dispensaries across the city.

The council asked planning officials to return next week with zoning maps that show how many pot dispensaries could close if the city bans the sh...

Los Angeles council set to vote on pot ordinance

2010-04-16T08:32:45Z

The Los Angeles city council could vote on a much-anticipated medical marijuana ordinance Wednesday, ending a bottleneck that resulted in hundreds of pot dispensaries cropping up across the city.

The draft ordinance would provide guidelines for the nation's second-largest city that would greatly reduce the number of marijuana storefronts and would push them out of neighborhoods and into industrial areas.

While other

LA council set to vote on pot ordinance

2010-04-16T08:34:51Z

Los Angeles City Council prepares to vote on medical marijuana ordinance

The Los Angeles city council could vote on a much-anticipated medical marijuana ordinance Wednesday, ending a bottleneck that resulted in hundreds of pot dispensaries cropping up across the city.

The draft ordinance would provide guidelines for the nation...

Colo. medical pot suppliers will have to pay taxes

2010-04-16T09:04:06Z

Colo. medical marijuana dispensaries will have to start paying sales tax following AG's ruling

Colorado is gearing up to officially tax and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries, a move lawmakers say amounts to legal recognition of a growing industry.

The state Attorney General John Suthers concluded in an opinion issued Monday that medical marijuana is considered personal property that can be taxed a...

LA County prosecutor: Sell medical pot, get busted

2010-04-16T09:04:50Z

LA County's top prosecutor says he will bust marijuana dispensaries that take cash for pot

Los Angeles County's district attorney says he intends to prosecute owners of marijuana dispensaries that take cash for pot.

District Attorney Steve Cooley said Tuesday he believes state law only permits the possession, use and cultivation of medi...

Medical marijuana shops abound in California

2010-06-15T09:19:09Z

Medical marijuana shops abound in California as cities scramble to regulate them

A surge in medical marijuana in California has left communities trying to regulate or ban the drug. This wine country town has welcomed a dispensary as a strong source of tax revenue during the recession.

Peace in Medicine marijuana dispensary is a clean, modern operation in a former auto dealership, and has more registered pat...

Northern Calif. town bans medical marijuana shops

2010-04-16T09:23:22Z

Northern Calif. town bans medical marijuana collectives, cultivation; opponents threaten suit

A small Northern California city has banned medical marijuana growing and dispensing, a move opponents say will bring lawsuits.

Red Bluff's city council approved two measures Tuesday night restricting the drug. The panel voted 4-1 to ban collective...

Maine becomes 5th state to allow pot dispensaries

2010-04-16T09:24:12Z

Voters approved a referendum making Maine the fifth state to allow retail pot dispensaries, but medical marijuana advocates say it won't become like California, where hundreds of marijuana shops have popped up and come under critical scrutiny.

California, Colorado, New Mexico and Where's the good stuff? Medical marijuana explosion creates booming review business

The store has a television lounge and a pool table, and snacks and acupuncture are free for customers who drop up to $130 an ounce on 16 varieties of marijuana. But a reviewer of the business warns the decor looks a little cliche, what with the Grateful Dead posters on the wall and the Mexican-blanket tablecloths.

Pot advocates: Looser guidelines leave questions

2010-06-25T20:14:38Z

Loosening of federal guidelines on medical marijuana does not dispel decades of mistrust

A new Obama administration policy loosening guidelines on federal prosecution of medical marijuana on Monday signaled to users that they had less to fear from federal agents but still left their suppliers to contend with a tangled mesh of state laws and regulations.

The US Justice Department said it would ease federal prosecutions for the use of "medical marijuana" in states where the substance is permitted by law for the treatment of illness.

Marijuana use is a federal crime in the United States, but 14 US states, including California, allow use of the...

U.S. to end war on medical marijuana in legal states

2010-06-25T20:14:07Z

WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In a sharp policy shift, the Obama administration told federal attorneys not to prosecute patients who use marijuana for medical reasons or dispensaries in states where it has been legalized.

A J...

Pot legalization gains momentum in California

2010-06-25T20:21:42Z

Marijuana advocates are gathering signatures to get as many as three pot-legalization measures on the ballot in 2010 in California, setting up what could be a groundbreaking clash with the federal government over U.S. drug policy.

At least one poll shows voters would support lifting the pot prohibition, which would make the state of more than 38 million the first in the nat...

California dispensary gives away pot in promotion

2010-04-16T11:13:19Z

Dozens line up for $55 worth of free marijuana in promotion at California dispensary

Dozens of people lined up early to get free pot at a medical marijuana dispensary in the San Fernando Valley.

J.T. Wiegman, whose family owns Roscoe's Compassionate Collective in Canoga Park, says the ...

Calif. tax officials: Legal pot would bring $1.4B

2010-06-25T21:28:20Z

A bill to tax and regulate marijuana in California like alcohol would generate nearly $1.4 billion in revenue for the cash-strapped state, according to an official analysis released Wednesday by tax officials.

The State Board of Equalization report estimates marijuana retail sales would bring $990 million from a $50-per-ounce fee and $392 million...

Calif. regulators warn of pot's cancer capability

2010-04-16T11:30:49Z

In California, where marijuana used medicinally, regulators now warn of it's cancer capability

It might take Californians a puff or two to get their heads around an apparent contradiction recently enshrined in state law. The same marijuana smoke that doctors can recommend to ease cancer patients' suffering must soon come with a warning saying it causes the disease.

State environmental regulators last month ...

Calif. pot dispensary owner given 1-year sentence

2010-06-25T21:58:24Z

A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a California medical marijuana dispensary owner to a reduced term of a year and a day in prison in one of the nation's first cases since the Obama administration adjusted the federal pot policy.

U.S. District Judge George Wu found that the case of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, the terraced vineyards of Sonoma County give way to rocky foothills growing an open secret.

Hidden among the rising slopes are groves of cannabis plants, a pillar of the local economy in this area known as the Emerald Tri...

US top court rejects bid to outlaw medical marijuana

2010-04-16T12:15:11Z

The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected a move by two Californian counties to bar patients from using marijuana for medical purposes.

The top court refused to hear a case brought by San Diego and San Bernardo counties that argued the federal law outlawing marijuana should override Californian state law that per...

A common sense policy

2010-04-16T16:18:48Z

Attorney General Holder announces hands-off approach to medical marijuana

After California in 1996 became the first state to permit individuals to purchase marijuana for medicinal purposes as long as they have a doctor’s prescription, Nevada and 11 other states followed with similar laws. Despite opposition from those who consider marijuana a gateway to harder drugs, p...

Sentencing delayed for med pot dispensary owner

2010-06-26T02:00:57Z

Sentencing postponed for Calif. medical marijuana dispensary owner, pending Justice position

A federal judge has postponed sentencing the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary until he gets clarification on the Obama administration's newly revised position on such cases.

Last week, U.S. Attorney Gener...

Pot advocates exhale after AG signals policy shift

2010-06-26T01:39:39Z

Medical marijuana users and dispensary owners in California have held their breath for years — fearful they would be targeted for prosecution by the federal government.

They finally exhaled this past week when U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said federal agents will now target marijuana distributors only when they violate both federal and state laws, a departure fro...

Attorney general signals shift in marijuana policy

2010-06-26T01:42:24Z

Attorney General Eric Holder signals a change on medical marijuana policy, specifically raids

Attorney General Eric Holder signaled a change on medical marijuana policy Wednesday, saying federal agents will target marijuana distributors only when they violate both federal and state law.

That would be a departure from the policy of the Bush administration, which targeted medical marijuana dispensaries in <...

AG Holder signals shift in marijuana policy

2010-04-16T15:59:13Z

Attorney General Holder signals shift away from raiding Calif. pot dispensaries

Attorney General Eric Holder has signaled a change in policy on medical marijuana.

The nation's top law enforcement officer has told reporters federal agents will target marijuana distributors that violate both federal and state law — a departure from the Bush administration ...

Whiff of change in US medical marijuana policy

2010-04-16T14:43:43Z

Obama may end raids on California medical marijuana dispensaries as policy undergoes review

The White House won't say it explicitly. Neither will the Drug Enforcement Administration. Yet there is a whiff in the air that

Calif. AG: Some medi-pot dispensers may be illegal

2010-04-16T14:41:53Z

Calif. says medical marijuana storefronts operating for profit may be illegal

Medical marijuana dispensers that operate for-profit likely violate California law, according to guidelines that may encourage local police to join a federal crackdown against the enterprises.

State Attorney General Jerry Brown said Monday that formal cooperatives registered un...

Michigan's medical pot law prompts airwaves fight

2010-04-16T12:39:18Z

Opponents and proponents of Michigan's medical marijuana ballot measure turn to the airwaves

Both sides in the debate over a Michigan medical marijuana proposal are sparring over TV ads, with backers showing suffering patients and opponents warning that California-style pot shops could open.

Critics of the measure plan to air a 30-second ad Thursday that shows...

Police return medical marijuana to Calif. man

2010-04-16T13:16:45Z

Police in California town return medical marijuana seized from patient nearly 3 years ago

A medical marijuana user has his pot back, nearly three years after police in Huntington Beach, Calif., seized it.

A judge Tuesday ordered police to return about four ounces of marijuana to Jim Spray.

Spray says he used the pot to relieve back pain. ...

Hawks Kings Basketball

2011-01-04T22:01:19Z

Sacramento Kings forward Carl Landry, center, goes to the basket against Atlanta Hawks forward Al Horford, right, as Hawks center Zaza Pachulia, left, of Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema reacts during the first half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against TCU, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011, in Pas...

New Congress

2011-01-04T11:01:35Z

Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

...

Canucks Sharks Hockey

2011-01-04T00:00:24Z

San Jose Sharks center Jamal Mayers, right, celebrates his goal with teammates Scott Nichol (21) and Dany Heatley (15) as Vancouver Canucks center Henri...

Jerry Brown Inauguration

2011-01-03T17:31:54Z

Jerry Brown is sworn in as the 39th governor of California by California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye as Anne Gust Brown,center looks on during ceremonies in Sacramento, Calif. Mon...

The latest in California