The latest in Medical Marijuana

Police: 2 dead in pot dispensary robbery attempts

2010-06-25T02:45:12Z

Police: 2 dead after robbery attempts at 2 Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensaries

Police say robbery appeared to be the motive in killings at two medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles that occurred within hours of each other.

Police say an employee of the Hollywood Holistic store was found dead at the scene Thursday night following an apparent robbery attempt. Police would not say how the work...

Police say man killed in LA pot dispensary

2010-06-24T18:45:17Z

Police say man dead, 1 wounded in shooting at Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensary

Police in Los Angeles say a man has been killed and another wounded in a shooting at a medical marijuana dispensary.

The police department said Thursday that an unknown number of suspects burst into the Sunset Boulevard store in the Echo Park neighborhood around 4:15 p.m. and opened fire.

Police set up a perimeter...

Medical pot can cost parents in custody disputes

2010-06-21T02:45:27Z

Nicholas Pouch runs an organic farm and a glassblowing studio on a 20-acre spread in southwest Washington's timber country. Spicy mustard greens, tomatoes and corn sprout in humid greenhouses as chickens and sheep roam nearby.

It would be an ideal place for children to romp, Pouch thinks. But his children can't be there because he's a medical marijuana patient.

A drug task force acting on a tip from his former partner raided...

Oregon court: Handgun permit OK with medical pot

2010-06-17T12:00:26Z

Oregon Court of Appeals rules concealed handgun permit OK for medical marijuana patient

The Oregon Court of Appeals has ruled that a medical marijuana patient can have a concealed handgun permit.

The court on Wednesday said Jackson County Sheriff Bill would legalize medical marijuana in US territory of Guam

A measure to legalize the use of marijuana for medical reasons is being considered in the U.S. territory of Guam.

The bill by Sen. Rory Respicio was introduced Tuesday to allow licensed physicians to prescribe marijuana to qualified patients. I...

Montana gov. agrees change needed in marijuana law

2010-06-10T13:31:01Z

Montana gov. says voters didn't envision today's medical marijuana issues, advocates changes

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer says legalization of medical marijuana has not worked out as voters planned, and agrees the state needs a legislative fix.

Schweitzer says he is watching proposals as they come forward and expects lawmakers, convening in January, will have a lot of options. The governor says...

Some 440 medical pot shops ordered to close in L.A.

2010-06-07T14:00:38Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Around 440 self-described medical marijuana dispensaries across Los Angeles were under orders to close on Monday, nearly five months after city officials voted to shut most of them down.

An estimated 135 dispensaries may remain legally open as of Monday as a new city law formally takes effect. City leaders hope to eventually whittle that nu...

Ritter signs medical marijuana regulations

2010-06-07T13:00:28Z

Ritter signs medical marijuana regulations; law allows cities and counties to ban dispensaries

Colorado has enacted statewide regulations for the medical marijuana industry which could potentially allow hundreds of dispensaries to continue operating.

Gov. Bill Ritter on Monday signed two bills passed by lawmakers this session to rein in the estimated 1,100 medical marijuana dispensaries that have cropped ...

Judge denies bid to stop closure of LA pot shops

2010-06-04T12:00:57Z

Judge denies last-minute attempt to stop shutdown of LA pot dispensaries

A judge has decided against coming to the aid of medical marijuana dispensaries threatened with closure under a new city ordinance.

Superior Court Judge James Chalfant rejected a bid Friday for a temporary restraining order that would prevent officials from enforcing the law.

A group of 12 patients has sued the city, sayi...

Cannabis caravans fuel medical pot boom in Montana

2010-06-03T11:30:20Z

Going to pot: `Cannabis caravans' give Montanans permission to smoke medical marijuana

As Bob Marley music wailed in the next room, the makeshift clinic hummed along like an assembly line: Patients went in to see a doctor, paid $150 and walked out with permission to buy and smoke medical marijuana.

So it went, all day, at a hotel just blocks from the state Capitol that was the latest stop of the so-called c...

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...

Oakland to license, tax indoor marijuana growers

2010-05-28T00:30:17Z

Pot-friendly Oakland looks to bring in money by licensing, taxing medical marijuana growers

Local governments in California and other Western states have tried to clamp down on medical marijuana, but Oakland has taken a different approach.

If you can't beat 'em, tax 'em.

After becoming the first U.S.

Montana doctor fined over medical marijuana clinic

2010-05-25T17:45:07Z

A Montana physician who saw about 150 patients over 14 1/2 hours during a medical marijuana clinic last year will be fined $2,000 for providing substandard care, the first time a doctor in the state has been disciplined in a marijuana case.

The state Board of Medical Examiners' action follows a stern warning issued by the board to doctors who participate...

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...

Boulder requires medical pot growers to go green

2010-05-18T21:45:26Z

Boulder city officials requiring medical marijuana growers to go green in energy usage

Boulder has approved regulations for the medical marijuana industry with a twist in keeping with the sensibility of this liberal-leaning, Colorado university town.

The regulations unanimously passed Tuesday will require growing operations to offset 100 percent of their electricity use with wind or solar power.

Other rul...

Los Angeles prepared to smoke out pot dispensaries

2010-05-10T09:45:16Z

Eric Matuschek has had his share of bumps and bruises as a Hollywood stuntman, but he hasn't quite felt the pain he faces right now.

Matuschek stands to lose his livelihood — albeit a more risky one — as the owner of a pot dispensary. He and hundreds of other business owners across Los Angeles have until June 7 to close their clinics or they may be confronted with civil fines and even jail time.

City officials ...

Firebomb thrown at marijuana business in Montana

2010-05-10T09:15:54Z

Someone threw a Molotov cocktail through the window of a Billings medical marijuana business early Monday and "NOT IN OUR TOWN" was spray-painted on its storefront, the second such act in as many days, authorities said.

The attempted arsons come as the Billings City Council is scheduled to vote Monday night on whether to place a moratorium on medical marijuana businesses operating in the city.

A rock wa...

Calif city tries to shut down pot-on-wheels

2010-05-09T15:16:04Z

A rolling marijuana dispensary has hit a bump in the road after seven months of selling chocolate-covered cookies, brownies, pretzels and other marijuana-laced items outside a clinic.

The Riverside County city of Norco has asked a court to permanently shut down the Lakeview Collective-on-Wheels, a 1985 Pace Arrow motor home outfitted with display cases.

Stewart Hauptman a...

Colo. Senate OKs state pot dispensary regulations

2010-06-26T03:50:49Z

Colo. Senate OKs medical marijuana regulations with changes; bill returns to House for vote

A push to regulate the state's medical marijuana dispensaries appears to be nearing the finish line.

The Colorado Senate passed the proposed regulations in a 26-9 vote on Thursday, sending them back to the House to review changes made to the bill. The lack of controversial changes makes it likel...

US capital okays medical marijuana

2010-05-04T16:15:35Z

City councillors in Washington voted unanimously on Tuesday to allow the US capital to join 14 states in allowing medical marijuana to be used to treat certain chronically ill patients.

Under the new law, which has to be signed by Mayor Adrian Fenty and then survive a 30-day period of review by Congress before taking effect, physicians will be able to prescribe medi...

DC passes medical marijuana, bill goes to mayor

2010-05-04T14:45:16Z

DC Council passes medical marijuana legislation, sends bill to mayor before Congress reviews

The D.C. Council has passed a measure to legalize medical marijuana, sending the bill to Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty.

Under the measure passed Tuesday, the nation's capital would join 14 states that allow medi...

LA begins process of closing hundreds of pot shops

2010-05-03T15:46:48Z

LA begins laborious task of closing hundreds of pot dispensaries

Hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries are being told they must shut down to comply with a recently approved city ordinance in Los Angeles.

More than 500 letters were expected to be mailed Tuesday to collectives across the city, where dispensaries had been multiplying in recent years as city officials struggled to approve a local law.

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: Ore. medical marijuana can lead to firing

2010-06-26T03:37:01Z

Oregon Supreme Court: Workers can be fired for using medical marijuana

An employer is not required to accommodate the use of medical marijuana, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a case that cost a worker his job, saying state law is trumped by federal law that classifies pot as an illegal drug.

A legal expert called the divided 5-2 ruling "a shot across the bow" of those who sup...

Colo. pot case highlights growers' worries

2010-06-26T03:36:53Z

Federal pot case in Colorado highlights worry among growers of medical marijuana

Pot smoker Chris Bartkowicz thought he had hit pay dirt, bragging to a local television station he would make $400,000 off a basement medical marijuana operation in a well-heeled Denver suburb where neighbors had no idea what he was growing.

A day after KUSA-TV aired a...

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...

Ariz. medical marijuana supporters aim for ballot

2010-04-19T15:16:48Z

Medical marijuana supporters submit signatures for Arizona ballot measure in November

Arizona voters may get to decide in November whether to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.

Supporters of a medical marijuana initiative submitted petition signatures Wednesday to the secretary of state's office to qualify the proposal for the general election ballot.

The measure would allow people with certain medica...

In Colorado town, voters tax pot before it arrives

2010-04-06T21:30:06Z

A small western Colorado town has become the first in the state to levy a city tax on medical marijuana, even though it doesn't yet have a dispensary.

Voters in Fruita, a town of about 11,000 at the foot of the Colorado National Monument, decided Tuesday to impose a 5 percent sales tax on marijuana.

One application to sell medical marijuana is pe...

Wash. justices to hear case of fired pot patient

2010-04-02T11:30:08Z

Wash. Supreme Court accepts case of medical marijuana patient fired for failing drug test

The Washington Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a medical marijuana patient who was fired for failing a drug test.

The woman is identified as Jane Roe to protect her identity. When she applied for a job in Kitsap C...

Hawaii kills medical marijuana dispensary measure

2010-04-01T18:00:09Z

A proposal to create medical marijuana dispensaries in Hawaii has gone up in smoke.

The idea is dead because the House Judiciary Committee refused to consider the measure before a legislative deadline Thursday.

Committee Chairman Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu says he ...

VA doctors prohibited from prescribing medical pot

2010-03-31T01:16:55Z

Even in states where it's legal, Veterans Affairs doctors can't prescribe medical marijuana

When Paul Culkin came home to New Mexico after serving with an Army bomb squad in Iraq, he tried counseling and medications offered by the 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...

No guns for Wash. pot activist after shootout

2010-03-30T16:00:29Z

After shootout with intruders, Wash. medical marijuana activist told he can't buy guns

A Washington state medical marijuana activist who nearly killed an intruder in his home this month has been barred from buying guns, even though he says he has no criminal record.

Steve Sarich says he tried to buy a shotgun and a pistol a few days after the March 15 shootout to replace ones that were seized by i...

Many felony pot cases getting tossed out of court

2010-03-29T06:30:09Z

High court medical marijuana ruling has led to dismissal of dramatic number of pot cases

Police in a northern California town thought they had an open-and-shut case when they seized more than two pounds of marijuana from a couple's home, even though doctors authorized the pair to use pot for medical purposes.

San Francisco police th...

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...

The right approach

2010-03-19T02:18:08Z

Justice Department decides against prosecuting law-abiding medical marijuana users

Attorney General Eric HolderÕs announcement Monday that the Justice Department will not prosecute medical marijuana users, if those people are following state laws where such use is legal, represented a display of compassion and common sense lacking in the previous administration.

The departme...

385 plants at Wash. pot activist's burgled home

2010-03-16T17:00:12Z

Deputies find 385 plants at burgled home of Washington medical marijuana activist

Sheriff's deputies said they found 385 marijuana plants at the home of an outspoken medical marijuana activist who nearly killed a robber in a shootout this week. It's not clear whether the man will face charges, even though he far exceeded the state's presumptive 15-plant limit.

Sgt. Colorado medical marijuana growers say men broke into home, tied them up, stole pot and guns

Deputies are investigating a report that armed men broke into a northern Colorado home where medical marijuana was being grown, tied up two people, ransacked the residence and stole marijuana and guns.

Larimer County sheriff's spokeswoman 4 Colorado lawmakers ask US attorney general to stop medical marijuana raids

A bipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers trying to regulate the state's medical marijuana industry is calling on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to stop raids of medical marijuana operations, saying the raids are making it harder...

Colorado asks US to halt medical marijuana raids

2010-06-26T03:03:11Z

Colo. lawmakers ask US attorney general to stop medical marijuana raids

Colorado lawmakers trying to regulate marijuana dispensaries are asking the U.S. attorney general to stop raids of medical marijuana operations.

The group e-mailed the request to Eric Holder on Monday, following up on a letter sent last week.

The lawmakers say the raids a...

L.A. marijuana dispensary law challenged in court

2010-03-03T09:45:07Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Medical marijuana activists filed suit on Tuesday seeking to block a new Los Angeles ordinance they say is overly restrictive and would force virtually every pot dispensary in the city to close.

Provisions largely banning dispensaries from residential and commercial areas and giving them a week to find a new location once the law takes effe...

L.A. sued over new medical marijuana law

2010-03-02T11:30:18Z

L.A. faces first court challenge over crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries

A lawsuit filed Tuesday challenges Los Angeles' crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries, claiming it would force nearly all of them to close.

The suit by the nation's largest medical marijuana advocacy group accuses the city of violating the state constitutional rights of pot clinic operators and claims the city ordinanc...

Pot comics Cheech and Chong roll out new film

2010-04-16T07:03:03Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian Cheech Marin, one-half of the most famous pot-smoking duo of the 1970s, lent his celebrity to a medical marijuana convention that opens on Friday in Los Angeles, and used the occasion to plug a new movie.

The documentary of Marin's reunion last year with his longtime partner, ...

LA cracks down on 21 marijuana dispensaries

2010-04-16T07:03:51Z

Los Angeles authorities have gone after 21 medical marijuana dispensaries, arresting one owner and filing lawsuits and eviction orders against outlets.

The actions Thursday involved alleged violations of state and federal marijuana laws.

Assistant City Attorney Asha Greenberg says prosecutors acted on complaints from residents and weren't targeting the medical mar...

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...

FBI: Unruly passenger blames medical pot cookies

2010-04-16T07:13:04Z

FBI: Unruly flight passenger blames double dose of medical pot cookies after fight, diversion

A San Francisco man claims he was high on a double dose of medical marijuana cookies when he screamed, dropped his pants and attacked crew members on a cross-country flight, forcing its diversion to

Medical marijuana lab says it was raided by DEA

2010-04-16T07:16:53Z

Denver medical marijuana lab says it was raided by DEA, ordered to turn over customer records

A lab that tests medical marijuana for dispensaries and patients said Thursday it was raided by federal drug agents and ordered to turn over patient records.

Full Spectrum Laboratories president Bob Winnicki said 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

Colo. pot dispensaries welcome state regulation

2010-04-16T07:18:30Z

Colorado lawmakers have an unlikely ally in their first attempt to curb the state's booming medical marijuana industry: owners of the some of the shops that sell pot.

Many dispensary owners say they're on board with regulations if they give them uniform guidelines and avert a more severe crackdown like one approved this week in Los Angeles. Hundreds of Los Angeles pot shops face closure after the City Council voted Tuesday to ca...

Los Angeles to close hundreds of marijuana vendors

2010-04-16T07:19:12Z

Los Angeles Tuesday gave final approval to an ordinance slashing the number of medical marijuana dispensaries, which have grown to almost 1,000 since sale of the drug for medicinal use was approved in 1996.

By a 9-3 vote, the Los Angeles City Council said 187 dispensaries would remain open for now, but it intends to reduce the number to no more than ...

LA moves to push pot clinics from neighborhoods

2010-04-16T07:20:42Z

LA City Council finally agrees on ordinance capping pot clinics, pushing from neighborhoods

The day feared by medical marijuana advocates arrived Tuesday when the City Council finally approved an ordinance intended to close hundreds of pot shops and banish those that remain to industrial areas.

The new law, which passed 9-3, caps the eventual number of dispensaries in the city at 70. But at this point, 137 shops that registered before a 2007 moratorium could...

L.A. council votes to close most pot dispensaries

2010-04-16T07:19:35Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance on Tuesday that will shut down hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries that recently opened in America's second-largest city.

The statute, passed on a...

Who's got the best weed? Contest aims to find out

2010-04-16T07:21:32Z

It's like a beer competition for marijuana.

A cannabis festival in Aspen this spring will be the first in the state for approved growers to put their strains in a contest.

The Western Slope Cannabis Crown will have about 50 medical marijuana growers enter their strains of weed. The marijuana strains will be diagnostically tested for their THC levels. Growers will also be able to sell to medical marijuana patients. The customers would vote on a "people's choice" strain.

...

Calif. court rejects limits on medical marijuana

2010-04-16T07:25:27Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The California Supreme Court on Thursday rejected limits on medical marijuana imposed by state lawmakers, finding that people with prescriptions for pot can have and grow all they need for personal use.

The high court ruled lawmakers improperly "amended" the vot...

California court rejects limits on medical marijuana

2010-04-16T07:26:59Z

The high court ruled lawmakers improperly "amended" the vot...

Calif. high court strikes down medical pot limits

2010-04-16T07:27:25Z

Calif. Supreme Court strikes down Legislature's attempt to set medical marijuana limits

A unanimous California Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a law that sought to impose limits on the amount of marijuana a medical patient can legally possess.

The California Supreme Court ruled that state lawmakers were wrong to change provisions of the voter-approved Proposition 215. The 1...

Wash. court: Doc's pot OK doesn't preclude search

2010-04-16T07:27:37Z

Wash. high court: Medical pot authorization doesn't prevent searches of patients' homes

The Washington State Supreme Court says a doctor's permission to use medical marijuana doesn't preclude police from arresting a patient or searching a home.

In a decision Thursday, the high court upheld the conviction of a Ste...

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 medical marijuana bill is signed into law

2010-06-25T18:52:49Z

NJ's outgoing governor signs medical marijuana bill into law on his last full day in office

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has signed legislation granting chronically ill patients legal access to marijuana.

Corzine's office said the governor signed the bill late Monday, his last full day in office. Gov.-elect Chris Christie will be sworn in Tuesday....

Tenn. lawmaker applauded by pro-pot activists

2010-04-16T07:40:56Z

Tenn. lawmaker applauded by pot smokers for advocating legalization of medical marijuana

Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen acknowledged feeling a little lonely as he addressed a crowd of self-described pot smokers just off Capitol Hill.

After all, sharing a stage with Cheech and Chong and calli...

Ore. ballot measure seeks pot dispensaries

2010-04-16T07:42:53Z

Medical marijuana proponents seek expansion of Oregon's program, creation of pot dispensaries

The Obama administration's decision not to interfere in states' medical marijuana laws has emboldened a citizens' initiative to get the state of Oregon involved in providing the drug for residents who have permission to use it.

Medical marijuana advocates are seeking ...

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...

Wash. activists file initiative to legalize pot

2010-04-16T07:43:52Z

APNewsBreak: Wash. activists file initiative to legalize all adult marijuana possession

Five activists have filed a ballot initiative to legalize all adult marijuana possession in Washington state.

Its sponsors include two Seattle lawyers as well as the director of Seattle's annual Hempfest. The group, calling itself Sensible Washington, says state government is...

Colo. judge: Pot shops have constitutional rights

2010-04-16T08:00:08Z

Colorado judge rules that medical marijuana users in state have right to buy pot

Medical marijuana patients have a constitutional right to buy pot, not just use it, according to ruling Wednesday by a judge.

Arapahoe County District Court Judge Christopher Cross sided with the CannaMart dispensary, which sued the city of Centennial a...

Dude, they're putting pot in more than brownies

2010-04-16T08:20:07Z

Rocky Mountain high: Medical marijuana patients in Denver can buy gourmet foods laced with pot

Any slacker living over his parents' garage can make pot brownies. Gourmet chefs are taking the art of cooking with marijuana to a higher level.

In Denver, a new medical-marijuana shop called Ganja Gourmet serves cannabis-infused specialties such as pizza, hummus and lasagna. Across town in the Mile-High City, a Caribbe...

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...

Los Angeles restricts medical marijuana outlets

2010-04-16T08:33:30Z

Los Angeles city authorities passed an ordinance restricting the number of medical marijuana dispensaries, which have grown to almost 1,000 since the drug was authorized for sale for medicinal purposes in 1996.

The city council said on Tuesday 137 dispensaries would remain open for now, but it intends to reduce the number to no more than 70 over time.

The council will also enact a series of new restrictions in the sale of ...

Medical marijuana finds social outlet in Ore. cafe

2010-04-16T08:56:46Z

Donated 'weed,' snacks and old cafe provide social outlet for Oregon medical marijuana users

At the newly opened Cannabis Cafe, people sit around taking tokes from a "vaporizer" — a contraption with a big plastic bag that captures the potent vapors of heated marijuana. Glass jars hold donations of dried, milky-green weed, and the cafe serves up meals and snacks for the hungry.

It's all perfectly legal and, for canc...

Los Angeles gets tough on medical marijuana shops

2010-04-16T08:58:53Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Past the security man and his pit bull and through a haze of eye-watering smoke, two youths load up a pipe next to a row of shiny glass jars with two dozen varieties of marijuana bud displayed like candy.

Hundreds of pot shops have sprung up in the last couple of years across Los Angeles, taking advantage of Arizona Department of Health Services Director Will Humble talks about the new draft requirement rules for would-be medical marijuana dispensary operators at the Arizona Department of Health Services Friday, Dec. 17, 2010, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Urban Marijuana Farms

2010-11-21T10:30:33Z

In this Nov. 19, 2010 photo, James Madsen of Orton Development looks at property grounds that have sparked interest among numerous medicinal marijuana growers in Berkeley, Calif. As local taxes on pot shops become more common where medical use of marijuana is legal, the San Francisco Bay area is startin...

Ballot Measures

2010-11-01T01:03:15Z

Susan Recht smokes a marijuana cigarette at the San Francisco Medical Cannabis Clinic in San Francisco, in this photo taken Oct. 15, 2010. In a campaign season brimming with partisan rancor, leading Democrats and Republicans in a few states have found common cause in opposing ballot measures they say would wreak havoc by legalizing marijuana and slashing tax revenue. (AP Photo/Eric Ris...

Marijuana Legalization What If

2010-10-30T12:30:20Z

In this photo taken June 15, 2010, the moon rises over a medical marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Adam Lau)

...

Marijuana Legalization Justice

2010-10-15T16:31:23Z

Susan Recht smokes a marijuana cigarette at the San Francisco Medical Cannabis Clinic in San Francisco, Friday, Oct. 15, 2010. Attorney General Eric Holder says the federal government will enforce its marijuana laws in California even if voters next month make the state the first i...