Kharla Vezzetti

Cal NORML Denounces Federal Crackdown on Medical Cannabis

February 15 – In a report to Congress, Cal NORML described the Dept of Justice’s attack on medical marijuana providers in California as arbitrary, inconsistent, disrespectful of state and local laws, and destructive of efforts to regulate medical marijuana.

In addition, the national NORML board of directors unanimously voted to condemn the actions, and CalNORML director Dale Gieringer met with public officials in Washington DC to apprise them of the situation in California.

Medical marijuana supporters will be rallying in San Francisco on Thursday, February 16th at 5:30 pm in protest of Obama’s fund-raising visit; meet @ Huntington Park, California & Taylor Streets.…

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Medical Marijuana Employment Rights Bill Derailed by Business Interests

Voters Have Chance to with Fix with MMRCT 2012

January 31, 2011 – Medical marijuana patients who want to keep their jobs are out of luck again this year, as California Senator Mark Leno has declined to bring his employment rights bill SB129 to a floor vote.

At issue was a clause in the bill that specifically allowed patients to sue their employers for damages, which was red-flagged by the California Chamber of Commerce and pro-business Democrats. Only two or three votes short of a majority in the state Senate, the impasse could not be broached, since Leno’s office refused to take the teeth out of the bill.…

MARIJUANA BILLS FACE SHOWDOWN VOTE IN SACRAMENTO; POLL SHOWS PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR REFORM

Cal NORML Release Jan 24, 2012

SACRAMENTO: The California legislature will soon be voting on two marijuana reform bills that seem to be more popular with the public than with the politicians in Sacramento: SB 129 by Sen. Leno, which would prohibit employment discrimination against medical marijuana patients, and AB 1017 by Tom Ammiano, which would allow for reduced, misdemeanor charges in marijuana cultivation cases.

Both bills have strong public support according to a newly released poll of state voters by EMC Research.…

Advocates Back CA Medical MJ Regulation Initiative for 2012 Ballot

UPDATE 3/8/2012 – Safe Access Now and UFCW are working with the California legislature on a bill, AB2312, containing many of the provisions of MMRCT. Monies raised towards the initiative will be spent lobbying for the bill.

January 23, 2012 – A comprehensive initiative to revamp California’s medical marijuana laws has been filed for the 2012 ballot: the Medical Marijuana Regulation, Control, and Taxation Act.

The initiative is designed to address widespread public concern over the confusing and chaotic state of medical marijuana laws in California.…

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News Archive 2011

  • CaNORML Accomplishments for 2011 and Plans for 2012
    Dec. 18, 2011 – To say 2011 was a busy year would be an understatement. Read about our plans for 2012. Following up on the strong but losing campaign of the Prop. 19 legalization initiative, Cal NORML began the year with statewide activist conferences to plan the future of marijuana reform in California. As the year progressed, our energies were increasingly tied up in defensive efforts to combat mounting challenges from local, state, and federal authorities: bans and restrictions on dispensaries and cultivation, hostile legislation in Sacramento, and a full-fledged federal crackdown from the Obama administration.
    • …
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    ACT NOW FOR CALIFORNIANS’ RIGHTS TO EMPLOYMENT AND CULTIVATION

    AB1017 (Ammiano) would reduce penalties on marijuana cultivation.

    Many are unaware that the California Supreme Court has ruled that employers may fire anyone who fails a drug test, even legal medical marijuana patients. Sadly, many find this out only after they’ve lost their jobs. California NORML regularly receives calls from frantic workers in danger of job loss. In recent weeks we have heard from a manager at an electronics store, a bottler at a beer factory, and others who have been unfairly deemed unfit for work because they use marijuana medicinally.…

    State Sees Spate of Initiative Proposals: Five Different Measures Seek Signatures for Ballot

    Five marijuana initiatives are vying to collect signatures for the November 2012 ballot, ranging from medical marijuana reform and decrim to outright legalization.

    Three initiatives have been filed to legalize marijuana for adult use, following up on the surprisingly strong Prop 19 legalization initiative of 2010, while one is specifically directed to the urgent issue of medical marijuana reform.

    • The Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Initiative, by former Judge Jim Gray, Cal NORML attorney Bill McPike, Stephen Collett and Steve Kubby, would decriminalize sales, cultivation, transportation, etc.,…

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    CaNORML Accomplishments for 2011 and Plans for 2012

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    See our plans for 2012

    To say 2011 was a busy year would be an understatement. Following up on the strong but losing campaign of the Prop. 19 legalization initiative, Cal NORML began the year with statewide activist conferences to plan the future of marijuana reform in California. As the year progressed, our energies were increasingly tied up in defensive efforts to combat mounting challenges from local, state, and federal authorities: bans and restrictions on dispensaries and cultivation, hostile legislation in Sacramento, and a full-fledged federal crackdown from the Obama administration.…

    NORML Attorneys Challenge Federal Crackdown

    Nov, 7, 2011 – NORML attorneys notified the federal government today that they were filing suit against the crackdown on medical marijuana in all four federal court districts of California. The lawsuit cites multiple constitutional arguments and seeks an immediate TRO or
    injunction against the DOJ in federal court. -DG

    See a copy of the lawsuit

    From the NORML blog:
    NORML Attorneys file multiple constitutional challenges to federal medical marijuana crackdown
    November 7th, 2011 By: Russ Belville, NORML Outreach Coordinator

    NORML Attorneys Matt Kumin, David Michael, and Alan Silber, have filed suit in the four federal districts in California to challenge the Obama Administrationís recent crackdown on medical marijuana operations in the Golden State.…

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    Statewide Coalition Protests Federal Attack on Medical Marijuana – Sacramento, Nov 9th

    California NORML Press Release – Nov 7, 2011

    Prop. 215 supporters from around the state will be protesting the federal government’s attack on medical marijuana at the U.S. Courthouse in Sacramento, 501 I Street, this Wednesday, Nov. 9th at noon. The protest is sponsored by a coalition of organizations including California NORML.

    This week marks the 15th anniversary of California’s landmark medical marijuana law, Prop. 215. Since 1996, sixteen states and three foreign countries have followed California’s lead in legalizing medical marijuana; dozens of scientific studies have confirmed the medical value of marijuana; and thousands of patients and doctors have found marijuana to be uniquely beneficial for a growing list of maladies including nausea, appetite loss, chronic pain, muscle spasticity, auto-immune diseases, psychiatric disorders, etc.…