Kharla Vezzetti

UPDATE: BILL TO DECRIMINALIZE MINOR POT POSSESSION OFFENSES SIGNED BY GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER

SACRAMENTO Aug 30: The California state Assembly voted 43-33 to approve Sen. Mark Leno’s bill SB 1449 downgrading petty marijuana possession from a misdemeanor to an infraction. The bill passed thanks to support from the CA district attorneys and courts; similar legislation had been voted down by the Assembly three times in the past.

The bill now heads to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s desk for his signature.

As usual, the vote split largely along party lines, with Democrats voting 40 – 8 in favor of more lenient penalties and Republicans 2 – 23 against.…

SACRAMENTO Aug 30: In a disappointing display of legislative perversity, the California Assembly rejected State Senator Mark Leno’s medical marijuana resolution SJR 14.

The Assembly may still have a chance to revisit the resolution in the coming extraordinary session.

SJR 14 would call on the President and Congress to end federal raids and interference with state laws, permit an affirmative defense for MMJ defendants, encourage MMJ research, and create a comprehensive federal policy to assure safe access to medical marijuana. See text of SJR 14

The vote was 37-29, four short of the 41 needed for passage.…

State Sen. Ron Calderon (D-Montebello) is seeking to push through a last-minute bill to establish a statewide BOE tax registration system for medical marijuana sellers, distributors, growers and transporters. In order to bypass the normal legislative hearings, Sen. Calderon has sneakily devised the bill as a “gut-and-amend” to another bill, SB 1131, which has already been approved by the Senate. Text of SB 1131

SB 1131 would require all commercial growers, retailers, wholesalers, and transporters to register with the state, but would DO NOTHING to legally protect them by changing the law to explicitly legalize wholesale or retail sales.…

Opponents of this November’s Prop 19 initiative are blowing hot air about the supposed impacts of marijuana legalization on highway safety.

The opposition has shrewdly named itself Public Safety First, in line with opinion polls that show driving under the influence of marijuana is a major public concern.

Opponents have lined up the support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which stated, “we are deeply concerned (the initiative) will result in more impaired driving and thus more injuries and fatalities.”

Fortunately, however, a careful review of the scientific evidence shows that fears about marijuana’s impact on road safety are unwarranted.…

Cal NORML Release – July 21, 2010
CONTACT: Dale Gieringer, Director (415) 563-5858 mailto:[email protected]

CAL NORML Joins Coalition Opposing President Obama’s Pick To Head The Drug Enforcement Administration
DEA raid on Mendocino licensed MMJ grower shows agency out of control

Citing the raid by DEA agents on Joy Greenfield, the first patient to register in Mendocino’s path-breaking licensing program for medical marijuana growers, Cal NORML joins a national coalition of groups calling on the administration to withdraw the re-appointment of Michele Leonhart to head the DEA.…

UPDATE: July 19, 2010

Oakland City Council Weighs Industrial Grows, Big Tax Hike for MMJ

Oakland’s contentious cultivation ordinance to license four industrial-size grows will be up for a vote before the full City Council this Tuesday, July 20th. Opponents will be arguing for modifications to permit smaller-scale grows along the line proposed in Berkeley, which envisions ten different facilities of 30,000 square feet or less.

On Thursday, the City Council will consider a controversial ballot measure by Councilmembers Reid and Kaplan that would impose a steep hike of the city’s cannabis business tax from 1.8% to 8% (or possibly 10 or 12%).…