Attorney Haig resigns… “pot probably safer than heroin”… CBD “appears safe”… Nevada gets first dispensary… Opinions… and more.
LEGALIZATION & LEGISLATION
Federal agencies cannot use Oakland police for cannabis raids // EastBayExpress.com The action directly relates to the 2012 raid on Oaksterdam University and related businesses.
COPS & COURTS
U.S. attorney Haig to resign // Contracostatimes.com “Haag has taken heat for … her crackdown on some northern California medical marijuana dispensaries [that] she argued were simply fronts for illegal pot distributors,” including Berkeley Patients Group and Harborside Health Centers in Oakland and San Jose.
Heroin is worse than cannabis: new DEA head // USnews.com “If you want me to say that marijuana’s not dangerous, I’m not going to say that because I think it is,” Chuck Rosenberg said. “Do I think it’s as dangerous as heroin? Probably not. I’m not an expert.”
Nevada dispensary prepares to sue county over delays // ReviewJournal.com The location has been ready to open since February, “but due in part to repeated clashes with the county, it has not been able to get enough marijuana to sell.
Sales to minors opens new legal territory // blog.seattlepi.com Prosecutors “are still unsure how to handle charges leveled against state-licensed marijuana retail employees who were caught making an in-store sale” to an underage investigator.
BUSINESS
Nevada gets its first dispensary // mjbusinessdaily.com Silver State Relief in Sparks will be limiting customers to a half-ounce of flower at a time, due to lack of inventory. About 9,000 cardholders live in the state.
Oregon TV anchor fired after marijuana test // SFChronicle.com "I don't fit the lazy stupid loser stereotype," she says, adding that she's "a responsible user and has never come to work impaired.” [And you thought marijuana was legal in Oregon. – Ed.]
Reporter becomes an activist // YouTube.com Cyd Maurer, the reporter in the above story, is now a marijuana activist, who says opposition will erode when people learn the facts.
HEALTH
CBD appears to be safe: NIDA director // Huffingtonpost.com “CBD appears to be a safe drug with no addictive effects,” says the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “and the preliminary data suggest that it may have therapeutic value for a number of medical conditions.”
“Overdose death” causes CDC to call for guidelines // ibtimes.com The Center for Disease Control “recommended that all states where recreational marijuana is currently legal should have clear guidelines and labels for marijuana edibles.” The statement came after it “was determined that marijuana intoxication was the chief cause” of a Colorado student’s death. [Actually, jumping off a fourth floor balcony was the cause. See related story in Opinion.]
“Truth” campaign launched // thetruthaboutmedicalmarijuana.org The Truth about Medical Marijuana “exists to educate medical marijuana patients and the public about the science of medical marijuana and the emerging issues that have started to come forward as medical marijuana has become part of millions of Americans lives."
OPINION
Ten reasons the federal marijuana prohibition is going to fall // HuffingtonPost.com A list of important advances in the past few years.
Afraid of legalization? Look at Portugal // pe.com In the 14 years since decriminalization … drug usage rates have remained about the same or even declined slightly – they have even declined for teenagers – and are now among the lowest in the European Union.
Nobody has ever died from a cannabis overdose //Alternet.org The problem of children going to poison centers because of accidental pot consumption should be taken seriously. But those numbers are still small compared to other dangers, such as exposure to cosmetics.
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