Shootout at California grow site ... Cannabis literally takes over town ... Police sniffer dogs invalidated ... NFL will consider cannabis ... and more.
COPS & COURTS
Deputies shot at Yuba County grow site; trimmigrant dies // SacBee
“Yuba County Sheriff Steve L. Durfor told reporters at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that two deputies responded to a report of a dispute involving someone destroying marijuana plants at a local growing operation.” [See related story below.]
Religious exemption never holds up in court // Yahoo News
The owners of the property where two sheriff’s deputies were shot earlier this week claim their cannabis cultivation is part of their Sugarleaf Rastafarian Church sacrament.
"’As a member of the church you aren't bound by a lot of the rules other people are,’ Charles Lepp said. ‘You're not supposed to grow in Yuba County where this incident happened without a county issued permit, (but) as a church you don't need a permit.’" County officials do not agree.
Legal marijuana states contribute to black markets elsewhere // USA Today
Marijuana outlaws are “mailing it, driving it and, in at least one case, flying it around in skydiving planes. They’re hiding it in truck beds and trunks and vacuum-sealing it to hide the smell as they pass police officers patrolling the interstates.”
Alert from police sniffer dogs ruled insufficient reason for vehicle search // Leaf online
Dogs may detect cannabis in the car, but maybe the driver is authorized to have it, says Colorado Court of Appeals. [See related story below.]
Work continues on reliable DUI marijuana test // NPR
“Despite the increasingly legal use of cannabis in many states, cops still don't have the equivalent of a reliable alcohol breathalyzer or blood test — a chemically based way of estimating what the drug is doing in the brain.”
Marijuana: Gateway to homicide, says anti-legalization group//CALMca.org
“Colorado district attorney Dan May turned heads recently pronouncing marijuana to be a "gateway drug to homicide." Marijuana business owners and their political support groups were quick [to] denounce his words as he adds his name to a growing list of legal and law enforcement officials speaking out against the dangers of pot. ... Denver District Attorney DA received similar flack from pro pot lobbyists when he sent a letter to California warning them about pot legalization in Colorado.”
BUSINESS
Cannabis takes over town – literally // Bloomberg
The tiny community of Nipton, California has been sold. The new owners “will use the existing structures and build new ones -- powered by renewable energy -- to revitalize the town” in hopes of creating “a pot-friendly tourist destination.”
Nipton is off I-15, near Primm, Nevada.
Norman Rockwell museum site could become dispensary // VTDigger
Norman Rockwell was a beloved illustrator of an idealized America. Now the site of his museum may become a medical marijuana dispensary.
HEALTH
NFL may change rule on medical marijuana use // UPI
“The NFL Players Association is preparing a proposal that would amend the league's substance-abuse policy to take a ‘less punitive’ approach in dealing with recreational marijuana use by players.”
Players, present and past, argue for the beneficial non-psychoactive elements of marijuana, saying any side effects are minor compared to opiods and alcohol, which are currently freely dispensed.
EVENT
Consumption area causing problem for Emerald Triangle event // Mad River Union
Arcata’s city manager says, “At this point, the city needs to do more research. However, the only difference between this event and others is that this is the first event in Arcata’s history with a 215 [consumption] area.” Then there’s this: “The event is also being advertised as free to children under 12.”
OPINION
Alameda on the right path with marijuana // East Bay Times
“While the city is moving quickly to establish a regulatory framework for cannabis that will meet the needs and desires of the community, our leaders are doing so in a manner that is responsible and protects the culture and lifestyle of the island.”
Is the pot tax bubble ready to burst? // Press Democrat
“Will growing marijuana turn out to be less lucrative than many people assume? That possibility was raised [last] week by one of the state’s leading voices for legalization.”
A.G. Sessions, prepare to lose on new cannabis war // The Cannifornian
“On at least one front ... [Attorney General Jeff] Sessions’s new war on drugs is likely to fail. In taking on cannabis — particularly the medical uses of cannabis — he is staking out a position that is at odds with powerful interests and an overwhelming majority of Americans from nearly all walks of life. This tide is too strong to swim against.”
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