US Attny. targets SF center… Positives reported in two clinical trials… Jimmy Carter denounces legalization… Dueling conferences in Bay Area this weekend… and more!
>> Politics and Legalization
SF Examiner // The building housing Shambhala Healing Center was targeted Monday for forfeiture by the US Attorney, a first in San Francisco. The owners say they’ve tried to evict the Center, to comply with the federal demand, but the business is in compliance with state and local laws, and has a long-term lease, so state courts won’t consider the case.
San Fernando Valley Business Jrln. // Voters in Los Angeles are considering three ballot measures next Tuesday that would change dispensary regulations within the city limits. The three propositions are summarized here.
MJ Business Daily // Major credit card companies have already stopped providing services to dispensaries. That ban is now extending to unrelated businesses if a partner is involved with cannabis shops.
MMJ Business Daily // The Illinois State Senate passed a cannabis bill earlier today. It now goes to the governor, who says he’s “open minded” about the measure.
The New Yorker // Another governor says, “I’ve always felt that you have to get the joint rolled really tightly.” That was Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper’s humorous response to a reporter’s question of “how he handled pot.” Read more of the Governor’s views on the subject in a New Yorker magazine profile by Ryan Lizza in the May 13, 2013 issue, titled “The Middleman.”
SAM // Former President Jimmy Carter has changed his mind on the issue of cannabis legalization. Last December he said he thought it was OK for Colorado and Washington to legalize cannabis, with proper regulations. But this morning he flatly said, “I do not favor legalization.” He is also “very proud of Patrick Kennedy and his Project SAM, Smart Approaches to Marijuana.” [See more on SAM in this week’s final item.]
Daily Cal // Groups protesting the Guantanamo Bay military prison got much of the media coverage at UC-Berkeley’s School of Law graduation ceremony on Saturday. But Americans for Safe Access also showed up and handed out this spoof recruitment flyer prior to US Attorney General Eric Holder’s address.
>> Health
SFGate // Sufferers from Crohn’s Disease, a nasty bowel ailment, saw “complete remission” or significant improvement in a test conducted at the Meir Medical Center in Israel. Thedata will be published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Of further interest: how did subjects getting “placebo cigarettes containing no active cannabinoids” not know that when they smoked them?
NORML // People with type 2 diabetes can also benefit from regular cannabis use, according to data published earlier this week by the American Journal of Medicine.
>> Opposing conferences
INTCHE // There will be plenty of speakers and music and booths at this weekend’s International Cannabis & Hemp Expo in Burlingame. The Joint RollingContest is not to be missed. The legendary Ed Rosenthal will choose the winner. (Medical cards are required to enter the contest.)
(APA) // A very different event takes place in San Francisco this weekend: the 166th annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Assn. Their noon session on Sunday is titled “Marijuana: A Public Health Approach.” Two of the speakers are affiliated with Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), former US Representative Patrick Kennedy’s anti-marijuana group. And speaking of former elected officials, Bill Clinton (who famously never inhaled) is the conference keynote speaker.
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