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Crosscurrents

Cannabis News Roundup: More cities impose local bans

Jurassic Blueberries / Used under license from Google Images (noncommercial reuse with modification / cropped from original)
Full Color Cannabis – 2015 ";

City of Oakland endorses Prop. 64 ... Parental concerns against Prop. 64 ... More towns enact temporary bans ... Israel prepares for Green Rush ... and more.  

LEGISLATION

Oakland’s dispensary process adds a new complication, delays vote // SF Chronicle

“The council was scheduled to vote on several proposals to amend the permitting system it passed in May, including a controversial plan to require every cannabis business to hand over 25 percent of its profits and at least one seat on its board of directors to the city in exchange for a permit to operate.”

San Francisco readies for the possibility of legalization // SF Examiner

“A 21-member task force, which has worked to develop a set of recommendations for policymakers to consider if California voters approve Proposition 64 next Tuesday, is expected to produce a report for in the coming months that will touch on the impact of marijuana legalization on public safety, youth, tourism, social justice and other areas.”

San Jose joins towns prohibiting recreational cannabis // SJ Mercury News

“San Jose leaders said the ban will help stop illegal pot shops from opening — if Prop. 64 passes, as polls suggest — and allows time for City Hall to come up with a regulatory scheme to oversee the new industry. “

Santa Cruz County has a Cannabis Licensing Manager // ksbw

"’Proposition 64, should bring many of the legitimate cultivators out into the open where they don’t have to worry about prosecution. They’ll be able to access the infrastructure, water and the power, legitimately and minimize those negative impacts,’  [Dan] Peterson said,” anticipating passage of Prop. 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act.

COPS & COURTS

Justice Dept. officially drops BPG case // SF Chronicle

As reported here last week, the Berkeley Patients Group, one of the pioneering cannabis dispensaries in the U.S., has been told that the Dept. of Justice has dropped their attempts to close down the operation. 

News flash: marijuana is still illegal, even in California // L.A. Times

“’One of the things that we have been hearing a lot in this debate from opponents is that nobody goes to jail for marijuana offenses,’” says the group conducting the survey. “’That is not true. We have the hard data from the counties to prove that.’” 

Over a thousand people are serving time for marijuana infractions in just the four counties that participated in the survey.

ELECTION

Oakland City Council supports Prop. 64 // KRON4

“It’s time we put an end to Richard Nixon’s war on marijuana, which has disproportionately targeted people of color, especially African Americans, for arrest and incarceration,” says Rebecca Kaplan, Councilmember-at-Large.

“It’s going to take a decade to dig out,” Emerald Triangle state senator predicts //Press Democrat

Senator Mike McGuire “favors legalization, but said the proposed law is coming before the state has a handle on medical cannabis. He also faulted it for allowing marijuana gardens of unlimited size, starting in 2023,” among other things.

Does California need Prop. 64? // L.A. Times

“Currently, Californians face a $100 ticket if caught with up to one ounce of marijuana, or for smoking it in public.” Isn’t that legal enough?  Read this break-down for many more details. 

BUSINESS

How the legal cannabis industry is preparing for new customers // Sac Bee

Vaporizers and edibles are clearly the favorite ways to ingest THC.

Bonus: A video tour of Kiva, a leading cannabis confection maker in Berkeley.

Thousands of new jobs in Colorado’s cannabis industry // Washington Post

“In 2015, the legal marijuana industry in Colorado created more than 18,000 new full-time jobs and generated $2.4 billion in economic activity, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis of the economics of legal cannabis in the state.”

Israel ready for the Green Rush // The Economist

“In August the agriculture minister announced that local cannabis growers will soon be allowed to export medical marijuana.” But this only applies to medical use. “Local dope-smokers still run the risk of arrest for possessing even tiny quantities. They hope that once hundreds of acres are under cultivation for export in the Negev Desert, and weed becomes a major crash-crop, the legal environment will also find itself in an altered state.”

EVENT

Cannabis compliance conference in Oakland // Mendo Cannabis Resource

“This two-day conference on California Cannabis Compliance will provide you with the essential basic information you need to understand the compliance process and learn how to successfully develop your cannabusiness.”

Attendees want to “foster a vital and successful cannabis industry that is values-driven not solely driven by value.”

OPINION

A parental warning from Colorado // Poppot.org

“The pot industry wants everyone to think that marijuana is a natural cure for most medical conditions and that it is not addictive. They also claim that marijuana is not a gateway drug. The truth is that drugs lead to more drugs.”

Another parental warning from Orange County //OCregister

“Can’t legally buy weed in the countless shops that would appear everywhere after Prop. 64 takes effect on Jan. 1, 2018? Ask your brother to go in for you, or just stand in front and ask some random druggie to buy you a dime bag.”

[New content is generally posted on Friday.]