Live Oak trail-blazed through thickets of medical marijuana law last month where few, if any, cities have journeyed. The city of 8,600 residents became one of, if not the first city in California to ban growing medical marijuana — both indoor and outdoor — but it’s one of hundreds struggling to protect residents, allow sick people their medicine and navigate state law. James Maral, a Live Oak resident who grows marijuana for himself and his mother, is already testing the ban and state law, Jonathan Edwards reports in the Appeal-Democrat. Maral filed a lawsuit last [...]
Faced with legal threats from Uncle Sam, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday gutted its innovative, revenue-generating medical marijuana permitting program that allowed cooperatives to grow up to 99 plants. “The mistake was made when we pushed the envelope,” said Supervisor Kendall Smith. Rather than issuing permits — a process that was recently suspended — the county now limits the number of plants to 25, well within the limits set in other counties and less likely to raise a red flag for federal authorities who consider pot for any purpose to be illegal. [...]
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to extend a temporary moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries for an additional 10 months and 15 days. The supervisors also added language to the ordinance that is meant to protect existing dispensaries from closure. Assistant County Counsel Carolyn Ruth said there are currently three medical marijuana dispensaries operating in the county, Megan Hansen reports in the Eureka Times-Standard. The Humboldt County Collective has a conditional use permit with no time limit, Redwood Legacy LLC has a two-year permit and the Hummingbird Healing Center has [...]
A new state law intended to clarify local governments’ role in regulating medical cannabis dispensaries seems to support Redding’s and Shasta County’s recent bans on the storefronts, local officials claim. But a lobbyist for local dispensaries, who differs from state and nationwide advocacy groups worried that the law does just that, believes the new law could permit Redding to withdraw its dispensary ban, Sean Longoria reports in the Record Searchlight. Assembly Bill 1300, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in August and taking effect this month, modifies California’s Medical Marijuana Program to permit cities, counties and [...]
Lake County law-enforcement and government officials fear property values and public safety will be threatened by a proposed ballot initiative that would allow up to 12 budding marijuana plants in residential backyards and 84 on parcels of seven acres or more. On rural parcels, “right to farm regulations” would apply, prohibiting the county or neighboring property owners from complaining the pot gardens are nuisances, Glenda Anderson reports in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. “It would just nuke people’s property rights up here. Just nuke ‘em,” Lake County Community Development Director Rick Coel said. The Lake [...]
A Live Oak resident is suing to stop a ban on growing medical marijuana in the city that he said would force him to make “cruel choices.” James Maral is seeking an injunction in Sutter County Superior Court on to temporarily halt a ban on cultivating marijuana that the Live Oak City Council passed Dec. 21 and that took effect Friday. The suit seeking the injunction was filed Monday afternoon, Jonathan Edwards reports in the Appeal-Democrat. A judge is scheduled to hear arguments from Maral and the city of Live Oak at 3 p.m. today [...]
San Francisco has begun issuing medical marijuana dispensary licenses again, following a recent state Supreme court decision that will allow local pot dispensaries to do business — for now. The city’s Medical Cannabis Act permitting process had been on hold for several months, following a state appeals court ruling in Pack vs. Long Beach, Chris Roberts reports in The Snitch blog for S.F. Weekly. The ruling said that city or county laws regulating medical marijuana violated federal law; the decision led cities and counties throughout the state to suspend, reconsider, or repeal their regulatory schemes. [...]
The California Supreme Court has again jumped into the fray over the legality of medical marijuana laws, deciding this week to review two lower-court rulings that affect how and whether local governments can regulate pot dispensaries across the state. In their weekly closed-door session Wednesday, the justices voted unanimously to review cases from Long Beach and Riverside that dealt with the ongoing conflict between California’s 1996 voter-approved law allowing medical marijuana and federal laws barring the use or sale of the drug. The state Supreme Court’s rulings in the cases are likely to widely echo [...]
Sacramento — The California Supreme Court issued an order today indicating its intent to review two controversial medical marijuana cases that have resulted in the suspension of several local dispensary ordinances across the state. As a result of today’s order, Pack v. City of Long Beach and City of Riverside v. Inland Empire Patient’s Health and Wellness Ctr., Inc. have both been vacated in anticipation of the High Court’s ruling. The Pack decision held that some dispensary regulations may be preempted by federal law and the Riverside decision held that localities could legally ban distribution [...]
SHASTA LAKE — The planning commission will take public input Thursday on proposed changes to the city’s rules on medical marijuana dispensaries. Shasta Lake is the only place in Shasta County where dispensaries can legally operate. Anderson, Redding and the unincorporated county all have banned dispensaries, Sean Longoria reports in the Record Searchlight. Commissioners will decide whether to recommend to the City Council that Shasta Lake remove its permitting system for dispensaries while keeping zoning regulations in place for the businesses. “We are looking at our ordinance and taking out all of the requirements for [...]
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