DrugSense

Los Angeles Times, 26 Jul 2012 – Despite Much Hand-Wringing, the City’s Latest Pot Ban Will Do Little to Settle the Issue. The Los Angeles City Council is plainly out of its depth when it comes to regulating medical marijuana. This was already clear after years of fumbling and court-delayed attempts to limit the number or locations of cannabis dispensaries, but it became painfully obvious Tuesday when the council approved a ban on all dispensaries – along with a separate motion to draft an ordinance that would allow well-established pot shops to stay open, partially defeating the council’s own purpose.

DrugSense

Porterville Recorder, 24 Jul 2012 – When law enforcement announces the finding of an illegal marijuana garden on forest land what usually gets the attention of people is the dollar amount of the plants cut down. However, what should be getting attention is the environmental damage done by these illegal growers, and the health damage they may be causing by the chemicals they are using on plants that could eventually end up being inhaled by a marijuana user.

Porterville Recorder, 24 Jul 2012 – When law enforcement announces the finding of an illegal marijuana garden on forest land what usually gets the attention of people is the dollar amount of the plants cut down. However, what should be getting attention is the environmental damage done by these illegal growers, and the health damage they may be causing by the chemicals they are using on plants that could eventually end up being inhaled by a marijuana user.

Record Searchlight, 21 Jul 2012 – Nothing keeps citizens on their toes like robust debates about the issues of the day – from the weeds in the lawn in front of the neighborhood school to the fate of the revolution in Syria. You know, the debates held on this very page and in other American newspapers every day. And nothing grounds those debates in reality so much as the well-informed views of those in the trenches: What’s your doctor’s take on the health care law? What does the business owner think of the state’s labor regulations? How would the police sergeant clean up that crime-ridden park?

Merced Sun-Star, 18 Jul 2012 – Pacific fishers, the weasel-like critters that live in California forestlands, have become the latest victim of the U.S. pot war. Over a five-year period, UC Davis researchers found for the first time that 80 percent of dead fishers recovered in remote stretches of the Sierra Nevada had high concentrations of a toxic chemical used by professional pesticide applicators to kill rats. The dead fishers were found between mid-April and mid-May, the season when marijuana plants are just beginning to sprout the tender shoots that small rodents nibble on.

Press-Enterprise, 25 Oct 2010 – Prop. 19 was a dubious proposition even before the federal government snuffed out one of the biggest arguments in the measure’s favor last week. Comments from the Justice Department are yet more evidence that Prop. 19’s promises are largely smoke — and that voters should not inhale. Prop. 19 on the Nov. 2 ballot proposes to legalize marijuana in California for those 21 years and older, and would let state and local governments regulate and tax the drug. Proponents say this step would save taxpayers money now spent policing marijuana, and would generate revenue for public services.

The Salinas Californian, 22 Oct 2010 – In a way, Proposition 19 on the Nov. 2 ballot can do for marijuana what Arizona’s SB 1070 did for illegal immigration — bring it to the top of the national agenda. Just as critical as it is to move toward immigration reform, a national debate and action on the legalization of marijuana is overdue. Prop. 19 on the state ballot could thrust the issue to the top of the agenda. However, that’s about the only value Prop. 19 serves because, as state law, it fails on several counts.

Sierra Sun, 22 Oct 2010 – TRUCKEE, Calif. — In an opinionated and myth-busting debate, four panelists met Wednesday night to argue benefits and consequences of the November ballot measure Proposition 19 — to legalize marijuana in California. The debate, held at the Truckee Town Council Chambers, was a collaborative effort between the Coalition for a Drug Free Nevada County and the Tahoe-Truckee Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Working Group to educate voters on both sides of the issue.