Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep 2012 – Late last year, U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. affirmed the Obama administration’s long-standing policy of taking a hands-off approach to states that had legalized medical marijuana, saying federal resources wouldn’t be expended on enforcement actions as long as purveyors obeyed state law. On Tuesday, Los Angeles got a taste of the current interpretation of that policy – which is that our dispensaries are out of bounds. Federal officials started their first major operation in L.A. by raiding dispensaries, filing court papers to seize properties rented to medical marijuana sellers and sending letters to property owners and operators of 67 dispensaries warning them to shut down within two weeks or face similar treatment.
US CA: U.S. Raids Pot Shops, Warns Operators
Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep 2012 – Officials Give a Two-Week Deadline for 67 Stores to Comply With Federal Law. Federal officials brought their war on medical marijuana dispensaries to Los Angeles on Tuesday, raiding several shops and issuing warning letters to dozens more.
US CA: Medical Marijuana Measures Picking Up Endorsements
North County Times, 24 Sep 2012 – MEDICAL MARIJUANA MEASURES PICKING UP ENDORSEMENTS The San Diego County Democratic Party is endorsing measures that would force Del Mar, Solana Beach and two other cities in the region to allow medical marijuana dispensaries within their borders.
US CA: Editorial: Putting a Lid on L.A.’s Pot Dispensaries
Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep 2012 – It’s too late for an outright ban. But the City Council can and should craft reasonable regulations. The Los Angeles City Council first welcomed medical marijuana dispensaries, then tried to regulate them, then tried to ban them. The ban has now been suspended because opponents collected enough signatures to force a ballot referendum to overturn it, leaving the council with this quandary: Should it put the referendum on the ballot and hope to persuade voters to hold fast to a ban (and then figure out a way to enforce it); or should it lift the ban now, obviate the need for the public vote and then get back to the difficult work of drafting an effective and enforceable ordinance that both improves access for the medical patients who were the intended beneficiaries of the original law and protects neighborhoods from over-proliferation of poorly regulated dispensaries?
US CA: Editorial: Conversation Needed On Marijuana
North County Times, 23 Sep 2012 – Conflicts between state and federal law are hardly uncommon, and go back to the earliest days of our nation’s history. From taxation to the legal rights of escaped slaves, state legislatures and Congress have often been at odds. We see that continuing today with issues ranging from illegal immigration to voter ID laws. And, nearly as contentiously as those issues, with medical marijuana.
