New Times, 16 Aug 2012 – The judge called Peter Miller to the stand, and in less than two minutes, his legal troubles were behind him. A fleeting look of disbelief passed over his face, testament to the one year, eight months, and 17 days he spent under the criminal spotlight. At an Aug. 13 hearing San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Ginger Garrett dismissed felony marijuana sales and possession charges against Miller, after the prosecution said the District Attorney’s Office was "unable to proceed."

Sacramento News & Review, 16 Aug 2012 – A Trip Aiming to Stop the Country’s War on Drugs Drug-law reformers, it’s time to road trip. This past Sunday, more than 100 organizations joined the Mexican Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity on a monthlong caravan across the United States.

Appeal-Democrat, 15 Aug 2012 – The Wheatland City Council voted Tuesday to forbid outdoor cultivation of medical marijuana and to continue prohibition of dispensaries by way of a land use ordinance. A change to the city’s zoning code in 2010 made it unlawful to open a dispensary in the town of less than 3,000 residents.

The Chico News & Review, 16 Aug 2012 – Re "Board gets tougher on pot" (Downstroke, Aug. 2): I agree with the Butte County supervisors’ new guidelines on pot growing that eliminate the co-op farms and bring us in line with Kings County policy regulations. Proposition 215 failed to keep a safe environment for neighbors, as the "black market" prices paid for use of this substance by the sick (?) will make it very dangerous to be exposed to pot robbers. It also will devalue any real estate adjacent to the co-op pot farm.

The Tribune, 16 Aug 2012 – Rebuffing grand jury calls for reform of local medical marijuana laws, San Luis Obispo County officials say they are handcuffed until California officials sort out contradictions between state and federal law regarding cannabis. "This is an inopportune time" to amend the county ordinance, the Board of Supervisors wrote in a report they will open to public discussion at their Tuesday meeting.

DrugSense

Chico Enterprise-Record, 14 Aug 2012 – CHICO — An armed man and his accomplice stormed into a Chico couple’s home Monday, hit the male resident in the head, tied the pair up and stole a small amount of marijuana. As of Monday evening, police were still searching for the suspects, Sgt. Curtis Prosise of Chico police said.

The Orange County Register, 14 Aug 2012 – Public corruption occurs, indeed, when the desire for excessive profit and power becomes entangled with governmental functions ["Steven Greenhut: ‘Policing for profit’ on the rise," Commentary, Aug. 12]. When "asset forfeiture" (once known as thievery) becomes officially sanctioned as a perhaps grotesque but highly effective means of keeping police departments humming and flush with profits, then who are the real "criminals"? Surely they are not the houses, boats and cars that are seized (i.e., stolen) because they (often unbeknownst to their owners) contain a marijuana plant or something else equally ludicrous.

Record Searchlight, 11 Aug 2012 – It was still light outside on a Thursday in July when officer Jacob Provencio left the downtown Redding police station to start patrol duties in the surrounding blocks. MarketFest, the popular music festival that concluded its season last week, was due to end in about an hour. The crowds already were dispersing, and Provencio deliberately scanned the streets for vehicles speeding by or rolling through stop signs.

Grunion Gazette, 10 Aug 2012 – A medical marijuana collective near Long Beach’s border with Lakewood was granted permission to stay open past the city’s Aug. 12 ban deadline. On Thursday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Luis Lavin issued a temporary restraining order, which will prevent city officials from closing the Eartheart medical marijuana dispensary, 1940 Del Amo Ave.