Tahoe Daily Tribune, 29 Sep 2010 – Since expressing my objection to the marijuana "dispensaries" in our community, I have been receiving a number of "pot shots" from some members of the public. Yes, I am concerned about the development of the dispensaries and cultivation of marijuana in our community. To understand my position, we need to refine the terms used by those in-support. Following WWII, those governments that we viewed as undemocratic attempted to defeat those who demanded freedom for all peoples by renaming their countries "People’s Republic of This" or the "Democratic Republic of That." Similarly, the proponents have sought to defeat the opposition by changing words, such as "drugs" to "medicine," "drug distribution center" to "dispensaries," "drug users" to "patients," and by exploiting those who have critical medical conditions as "poster children" for their movement.

Auburn Journal, 29 Sep 2010 – The Proposition 19 buzz is already hitting Auburn. With the potential to be part of the first state to legalize recreational use of marijuana, Auburn-area residents have strong — and divided — views on the proposition. Prop. 19 is on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Record Searchlight, 30 Sep 2010 – Rep. Wally Herger is still far more likely to denounce "environmental radicals" than to lead them on a ground-truthing mission in the backcountry of the Shasta-Trinity. But even if he’s no born-again tree hugger, the mess on California’s public lands caused by illegal marijuana growing is too big for him to ignore. And it’s too severe for the federal government not to make a top priority. The congressman’s continued lobbying of his House colleagues to get behind a resolution calling for a comprehensive strategy to combat illegal plantations in the national forests is a welcome crusade. The resolution itself won’t solve anything, but drawing attention to this menace that has erupted over the past decade is the first step toward marshalling the resources to curb it.

Chico Enterprise-Record, 30 Sep 2010 – I’m torn about how to vote on Proposition 19. On the one hand, pot use is so widespread and the law against it so poorly enforced that maybe prohibition against should be given up. On the other hand, the law does at least continue to stigmatize the use of a harmful enough drug. That alone might be important.

Record Searchlight, 29 Sep 2010 – I guess as citizens we can’t do much about backyard pot-growing. In our subdivision there are some who are growing for four or five others. The odor on windy or hot days is horrible. We have called agencies, and they all say their hands are tied. I feel like I’m a prisoner in my own home, as I have existing health conditions.

Monterey County Herald, 29 Sep 2010 – Someday, marijuana most likely will be legal in California and throughout the United States. But this is not the right time, and Proposition 19 on the Nov. 2 ballot is not the way to get there. Among other shortcomings, Proposition 19 would leave California law in conflict with federal law, leaving marijuana possession and cultivation in a legal limbo similar to the situation that medical marijuana operations find themselves in now.

The Salinas Californian, 29 Sep 2010 – The blatant discrimination and ignorance of cannabis (marijuana) prohibition has continued for too long (Sept. 21 article in The Californian, "Law officers divided on fight over legal marijuana"). A sane argument to perpetuate cannabis prohibition doesn’t exist. Presently employed police agencies and their unions and the California beer industry are acting on greed, for they stand to lose job security and profits. To believe otherwise defies intelligence.

Bay Area Reporter, 30 Sep 2010 – The crowds showed up for last weekend’s International Cannabis and Hemp Expo at the Cow Palace, but widespread support for Proposition 19, the legalization effort on the November ballot, was not in evidence. At the same time new polls show increased public support for the statewide measure, known as the Regulate, Control, Tax Cannabis Act, while some medical marijuana advocates are expressing concern about it.

Record Searchlight, 29 Sep 2010 – Hoping to sway Democrats’ support for his resolution urging the federal government to step up efforts to remove illegal pot gardens on public lands, U.S. Rep. Wally Herger has become an environmentalist of sorts. In a letter sent to his fellow lawmakers today, the Chico Republican urges the Democrat-controlled Congress to consider the detrimental environmental effects marijuana growing has on public lands.

Santa Cruz Sentinel, 29 Sep 2010 – SANTA CRUZ – The sale of medical marijuana is – technically – illegal in Santa Cruz County’s unincorporated communities. The drug is banned by federal law, and county building codes don’t permit dispensaries. But since passage of the voter-approved California Compassionate Use Act and more recently the Obama administration’s decision not to crack down on medicinal pot use, marijuana ventures have increasingly emerged across Santa Cruz. Nearly a half dozen dispensaries, from Soquel to Boulder Creek, sell to the public and many other businesses operate discretely in homes and garages.