The Fresno Bee, 25 Sep 2010 – The state Board of Equalization, which last year famously declared that legalizing marijuana could generate $1.4 billion in new tax revenues for California state coffers, has an updated analysis out for Proposition 19, the November ballot measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use. This time, the BOE says it is clueless on what legal weed can bring in.

East Bay Express, 22 Sep 2010 – Those who oppose medicinal cannabis should be really ashamed of themselves. There were several scientific studies published just recently that confirmed cannabis’ effectiveness in such diverse conditions as chronic pain, muscle spasms, malnutrition, and glaucoma. Cannabis is also being shown by the most current addiction medicine research as a potential "exit" substance for former alcoholics, hard drug, or even prescription drug abusers to help them stay off those substances. A very recent study just published called the so-called "gateway drug" theory "half-baked." I simply always called it a fantasy. Both the American Medical Association and the Institute of Medicine are in favor of medicinal cannabis, and the Canadian government even pays for this natural remedy for their veterans!

Porterville Recorder, 23 Sep 2010 – The marijuana garden where a Lindsay teen was shot, and later died, violated county laws. According to Tulare County Sheriff’s Department officials, the marijuana was being grown for medicinal use, but was outdoors. On Sept. 14 – the same day the 17-year-old was fatally wounded while allegedly stealing from the site – growers Jacinto Gomez and Justin Jolly were handed a notice telling them they had 10 days to come into compliance.

Tahoe Daily Tribune, 24 Sep 2010 – Here’s a fact that even drug policy reform advocates can acknowledge: California’s 2010 ballot initiative to legalize marijuana does, indeed, pose a real threat, as conservative culture warriors insist. But not to public health, as those conservatives claim. According to most physicians, pot is less toxic – and has more medicinal applications – than a legal and more pervasive drug like alcohol. Whereas alcohol causes hundreds of annual overdose deaths, contributes to untold numbers of illnesses and is a major factor in violent crime, marijuana has never resulted in a fatal overdose and has not been systemically linked to major illness or violent crime.

The Chico News & Review, 23 Sep 2010 – Re "The cannabis conundrum" (Cover story, by Melissa Daugherty and Meredith J. Cooper, Sept. 2): Contrary to what the Butte County Sheriff’s Office would have us believe, people were growing and selling illegal marijuana decades prior to Proposition 215. Before we had any idea that marijuana had any medicinal uses people were making money unlawfully on pot.

The Chico News & Review, 23 Sep 2010 – Leading the Sheeple to Slaughter I went to the recent Chico Planning Commission meeting about medical cannabis. Paranoia ruled in the race to criminalize behavior. After learning what other cities have done, highly paid Chico government staff had put together a set of different levels of restriction, illustrated by maps complicated into obtuseness, that were designed to hinder, isolate and restrict the distribution of medicine.

Ventura County Star, 24 Sep 2010 – No matter if advocates were arguing whether or not to decriminalize marijuana or debating whether or not to go forward with California’s attempts to curb greenhouse gases, the root of all arguments came down to numbers. How many jobs will a proposition create? How many will it destroy? How many people smoke marijuana every day? How much would legalized marijuana cost the healthcare industry? At a Thursday debate on propositions 23 and 19 put on by the Ventura County Civic Alliance and the League of Women Voters of Ventura County at California Lutheran University’s Oxnard facility, passion over the issues ran high as advocates for both sides of the issues tried to persuade the roughly 30 people in the audience to vote their way on Nov. 2.

The Union, 24 Sep 2010 – Panelists took turns panning California’s marijuana legalization initiative this week in Grass Valley, calling it poorly written, a danger to youths and an invitation to a poor quality of life in the Golden State. The Wednesday "Just the Facts" forum, sponsored by Coalition for a Drug-Free Nevada County and Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce, featured seven panelists who oppose the Nov. 2 ballot measure to legalize marijuana, Proposition 19.

Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep 2010 – The SEIU Wants to Legalize Marijuana to Help Solve the State’s Budget Crisis. That’s a Bad Idea. The Reals Solution Is Pension Reform. I was surprised to read that leaders of the state’s biggest union — the SEIU — had decided to endorse Proposition 19, which would allow Californians to legally grow and possess marijuana. Any patrol officer, judge or district attorney will tell you that Proposition 19 is a flawed initiative that would bring about a host of legal nightmares and risks to public safety. It would also make California a laughingstock.

The Chico News & Review, 23 Sep 2010 – The Saga Continues As Planning Commission Votes on Marijuana Ordinance Chico’s Planning Commission has made its recommendations on the crafting of a municipal code regulating the cultivation, processing and distribution of medical marijuana, placing the decision back in the hands of the City Council.