http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/ What is happening in the world of Medical Marijuana. en Sat, 18 May 2013 20:37:02 GMT vBulletin 30 http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/images/misc/rss.png http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/ http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?49282-Feds-Step-Up-Intimidate-the-Landlord-Tactics-in-Cali&goto=newpost Fri, 03 May 2013 13:48:35 GMT Seems the Feds are stepping up their “intimidate the landlord” campaign here in Cali. What better way to make necessary medicine only available on the black market for... Seems the Feds are stepping up their “intimidate the landlord” campaign here in Cali. What better way to make necessary medicine only available on the black market for suffering people. Most of these businesses have followed all the rules, are licensed by the Cities, paying the taxes, yet the rules keep changing. Makes one wonder “why vote” when they step in and destroy all the State is doing to make this work. I can’t imagine all the man hours our politicians here in Cali have dedicated to making this work only to have it all set back by these tactics? To all cannabusiness trying to business legally here; best wishes, be safe, good luck…DD

http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth...eted-by-d-e-a/
Posted on May 2, 2013 at 10:03 am by David Downs

We received word Wednesday that seven medical marijuana dispensaries permitted by the City of San Francisco are being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. In Sept. 2012, D.E.A. agent David White requested from San Francisco the public records of: Ketama Collective; Igzactly 420; 1944 Ocean Collective; The Hemp Center; Mr. Purple Skunk; The Apothecarium; and Bernal Heights Collective.

White requested each dispensary’s business license and application, health permit and application, ownership information, yearly statements/forms (i.e., not for profit, affirmation of not crossing state lines, etc.). White is a Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration Financial Investigative Team in the San Francisco Field Division.


Drug Enforcement Administration
This week, news broke that the D.E.A. is trying to force the closure of at least one of the targeted dispensaries, The Hemp Center. The Hemp Center’s landlord is being threatened with 40 years prison, property forfeiture, and asset seizure for renting office space to The Hemp Center, sources say. At least four landlords in San Jose received similar letters Friday.

San Francisco has permitted about 15 dispensaries. There are perhaps one hundred dispensaries open in San Jose, where citizens passed marijuana sales tax Measure U in 2010. California legalized marijuana for qualified patients, caregivers, and collectives in 1996 and 2003. Marijuana has been federally illegal since 1937, when bureaucrats in Washington D.C. started a war on marijuana based on racism and misinformation.

In 2009, President Obama said prosecuting state-legal medical cannabis patients should not be a priority of the Department of Justice. In 2011, the Department of Justice clarified that marijuana businesses were still a priority – regardless if they comply with state law.

In October 2011, Haag and three other US Attorneys declared war on California’s estimated $1.3 billion medical marijuana industry, threatening hundreds of landlords with forfeiture. Hundreds of dispensaries across the state moved or closed, including several beloved S.F. clubs like The Vapor Room – which is delivery-only – and Medithrive.


Castro District dispensary The Apothecarium could be shut down by Washington D.C. officials (via Yelp)
Last year, California Gov. Jerry Brown denounced the crackdown, saying California didn’t need “federal gendarmes” interfering with lawful tax-paying businesses.

In January, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano told a San Francisco crowd that Haag had “gone rogue.” He called the landlord threats “drone strikes”, and added “I’m sorry a house fell on her sister,” alluding to the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz.

Last week, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom called for decriminalizing, regulating, and taxing California’s decades-old, multi-billion dollar marijuana industry.

The latest polls show almost two out of three Americans agree that federal authorities should leave state-legal marijuana alone. Almost three out of four Americans agree the estimated $7.6 billion federal war on pot each year costs more than it is worth.

The new threats this week follow a federal threats against all dispensaries open in Santa Ana, CA. last week, as well as the raid of a San Diego dispensary who had an operating agreement with the City of San Diego. The DEA also threatened 11 medical marijuana clubs in Seattle.

The California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) denounced the threats as yet another indication of the bankruptcy of federal marijuana policy.

“Despite the sequester, Newtown, and the Boston bombing, the Obama administration still insists in meddling in medical marijuana issues that properly belong to local authorities,” stated Cal NORML director Dale Gieringer. ]]> News DoobieDuck http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?49282-Feds-Step-Up-Intimidate-the-Landlord-Tactics-in-Cali http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?49278-Children-Taken-in-Medical-Marijuana-Case&goto=newpost Wed, 01 May 2013 12:55:33 GMT Medical marijuana activists' children taken from home, charges possible.

I find this is disturbing and wanted to share it with patients everywhere. I question how police could even obtain a search warrant in this case. These people sound concerned for their children. Seems a simple phone call or warning from CPS could have prevented all the emotional stress the children might suffer from this? Surely that stress much worse than their mother, a MS suffer, consuming one of the safest herbs known. I'll try to follow this, if anyone else sees updates please post them here. Be well..stay safe, DD

from:
http://www.ktvb.com/news/Medical-mar...204966741.html

by Jamie Grey
Follow: @KTVBJamieGrey
KTVB.COM
Posted on April 26, 2013 at 10:56 PM
Updated Monday, Apr 29 at 9:45 AM

BOISE -- Three publicly known medical marijuana advocates say police took their sons away from them this week while investigating allegations involving marijuana. Their sons were considered by law enforcement to be in imminent danger.

The medical marijuana advocacy group called "Compassionate Idaho" has appeared in several recent news stories as members have circulated petitions looking for a vote to legalize medical marijuana. Now, its leaders are being investigated, and they say their kids were put into foster care.

"They took my children. Due to cannabis being present in the house," Lindsey Rinehart, Compassionate Idaho's Executive Director, said.

Lindsey and Josh Rinehart and Sarah Caldwell have been very public in their efforts to legalize medical marijuana. On Tuesday, they say when they got back to the Rinehart's after a trip -- their baby-sitter was there, but their four sons were all gone.

"They say their goal is to return our children to our home once it is deemed safe. They say our children will be in foster care for 30 days," Lindsey Rinehart said.

According to the search warrant Rinehart showed KTVB, her home was being investigated for possible charges of marijuana trafficking, possession and injury to a child. She vehemently denies trafficking or putting kids in danger.

"We were not dealing. We were not buying. We were not selling. We were not growing," Rinehart said.

Caldwell's two sons are back with her now, but the Rineharts say their two boys are still in foster care. The activists say everything started at their kids' elementary school earlier this week.

"Somebody said that somebody brought cannabis to school, that somebody ate the cannabis, that somebody reported it. That it was tossed around on the playground," Sarah Caldwell said.

Lindsey Rinehart continued their story: "So they decided basically, who would have cannabis in their home. Now if you're the chief petitioner to legalize medical marijuana, where would you go with that?"

The Rineharts say police then searched their home, seized marijuana, and took their children, declared in imminent danger.

"They went through my house. They removed all of my cannabis that I use for medicine," Lindsey Rinehart said. Rinehart suffers from Multiple Sclerosis.

The Rineharts say their kids have been well-educated about marijuana, that it is medicine not for them to touch. Now, Lindsey Rinehart says she's personally given up medical marijuana. She says her MS symptoms have already started to return.

"Even if I could access cannabis, which I can't, and won't because I'm cooperating with CPS, I want my children back. I'm going to have to go back on a whole bunch of really toxic medication," Lindsey Rinehart said.

Though she says she will not be keeping marijuana around because her priority is doing anything to get her children back. She does plan, alongside the others, to keep fighting for legalization.

"We are going to work on getting our children back. And we are going to work on education. And we are going to work on getting medical marijuana laws in Idaho so this doesn't happen to any more people," Lindsey Rinehart said.

No charges have been filed in this case. Because of that, Boise Police said it could not offer much information; however, a spokeswoman did confirm officers are currently working on the case with prosecutors, who will determine if any charges will be filed.

KTVB contacted Health and Welfare on this story. While a spokesman could not comment on a specific case, he did offer insight about guidelines for recommending a child be removed from a home.

The spokesman said if illegal drugs are found in a home, they look at whether they're accessible to the kids. They also look at if drug activity impacts ability to parent. Police make decisions on if kids need to be taken, and he said the courts work with agency recommendations to determine the return of children.

The Rineharts and Caldwell say other medical marijuana advocates have started to reach out to them and have so far donated more than $5,000 to help pay for legal expenses. ]]> News DoobieDuck http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?49278-Children-Taken-in-Medical-Marijuana-Case