Medical Marijuana Update

Budweiser sponsors a medical marijuana campaign event in Arkansas, California localities continue to grapple with regulating the business, and there is action afoot in Utah. And that's not all. Let's get to it:

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Last Saturday, medical marijuana advocates kicked off a fundraising campaign to put an initiative on the 2014 ballot. Arkansans for Compassionate Care (ACC) is being joined by the national advocacy group Americans for Safe Access to push for the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act. The campaign began with an all-day concert in El Dorado sponsored by Budweiser (!).

California

Last Wednesday, the Lodi city council extended its ban on growing medical marijuana. The council approved the moratorium last year after a woman complained about the odor from her neighbor's plants. Now, the council has extended the ban for another year. That will give the city time to study how best to deal with the issue, officials said. The ban cannot be extended again.

Last Friday, a Mendocino County judge granted a motion to suppress the evidence in a case where the driver's admission that he was a medical marijuana patient and had marijuana with him resulted in the search of his vehicle. The officer had no reason to believe the search would turn up evidence of a crime, so proper grounds hadn't been established for the search, the judge ruled. "This Court is not suggesting that the presentation of the 215 card was a means of immunization from the search," the judge wrote. "But, the totality of the circumstances included a voluntary statement coupled with the county issued card AND a complete absence of odor or impaired driving, or evidence of a larger amount of marijuana in the car." The ruling could become precedent for similar decisions statewide, since it is the first of its kind.

Also last Friday, a second former Vallejo dispensary operator sued the city for raiding his medical marijuana business. Matt Shotwell, the founder of Greenwell, Inc., alleges that the city violated his civil rights by targeting his dispensary for raids and closure because of his outspoken advocacy for medical marijuana. Another Vallejo dispensary, Homegrown Holistic Collective, Inc., sued the city on similar grounds last month. They are two of six dispensaries Vallejo police raided last year -- after voters approved a dispensary tax. All of those cases have fallen apart.

On Tuesday, the Alameda County board of supervisors adopted a resolution supporting marijuana legalization for both medical and recreational purposes and asking the Obama administration to "end federal interference" in states where it is legal. The resolution "respectfully requests that Obama begin a discussion about the potential benefits of reforming federal marijuana use in all forms, including medicinal and recreational uses," citing states such as Colorado and Washington that have approved recreational use of the drug.

Also on Tuesday, Butte County supervisors tightened the county's grow ordinance, but not as much as had been previously recommended. On a 4-1 vote, the board approved an amendment to the existing marijuana cultivation ordinance that would require growers to live in a legal residence on the land where their garden is located. The house must also have permitted water and a septic system. The change would also hike the civil penalties for violations of he code to $500 a day for the first offense and to $1,000 a day for the second offense. Proposals to halve the number of plants allowed and to make it easier for distant neighbors to complain were dropped.

Also on Tuesday, Humboldt County supervisors voted to extend the ban on new dispensaries in unincorporated areas of the county. The ban will remain until a new ordinance is drafted and approved.

Michigan

Last Tuesday, a medical marijuana bill won a Senate committee vote. The bill, which would allow "pharmaceutical grade" marijuana to be sold in pharmacies passed out of the Government Operations Committee on a 3-0 vote. Even if passed, the bill would require that marijuana be rescheduled under the federal Controlled Substances Act.

Nevada

Last Thursday, Carson City supervisors approved a six-month moratorium on dispensaries. The state legislature approved a dispensary bill earlier this year, but officials said they wanted the moratorium in place until state regulations are completed.

Utah

On Tuesday, three prominent Utah doctors came out in support of cannabis oil for kids with epilepsy. The low-THC, high-CBD oils "should be available as soon as possible to Utah children with severe epilepsy. The substance is not psychoactive or hallucinogenic, it contains less THC than do other materials that can be legally purchased in Utah, and it has absolutely no abuse potential," declared Francis Filloux, chief of the University of Utah Division of Pediatric Neurology, in a letter shared with Utah's Controlled Substances Advisory Committee. Two other university-affiliated doctors also signed the letter.

[For extensive information about the medical marijuana debate, presented in a neutral format, visit MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org.]