Medical Marijuana Update

Project CBD takes on the skeptics on cannabidiol, medical marijuana bills move in Guam, but not in Michigan, and California counties continue to slug it out over dispensaries and grows. Let's get to it:

On Monday, Project CBD struck back against criticism from Project SAM. Project CBD's Martin Lee penned a lengthy rebuttal of charges made in a recent Project SAM "fact sheet" seeking to justify continuing marijuana prohibition by misinforming the public about cannabidiol and THC. It's worth reading in its entirety.

California

On Tuesday, Lake County supervisors voted to put their cultivation ordinance to the voters. The grow ordinance, passed in December, bans outdoor cultivation in community growth boundaries; limits plant numbers on parcels larger than one acre outside of community growth boundaries to six mature or 12 immature plants; prevents grows on vacant parcels; limits indoor grows to 100 square feet or less; keeps outdoor cultivation 1,000 feet from schools, parks or other facilities serving children, and 100 feet from water bodies; offers quicker abatement; and makes the Lake County Sheriff's Office responsible for enforcement. But last month, the Community Alliance to Ban Illegal Cannabis Cultivation submitted substantially more than enough signatures to force a vote. This will be the third referendum the county has faced on medical marijuana rules.

Also on Tuesday, Fresno County supervisors voted to close a loophole in their county-wide cultivation ban. The most recent ban ordinance had neglected to cover cultivation in areas zoned for manufacturing, but the board eliminated that oversight Tuesday. Medical marijuana advocates say they're not giving up their fight. They already are gathering signatures for a referendum to overturn the bans. Fresno Cannabis has a petition on its website and needs 20,130 signatures by Thursday to halt the ban until county supervisors reverse their vote or a countywide election is held.

Last Thursday and Friday, San Bernardino County police raided dispensaries in Needles as part of a bistate enforcement operation with Arizona authorities. They seized 445 pounds of medical marijuana. The cops said people were using fake California patient IDs to purchase marijuana when they weren't California residents, and that some dispensary operators actually resided in Arizona.

Also on Tuesday, Tuolumne County supervisors scrapped an ordinance that would have banned dispensaries and outdoor grows. The unanimous decision came after the planning commission voted 6-1 to table its plan after dozens of citizens showed up to speak against the ordinance -- and none spoke for it.

Delaware

On Tuesday, state officials finalized regulations for a single dispensary. The Marijuana Policy Project has complained that it is limited to growing 150 plants, "too few to meet patients' needs," the group says. But the governor and the Department of Health and Human Services are refusing to remove the cap.

Guam

Last Saturday, the Guam Senate voted to put medical marijuana before the voters. The bill must still be signed (or at least not vetoed) by the governor before it heads to the ballot. Bill sponsor Sen. Tina Muna Barnes amended an earlier version of the measure to allow for a popular vote after hearing demands for it during debate in recent weeks.

Michigan

Last Friday, a key legislator said he was blocking medical marijuana bills. One bill would allow for dispensaries, while the other would allow for edibles. But Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe) said he would block any movement. "I'm going to sit on them for awhile," he said. "We don't want this ballot initiative to take over. I believe a vast majority of people who voted for it believed we were talking about prescription type of marijuana. Unless it's a real strict distribution system, we're not going to take a chance. At this point, I'm not in favor of dispensaries."

New Mexico

Last Friday, a Santa Fe man filed suit against the Department of Health claiming it has refused to issue him a cultivation license. Mark Springer, owner of Medical Marijuana, Inc., is seeking to force the department to reopen the application period for eligible marijuana growers and permit them to grow more of the plant.

Utah

On Monday, a bill that would allow the use of CBD cannabis oil for epileptic kids was filed at the state house in Salt Lake City. Introduced by Rep. Gage Froerer (R-Ogden), House Bill 100 amends Utah law to allow people to possess the hemp oil extract and give it to minors without being charged with violating the state's controlled substances laws. The bill also requires the Utah Department of Health to issue parents a 'hemp extract registration card' to bring the cannabis oil across state lines into Utah.

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