Marijuana Compassion & Common Sense: Recent Episodes
Marijuana Compassion Common Sense
The world of marijuana comes to life with news, views, interviews, humor, music, events and cultivation information hosted by Lanny Swerdlow, RN
The Anza Valley is a beautiful and idyllic sparsely populated locale nestled in the Santa Rosa Mountains 40 miles southwest of Palm Springs and 90 miles northeast of San Diego. Long a small agricultural community with an ideal climate and rural location, it has for many years been a mecca for cannabis cultivation. With the advent of Prop. 64, many of the growers there have sought to legitimize their endeavors through inclusion in Riverside County's newly developed commercial cultivation ordinance, but have been thwarted by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.
Not letting a murder investigation that had begun in the area on Tuesday evening interfere, approximately 80 search warrants were served on cannabis cultivators on Wednesday, June 5. With a staging area established at the local Hamilton High School in the unincorporated town of Anza, over 600 personnel including deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's office, Army National Guard, Code Enforcement and Animal Control and other public safety agencies swarmed over the rural area serving warrants, confiscating crops and arresting local residents
Presenting a fascinating history of cannabis cultivation in the Anza Valley and insights into a community divided, Edison Gomez, Jesse Carroll and Jacob Baird from the High Country Growers Association provide a first-hand account of the raid including why it happened, how the raid was conducted, who was affected and the how community is coming together to deal with its aftermath.
By 2025 the global legal cannabis market is expected to reach USD $146.4 billion! For a legal cannabis business to thrive and succeed, it must build its network! Help is on the way as Collective Strategies, Social Equity LA, the California Cannabis Coalition and Eaze are sponsoring the inaugural State of Cannabiz - 2019 Legislative Update & B2B Expo, on Saturday April 13, 2019 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa Street Los Angeles CA, 90015, 10 am – 4 pm.
This show features Luis Rivera and Adriana Gomez the creators and producers of the State of Cannabis Expo a powerpacked line up of speakers, panels and presentations with 500+ licensed cultivators, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, service providers and government representatives.
Luis Rivera is the Founder and CEO of Collective Strategies, which is committed to promoting fairness, justice, opportunity, and equity in the design and implementation of cannabis related public policy, enforcement and in the economic and workforce opportunities.
As a licensed Cannabis Event Organizer with the State of California, Mr. Rivera promotes the responsible advancement of the legal cannabis economy and marketplace by working with the industry, small businesses, and local municipalities and authorities to coordinate professional, business and consumer expo’s, policy summits and conferences, festivals, concerts and community events as well as other public and private events.
Adriana Gomez, is a Gates Millennium Scholarship recipient and a graduated of UCLA with a Political Science Bachelor’s Degree. Adriana Co-Founded Social Equity LA in 2018, which is an online and in-person platform that provides free, accurate and timely information on legislation, enforcement efforts, and the economic and workforce opportunities in the cannabis industry for individuals that qualify for the Social Equity programs in Los Angeles and throughout California.
Tokin' Women is a must-read book that presents amazing descriptions of amazing women who over the last 4,000 years have been been consumers and purveyors of cannabis starting with ancient goddesses right up to the film goddesses of today.
Elaborately researched, delightfully written and colorfully illustrated, author Nola Evangelista, seeks to counter today's male dominated marijuana culture by infusing the spirit of women along with the freedom to enjoy this most celebrated herb. From ancient goddesses to the film goddesses of today, Tokin' Women reveals the story of over 50 remarkable women and their intimate connection to the world of cannabis.
Our interview is with Ellen Komp, Assistant Executive Director of California NORML, who has chosen the pseudonym Nola Evangelista to be the listed author of the book. Discussing why she wrote the book, the work that went into research and its relevance to the current age where marijuana is once again reclamining its rightful place alongside humanitym, Ellen will explain why the loss of domination by women in human culture has conincided with the suprression of healing herbs and plants like cannabis.
A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge has eviscerated an ordaninance enacted by the city of Fontana that was so onerous and resitrictive that it was effectively a defacto ban. In the two years it was in force, not one single resident applied for a permit to cultivate the six plants indoors as permitted under Prop. 64.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of Fontana resident Micheal Harris by the Drug Policy Alliance and the ACLU contended that the ordinance contradicts state law, sets unreasonable personal conduct and growing space restrictions and charges an arbitrarily high fee to obtain and renew a permit.
That the intent of the Fontana ordiance was to restrict rather then regulate was made clear in January when City Manager Ken Hunt told council members “It is our intent behind this that this ordinance is not a permissive regulation, it is a restrictive regulation, By adopting this, you are placing more restrictions on the personal growth of marijuana.”
Judge Cohn agreed the ordinance was too restrictive and was not "reasonable" as required by Prop. 64. Among the many provisions the judged tossed included the need to have a separate room for growing, paying for fingerprinting/background checks, having no felony convictions within the previous five years, having no outstanding payments due to the city, obtaining a landlord’s permission to grow as well as the permitting fee itself.
Mike Harris, the victorious plaintiff in the lawsuit, whose appearance on the previous show explained the background of the ordinance and the lawsuit, now illuminates what happened during the trial on Oct. 5, the arguements made by the attorneys from BB&K on behalf of Fontana, the arugements put forth by his lawyers and the subsequent rulling by Judge Cohn invalidating most of the ordinance.
What it all means is explained with an analysis of what is expected next.
Prior to the passage of Prop. 64 many cities had banned all medical marijuana patient cultivation indoor as well as outdoor. Prop. 64 continues to allow cities to ban outdoor cultivation but prohibits them from banning indoor cultivation. Although Prop. 64 allows cities to enact "reasonable" regulations on indoor cultivation, many cities have enacted onerous regulations that amount to a defacto ban.
The city of Fontana was one of the cities enacting regulations requiring permiting fees of over $400, allowing police, fire and code inspectors to inspect a homeowners premises at any time, enacting elaborate and expenisve code requirments and more. The ACLU has filed suit against Fontana alleging that the regulation are onerous and unreasonable.
Mike Harris is an Inland Empire marijuana activist living in Fontana. He is the plaintiff in the suit agasint the city and their personal cultivation ordinance. On the program Mike explains the basis for the lawsuit, the onerous regulations enacted by Fontana, the strategy being employed by ACLU attorneys and the ramifications of the court action.
Pat Harris is an unapologetic progressive running for US Senate from the State of California in the 2018 election against incumbent, Dianne Feinstein. His platform calls for building more affordable housing to address homelessness, providing student debt relief, improving public education, upgrading our crumbling infrastructure with increased public works spending, implementing paid parental leave for all working men and women, and supporting common-sense gun safety legislation.
And yes it includes promoting marijuana legalization and removing the barriers to the implementation of Prop. 64 so that access is available throughout California safely, reliably, locally and affordably.
He believes that by bringing all voices to the table, including those of cannabis consumers and producers, a truly progressive agenda can be forged that will benefit the vast majority of Californians.
Pat grew up in a middle class family in a small farming community in Arkansas. He graduated from the University of Arkansas where he was awarded the J. William Fulbright Award as the outstanding history student. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist in the state of Arkansas. In 1993, he graduated with a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
For the past 23 years, Pat has practiced law, first in Tennessee as a public defender, later working in private practice as a criminal defense attorney, and most recently as a civil rights attorney. where he represented Hispanic, Black and Armenian minority communities against cases involving excessive force, wrongful death, and false imprisonment involving law enforcement.
He has never backed down from fighting the establishment and has a proven-track record of winning difficult battles, including taking on the Catholic Church over the abuse of children.
Rick Doblin, Ph.D. founded the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in 1986. He is now the Executive Director of an organization that studies and extols the role of psychedelics and marijuana in science, medicine, therapy, spirituality, culture, and policy.
Doblin has paid his dues and deserves to be listened too. He received his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he wrote his dissertation on the regulation of the medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana and his Master's Thesis on a survey of oncologists about smoked marijuana vs. the oral THC pill in nausea control for cancer patients.
His undergraduate thesis at New College of Florida was a 25-year follow-up to the classic Good Friday Experiment which evaluated the potential of psychedelic drugs to catalyze religious experiences. He also conducted a thirty-four year follow-up study to Timothy Leary’s Concord Prison Experiment. which administered psilocybin based meds to 32 prisoners in an effort to reduce recidivism.
His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana, primarily as prescription medicines but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people, and eventually to become a legally licensed psychedelic therapist.
MAPS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the use of psychedelics and marijuana. Using science to find solutions to mental health crises, MAPS is doing groundbreaking research into the development of psychedelic medicines to help heal people who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other conditions using psychedelic medicines.
When it comes to marijuana, living in the south can be very dangerous. Georgia reflects that danger but change is afoot as Atlanta GA decriminalized marijuana possession in October 2017. Leading the charge to reform Georgia's draconian marijuana laws is Peachtree NORML battling for common sense marijuana laws where few dare to tread.
Dean Sines is the fearless Deputy Director of Peachtree NORML and has been involved for years working to end marijuana prohibition. On this special segment of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense, Dean speaks out about the current law in GA today, the political environment regarding changing the law, NORML's role in Atlanta's recent decriminalization of marijuana, how easily is marijuana available, what is being done to change the law, what Peachtree NORML is up to and a few more intriguing tidbits about life in the deep south.
Robert Mikos is one of the nation’s leading experts on federalism and drug law. His most recent scholarship analyzes the struggle among federal, state, and local governments for control of marijuana law and policy. In that vein, he has written, testified, and lectured on the states’ constitutional authority to legalize marijuana, federal preemption of state marijuana regulations, the political and budgetary considerations that limit enforcement of the federal marijuana ban, federal law’s influence on state regulation and taxation of the marijuana industry, and the desirability of marijuana localism.
His soon-to-be published and first of its kind law school textbook Marijuana Law, Policy, and Authority is written to be accessible to a broad audience -- i.e., not just lawyers and law students. Mr. Mikos discusses how marijuana law made it to law school, how it differs from other product laws, discusses the evolution of marijuana law, how big the field is expected to become and how other attorneys and his peers view marijuana law as a legitimate legal field.
Professor Mikos has taught at the University of California at Davis, where he was twice nominated for the school’s Distinguished Teaching Award, as well as at Notre Dame and the University of Michigan. He teaches courses in Federalism, Constitutional Law, Marijuana Law and Policy, Federal Criminal Law, and Drug Law and Policy.
Marijuana law may be obtuse, complex and even absurd, but after listening to Mr. Mikos, it might make a smidgen of sense.
For the last 75 years, attorneys have made a very good living defending people accused of a broad variety of marijuana crimes. With the advent of legalization, will these attorneys have to look elsewhere for cleints? On this podcast, one of the most experienced and knowledgeable attorneys on marijuana law takes a look at what marijuana legalization means for lawyers.
Bruce Margolin is a dedicated criminal defense attorney who successfully defended his clients against all types of accusations from marijuana to murder. For more than 40 years Mr. Margolin has successfully pursued justice on his clients’ behalf and defended their rights to be free of illegal searches and their rights that assure a fair trial.
With almost 50 years of courtroom experience in defending persons accused of an extensive variety of crimes, he has specialized in marijuana and drug cases successfully defending more marijuana cases than any other attorney in the country. He has written one of the most comprehensive and easy to read explanations of the California and Federal Marijuana laws that exists today, The Margolin Guide to Marijuana Laws.
Additionally he has served as the Director of the Los Angeles Chapter of NORML since 1973 and has been a candidate for Governor of California and U.S. Congress. Mr. Margolin has been selected numerous times to the list of California Super Lawyers and designated Criminal Defense Attorney of the Year. He has been actively involved in legislative reform initiatives, bar associations and other professional organizations.
Now that Prop. 64 has passed legalizing the adult use of marijuana, the hard work of implementing and defending the newly won rights to access marijuana safely, reliably, locally and affordably needs to be undertaken. The Drug Policy Alliance, the organization behind the coordination of the successful passage of Prop. 64 as well as Prop. 215, is working to fully implement Prop. 64 and is developing a strategy to overcome the obstacles being erected by a politically powerful consortium of elected officials, government bureaucrats and police agencies.
Cat Packer, California Policy Coordinator for the Drug Policy Alliance will reveal, discuss and explain what is happening in government backrooms on the local, state and federal level, the strategy for defeating local defacto bans on marijuana cultivation, kicking legislative butts to implement Prop. 64, mitigate the disaster found in the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act and what to expect from the Trump Administration and AG Sessions and the nationwide development of coalitions to oppose them.
As California Policy Coordinator for the Drug Policy Alliance, Packer advocates for industry diversity and reinvestment in communities most harmed by marijuana prohibition. Prior to joining DPA, Packer served as the Campaign Coordinator for Californians for Responsible Marijuana Reform, Drug Policy Action’s social justice driven campaign in support of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act.
Packer also has participated in marijuana reform efforts in Ohio where she served as the Deputy Director of Central Ohio NORML and participated in the 2015 legalization effort. Packer is an alumna of The Ohio State University where she received a Bachelor’s in Political Science, a Master’s in Public Policy & Management and a Juris Doctor.
Fighting AIDS, drug addiction, kidney failure and more, Tom Place knew life was coming to an end. Then he discovered cannabis and it changed and saved his life. Tom’s story is as inspiring as it is informative at he takes his first person experiences at obtaining real results using cannabis for serious problems like chronic pain, cancer, diabetes, AIDS as well as neurological & autoimmune disorders.
Taking an honest but somewhat unorthodox look at using cannabis, Tom will discuss how to get healthy without getting high, what types of products give the best results, how to get the right dose and most importantly how to save money.
Tom has developed a tincture marketed under the Grandpa Tom label that many patients have found to be extremely beneficial.
Aimee Warner is the organizer of Women of Weed, a Washington based private social club that empowers women to get involved in the cannabis industry and to be open and proud of their cannabis use. She is also the founder of Cannabis Basics, a company manufacturing body care products infused with hemp seed oil that may be the first marijuana company to get a THC cannabis-based health and beauty product line on the shelves of mainline retail stores.
Initiative 502, the voter approved law that legalized the use of marijuana for anyone over 21, didn’t fit her business model, so she lobbied Washington state lawmakers for an exception and succeeded in getting an amendment to House Bill 2136 through the legislature last year that would allow her products to be sold in stores not licensed to sell marijuana.
Aimee also works with cannabisnursesmagazine.com and the American Cannabis Nurses Association.
Recent studies have shown that for many patients, especially for those treating pain, lower doses of marijuana may be more effective than higher doses. The science behind dosing, strain selection and the therapeutic benefits of marijuana is explored by Dr. Allan Frankel, one of the world's leading authoritie on dosed cannaibs medicine.
With over 35 years experience in Internal Medicine, Dr. Frankel applies his knowledge of all aspects of the cannabis plant and its therapeutic value to the treatment of multiple serious medical conditions. Determining proper dosing for each individual patient is critical and Dr. Frankel explains his procedures for making dosing recommendations.
Dr. Frankel has presented multiple CME accredited Grand Rounds lectures on internal medicine and therapies in medical cannabis. He has also participated in round table discussions on the topic of future therapies and research for medical cannabis sponsored by the California Medical Association and the Los Angeles County Medical Association.
In addition to graduating second in his class from the UCLA School of Medicine, he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honors society. For 3 years, Dr. Frankel was selected by his peers as one of LA magazines “Top Internists”. He was a Clinical Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, for eighteen years.
Dr. Frankel is the founder of GreenlifeDocs and is the CEO of GreenBridge Medical Services, Inc.
Marijuana law reform doesn’t stop at the states, but is being vigorously pursued in the United States Congress. Legislation preventing the Department of Justice from enforcing federal marijuana law in states with medical marijuana and recreational marijuana regulations have been in place successfully for several years. Congress recently passed bills allowing VA doctors to provide medical marijuana recommendations, Senate committees have called for more research, descheduling and rescheduling bills are being debated and even legislation to allow marijuana businesses to have access to banking services have been introduced.
The number and increasing scope of these bills would have been unimaginable a few years ago. A few stalwart and brave legislators are responsible for most of these bills, but there is also considerable pushback from legislators appalled at the idea of marijuana coming out of the shadows. Like many other issues such as global warning, campaign finance reform, voting rights and immigration policy, marijuana law reform has become an issue separating Democrats and Republicans.
To explain the dizzying pace of marijuana law reform, what has happened, how it is happening and the politics behind it all is this show’s featured guest, Paul Armentano, Deputy Director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, and a Senior Policy Advisor at Freedom Leaf, Inc aka The Marijuana Company. Paul is the author of over 750 publications, scholarly and/or peer-reviewed journals, as well as in more than two dozen textbooks and anthologies. Mr. Armentano is the 2013 Freedom Law School Health Freedom Champion of the Year and the 2013 Alfred R. Lindesmith award recipient in the achievement in the field of scholarship.
The long awaited and much anticipated UN General Assembly’s Special Session on Drugs came in with a bang and went out with a whimper. Drug law reformers were looking to use this Special Session to develop a new direction using harm reduction protocols and doctors, nurses and social workers for dealing with drugs rather than the criminal justice system with their cops, attorneys and prison guards.
The cops won.
What lead up to the Special Session, what happened at the Special Session, what were the results of the Special Session and what comes next after the Special Session will be discussed and reviewed by Michael Krawitz, Director and Founder of Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access and Dale Gieringer, Director of CaNORML.
Krawitz and Gieringer were in attendance at the Special Session participating with hundreds of other NGOs and drug law reform advocates. Hear their eye-witness reports on the ground-level action and interactions as Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense TAKES YOU THERE.
In Florida, it seems that the majority doesn’t rule. In 2014 Florida had a medical marijuana initiative on the ballot. Even though it obtained 58% of the vote, Florida law requires an initiative to obtain a super-majority of 60% to become law.
As recent polling shows that over 70% of Floridians support the legalization of Medical Marijuana, the proponents are back at it again and they just might upend Florida politics as usual in the process.
The United For Care Campaign is run by People United for Medical Marijuana (PUFMM) – an organization formed by Kim Russell, whose grandmother – ill with glaucoma – would not break the law, despite the medical benefits that marijuana could offer her condition.
Kim is still very involved leading the effort working alongside PUFMM Chairman John Morgan, one of the state’s most influential attorneys and activists for the rights of individuals.
The shows guest is Ben Pollara, campaign manager for United for Care, the organization working to approve medical marijuana in Florida. A veteran in Florida political affairs and advocacy, Ben has been involved in Democratic politics in Florida since 2002 and serves as a member of Hillary Clinton’s National Finance Committee. Ben is a partner at LSN Partners, a consulting firm in Miami, FL that provides advice and counsel in the areas of government affairs, government procurement, business development, and communications.
What happened in 2014 and what was learned to conduct a campaign in 2016 will be discussed. The likelihood of success and the role that a medical marijuana initiative will play in Florida’s Presidential campaign as well as other elective offices in the November election will be examined.
Judge James Gray is a retired California Superior Court judge from Orange County. In 2012, he was the Libertarian Party's Vice-Presidential nominee running with Presidential Candidate former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson.
The Republican Party is tearing itself apart over Donald Trump's hostile takeover of the Republican Party's presidential campaign. It seems to have devolved into Trump's bitter white people vs. Cruz's Christian white fundamentalists. Could a sizeable segment of Republicans rebel against what the Republican Party has become and defect to the Libertarian Party?
Judge Gray will take a jaundice look at the Republican presidential candidates and what is happening to the Republican Party. He will also offer comments on the Democratic Presidential race.
Judge Gray will lay out the Libertarian's plan for the 2016 Presidential elections including views on marijuana legalization, school choice, a surprising call for a guaranteed minimum income and the Party’s push to be a part of the Presidential debates. They need to get 15% of voters in national polls to select Gary Johnson as their candidate of choice in order to be included in the debate.
Gardner received his bachelor's degree from Harvard in 1963. He is, a songwriter, an author and a freelance journalist. He was the Public Information Officer for San Francisco District Attorney's Terence Hallinan.
In April 1970, Gardner worked as a stage manager for Free The Army (FTA) with actors Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland. This travelling road show for soldiers was meant to counter USO shows put on by Bob Hope. Gardner is a frequent contributor to CounterPunch.
In 2003, Gardner launched O'Shaughnessy's Journal of Cannabis in Clinical Practice, a journal in which doctors of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, monitoring cannabis use by patients could share their findings and observations, and be kept abreast of relevant scientific and political developments. In 2010 Gardner and Martin Lee founded Project CBD, a California-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting and publicizing research into the medical uses of CBD oil derrived from cannabis.
Interspersed with tales of O'Shughnessy's and Project CBD, Fred talks about and sings his favorite orginal songs from his new CD.
The Cornbread Mafia is the story of a multi-facted homegrown marijuana syndicate, their code of silence and the largest marijuana bust in American History. It’s an amazing tale of a band of Kentucky Farmers descended from Prohibition-era moonshiners versus the "War on Drugs." On this episode author James Higdon takes listeners back to the 1970s and 80s and the clash between federal and local enforcement and Kentucky Farmers with moonshine, pride and Catholicism in their bloodlines.
Part history lesson part hillbilly noir, The Cornbread Mafia is to marijuana what Ken Burn’s Prohibition was to alcohol.
James Higdon has worked for the Courier-Journal in Louisville and the New York Times, contributed to The Prairie Home Companion, researched the NYPD counter-terrorism and intelligence divisions and is currently a contributing editor with PBS Frontline’s Tehran Bureau. As a native of Kentucky, he grew up with the folk heroes of The Cornbread Mafia. He lives in Lebanon, Kentucky and Brooklyn, New York.
This extraordinary episode of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense features Nathan Coombs, founder and director of The Autism & Compassionate Care Connection, an Inland Empire based medical cannabis collective founded by parents of children with autism.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder that appears within the first 3 years of life most commonly affecting communication and social skills. The cause of the disorder is not known but is linked to abnormal brain chemistry.
In 2000 researchers at the University of California at Irvine discovered that the way marijuana interacts with the brain could be used to treat autism.
Mr. Coombs will discuss this research and how his collective helps individuals with autism increasine their self-awareness and quality of life by providing high-quality strains of medical cannabis that is specifically cultivated and processed to meet the individual needs of Autistic children.
Mr. Coombs credentials include a Master’s degree in Special Education from California State University San Bernardino, a Bachelor’s degree in Business from California State University Fullerton, credentialed in teaching Children with Moderate Disabilities, certified for Special Education Advocacy and is currently working on obtaining a Doctoral degree in Teaching and Learning from Azusa Pacific University.
Mr. Coombs will provide information on Cannabis for Autism Conference featuring Dr. Lester Grinspoon, Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Greenspoon, a pioneering investigator into the medical efficacy of marijuana, has authored more than 140 articles in scientific journals and twelve books, including Marijuana Reconsidered and Marijuana, The Forbidden Medicine.
The plight of people imprisoned for non-violent marijuana offenses and how marijuana legalization initiatives and legislation gives them short shrift will be explained, examined and excoriated by Amos Irwin, Chief of Staff of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation and Assistant Training Director for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.
The Criminal Justice Policy Foundation (CJPF) mission is to educate the public about the impact of drug policy on the criminal justice system. With marijuana legalization on the ascendency throughout the U.S., CJPF is providing leadership and advocacy for rational and realistic legalization policies. They are not a showy organization, but work quietly and effectively to devise new strategies to reform American drug policy.
Amos Irwin recently authored an article in the Huffington Post entitled The People the Pot Laws Forgot which eloquently and authoritatively calls for the release of non-violent marijuana offenders and the development of procedures to expunge criminal records relating to most convictions relating to marijuana use or distribution.
On this episode of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense Amos will speak about why he left his position at Tufts University to devote his full-time to reforming our nation’s drug laws as well as explain the programs CJPF is undertaking to legalize marijuana and end the War on Drugs. Hear it all plus host Lanny Swerdlow’s snarky-but-accurate take on current happenings and events and to bring compassion and common sense to marijuana.
California’s Pot Power Couple headline this captivating episode of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense. Having first meet in 1981 and tying the knot in 1991, Chris Conrad and Mikki Norris have been a driving force in reform of marijuana laws.
Chris is an internationally recognized expert and consultant on industrial hemp, commercial, religious, personal and medical cannabis use. Mikki formed the Cannabis Consumers Campaign to change the image of cannabis consumers, banish the stigma, end marijuana prohibition and help get people out of prison.
Chris has published landmark books including Hemp: Lifeline to the Future, Hemp for Health and the celebrated research monograph, Cannabis Yields and Dosage. In 1990 Chris worked with the legendary Jack Herer to design and edit Herer’s landmark best-seller, The Emperor Wears No Clothes. In preparation for the marijuana legalization just around the corner, Chris will discuss his newest book, The Newbies Guide to Cannabis.
Their foray into the drug war and human rights resulted in their collaborative publication of Shattered Lives: Portraits from America’s Drug War. In 1993 they designed and curated Amsterdam’s Hash Marihuana and Hemp Museum.Presenting lectures throughout the United States and Europe, they have been recognized for their activism and leadership in the cannabis reform movement with awards from NORML, Lindesmith/Drug Policy Foundation, The HIA, Seattle Hempfest, Best of the Bay (SF Bay Guardian), Oaksterdam University, and by Prisoners of the Drug War.
This extraordinary show featuring this extraordinary couple airs their nuanced views on the drug war, legalization initiatives, the recently concluded Drug Reform Conference plus what else is ongoing in the lives of America's premiere Pot Power Couple
Michael Grahn is an attorney facing a constitutionally fraught legal quagmire as he defends Nestdrop, a medical marijuana delivery app that helps patients locate medical marijuana. Although the company doesn’t handle or distribute marijuana, it links patients directly to legally sanctioned dispensaries that will deliver the marijuana to the patient. It is kind of like an app that allows customers to purchase takeout food online and connects them to restaurants that does the actual delivery. In December 2014, Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer filed a lawsuit against Nestdrop, arguing that the app violates Proposition D, the voter-approved measure that placed restrictions on pot shops operating in the city. Feuer contended that the city-wide measure bars any type of medical marijuana delivery and that Nestdrop violates Prop. D by facilitating these illegal deliveries. Feuer won the first battle when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert O’Brien ordered the company to cease providing the service. The battle between Nestdrop and the city now goes to a state appellate court where attorney Grahn will be filling a motion seeking to lift the judge's order barring its operations in L.A. while the appeal drags on. Attorney Grahn has worked extensively in criminal defense and civil litigation and as the show’s featured guest, he takes a very nuanced view of the legal proceedings. In terms easily understandable, he will explain the city’s tortured reasoning behind its lawsuit against Nestdrop, why it is unconstitutional, why the city’s lawsuit may not be a free speech violation and how Prop. D is being totally misinterpreted.
Lynette Shaw has scored a major victory for all medical marijuana patients in her fight to keep her medical marijuana dispensary open and tells us all about it and how it affected her life on this special edition of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense.
In 1997, Lynette opened the U.S.A.’s first legal licensed medical marijuana dispensary in Fairfax California. With the town’s blessings, she operated her medical marijuana dispensary with no problems until U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, as part of a 2011 federal crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries in Northern California, obtained a federal injunction to close her dispensary.
Never willing to back down she fought back and on October 19, 2015 she won a precedent setting ruling that has the potential to impact federal actions against medical marijuana laws throughout the country.
The federal injunction was lifted by US District Court Judge Charles Breyer, the same judge that had imposed the injunction, citing that the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment to the Congressional Appropriations Act of 2014 prevented the expenditure of any money by the Dept. of Justice against medical marijuana dispensaries that are compliant with state and local law.
Judge Breyer’s ruling is a major setback for the Department of Justice and has the potential to end federal prosecution of every medical marijuana dispensary that is operating legally everywhere in the United States.
Lynette will talk about the ruling, the resulting storm of nationwide publicity, how it has affected her life and what her plans are now that she is free to go ahead and reopen her dispensary.
Believing they were protected under state law, the Kettle Falls Five are medical marijuana patients in a remote area of eastern Washington. Four are family members and the other is a family friend. All had medical cards and were legally growing 44 plants. At the instigation of local police, they were arrested by the DEA in August 2012. They have undergone a torturous and unfair federal prosecution that has pitted their friend against the family.
Rolland Gregg, his wife Michelle Gregg, and his mother Rhonda Firestack-Harvey were prosecuted and sentenced in federal court earlier this month for terms from one to two years. Their friend, Jason Zucker, threatened with 20 or more years in prison, took a plea bargain, testified against them and received a 16 month sentence. Larry Harvey, the family’s patriarch, had his case dismissed due to his status as a terminal cancer patient. He died before the trial concluded.
Chris Brown, Press Secretary for Americans for Safe Access, has participated in this ongoing case and as the show’s guest will provide details of the horrors undergone by the Kettle Falls Five. Chris clearly believes “This case is exactly the type of wasteful and misguided use of the federal government’s prosecutorial powers that Congress has moved to rein in with the Rohrabacher-Farr Medical Cannabis Amendment.”
Chris will provide the history of the case, the despicable ploys utilized by federal prosecutors, what happened in the federal courtroom, the resulting convictions and the appeal that is underway along with information on the petition to President Obama to put an end to this malicious and perverse prosecution.
Chris will also review how the Congressional laws that should have prevented this travesty of justice from happening are being ignored with impunity.
Drug Policy Reform may seem like an unusual avocation for a retired career CIA employee, but Richard Kennedy’s tenure and subsequent endeavors make for a most intriguing episode of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense.
Working for 31 years as a CIA economic analyst concentrating on Western Europe with later work in Poland, Hungary and Turkey including a stint with a select group of Aegean experts in the Office of Russian and European Analysis until he retired in 2003, Kennedy did not hide his belief that current U.S. drug policy was a failure speaking out at agency meetings including his post-retirement party where he was awarded the CIA's Career Intelligence Medal.
After retiring his continuing interest in drug policy led him to involvement with MPP and NORML in Washington D.C. eventually becoming a dedicated activist with Virginia NORML.
On this exceptional episode of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense, Mr. Kennedy will discuss the CIA’s role in shaping and enforcing drug policy and how it has influenced his current work to end marijuana prohibition and change the course of American drug policy.
Even with cannabis friendly Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, Orange County is not a friendly county for medical marijuana. Bans, moratoriums and police actions seem to rule the day but fighting mightily for the rights of patients is Marla and David James. From early advocacy with OCNORML to national notoriety when arrested and insulted by cops at a dispensary in Santa Ana, the James will tell all on this revealing episode of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense.
The James are patients who understand the importance of the availability of marijuana for their health and the health of others and they are willing to work for it. Although not exactly working in the background, their hard and successful work had gained little attention outside Orange County circles until they were arrested by police at a Santa Ana dispensary.
Unbeknownst to the cops, they were videotaped by a secret surveillance system and the video of them during the raid eating marijuana brownies and talking about how they would like to kick Marla James’ amputated leg went viral resulting in stories from the L.A. Tmes to the Washington Times. Arrested with 11 other patients and volunteers, the James provide insider details on what happened that fateful day and how the whole incident has backfired on the cops and the city of Santa Ana.
Although California’s revolutionary Prop. 215 legalizing marijuana for medical uses was passed in 1996, it has essentially been unregulated. That has all changed with the passage of three bills in the California legislature that has established strict licensing and regulating requirements.
There has been much disagreement between medical marijuana activists and patients on whether these bills are good or bad. This edition of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense brings together two lawyers and a seasoned mmj activist who will present their views on these bills and how they will affect patients.
William Panzer is a California attorney based in Oakland who has been involved in the marijuana law reform movement for over 25 years. A proponent and co-author of Prop. 215, Mr. Panzer has argued precedent setting medical marijuana cases throughout California.
Debbie Tharp is a professional initiative petition signature organizer and specializes in marijuana related initiatives. She has been active in many local initiative campaigns succeeding in placing initiatives on many ballots. As a medical marijuana patient herself she has been very active in the political process and has interacted with activists and legislators.
Mara Felsen is a San Diego attorney and medical marijuana patient who has been active in both the legal defense and in advocating for medical marijuana patients. An expert in constitutional, criminal and administrative law, she has been following the recent legislation and will provide her expert opinion on how the new law will impact patients.
Get the lowdown on AB 266 from the experts plus expert cultivation advice from Uncle Ronie on the best radio show on the Internet to kick back and light up with - Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense.
Robyn Griggs Lawrence helped introduce mainstream America to sustainable lifestyles and healthy homes with Natural Home magazine. Now she’s educating people about how to safely prepare and imbibe organic, sustainably grown cannabis for health and wellbeing through The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook, a collection of advice and recipes from America’s top cannabis chefs.
Robyn will share her passions for cooking and cannabis and how the two intertwine to help people lead fuller, healthier and environmentally viable lives.
Chef Fred aka Frederick Nesbitt III has been a personal chef for Arnold Schwarznegger and other media stars, but now his passion is cooking with cannabis. “The recipes that I have crafted over the years have been a work of art in the meshing of the cannabis extracts and gourmet cuisine.”
Sharing his passion for cooking with cannabis, Chef Fred will chat about preparing gourmet cannabis infused meals and snacks and provide an insider’s look at the first ever International Medicinal Cannabis Cooking Competition.
Butte County is in a turmoil over marijuana with growing and water use inflaming passions on all sides. Measure A, a voter passed initiative, limits grows in unincorporated Butte County of a half-acre or less to an indoor only growing area of no more than 120 square feet and in larger properties to indoor or outdoor growing areas ranging from 50 square feet for parcels less than 5 acres to 150 square feet for lots 10 acres or larger.
A letter to the local newspaper claimed “Marijuana’s high water demands deplete wells. Growers divert water and transport it to stay afloat until harvest season.” Encouraging residents to report marijuana grows to county officials, the letter concluded that “A dedicated team of code enforcement officers make site inspections to ensure compliance. Butte County sheriff’s deputies accompany them to assure safety.”
To find out what is going on in Butte County, hear from Butte Co. Code Enforcement officer Chris Jellison and attorney Scott Candell who filed a lawsuit to have Measure A overturned.
Mr. Jellison will explain how complaints are made, how many complaints are being investigated, how they respond to them, the dangers involved in investigating the complaints and their role in managing water use by marijuana cultivators.
Attorney Candell will discuss the legal situation in Butte County, how Measure A is affecting patient access, what is being done to overcome the restrictions in Measure A and whether the drought issue is a red herring.
As the Vice-Presidential candidate for the 3rd largest political party in the United States, Judge James Gray is a voice that is heard across the nation. The issues raised in his best-selling book Why the Drug War Has Failed and What We Can Do About It have become an avocation that impacts everything he does since ending his 25 years of service as a California Superior Court judge.
On this special edition of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense heard at www.blogtalkradio.com/marijuananews Judge Gray traces his evolution from a government prosecutor to a vice-presidential candidate. Along the way there are discussions on how events in his life led him to make ending the War on Drugs a major focus of his efforts. From the drug wars almost comedic absurdities to the tragic and senseless loss of human life, Judge Gray provides solutions and insights with a rational and humane perspective.
With the heat soaring into triple digits in many areas, Uncle Ronie’s Cultivation Corner explains how to protect your plants with proper watering and containers.
In 1991 Lynette began distributing marijuana to patients with Dennis Peron at his legendary Compassion Club in San Francisco. After the passage of Prop. 215, she began working with the Chief of Police of Fairfax, eventually opening in 1997 the first legal licensed medical marijuana dispensary anywhere in the world.
With the town’s blessings, she operated her medical marijuana dispensary with no problems until she was targeted by the Department of Justice. Fighting asset forfeiture all the way to the Supreme Court, she was eventually forced to close the club and had all her assets seized including her social security benefits.
Even though the town of Fairfax wants her to reopen, she is still prevented by court order from opening a new dispensary. She is now going back to Federal Court attempting to have the injunction dissolved.
Before getting involved with medical marijuana, Lynette had dropped out of college and went to Hollywood hoping to be discovered for her singing talents. For three months she was a backup singer with the Blues Brothers and was slated to sign a contract with them when John Belushi died of a heroin overdose.
As Lynette had provided marijuana to the band, she was suspected of being an accessory in his death and became the focal point of a murder investigation that was eventually dropped.
Lynette had a “blues epiphany” in 2006 and went back to her musical roots in blues and rock and roll eventually releasing a CD in 2003 with her new group the Bluesetta Band. Entitled 4 Pot Peace, the album contains 10 original songs, every one of them about marijuana.
On the show, we will be talking with Lynette about her work in the early days of the movement and the trials and tribulations that led up to her current court battles. Plus we will be chatting about her musical career, the Blue Brothers moments and play some cuts from her 2003 CD 4 Pot Peace.
Had someone told Cheri Sicard back in back in 1996, when California’s Prop 215 first legalized marijuana for medicinal use, that she would become entrenched in the cannabis movement and become a well known marijuana activist, she would not have believed them. Other than the rare toke at a party, Cheri didn’t use marijuana. It wasn’t until she was in her late 30’s when her doctor suggested she try cannabis to help with a chronic medical problem, that the herb became a permanent fixture in her life.
In the course of about 6 months Cheri went from the typical closeted American marijuana smoker to an outspoken cannabis advocate, and she hasn’t looked back since. She works with numerous marijuana reform groups and can frequently be found organizing rallies, speaking at city council meetings, and giving classes on various aspects of marijuana, as well as advocating for clemency efforts for prisoners serving life sentences for nonviolent marijuana offenses.
Cheri’s Cannabis Gourmet Cookbook (2012, Z-Dog Media) is one of the most popular and well reviewed books of its kind. Her new book, Mary Jane: The Complete Marijuana Handbook for Women (Seal Press) has been garnering great reviews in the world of cannabis and in the mainstream press as well.
Prior to entering the world of cannabis, Cheri worked as a professional writer, recipe developer, and internet entrepreneur. Her passions for patriotism and country can be found in her earlier books The Great American Handbook (2002 Berkley Trade Editions); U.S. Citizenship for Dummies (2003 Wiley); and Everyday American (2008 Bookspan).
Going back even further, Cheri spent her childhood and early adult years as a professional circus performer, magician and mentalist, jobs that allowed her to travel extensively around the country and the world.
Itching to know where the Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates stand on issues relating to marijuana? You’re in luck. The Marijuana Policy Project, the group behind more successful marijuana initiatives than any other group, released their 2016 Presidential Candiates Report Card which grades the various major candidates based on their support for marijuana policy reform or the willingness to allow it to move forward. Widely reported in major media outlets such as The New York Times, Huffington Post, Washington Times and others, the report raised a number of eyebrows with Sen. Rand Paul (R) receiving an A-, the highest grade of any candidate.
Morgon Fox, MPP Communications Manager, will provide background on how the report was put together, the criteria for rating the candidates, reveal the ranking of the candidates and the political fallout and brouhaha resulting from its release.
California’s Senator Diane Feinstein has never seen a War on Drugs bill she didn’t like and has been one of the most vociferous opponents of both medical marijuana and marijuana legalization. On July 10, 2015 a petition bearing more than 11,000 signatures was delivered to Senator Feinstein’s office in San Francisco urging her to stand up for medical marijuana in California. The petitions were delivered by representatives of the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), CaNORML and the Brownie Mary Democratic Club of San Francisco.
Amanda Reiman from DPA, is the show’s second guest who will explain why the petition was circulated, what happened in Senator Feinstein’s office and what the result was. Ms. Reiman will also discuss DPAs program to reach out to our elected officials and convince them that marijuana legalization is something they should support.
A Public Defender helping drug felons get their felonies reduced to misdemeanors under Prop. 47 and what’s happening with the Jack Herer initiative are the featured topics on this week’s Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense Internet podcast.
Proposition 47 reduced non-violent drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. Reducing felonies to misdemeanors not only benefits people currently in prison but also those who have served their sentences as having a felony on your record can prevent you from getting a job, housing and a host of other life essentials. Wading through the tortuous legal process to have one’s felony reduced to a misdemeanor is daunting, but help is available. In this case it is in the place one would least likely expect it – San Bernardino County.
Our first guest is Daniel Edber, deputy Public Defender for San Bernardino County, who has undertaken a program to help ex-non-violent drug offenders get their felony convictions reduced to misdemeanors. How the program works, why he is doing it, how successful the program has been and why San Bernardino and how the powers-that-be have reacted to the program will be covered.
The California Cannabis and Hemp Initiative aka The Jack Herer Initiative has vied to be on the ballot for a number of years and 2016 is in their sights again. Considered by many to be one of the best legalization initiatives available, the 2016 initiative still retains at its core the aims and goals of the legendary Jack Herer.
The show’s second guest is Patrick Moore who has worked on past CCHI initiatives and has undertaken one of the leading roles in the 2016 CCHI. How the initiative differs from previous CCHI initiatives, the coalition behind its newest incarnation and their plans to get it on the ballot will be revealed.
The Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act (MCLR) is one of at least five initiatives to legalize marijuana being drafted for the California’s Nov. 2016 ballot. On July 13th MCLR submitted an updated version to the California AG’s office which included the public input gathered since the last filing along with comments from CalNORML and information gathered from Gavin Newsom’s Blue Ribbon Commission.
John Lee from Americans for Policy Reform (AFPR), the group behind the MCLR 2016 Initiative, will discuss the new language, explain how this initiative differs from the others and reveal their program to qualify for the Nov. 2016 ballot.
An on-again, off-again dispensing ordinance, the city refusing tax payments from medical marijuana dispensaries required by a voter approved initiative and spending up to a million dollars to close existing tax paying dispensaries is just part of the conundrum roiling the small desert town of Vallejo California.
The show’s second guest is attorney James Anthony who represents a consortium of the affected Vallejo dispensaries. Attorney Anthony provides an insider’s look at what is going on, why it is going on and what is being done to protect patient access as local elected officials egged on by local law enforcement, run amuck.
The Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act (MCLR) is one of at least five initiatives to legalize marijuana being drafted for the California’s Nov. 2016 ballot. On July 10th MCLR submitted an updated version to the California AG’s office which included the public input gathered since the last filing along with comments from CalNORML and information gathered from Gavin Newsom’s Blue Ribbon Commission.
John Lee from Americans for Policy Reform (AFPR), the group behind the MCLR 2016 Initiative, will discuss the new language, explain how this initiative differs from the others and reveal their program to qualify for the Nov. 2016 ballot.
An on-again, off-again dispensing ordinance, the city refusing tax payments from medical marijuana dispensaries required by a voter approved initiative and spending up to a million dollars to close existing tax paying dispensaries is just part of the conundrum roiling the small desert town of Vallejo California.
The show’s second guest is attorney James Anthony who represents a consortium of the affected Vallejo dispensaries. Attorney Anthony provides an insider’s look at what is going on, why it is going on and what is being done to protect patient access as local elected officials egged on by local law enforcement, run amuck.
Beginning before Prop. 215 and overcoming daunting legal obstacles including a DEA raid in 2002, The Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM),the collective that gives us all a good name, may have to close their storied farm. The collective, considered to be the gold-standard of just what a medical marijuana collective is suppose be, provides medicinal marijuana to its 850 members at low- or zero-cost, depending on need and ability to donate.
The collective is in danger of losing all their land due to financial problems resulting from the separation and recent divorce of the two founders Valerie and Michael Corral. Mike is moving on to other pursuits but Valerie is determined to keep the famed collective going. As the show’s first guest, Valerie will discuss the history of WAMM, how the collective arrived at its present situation and what is being done to keep the collective open, serving its members and making us all look good.
One of the most vexing problems encountered by people who use marijuana that is legal medically and/or recreationally where they live, is that they can lose their job for doing what is legal. The show’s second guest, William Panzer, a celebrated marijuana attorney from Oakland, will provide an overview of employment law as it applies to people using legal marijuana and the ability of employers to fire someone over its use and what you can do to protect yourself.
Mr. Panzer has been practicing law for over 25 years specializing in cannabis related cases. He serves on NORML’s Legal Committee and was presented NORML’s prestigious Al Horn award as well Sonoma Alliance for Medical Marijuana’s “Compassion In Action” Award twice and was named High Times Magazine “Freedom Fighter of the Month” in June 2002.
Dr. Sue Sisley was at the center of a reefer madness storm over her FDA-approved randomized controlled trial looking at use of whole-plant marijuana in combat veterans with PTSD. Aghast at any research being done at Arizona Universities relating to beneficial uses of cannabis, the Arizona State Legislature succeeded in terminating her seven years of service as a faculty member at the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine including the termination of all three of her contracts with the University without any fair hearing or due process. Dr. Sisley cites this “firing” as one of her proudest professional achievements….prioritizing her patients’ needs and advocating for science over political pressure.
Not willing to see her research ended, she applied for and received a $2 million grant for the study from the Colorado Board of Health. Made possible by taxes raised in Colorado from the sales of legal marijuana, it is the largest grant made from Colorado’s $7.6 million research fund, the largest-ever state funded effort to study the potential medical benefits of cannabis. Dr. Sisley will discuss the research project as well as the odyssey she has undergone to conduct this ground-breaking and important investigation into the medical uses of cannabis to treat PTSD in our veterans returning from all-our-wars-of-choice.
Accompanying Dr. Sisley on the show is Butch Williams, operator of the While Mountain Health Center which was at the epicenter of Arizona’s 2012 lawsuit to overturn their voter enacted medical marijuana laws claiming the law was unconstitutional as it would force Arizona to violate the Controlled Substances Act. The state lost and While Mountain opened up. Butch will speak about the case and the current state of medical marijuana distribution in Arizona along with the role his dispensary will have in Dr. Sisley’s research.
Project CBD exists to defend and promote whole-plant cannabis treatments. The Director and Co-Founder of Project CBD is Martin Lee, the celebrated author of Smoke Signals - The Social History of Marijuana – Medical, Recreational, and Scientific.
As this shows first guest, Mr. Lee will explain how Project CBD goes about promoting and publicizing research about the benefits of cannabidiol (CBD) and the rest of the phytocannabinoids and their program to connect with doctors, researchers and patients concerning developments in cannabinoid science. Mr. Lee will also delve into the lawsuit Project CBD has filed to strike down Medical Marijuana Inc.’s $100 million lawsuit.
Alice O’Leary-Randall is a senior spokesperson for the medical marijuana movement. In 1976 her late husband, Robert C. Randall, became the first person in the U.S. to legally receive medical marijuana. In 1978 Alice and her husband Robert were instrumental in the passage of the first ever medical marijuana law when New Mexico legislature passed a law recognizing marijuana’s medical value and establishing a statewide program of controlled, legal access to the drug for patients with glaucoma and cancer chemotherapy.
As the show’s second guest, Ms. O’Leary Randal will discuss how New Mexico’s law came into being, why it faltered and the beginnings of the modern day medical marijuana movement which began when they co-founded the Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics (ACT), the first non-profit organization dedicated solely to resolving the medical marijuana issue and drafted national legislation that was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Oregon is undergoing major upheavals as the legislature literally turns last November’s marijuana legalization measure on its head. Medical marijuana appears headed into oblivion and the limited and reasonable taxation measures enacted by voters may skyrocket.
As a creator and proponent of previous legalization initiatives in Oregon, Paul Stanford understands the legislative process and how it can and does mess with the intent of the voters. Explaining Oregon’s initiative process which allows for the legislative to alter voter-passed initiatives, Paul will illuminate what is unfolding and how initiative proponents are rallying to counter this devious and underhanded attempt by the legislature to redo Oregon’s marijuana legalization initiative.
From the Sweet Mary Jane Bakery, comes the Sweet Mary Jane Desert Cookbook featuring the recipes for the mouth-watering medicated treats that have made this Boulder, Colorado dispensary into a household name for Colorado’s marijuana consumers. From OMG Brownie Cheesecake Bars to Just Peachy Coffee Cake, the aroma is intoxicating even before you sample them.
Our second guest, Sweet Mary Jane bakery founder and author Karin Lazarus, will describe her baking career, how she got involved in making medicated desserts and reveal the secrets found in her book for baking delectable cannabis confections.
“California cops eat marijuana edibles, play darts, joke about kicking amputee’s ‘f---ing nub’ during Santa Ana pot shop raid” blared the headline in the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. UPI, CBS, NBC and FOX News issued stories of pot brownie eating verbally abusive and castigating cops caught on video. The story broke June 12 when Orange County Voice and attorney Matt Pappas released a video tape of the raid by a camera the police overlooked when they stormed into the Sky High Dispensary and dismantled what they thought were all the video cameras.
The show’s first guest is Marla James, a volunteer at the dispensary who is a legally blind amputee, who was there when the cops burst in with masks on, guns drawn and ordered members and employees to the ground. The brouhaha that has ensued with nationwide attention over the abusive pot eating cops has triggered an internal investigation. Hear the story behind the story as Marla recounts what happened that fateful day.
Citizen Lobbyists for medical marijuana is the name of the game in Sacramento on June 15 as Americans for Safe Access brings hundreds of medical marijuana patients and advocates from all over the state of California to lobby their state legislators for safe, reliable and local access to their medicine. With 13 bills touching almost every aspect of medical marijuana, patients want to let their lawmakers know how these bills will affect their lives.
Every year the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project rents a 15 passenger van to bring patients to ASAs Citizen Lobby Day. For this show the second guest are six of these patients in a free-spirited discussion on why they are in Sacramento, what it’s like to be there and what they hope to accomplish.
A candid look at the surprising gains marijuana law reform has made in the U.S. Congress plus an insider’s look as Upland medical marijuana patients refuse to let the city get away with skullduggery are found on the latest installment of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense.
Veterans getting medical marijuana recommendations, preventing the DEA from interfering in a state’s medical marijuana laws and protecting states with marijuana legalization laws have all made major progress in the U.S. Congress.
Dan Riffle, Director of Federal Policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, will discuss these newest and astonishing developments, tracing their history, explaining what they will do, why progress is being made and the unexpected switch by some Representatives and Senators from opposing marijuana law reform to supporting it.
When Upland residents submitted an initiative petition with enough signatures to require a special election on allowing medical marijuana dispensaries to operate, the Upland City Council refused to hold a special election and put it off until 2016. Although the refusal by the city to hold a special election is tied up in court, the backers of the initiative are not going to wait for the slower-than-molasses court challenges to decide the issue.
They have filed a new initiative that will overcome the problems that are being challenged in court. Craig Beresh, one of the initiative proponents, will explain how the Upland City Council was able to derail the original initiative and how the new initiative differs from the old one and why this time they are very confident of success.
News, views, humor and more are the features of every Internet podcast of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense and you can hear it right now.
For the first time in 50 years, a judge held a hearing examining the classification of marijuana under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act. On April 15, U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller announced that she would not overturn the law stating “At some point in time, a court may decide this status to be unconstitutional, but this is not the court and not the time.”
Explaining what happened is the show’s first guest Zenia Gilg, the lead attorney in the lawsuit seeking to have the law overturned. Ms. Gillig will provide the background on how the case came before Judge Mueller, the basis for their legal arguments on why the law is unconstitutional, why the Judge ruled against them and what effect the ruling will have.
The city of San Bernardino is bankrupt but that hasn’t kept them from spending money they don’t have trying to close down medical marijuana dispensaries. William Cioci, president of the Brownie Mary Democratic Club of San Bernardino, has filed an initiative with the city that would set up a committee to develop an ordinance that would regulate or ban recreational and medical marijuana facilities.
To be known as The Jesse Act in memory of William’s son James Cioci, the San Bernardino Marijuana Clarity Act seeks to bring some common sense to the financially stressed city. Mr. Cioci will delve into San Bernardino’s tortured history with medical marijuana dispensaries and how his initiative intends to address both the city’s financial and legal problems.
Cannabis is tailor made for the infirmities of advancing years, yet seniors remain ignorant of the health and medical benefits of cannabis consumption. They also are less likely to cultivate cannabis making it difficult and sometimes inordinately expensive especially for seniors on a fixed retirement income.
As the fastest growing population segment to use medical cannabis, the show’s first guest, Dr. Beth Fisher, Chief Creative Officer at Senior Medical Cannabis, is reaching out to them with a website specifically tailored for their needs. Her website www.seniormedicalcannabis.com provides information on a range of subjects including how to talk with your doctor about marijuana, making the decision to grow your own and using marijuana for enhancing senior sexual pleasure and facilitating performance.
SB 443 has California law enforcement biting their nails as it requires a criminal conviction for forfeiture of alleged drug proceeds, reduces the percentage of forfeiture proceeds distributed to law enforcement and prohibits state or local law enforcement from using financially more rewarding federal law. Sponsored by State Senator Holly Mitchell (D - 30th AD) SB 443 also makes it more difficult for law enforcement to seize assets in the first place.
SB 443 is strongly opposed by a broad spectrum of law enforcement agencies including the vociferous opposition of the California District Attorneys Assoc.
Diane Goldstein, Leiutenant Redondo Beach Police Department (Ret) & currently a very active Board Member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, will explain how the bill will fundamentally change how law enforcement goes after drug crimes, what the District Attorneys Assoc. is doing to defeat the bill and what drug law reformers are doing to stymie law enforcement’s oppposition.
Talking about marijuana with your doctor and an update on the multiple marijuana bills making their way through California’ state legislature are the topics of conversation with the guests on this podcast of Marijuana Compassion and Common at blogtalkradio.com/marijuananews.
Many patients want to let their doctor’s know about their marijuana use but are nervous about doing so, but it is important that your doctor’s know all the medications you are taking. Our first guest, Dr. Larry Bedard, an Emergency Room Physician and former President of both the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Marin Medical Society, realizes that this can be a touchy subject, but gives some tips on how best to broach the subject with your doctor.
There is a virtual avalanche of marijuana bills in the California State Legislature, the vast majority of them dealing with medical marijuana. As one of a handful of lobbyists in Sacramento for medical marijuana patients, Don Duncan, board member and co-founder of Americans for Safe Access, is one of the most knowledgeable persons on just what is going on in the state legislature and will give us an insider view.
The consequence of marijuana legalization can be a disaster for medical marijuana patients and the power of targeted voter contact as a mechanism to win elections for marijuana initiatives are the subjects of this episode of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense.
Washington passed a marijuana legalization measure in 2012 with provisions protecting medical marijuana patients but legislators are folding patients into the legalization with such possible negative consequences of no longer being able to grow their own medicine and being forced to pay the same exorbitant taxes as recreational users. Kari Boiter, Washington State Coordinator for Americans for Safe Access explains how the marijuana legalization initiative has impacted medical marijuana patients and how patients are fighting back to preserve their rights under Washington's exisiting medical marijuana laws.
Yucca Valley. a small California desert town in San Bernardino County, is vying to become the first muncipality in what is the largest county in the United States to allow for the sale of medical marijuana. Jim Stewart, Campaign Coordinator for Measure X, reveals their plans for getting voters to pass their initiative using volunteers to undertake a program of target voter contact.
A former mayor of Clearlake CA has filed suit against the city over a new ordinance that bans medical marijuana cultivation. Attorney Joe Elford has filed the lawsuit on behalf of former Mayor Jeri Spittler and her husband Anthony claiming the measure violates the state constitution.
Jeri Spittler, the former Mayor of Clearlake, is the show’s first guest who will explain the ban, her lawsuit against the city and what the reaction of Clearlake has been to the former Mayor suing the city.
Riverside County, more often in the backwaters of medical marijuana then in the vanguard, is considering an ordinance that allows patients to cultivate up to 12 plants with a maximum of 24 plants per household. This is not a bad ordinance. It is far more supportive and understanding of the needs of medical marijuana patients then are many of the ordinances in other counties.
How Riverside County came to be in the front of the pack on this issue and what problems may vex some patients in the ordinance under consideration will be discussed by Doug Lanphere, a Inland Empire medical marijuana activist who has participated in meetings with Riverside County Supervisors and staff in the development of this ordinance.
A Public Defender helping drug felons get their felonies reduced to misdemeanors under Prop. 47 and what’s happening with the Jack Herer initiative are the featured topics on this week’s Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense Internet podcast.
Proposition 47 reduced non-violent drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. Reducing felonies to misdemeanors not only benefits people currently in prison but also those who have served their sentences as having a felony on your record can prevent you from getting a job, housing and a host of other life essentials. Wading through the tortuous legal process to have one’s felony reduced to a misdemeanor is daunting, but help is available. In this case it is in the place one would least likely expect it – San Bernardino County.
Our first guest is Daniel Edber, deputy Public Defender for San Bernardino County, who has undertaken a program to help ex-non-violent drug offenders get their felony convictions reduced to misdemeanors. How the program works, why he is doing it, how successful the program has been and why San Bernardino and how the powers-that-be have reacted to the program will be covered.
The California Cannabis and Hemp Initiative aka The Jack Herer Initiative has vied to be on the ballot for a number of years and 2016 is in their sights again. Considered by many to be one of the best legalization initiatives available, the 2016 initiative still retains at its core the aims and goals of the legendary Jack Herer.
The show’s second guest is Patrick Moore who has worked on past CCHI initiatives and has undertaken one of the leading roles in the 2016 CCHI. How the initiative differs from previous CCHI initiatives, the coalition behind its newest incarnation and their plans to get it on the ballot will be revealed.
Laprill O’Brien is a registered medical marijuana patient who has beat cancer twice and suffers from manic bipolar disorder. On the morning of July 7, 2014, eleven police cars screeched to a halt in front of her home in Diamond Bar with police swarming over her home because they had a tip that they were growing marijuana. Her children abducted by CPS, Ms. O’Brien was held in jail for five days before being released with no charges being filed at the time.
Although they have gotten their children back, she and her husband, Rick Gromoll have been charged with illegal cultivation with their next court date set for April 23 in Pomona. As the show’s first guests, Laprill and Rick reveal the horrors that happened that day, how it has affected their family and how their court case is proceeding.
Wondering whether the VA directive stating veterans who use medicinal marijuana should not be kick out of their pain management programs is being implemented? Then meet Ken Whitmire, a veteran receiving services from the Loma Linda VA Hospital for chronic pain related to service connected injuries to his back and neck. He had been kicked out of his pain management program because of his use of medicinal marijuana.
On Monday, March 30 he went back to his pain management doctor with the new directive in hand and became the first medical marijuana veteran at the Loma Linda VA Medical Facility to be reinstated into a pain management program as a result of the new directive. What happened when Ken confronted his VA doctor is remarkable, astounding and ever so gratifying.
As an interesting aside, Ken lives in Slab City, a bohemian encampment on the east side of California’s Salton Sea. In addition to his story of success at the VA, he will be providing us with the low-down on this unusual bit of Americana.
Constance Pure Botanical Extracts is a medical cannabis collective that specializes in the production of artisan cannabis extracts rich in both CBD and THC as well as other cannabinoids. Their extracts are made from multiple strains of the cannabis plant in varying potencies. Constance Finley and Kyle Demedio will discuss how they came to specialize in producing CBD cannabis, how it is done and present case histories of people who have been helped by cannabis oil preparations.
Celebrated cannabis author Cheri Sicard will be releasing her newest book MaryJane - The Complete Marijuana Handbook for Women at a celebratory book release party on April 8. Cheri gives us all the low-down on this fabulous new book as well as extending an invitation for everyone to attend the launch party which features a festive reception, presentation, book signing, innovative snacks and screening of the acclaimed film – 420 – The Documentary.
Steph Sherer and Don Duncan from Americans for Safe Access (ASA) discuss the National Unity Conference, the CARERS Act, Lobbying Congress and the future of medical marijuana.
The times they are changing for the Internet podcast of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense. The show will no longer be podcast live on Mondays at 6 p.m. Rather a new weekly show will be released each Sunday at midnight.
I will be on live for tonight's show until 6:20 p.m. if you would like to talk to me call into the show at 657-383-0011.
Gina Tron is an editor and freelance writer. She is also Creative Director for Williamsburg Fashion Weekend. She contributes and/or has contributed to The Washington Post, Ladygunn, VICE, Politico, Denver Westword, XoJane, Salon and more. You're Fine. is her first memoir by Papercut Press.She helped break the story on heroin in Vermont in 2014 with her stories in VICE and Politico. Her recollection of being a suspected school shooter in VICE got her international recognition.
She recently had published a column on Drug Testing that appeared in the Washington Post. Why she was motivated to write the column, how she came to write it and the reponse will be discussed. The column on Drug Testing published in the Washington Post can be read at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/02/26/pot-is-increasingly-legal-employers-need-to-stop-screening-for-it/
Omar Figueroa is Sepbastopol attorney representing mmj patients and collective. He will talk about the new DOJ memo informing police that they cannot use federal asset forfeiture laws any longer when seizing property. This will have a signficant effect on medical marijuana patients and especially medical marijuana providers. Omar Figuerora explains it all in terms that everyone can understand.
With over 75% approval, voters in the Vallejo California, population around 120,000, enacted Measure C in 2011 which established a tax of 10% on medical marijuana products. Although it would seem obvious that voters would not approve a tax for businesses that they thought shouldn’t be allowed to operate, the Vallejo City Council thought the voters were too stupid to understand the issue and enacted a moratorium on medical marijuana businesses in 2013.
In February, several of the operating medical marijuana dispensaries attempted to pay almost $50,000 in taxes but were turned away with a city employee telling them that “As of January 13, 2015, the City of Vallejo City Council directed city staff to no longer accept medical marijuana monthly tax returns or any tax payments related to medical marijuana.”
Attorney James Anthony represents the 11 medical marijuana dispensaries that were operating before enactment of the 2013 moratorium. As the show’s first guest, Mr. Anthony will explain how it came to pass that the city is refusing to collect an estimated $5 million in annual taxes and what the collectives will do to force them to take their money.
Combining content and lessons learned from previous attempts to place a marijuana legalization initiative on the California ballot, the Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act (MCLR) was started by Americans for Policy Reform as an open-source, grassroots project. The goal was to bring everyone together on the "same page" for the next legalization initiative.
John Lee is one of the chief organizers of MCLR and as the show’s second guest will explain the new initiative and how they are committed to drafting and passing an initiative that reflects the will of people.
One of the leading political operatives within the cannabis movement here in California, Sean Donahoe is co-founder of the California Cannabis Industry Association. Sean lives in Oakland but is regularly in the Capitol or traveling around the state, speaking with activists and elected officials while organizing this industry with an activist mindset.
In addition to his work with CCIA, he helped write the United Food and Commercial Workers national organizing plan for the cannabis industry, served on the executive board of the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform, created several political action committees, and advised several local ballot measure committees last year. Sean's work at the grassroots and grasstops for the cannabis industry has given him insider insights into the many political challenges facing the marijuana law reform movement. Listen in as he shares these insights along with what he sees coming up in the months and years ahead.
Yami Bolanos, cancer survivor, medical cannabis patient and director of the Greater Los Angeles Collective Alliance is one of the chief lobbyists behind a bill introduced byAssemblyman Marc Levine (D-San Rafael) that will protect medical marijuana patients from being denied organ transplants because of their use of marijuana medicinally.
Bolanos, who also suffers from liver cirrhosis, underwent a successful transplant 19 years ago and was told after her first transplant that she may eventually need another one in order to survive.
In addition to telling her story, Ms. Balonos will explain how the bill came into being and how it will protect medical marijuana patients from being denied life-saving organ transplants.
A lawsuit filed by the anti-drug group Safe Streets and three other plaintiffs including the owners of Holiday Inn target a number of Colorado lawmakers, including Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), Revenue Department Executive Director Barbara Brohl and Marijuana Enforcement Division Director W. Lewis Koski. Going a step beyond simply suing the state, the plaintiffs are also going after participants in Colorado's commercial marijuana industry. Citing federal racketeering laws, the plaintiffs are seeking damages due to alleged injury brought on by legalization.
The Marijuana Policy Project is not taking this legal action lightly and has called for a boycott of Holiday Inn Hotels. MPP Communications Director Morgan Fox is the show’s second guest who will take a look at the lawsuit and explain how the boycott will be carried out.
With medical marijuana dispensaries that can sell to tourists set to open soon in Nevada, Las Vegas is rapidly becoming a hot spot for marijuana tourism. Longtime Las Vegas patient advocate Cindy Brown has been involved in the Las Vegas mmj scene for many years and will bring us up to date on what is happening in Sin City including when the dispensaries are expected to open, what will be the requirements to purchase and just how cannabis friendly is Las Vegas really becoming.
Keeping up with our nation’s rapidly changing marijuana laws can be a real challenge. Thankfully there is the Margolin Guide to Marijuana Laws in California and throughout the United States. As one of the longest practicing marijuana attorney’s in California and as director of the LA Chapter of NORML, Bruce Margolin has been involved in many precedent setting marijuana cases and has seen the changes in the marijuana law at all levels of government. As the show’s second guest, attorney Margolin will talk about how the guide came into being, what are its contents and how to use it when you need marijuana law information. Plus you can learn how you can obtain a free copy of this authoritative book.
In January 2011 the Veterans Administration issued a directive stating that patients in pain control treatment who are participating in state marijuana programs “must not be denied VHA services.” Despite this, numerous complaints have come from vets being denied their pain medicines and other VA services because they find benefit to using marijuana medicinally.
The guests on the Monday, February 16 at 6 p.m. show have been working with government administrators and elected officials to insure that veterans are not denied VA benefits because they chose to use marijuana medicinally.
Michael Karwitz, Executive Director of Veterans for Medical Cannabis, is a disabled veteran who has benefited greatly from medicinal cannabis. He has worked with national and international organizations furthering the use of medicinal marijuana. Having met personally with many VA administrators, it was his efforts that led to the issuance of the directive protecting veterans from being denied VA benefits if they use marijuana.
Marcus Boyd is the Vice Chair of the San Diego Chapter of Americans for Safe Access. He has been denied his pain medication by the San Diego VA because of his use of cannabis and has called for action to protest his and other vets’ denial of services. Mr. Boyd also obtained a bit of notoriety when his grow was raided by a DEA agent wearing a shirt proclaiming "Fuck the growers...Marijuana is still illegal."
Ellen Komp, Deputy Director of CaNORML is a long-time activist working on both medical marijuana and legalization issues. She has been working with elected officials on the federal and state level to address vets using medical marijuana being denied VA benefits and has been involved in organizing veterans to protect to their rights to VA and cannabis benefits.
Upland is the town in California that conspired with federal authorities to have collective operator Aaron Sandusky arrested, prosecuted in a kangaroo court and incarcerated in federal prison for 10 years. Now the small Inland Empire town faces a special election to rescind their ban that has been maliciously enforced and replaced with an ordinance that allows for a licensed and regulated MMJ distribution system.
The show’s first guest is Upland initiative Campaign coordinator Craig Beresh revealing the sordid and scandal plagued recent history of Upland, the wildly successful signature gathering campaign that collected enough signatures to require a special election and the nefarious plots being hatched by the city to prevent the election from being held.
The icon of all marijuana icons, many consider Jack Herer to be the Marin Luther King of the marijuana movement. His books, speeches, activism and over-the-top advocacy have inspired thousands and educated millions. Jennie Herer, Jack’s second wife, possesses a large collection of his personal belongings and other memorabilia and is determined to open a hemp museum whose core exhibit would highlight Jack’s contributions to freeing the weed as well as the man behind the icon.
This podcast is being done live from Las Vegas where the collection is stored. I will be in Las Vegas this week uncrating, sorting, labeling, photographing and cataloguing this historic treasure trove. Jennie Herer will be on the show with me revealing the contents of this notable and extraordinary collection of a man whose name will forever be associated with ending marijuana prohibition and restoring the use of this ancient plant for the betterment of humanity.
The Americas Program of the Center for International Policy is a leading source of information for activists, academics and citizens concerned about US foreign policy toward Latin America and movements for social justice within the hemisphere. The show’s first guest, Laura Carlsen, Director of CIP Americas, will provide information on this relatively unknown but important organization and explain their programs including those dealing with our country’s War on Drugs in Latin America. For more information on CIP Americas, CLICK HERE.
From San Diego County to Sonoma County, Step Sherer, Exectuive Director of Americans for Safe Access, is making a whirlwind tour of California providing information and seeking input from patients on what needs to be accomplished on the state and local level regarding legislation on bans, patient rights and commercial regulation. Why the tour is happening and what is hoped to be accomplished will be explained along with tour dates, times and locations.
Marijuana legalization measures have been a mixed bag of good and bad for medical marijuana patients. With California most likely to have a legalization initiative on the ballot in 2016, legalization proponents want to work with medical marijuana patients to ensure that their rights are protected under any marijuana legalization initiatives that are on the ballot.
Dale Sky Jones is Director of the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform, a California based nonpartisan organization dedicated to ending marijuana prohibition through ballot initiatives, legislative collaboration and public education campaigns. As the shows first guest, Ms. Jones will provide information on the series of roundtable discussions being held in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego and Santa Ana on Jan. 30 and 31. Information on prospects for the 2016 initiatives and how patients can work together to make sure they do not have a negative impact is at the center of these community forums.
Students for Sensible Drug Policy at the University of California at Irvine are sponsoring a symposium on Saturday, Feb. 21 that will bring together experts from the legal, political, and judicial arenas, as well as civil rights activists, harm reduction workers, entrepreneurs, and full-time reform workers for an in-depth look at how U.S. drug policies have affected society, and what lies ahead on the horizon.
The show’s second guest is Lauren Ayn Mendelsohn, coordinator for SSDP at UCI who is also a J.D. Candidate, 2016. She will explain the ins and outs of this important symposium and reveal the names of the invited speakers and participants. Marijuana law reform is a key component of the reform process and Ms. Mendelsohn will provide information on how this is incorporated into the symposium’s presentations.
The Marijuana Policy Project has sponsored more successful medical marijuana and legalization initiatives than any other organization in the U.S.A. In 2016 they will be involved with legalization initiatives in Arizona, California, Maineand Nevada. Our first guest is Morgan Fox, Communications Manager for MPP providing insights into the planning and preparations being made in 2015 to insure the success of these marijuana legalization initiatives. With a successful track record at the ballot box unmatched by any other organization, Mr. Fox will lay out the plans for success and most importantly how you can participate with MPP to make the world safe for marijuana.
20 miles from the sprawling 29 Palms Marine Base and just 15 miles from the renowned Joshua Tree National Park, sits Yucca Valley a small desert town of 20,000. The town had “tolerated” one medical marijuana dispensary for three years but forced it to close in 2014. Our second guest is Jason Elassner who headed the successful campaign to place an initiative before voters allowing dispensaries to open. Having collected enough signatures to require a special election, Jason will divulge the backroom deals and expose the small town intrigues that are changing the political landscape.
Collectives have been under assault almost since they first started forming shortly after they were created by SB 420 in 2004. Between police undermining them, municipalities banning them and the feds raiding them and imprisoning their operators, it is amazing that so many continue to operate.
As a collective operator and founder and Board Member of Americans for Safe Access, Don Duncan is an experienced hand at both the intricacies of operating a collective and the minefield of laws, regulations and bans enacted by local and state officials. For such a mild mannered individual, Don has inspired both adulation and damnation from the marijuana community, but no one can deny the experience and expertise he has amassed from years enabling patients to have safe, reliable and local access.
As our featured guest, Don will discuss some of the most vexing issues facing collectives including confusing regulations, malicious bans, outrageous taxes, frustrating initiatives, cutthroat competition and the never-ending legislative turmoil in Sacramento.
In addition to all of the above, a new twist has been added as collectives are being threatened by exorbitant fines for not complying with Prop. 65 and posting signs warning customers that the product they sell is known by the state of California to cause cancer. Don has been looking into this new problem and has some intriguing findings and advice.
Irv Rosenfeld is America’s longest surviving medical marijuana patient. For the last 33 years the U.S. Government’s marijuana farm in Mississippi has sent him every month a canister containing 300 marijuana joints. So 33 years ago Mr. Rosenfeld at the behest of our government, began smoking 10 joints a day which means he has smoked 118,800 joints.
Take a look at those joints in the canister. These are not little pin joints – they are big, fat supersize joints.
He is alive and thanks to those 118,800 joints is doing very well. Hear his story of how he got into the program that supplied him free government marijuana, why the joints are so big and just how smoking ten joints a day for 33 years has affected his physical and mental health.
Taking a look at the top marijuana stories of 2014 is our second guest Dale Gieringer, PhD. Cal NORML Executive Director. Deeply involved in the movement, erudite on all the issues, Dale provides an enlightened and witty view of the most exciting and precedent shattering marijuana events of 2014.
With possession of less than two ounces carrying a prison term of up to six months and a fine up to $2,000 Texas is one of the most repressive and scary states for marijuana consumers. From marching on the State Capitol in Austin to activist training/public education to submitting bills reforming the state’s draconian laws, Texas NORML is changing the picture. Texas NORML Veteran’s Affairs director Dave Bass will review the dismal legal situation in Texas, reveal where progress is being made and explain the programs Texas NORML has developed to drag their state into the 21st Century.
Missouri ain’t much better than Texas with possession of less than an ounce imposing fines and prison sentences up to $1,000 and a year in jail with convictions for sales of less than five grams imposing a prison sentence of up to a 7 years. Mark Pederson with the Cannabis Patient Network is working with a group of Missourians to bring before the voters the Missouri Cannabis Restoration and Protection Act which defines marijuana as food!!! As the show’s second guest, Mr. Pederson will explain this unique approach to legalizing marijuana and their program to get it on the ballot.
Three years ago, Las Vegas police and the Chamber of Commerce prevailed upon Mandalay Bay Hotel/Casino to cancel Cannapalooza, an extravagant large exposition that had rented their exhibition hall and about a thousand hotel rooms. Now that marijuana will be sold in dispensaries to locals and visitors alike everything has changed. Hal Lewis, founder and director of the recently opened Las Vegas Cannabis Information Center reviews how this remarkable about-face came into being and how the center is becoming Las Vegas’s hottest new attraction.
Marijuana munchies is the mantra, but far from sending users on a food binge, many report that marijuana can actually help in weight management and weight loss. Our second guest is Karen Pike who went from nearly 500 pounds to 250 pounds and marijuana played a significant role in her weight loss. Karen will relate how marijuana helped her lose weight when nothing else worked and reveal the program she followed to make it happen.
Maine is considered a key state to pass a marijuana legalization initiative and two groups are seeking to put an initiative on the November 2016 ballot. One is the Washington DC based Marijuana Policy Project which has funded successful legalization initiatives in Colorado and Oregon. The other is Legalize Maine, a local group which has a different approach to legalization and is working to put their initiative on the ballot. Why Maine is such a hot bed for marijuana legalization and how the two initiatives differ will be discussed by our first guest Campaign Coordinator for Legalize Maine Peter McCarrier.
Billed as the “Definitive Cup for the Fall Harvest” Sonoma County’s 11th Annual Emerald Cup is one of the best and certainly most authentic of the multitude of U.S. cannabis cup competitions. With awards for a variety of categories for buds, concentrates, edibles, topicals and photos, the Emerald Cup is complete with a music fest with multiple bands headlined by the fusion band Slightly Stoopid. Tim Blake, founder and chief organizer of the Emerald Cup is the show’s 2nd guest recalling how the Emerald Cup came to be and the cannabis extravaganza the Dec. 13 and 14th event is going to be.
The Family Law & Cannabis Alliance is a clearinghouse for local, state-based, and national information related to marijuana policy, child protective services (CPS), and family court. The Alliance’s Executive Director Sara Arnold provides an overview on the problems parents who are medical marijuana patients are facing and overcoming and how her organization works with local Children’s Protective Service agencies and other private and governmental organizations to keep families intact.
The 8th Annual San Francisco Patient’s Choice Medical Cannabis Cup was held the weekend of November 29th with patient judges awarding prizes for best cannabis in all its form - bud, concentrates and edibles. Cup organizer David Goldman will recount the highlights of the 2014 cup competition including a look at the entrants and how the judges decided on what was the best.
The show’s first guest is Michael Krawitz, a disabled United States Air Force Veteran, injured in an accident while serving on Guam. As Executive Director of Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access, Michael has been instrumental in changing the policies of the Veterans Administration on the use of medical marijuana by veterans. Even so many veterans continue to be kicked out of pain management and other VA programs as a result of their use of medical marijuana. Michael will speak about what the VA says about veterans using medical marijuana vs. what they are actually doing including his most recent meetings with VA officials on this issue.
Marijuana munchies is the mantra, but far from sending users on a food binge, many report that marijuana can actually help in weight management and weight loss. Our second guest is Karen Pike who went from nearly 500 pounds to under 250 pounds and marijuana played a significant role in her weight loss. Karen will relate how marijuana helped her lose weight when nothing else worked and reveal the program she followed to make it happen.
In 1986 Randy Lanier won a sports car championship and shattered an Andretti record to become the Indy 500 rookie of the year. What most people didn't know is he paid for his racing dreams by smuggling massive quantities of marijuana.
At the height of the Reagan-era War on Drugs, federal prosecutors charged Lanier and his associates with shipping more than 600,000 pounds of marijuana into the U.S. from Colombia. For eight months, he hid as a fugitive in Antigua, but was eventually caught, arrested, prosecuted and a few days before Christmas 1988 was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
Under mysterious circumstances that remain sealed by a court order, he was released on Oct. 15, 2014 and is living in a halfway house in Florida. As our first guest, Randy reveals what he is allowed to about his case, speaks out on the necessity of freeing the multitude of people serving life sentences in prison for marijuana prohibition offenses and takes a look at a world that has changed considerably in three decades,
Local initiatives in California communities to allow for patient cultivation and to reverse bans and enact ordinances to allow medical marijuana collectives did not fare well in the November 2014 elections. On the other hand, initiatives to impose taxes on medical marijuana sales did very well. Our 2nd guest is Don Duncan, one of the founders of Americans for Safe Access and currently serving on their Board of Directors, has been up to his neck in alligators on this issue for over a decade.
As the chief lobbyist for ASA, Don has come to learn the intricacies of local and state government and will discuss why the mmj collective and patient cultivation initiatives failed, why taxing marijuana was so popular and what options are available to address the continuing problem of patient access to mmj on the state and local level.
It sure sounds like snake oil, but if marijuana can cure cancer maybe it can aid in the control of Ebola. David Allen M.D. takes a look at the latest scientific evidence that the cannabinoids in cannabis, particularly Cannabidiol (CBD), may offer control of the immune system and in turn provide protection from viral infections such as ebola.
The November 4 mid-term elections were a boon for marijuana advocates as much as they were for Republicans. Dale Gieringer, Executive Director of CalNORML and political analyst extraordinaire, will examine the legalization initiatives explaining how they will effect marijuana consumers, speculate on the fate of the Washington D.C. initiative with a Republican controlled congress, evaluate how supportive some of the newly elected members of congress will be and prognosticate on the future of legalization in the U.S.A.
Diane Goldstein is a retired Lieutenant from Redondo Beach P.D. and currently spokesperson for and Board of Director’s member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. As would be hoped, LEAP is committed to taking a leading role in convincing the general public to support the marijuana legalization initiative that is most likely to be on the 2016 California ballot.
Diane Goldstein has authored an OPED that has been published at sfgate.com and is slated to be published in several other publications. The OPED is an opening salvo in what is the beginning of a campaign by LEAP to educate the voters on why they should support the legalization of marijuana.
The actual regulations and technicalities are yet to be decided, but right now is the perfect time to educate them on why it should be legal. After that is done, then the nuts and bolts on whatever is on the ballot can be explained to voters who already understand that marijuana should be legal and now need to support its actual implementation.
To see Diane Goldstein’s oped, go to: http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Marijuana-legalization-a-step-toward-social-5848468.php
The second part of the show will feature a round table discussion on the Nov. 4 election here in California and around the country. A look at the statewide offices and ballot measures as they relate to marijuana issues will be considered with the latest polling info on the legalization measures in Alaska, Oregon and Washington D.C. Your comments on the election will be of interest and you are encouraged to call into the show with them to 657-383-0011.
The city of San Bernardino recently made a complete flip-flop from agreeing to draft an ordinance allowing medical marijuana collectives to operate to a full-blown assault on the handful of medical marijuana collectives now in operation. The only problem was that the decision to do this was made in closed session which violated the open meeting provisions of the Brown Act. The shows second guest is attorney James De Aguilera who has filed a lawsuit against the city alledging violations of the Brown Act. Mr. Aguilera will explain the basis of the lawsuit and just what he think really went on behind those closed doors.
Oregon's Prop. 91 will legalize marijuana way better than Washington, their sister state to the North. Allowing for personal growing and retail sales, passage looks probable, but there are still concerns. Brad Reed from New Approaches Oregon is the second featured guest on the show. He will be discussing what Oregon's initiative does to legalize marijuana, how the polling is shaping up, what they are doing to get the vote and how the recent $500,000 contribution by George Soros will be put to use.
Brought to you live from University of Redlands and the debate between Democrat Pete Aguilar and Republican Paul Chabot for the 31st California Congressional District. Aguilar has been endorsed by the Marijuana Policy Project - Chabot earns his living as a professional drug warrior.
This is an epic battle between a progressive Democrat and a right wing Republican in a seat that is being hotly contested by both parties. The debate starts at 7 p.m. but we will interview people coming to the debate.
In addition to live interviews with debate attendees, guests for the show include Jason Elassner from Yucca Valley and the initiative that is now being circulated in this small desert town to rescind the current ban on medical marijuana dispensaries and put in place an ordinance that will license and regulate a limited number. With an election for city council going on right now, the initiative has become a focal point in the election. It's not exactly tearing the town apart, but there are strong opinions on both sides.
OC NORML is sponsoring a 420 Bingo Party for the the Prisoner Project which is dedicated to helping people serving life sentences in prison for marijuana. Cheri Sicard will speak about Paul Free who is serving a LIFE SENTENCE for a nonviolent marijuana offense he did not commit. With arguably the nation's top wrongful conviction attorney interested in his case, he needs $3,000 to get started.
That's what the 420 Bingo Party is going to do - raise that money for Paul. Learn what a 420 Bingo Party is all about and if you are in the neighborhood on Sat. Oct. 25, you can join on in.
Ron Gold is the Republican candidate for Attorney General in the November 2014 election. Gold’s appearance on the show is not surprising given his position favoring the legalization of marijuana, his call for the state to craft regulations allowing for statewide distribution facilities for medical marijuana and, not too surprising for a Republican, his belief that medical marijuana distributors should be able to make a profit which is currently not allowed under California law.
His position on marijuana is in direct contrast to California’s current AG Kamela Harris who laughed at a reporter's question about marijuana legalization earlier this year. It’s no laughing matter that marijuana law reform advocates are aghast at her performance as AG.
As AG, Ms. Harris declined to join other states to remove marijuana from the DEA's list of most-dangerous substances, failed to do much to help the cannabis industry during the 2011 federal Justice Department crackdown and filed an appellate court brief arguing that it is OK to not allow any testimony that a person was following state medical marijuan law.
Kamela Harris’s narrow victory over Republican Steve Cooley was made possible in part by the overwhelming vote she received from marijuana advocates who conducted a statewide campaign dubbed “Anyone but Cooley” to get marijuana consumers to not vote for Cooley. No one believes for a second that marijuana advocates would have been better off with Cooley in office, but still there is major disappointment from the marijuana community over her lack of support.
Mr. Gold speaks about his support for legalization, what the AG’s office under his leadership would do to enhance access to medicinal marijuana for patients and why he would make an overall better AG than the current office holder.
All the way from Alaska, the show’s first guest is Chris Rempert from The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. The measure would make the possession of marijuana legal in Alaska for adults 21 or older and would establish a regulated system of marijuana cultivation and sales allowing for possession of one ounce and the cultivation of three flowering plants and the three immature plants.
Initially support was high but has slipped recently to 50%. Chris will report on how the campaign is going, take a look at why there has been a decline in support and the programs they are undertaking to reverse the decline and get numbers back up to where they were a month ago.
Movie-tie-ins to promote a corporation’s products are ubiquitous. From Iron Man and Burger King to Transformers and Chevrolet, the tie-ins are designed to push the movie and the product before a bedazzled public. In what must qualify as one of the most brazen movie tie-ins ever, Kevin Smith’s newest horror film Tusk has teamed up with the Los Angeles based medical marijuana dispensary Buds and Roses to produce two specialty strains of marijuana inspired by the movie.
The film is a tangled web of circumstances in which a man is transformed into a walrus. The relation of marijuana to the events of the film is about the same as the relation between Iron Man and a Whopper, but like the Burger King tie-in, it’s a marketing sensation. Rising to the challenge, the Buds and Roses geneticists have created two new strains “Tusk” and “White Walrus.” The show’s second guest, Buds and Roses operator Aaron Justin reveals why the marijuana tie-in, how they went about developing two new strains and how this truly off-the-wall horror film inspired them to create these two new strains.
California may not have a legalization initiative on November’s ballot, but there will be several mmj initiatives including a flourishing one in La Mesa. Endorsed by the San Diego County Democratic Central Committee, this initiative has a very good chance of passage which will make La Mesa one of a handful of cities with voter approved dispensaries.
Cyra Velazquez from Safe Access LaMesa is the show’s first guest and will discuss how the initiative came into being, the tepid city council response and how they snared the SD County Democratic Central Committee endorsement.
Our second guest comes from paradise, the Hawaiian Islands - legendary Maui Wowie, the home of the Chum Gang. However it is not mj paradise for marijuana advocates. One of the more high profile activist in Hawaii is Roger Christie who spent 4 ½ years in a federal prison claiming the right to use marijuana as a religious sacrament. Our second guest is Brian Murphy who met last week with Roger at a half-way house where he is currently residing until he is released.
Roger Christie has paid a terrible price for his devotion to marijuana. Brian reports on how Roger is doing, what’s next and what he plans to do once released.
In addition Bryan speaks about his role as an operator of Patients Without Time, a mmj dispensary that was raided and closed. Bryan is facing multiple decades in jail and has been offered a plea deal which he will talk about on the show.
A judge can no longer deny a medical marijuana provider charged with illegally selling, furnishing or whatever the ability to present a medical marijuana defense to the jury. This precedent setting ruling by the 4th District Court of Appeals reverses the ruling by a lower court judge that the defendant in the case of People vs. Baniani would not be allowed to tell the jury that he was following state law when providing medical marijuana to qualified patients. Christopher Glew was the attorney in this precedent setting case that unequivocally confirms the rights of medical marijuana patients under SB 420 and is to be thoroughly congratulated in finally getting this pushed through the courts. Mr. Glew is the featured guest on the live Internet podcast of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense this Monday, September 22 at 6 p.m. on www.blogtalkradio.com/marijuananews. Mr. Glew will discuss the history of this case, the legal reasoning that won the day for medical marijuana patients and how this ruling will benefit patients and their access to medicinal marijuana. He distills these complex legal issues and the byzantine politics that engulf them into lucid comprehensible statements so you can actually understand what the hell is going on. The shows 2nd guest is Casper Leitch creator and director of Time4Hemp.com, the first global pro-cannabis broadcasting network. Time4Hemp.com broadcasts on the Internet 24/7 with over 30 weekly programs including Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense.. With plans in the works to include TV, Time4Hemp.com has become a major media outlet for the marijuana community. For more info check them out at Time4Hemp.com and then hear Casper reveal what’s in store for this budding network.
The residents of Santa Fe, New Mexico working with the Drug Policy Alliance collected enough signatures to qualify a lowest enforcement priority initiative for the November ballot. Emily Kaltenbach, New Mexico state director for the Drug Policy Alliance will discuss how this initiative came into being, the successful signature gathering drive, what the proposed initiative would do and DPA's role in getting it successfully on the ballot. Ms. Kaltenbach will also provide information on the other programs DPA is pursuing in New Mexico.
The show’s second guest is California Cannabis Coalition Director Craig Beresh. A grass roots organization of patients, caregivers, and medical professionals dedicated to safeguarding America’s right to access cannabis legally and grow hemp, the coalition has successfully fought six city and county bans using the referendum process. Craig will discuss the organization’s multiple programs and its role in starting three initiatives to end prohibition including the 2014 California Cannabis Hemp Initiative and its 2016 re-incarnation.
Dutch Masters will explain a new commercial extraction process that will allow patients and manufacturers to order concentrates with a specific THC, CBD and other cannabinoids concentration. Produced in either a liquid or powered form, the new process, at a very reasonable price, will allow a patient or an edible manufacturer to obtain the specific cannabinoid ratio for medicine, edibles and other cannabinoid products.
100kstrong.net is a program of the Florida Cannabis Action Network which seeks to enlist 100,000 veterans in the battle for equal access to cannabis. David Jones, Communication Director for FLCAN and Robert Jordan, Vietnam veteran and cannabis activist, will provide a unique perspective on the need for cannabis by veterans, will discuss their program to get veterans actively involved in the medical marijuana movement and how it will impact on Florida’s November ballot initiative to legalize the use of marijuana medically.
Of all communities that would benefit from regular cannabis use is our senior citizens. Robert Platshorn, founder of the senior citizen outreach program The Silver Tour and of HBO’s Black Tuna diaries fame, is the first featured guest.
In Florida are lots and lots and lots of senior citizens and their vote will be crucial in getting the mmj initiative on the November 2014 Florida ballot passed. Getting senior citizens to connect the benefits to their health from marijuana use with a yes vote on Florida’s mmj initiative is crucial. Robert will explain how they are going to do that.
Obtaining a medical marijuana recommendation to use marijuana is now legal in 22 states and the District of Columbia. THCF Medical Foundation has been providing recommendations since 1999 making it one of the oldest medical marijuana recommendations services in the country. They have clinics in Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, Nevada, Hawaii and Michigan. Clinics will be opening soon in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Washington D.C.
A private non-profit foundation, they are taking the company public so big changes are on the way and Paul Stanford, founder and President, will be on hand to give you this exciting information from the largest provider of medical marijuana recommendations in the nation.
From research scientist to Reality TV Star on “Big Brother” neuroscientist Michele Ross Ph.D. says she believes everyone can benefit from ‘vitamin weed’, or daily cannabis oil use. “Cannabis is the key to unlocking preventative medicine. It helps protect your DNA from damage so it can actually slow down the aging process. I think everyone should use cannabis oil.”
Dr. Michele combines basic and clinical research from multiple industries to create new products, health solutions and companies. She is co-founder of Greenstone Labs, a Los Angeles based incubator for cannabis industry startups and founder & CEO of Stoned & Famous, a lifestyle brand for the digital generation of stoners.
A cannabinoid health pioneer, she educates, inspires, and solves hard problems facing the cannabis, health and tech industries. With a unique background in neuroscience, product development, entertainment and advocacy, you won’t want to miss this interview.
Bruce Margolin is one of southern California’s most prominent and successful attorneys specializing in marijuana law. Author of the Margolin Guide to Marijuana Law, he has been working to reform marijuana laws since the beginning of his legal career over 40 years ago. He is also Director of LA NORML which will be holding their annual awards blow-out party on Saturday, September 13. Attorney Margolin reveals it all.
From the latest legal LA shenanigans to LA NORML’s cannabis celebratory Awards Party, attorney Margolin reveals it all.
From the latest legal LA shenanigans to LA NORML’s cannabis celebratory Awards Party, attorney Margolin reveals it all.
Butane legality and Butte Co. cultivation controversy are the focus of the 6 p.m. Monday, August 18 live podcast of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense at blogtalkradio.com/marijuananews.
The use of butane in the production of marijuana concentrates is highly controversial. What is legal and what is not legal on both state and federal levels will be examined by famed marijuana attorneys Allison Margolin and Raza Lawrence. With home explosions making the headlines, fears of butane residuals in concentrates and the rapid growth of shatters and waxes especially among youthful consumers, the topic couldn’t be hotter.
In 2013, Butte Co. passed a very restrictive cultivation ordinance banning outdoor grows on lots of less than ½ acre and severely restricted cultivation on larger parcels. Patients rallied and collected enough signatures to place an initiative on the ballot to repeal the restrictive ordinance and replace it with one that is more patient friendly. Andrew Merkel of Butte County Citizens Against Irresponsible Government will speak on how patients succeeded in collecting enough signatures and the heightened tensions that have developed in Butte Co as a result of their success in putting the measure on the ballot.
With news, views, humor and grow tips, this is the marijuana show worth listening to this Monday August 18 at 6 p.m. and every Monday at 6 p.m. at www.blogtalkradio.com/marijuananews. Be a part of the live podcast by calling in your comments and questions to (657) 383-0011.
If you missed the show, you can still listen to it and all past shows on the archived podcasts available 24/7 at www.blogtalkradio.com.
Hank Levy and Jim Marty are CPAs with offices in California and Colorado. Bookkeeping for mj businesses is not easy as it’s a conundrum of banks refusing services, government agencies wanting their cut of the money while all the time police keep lurking in the background. This Monday, learn why keeping the books for a marijuana business is more art than science.
In July, Cathedral City enacted an ordinance allowing for the immediate operation of three collectives becoming only the second city in the Inland Empire to allow dispensaries to operate. One of the major reasons for the action is that the city has helplessly watched as major tax revenue generators like Walmart, K-Mart, Burlington Coat Factory and even grocery chains like Albertson’s fled for more upscale pastures. Cathedral City Councilman Greg Pettis is the shows 2nd guest detailing how the ordinance got passed and the role city finances played in its passage.
Putting an initiative on the ballot can be dangerous to your freedom as a number of collective operators have found out in Santa Ana. In a series of raids, 42 people were arrested over a 2-day period for operating store-front collectives that violate the city’s ban.
Patients collected enough signature for an initiative that would rescind the ban and allow for a limited number of licensed collectives. The city responded with its own initiative that is much more restrictive allowing operation in only two industrial zones. The city then allocated an additional $500,000 for police operations to close dispensaries.
Hearings have been contentious with a group called Latino Health Access strenuously opposing the collectives at city council meetings. Kandice Hawes, one of the petition organizers and a member of OCNORML, will review what has happened, take a jaundice view of the city’s actions and explain their plan to overcome local opposition to get the patient’s initiative passed.
The second part of the show will feature a live session from Sacramento with patients who participated in ASAs Citizen Lobby Day. Hear about the “touchy” morning session on SB 1262 with bill author Sen. Lou Correa as well as first-hand accounts of their visits to the offices of their state assembly member and state senator.
Initiatives don’t always work out for the best as patients in Lake Co. California have discovered. Daniel McLean of the Emerald Unity Coalition will discuss the upshot of an initiative introduced by Lake Co. government that was passed by the voters and bans all outdoor cultivation in residential neighborhoods. An alternative initiative sponsored by patients will be on the November ballot that will change things substantially.
Cannabis has had a long history of religious use and our 2nd guest is Michael Myers, director of an organization dedicated to preserving this ancient religious use. The religious use of marijuana, ancient or not, has had a very problematic history, but Michael will elucidate the four steps which he has put into practice and he believes provides first amendment protection.
The action that affects mmj patients the most is happening right now on the floor of the California state legislature and the 6 p.m. Monday, July 21 podcast of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense at www.blogtalkradio.com/marijuananews takes you right into the action.
Shona Gochenaur, long time medical marijuana activist, founder of the San Francisco Medical Cannabis Taskforce and winner of the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Harvey Milk Democratic Club is the show’s first guest. She will be taking a very jaundiced and personal look at SB 1262, one of the most important and consequential bills being considered in Sacramento. Both hailed and reviled, SB 1262 will have far reaching implications and Shona will provide her interpretation on how this bill will help and hurt mmj patients.
Americans for Safe Access is without a doubt the most active mmj patients’ organization in California and perhaps the entire world. As a founder and member of the Board of Directors, Don Duncan is deeply involved in their efforts here in the state of California. As the second guest on the Monday, July 21 show, Don will provide ASA’s insights into the legislation currently under consideration in Sacramento and provide information on ASAs Citizen Lobby Day in Sacramento to take place on Monday, Aug. 4.
A van trip is being organized that will take up to 15 patients from the Inland Empire to Sacramento to join ASA members and hundreds of other supporters to lobby their legislators on bills that will affect mmj patients. Learn from Don what is happening and how you can attend this important event.
Passed in 2004, Oakland’s Measure Z transformed the way marijuana law was enforced in Oakland. Among its provisions measure Z made mj law enforcement the city’s lowest priority which might explain Oakland’s low key response to clubs that have opened up under Measure Z but are not licensed by the city. The first guest on the 6 p.m. Monday, July 14 live podcast of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense is Robert Raich. An attorney specializing in marijuana law and as a resident of the city of Oakland, Robert Raich is in a unique position to provide a learned and nuanced look at this bewildering situation.
OC NORML is having their 11th Anniversary Party on Sat. July 26 with a massive celebration of all things cannabis. As the second guests on this Monday’s show, Marla and David James will regale you with all that will be going on in this event which is not just cannabis friendly, but is all being done to extol the multiple virtues of marijuana. You do not have to be a patient to attend – so anyone near Orange County should listen in and make plans to attend. If you are not in Orange County, you should also listen to hear what you are missing and to give you ideas for your next big cannabis event.
Sisters are sure doing it for themselves and us and you will learn all about two of things on this podcast of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense at www.blogtalkradio.com/marijuananews.
Lynette Shaw, opened the first legal medical marijuana collective in the world and now a woman, Toni Fox, is the first person to operate a legal marijuana-for-any-reason store in the world. Operator of the 3D Cannabis Center in Denver, Toni will recount how she became the first person to sell legal marijuana in the world, what life has been liked since she became a legal recreational cannabis dealer and how her life has been changed because of it. Get a street level woman’s view of Colorado’s new cannabis industry.
Carol Rose was a career prosecutor for over 34 years with her last position as a Deputy DA in Long Beach. In June she was on the ballot for the position of Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Running against a career politician - she was an underdog not expected to win. But she had something her opponent didn’t and that was the support of Susan Soares who organized a get-out-the-vote campaign amongst medical marijuana patients law reform advocates. And look at what happened – SHE WON!
Hear Susan tell the story of how she met Ms. Rose, her support of marijuana law reform and how Susan and marijuana advocates played a crucial role in her election.
Many of the outdoor growing bans have provisions allowing greenhouses to be used but impose strict construction requirements. On the Monday, June 30 at 6 p.m. podcast of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense at www.blogtalkradio.com/marijuananews, Jim Burris from Secure Grow will discuss how he came to develop a line of greenhouses in Yuba County that should meet the requirements of most zoning ordinances.
Our second guest is Alan Tse, Event Producer for The State of Marijuana, a movement star-studded conference scheduled for Saturday, July 26 in Los Angeles. Featuring some of the most active and knowledgeable movement activists from California and other parts, the conference covers everything from legalization to culture to marijuana in the digital age.
Eugene Davidovich, mmj activist in San Diego, talks about what is happening in San Diego including the aftermath on mmj distribution from the mayor's sex scandal and the re-election of anti-mmj DA Bonnie Dumanis.
Report on the meeting on June. 23 with the offices of Sen. Diane Feinstein on the DEA defunding amendment.
Attorney Jason Thompson talks about the lawsuit filed by the city of Riverside to prevent the initiative that would rescind their ban on medical marijuana collective and allow the licensing and regulation of a limited number of collectives. He refers to the lawsuit filed by the city as "the nuclear option."
Letitia Pepper was arrested at a Riverside City Council for clapping for people making presentations during the public comment section. She has filed a "clap" lawsuit against the city in federal court alleging false arrest and a host of other malfesances.
Dale Gieringer discusses the June 2 primary as to how it will effect marijuana law reform and DJ Short discusses Cultivating Exceptional Cannabis
Matt Pappas talks about the Parkin Decision and Dutch Masters talks about what is happening in Washingto