Articles Posted in Proposition 19

Medical researchers are investing significant time and resources to study the advantages of marijuana treatments. In a recent study, two cannabis components have been found to have a significant effect on the size of cancerous tumors in the brain. The treatment is especially effective when combined with radiotherapy, according to researchers.

According to representatives from the study, the combination of marijuana treatment and radiation can effectively make tumor growths “disappear.”
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While the pronouncement may overstate the effects, it should raise hopes for medical researchers, doctors, patients and their families. The research was conducted by cancer specialists at St. Georges University of London. The study was published in the Molecular Cancer Therapeutics Journal.

According to the findings, there are 85 cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. The two cannabinoids that have been shown to have a positive effect on tumors are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). The researchers combined the two cannabinoids with radiotherapy treatment and published their results. According to the study, combining the cannabinoids with radiotherapy can have a “drastic” effect on tumors.
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Migrants seeking work have continued to descend upon Humboldt County to work at the center of the marijuana industry in California. The workers come from all over the world and take part in the marijuana harvest as “trimmers.” According to an NPR report, “trimmers” are responsible for manicuring the buds so that they are prepared for the market. Locals refer to the harvesters as “trimmigrants.”

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To understand the importance of trimming, it is critical to understand how marijuana plants grow. Marijuana grows like a bush and produces a flower or “marijuana bud.” A trimmer is responsible for trimming the leaves and stems and shaping the marijuana buds. The process is part function, part aesthetic, as sellers want to make their weed stand out when it is sold at medical marijuana dispensaries or on the black market.
It is estimated that there are over 100,000 plants growing in the Humboldt County area and all must be harvested and processed in the same short period of time. Proper harvest prevents the plants from getting moldy and deterioration. The harvest season begins in September and extends through the month of November, the busiest time for those looking to work as trimmer. Trimmers are both men and women, many bring their backpacks and their pets, to enjoy the culture and the work afforded during the short time in Humboldt.

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One of the leading arguments for legalization of recreational marijuana use is the potential for state and federal tax revenues. According to recent reports, if all states moved to legalize marijuana for recreational use, they could be collecting over $3 billion per year in tax revenues. The NerdWallet report projected a total of $3.1 billion per year. Of all the states, California is forecasted to benefit the most from recreational use legalization. According to their projections, California could rake in more than $519 million per year through recreational use marijuana taxation.

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Whether you are pro-legalization, a medical marijuana card holder, or marijuana dispensary owner, it is important to understand the potential tax benefits and regulatory changes that could take place in the state of California. Our Orange County marijuana dispensary attorneys are committed to staying abreast of all legal chances and in providing strategic and committed advocacy to California residents. In addition to helping individuals and businesses ensure compliance with the law, we are also abreast of regulatory changes and can represent clients who are under investigation or charged in a criminal matter.
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A breakdown of voting for Proposition 19, California’s marijuana legalization effort, found support was strongest in the Bay area but failed in the Emerald Triangle, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Our Los Angeles marijuana defense attorneys noted last month that penalty for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana was reduced from a misdemeanor that required a court appearance, to an infraction punishable by no more than a fine. But Proposition 19 would have made recreational marijuana use legal, permitted possession of up to an ounce by anyone over the age of 21, and allowed for the growing of marijuana in an area of up to 25 square feet.
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The measure failed 54 to 46 percent. Supporters vow to have it back on the ballot in 2012.

The strongest support was in San Francisco, where it passed, and in five surrounding counties. San Francisco residents favored the measure 65 percent to 35 percent. The measure also found support in the Central Coast counties of Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, as well as the eastern counties of Alpine and Mono.

Voters in Los Angeles County voted against the issue 53 percent to 47 percent. The area is home to a quarter of the state’s voters. The heaviest opposition was in Colusa County, where 68 percent opposed it.

Another area of poor showing was the “Emerald Triangle,” where part of the economy depends on marijuana. Growers there were worried that legalized marijuana could hurt the market for their medical marijuana, which hurt the initiative in Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties.
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The marijuana legalization effort is not going away. But Tuesday’s defeat of Proposition 19 makes the fight against the assault on California’s legal medical marijuana industry all the more urgent.

Our Los Angeles medical marijuana collective attorneys urge anyone with a stake in the fight — whether patient, grower or dispensary — to aggressively stand up for their rights under the laws that have made medical marijuana legal in this state for 15 years. With those laws also under attack, the only defense is an aggressive offense. Unless we let it be known that those who enforce the laws must also obey the laws, then it doesn’t matter how many different ways we legalize marijuana.
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The Los Angeles Times reports that supporters of the effort to legalize marijuana in California plan to be back on the ballot in 2012. The measure was defeated 54 percent to 46 percent.

As we have reported before here on our Marijuana Lawyer Blog, the fight would have likely just begun with the passage of Proposition 19.

The federal government could have challenged the law. And even the Los Angeles County Sheriff said he would ignore it and continue to make arrests, apparently for activities that were no longer illegal (yes, good luck with that sheriff).

With the legal medical marijuana industry under attack in Los Angeles, we need to convince the politicians and bureaucrats to obey existing laws before the creation of new ones will ensure the protection of a citizen’s rights.
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The Oakland Tribune is reporting that hundreds of doctors have turned to specializing in marijuana, making medical marijuana in Los Angeles and throughout California far easier to get than in the other 13 states where it is legal.
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Should voters pass Proposition 19, California’s legalization effort, at the polls today, the newspaper contends that could change. Our Los Angeles marijuana defense lawyers are not so sure. With state and federal challenges a virtual certainty, and with the legal marijuana dispensary industry already under attack, we think prescription marijuana is going to be the safest bet for many users, at least in the immediate future.

While the paper contends the state’s 1996, medical marijuana law has become legal cover to smoke cannabis, we would point out that it remains under attack nearly 15 years after its passage. To think Proposition 19 is going to pass today, and that you are then going to be able to buy marijuana at your local neighborhood convenience store anytime soon, is absurd.

California’s medical marijuana law permits prescription for any illness for which marijuana provides relief. In many other states, the medical marijuana law is much more specific and mentions diseases by name, including AIDS and cancer. Of California’s 100,000 licensed doctors, advocates estimate just over 1 percent, or about 1,500, have prescribed marijuana to at least one patient. About 400 to 500 physicians account for the vast majority of recommendations.
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What is it with the Los Angeles sheriff’s obsession with marijuana?

Our Los Angeles marijuana dispensary lawyers have reported on our Marijuana Lawyer Blog that the sheriff has blamed legal medical marijuana businesses for being victimized by crime. And we also noted the sheriff spent his resources conducting raids for pot-laced suckers,brownies and rice treats.
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Now the department has issued a warning to parents to watch out for such treats in their trick-or-treat bags, the L.A. Times reports.

We think that is about as likely as someone tossing six packs of Budweiser or prescription medication into children’s treat bags. Sheriff Lee Baca opposes Proposition 19, California’s legalization effort, and has said he will continue to arrest growers even if it’s approved. Meanwhile, his department has issued the warning claiming the marijuana snacks and candies, similar to those confiscated from legally operating marijuana dispensaries, could end up in the treat bags of children.

The department has never received reports of such an incident actually happening, the Times noted.

And, if Proposition 19 passes, and the sheriff continues his crackdown, he will be breaking the law. The sooner he gets used to that reality, the better it will be for everyone.
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Proposition 19, California’s marijuana legalization effort, will run television ads in the Los Angeles area in the closing days of the campaign, the L.A. Times reported.

As our Los Angeles medical marijuana defense attorneys reported recently on our Marijuana Lawyer Blog, political pundits placed part of the blame on a recent 10-point deficit in the polls on the fact that Proposition 19 supporters have lacked the funds to mount an aggressive statewide television campaign.
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Beginning Tuesday, and running through the final week to election day, the commercials will air featuring retired San Jose Police Chief Joseph D. McNamara endorsing the initiative.

It is the first campaign supporters of the initiative have put on television. A spokesman said the campaign will spend $170,000 to run the commercials on cable television through election day.

He said he hopes the modest buy of television time can be expanded into other markets though the donations of supporters.

The spot will feature McNamara wearing a suit and tie and speaking directly to the camera. He will say his 35 years in law enforcement have convinced him that the war on marijuana has failed.

“Today, it’s easier for a teenager to buy pot than beer,” he says. “Proposition 19 will tax and control marijuana just like alcohol. It will generate billions of dollars for local communities, allow police to focus on violent crimes and put drug cartels out of business.”

Meanwhile, the California Chamber of Commerce is spending $250,000 in radio ads aimed at beating the initiative. The chamber vaguely claims the proposition would hurt California’s economy and make it tougher to create jobs.

The legalization initiative is supported by the National Black Police Association and 48 current and retired law enforcement veterans.
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The latest poll to gauge support for Proposition 19 has found that California’s marijuana legalization effort is trailing badly, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Our L.A. medical marijuana dispensary lawyers don’t put a lot of faith in these polls, particularly when it comes to the marijuana legalization issue. Such polls are typically conducted by calling home telephones, and therefore over represent the older vote. College students or those without landlines — virtually everyone under 30, let’s say, are much more likely to support the legalization effort. These same voters are usually drastically underrepresented in polls.
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The Los Angeles Times/USC poll found the issue trailing by a margin of 51 percent to 39 percent. As we reported on our Marijuana Lawyer Blog, the issue has been leading in many previous polls. Politicos contend supporters of the measure are short on money and have not been able to run the kind of television campaign that is critical to success in a state the size of California.

The measure would permit those over the age of 21 to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and to grow marijuana in up to 25 square feet of space.

The poll found a slim margin of support among Democrats while Republicans were opposed by a margin of 2-1. Men were evenly split, while women leaned against.
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Possessing up to an ounce of marijuana in California has been reduced from a misdemeanor to an infraction and is now no more serious than getting a speeding ticket, the Associated Press reported.

Our Los Angeles marijuana defense attorneys recently reported on our Marijuana Lawyer Blog that the legislature passed the law, which reduced possession of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction. The maximum fine remains $100.
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In signing the law, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he does not support decriminalization of marijuana but noted the new law will save the state courts millions of dollars in processing misdemeanor marijuana offenses.

“In this time of drastic budget cuts, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement and the courts cannot afford to expend limited resources prosecuting a crime that carries the same punishment as a traffic ticket,” the governor said in a statement.

The change in legal status comes as voters prepare to weigh in on Proposition 19 this November. That ballot initiative would legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults over 21.

California Department of Justice records show that authorities made more than 60,000 misdemeanor marijuana arrests in 2008.

“The governor made a good decision,” Los Angeles Marijuana Defense Attorney Damian Nassiri said on his Marijuana News Blog. “The last thing we need is to clog up our jails with people who use marijuana medicinally or recreationally.”

Nassiri noted the cost savings is a given because the state will not “have to spend money paying prosecutors and law enforcement to fight a senseless war on marijuana.”
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