San Francisco, CA -- As two city-permitted dispensaries are shut down today after 9 years of service to thousands of medical marijuana patients, a coalition calling itself San Francisco United for Safe Access will stage a funeral procession with somber marching band, and a press conference tomorrow to bring attention to the federal government's ongoing attack on medical marijuana. Today's closures are due to threats of criminal prosecution and asset forfeiture made by U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag against the dispensaries' landlords unless they promptly evicted their tenants. Similar threats have been made against 9 dispensaries in San Francisco, which have all shut down. Advocates argue these closures are needlessly driving patients into the illicit market.
What: Funeral procession led by The Brass Mafia Marching Band. “Mourners” will be dressed in white and black and are expect to be joined by multiple elected officials.
Where: Patient advocates bearing coffins will march from Haight & Steiner to press conference at 450 Golden Gate, Federal Building and offices of U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag
When: Wednesday, August 1st - Funeral procession starts at 4pm; Press conference starts at 5pm
Both dispensaries being forced to shut down today -- HopeNet and Vapor Room -- had been in operation since 2003 and 2004 respectively, and were fully permitted by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Tenants in HopeNet's neighborhood are so concerned about the loss of security HopeNet provided that they have begun holding meetings to decide a course of action. With cameras monitoring 100 feet in every direction and security personnel, nearby tenants noted that HopeNet helped their businesses by increasing the safety of the neighborhood. The local Starbucks has said that it is anticipating a 10 percent drop in business with the loss of HopeNet.
U.S. Attorney Haag and Justice Department actions stem from a campaign being waged against medical marijuana in California and other states that have passed such laws. Early last year, U.S. Attorneys in at least 10 medical marijuana states began threatening not only patients and their providers, but also local and state officials attempting to pass their own public health laws. In October, all four U.S. Attorneys in California publicly announced an escalated attack in a unique press conference denouncing medical marijuana businesses. Since then, Haag and her Justice Department partners have sent more than 300 threatening letters to landlords across the state, resulting in the closure of more than 400 dispensaries, most of which were in full compliance with state law.
"U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag must be held accountable for her actions, which are completely inconsistent with Attorney General Holder's recent statements to Congress on medical marijuana," said Steph Sherer, Executive Director of Americans for Safe Access, the country's leading medical marijuana advocacy group and a coalition member of San Francisco United for Safe Access. "The Justice Department's attempts to undermine the implementation of state law and to deny thousands of patients a safe and legal means to obtain their medication must be stopped."
The federal attacks on dispensaries in the Bay Area have not gone without significant official opposition. Several San Francisco supervisors publicly decried the closures and federal actions, including Mayor Ed Lee, who was joined by state legislators and Betty Yee of the Board of Equalization, which collects more than $100 million annually from California dispensaries. Even the Democratic Party Committees of San Francisco and Alameda County have come out against the federal actions of Haag and other U.S. Attorneys.
http://americansforsafeaccess.org/closure-of-more-permitted-sf-medical-marijuana-dispensaries-marked-by-funeral-procession-and-press-conference
Cannabis Cures Cancer
"In California, approximately 133,000 people
are diagnosed every year with some form of invasivecancer, not including the common skin
cancers. About 53,000 Californians die each
year from cancer."
Help free the cure, inform others, save lives.
To treat cancer it takes about 90 gram's of high quality cannabis oil ... Patients should take 1/3 of a gram of oil 3 times a day ... It takes about 1lb of high quality cannabis flowers to be able to make enough oil for one treatment ...
Start off slow and work your dosage up http://www.bravemykayla.com/cannabis-oil-dosing.html
One healthy large indoor or outdoor plant can produce 1lb of cannabis in a 90 day growth cycle. If possible grow your own to avoid cannabis contaminated with pesticides. One LB of Cannabis should make enough oil (90-100g) for 90 days ...
*************************************************
Make your own oil to cure your CANCER !!!
This blog is to help inform the public on the truth and medical benefits of cannabis. It also contains info to help teach others the healthiest and safest way to grow or acquire their medicine, what strains are best for their condition and responsible and healthy ways of medicating.
Have suggestions, comments, or questions you can email me at
admin@cannabiscurescancer.com
slips@calicannabisseeds.com
Storm Crows MMJ Cannabis List on all ailments
Skunk Farm Oil Technique
"Note some solvents are cleaner than others"
AKA 100% Food Grade Ethanol, or Food grade Alcohol.
How to make cannabis milk
Make it into ice-cream to help with taste
Find us on You Tube
California Prop 215 Sb 420 & your patients rights .doc
WHAT IF CANNABIS CURED CANCER - FULL MOVIE
Run for the cure video links; Cancer stopping cannabis extracts and one mans story.
You tube link to 7 part series
Article about "Run For the Cure" and easy video links
Here is some very good books on how to test for CBD's and the making of pure oil.
Marijuana Chemistry
Cannabis Chemistry
Cannabis Medical Extracts
THC / CBD / ETC Test Kits
MMJ Instructions
Cannabis Oil (QWISO)
DMSO for oil topical pain relief
Mix 50% rso 40% olive oil and 10% DMSO at luke warm ...
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Harborside Health Center Targeted
http://www.harborsidehealthcenter.com/
KTVU-AP-OAKLAND, Calif.
An Oakland medical marijuana dispensary that has been billed as the largest pot shop on the planet has been targeted for closure by federal prosecutors in Northern California, suggesting that a crackdown on the state's medical marijuana industry remains well under way.
U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag has threatened to seize the Oakland property where Harborside Health Center has operated since 2006, as well as its sister shop in San Jose, executive director and co-founder Steve DeAngelo said Wednesday. His employees found court papers announcing asset forfeiture proceedings against Harborside's landlords taped to the doors at the two locations on Tuesday.
Although medical marijuana is legal in California, a federal court complaint that Haag's office filed Sunday says the dispensaries are violating federal law by selling marijuana. It cites a federal law that "makes it unlawful to rent, lease, profit from or make available for use, with or without compensation, a place for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing, storing, distributing or using a controlled substance, to wit, marijuana," as justification for going after the landlords.
The court action represents an escalation in a months-long, statewide crackdown on medical marijuana by Haag, who said last year that she would try to shut dispensaries that were within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and playgrounds, which Harborside isn't.
Haag issued a statement Wednesday, saying that while taking action against pot shops operating near children had been her first priority, "marijuana superstores such as Harborside" are now on her radar, as well.
"The larger the operation, the greater the likelihood that there will be abuse of the state's medical marijuana laws, and marijuana in the hands of individuals who do not have a demonstrated medical need," she said.
DeAngelo, who was the subject of a Discovery Channel reality TV show called "Weed Wars" last year, vowed to fight the Department of Justice's attempt to put him out of business. Harborside serves about 100,000 medical marijuana users a year and pays $3 million in federal, state and local taxes annually.
"Harborside has nothing to hide or be ashamed of. We will contest the DOJ action openly and in public, and through all legal means at our disposal. We look forward to our day in court, and are confident that justice is on our side" DeAngelo said.
City officials in Oakland, which has reaped about $1 million a year in tax revenue from Harborside, are planning to join DeAngelo on Wednesday at a news conference decrying Haag's action. Earlier this year, federal prosecutors and the Internal Revenue Service raided Oaksterdam University, a medical marijuana trade school in Oakland, and forced its founder to step aside.
KTVU-AP-OAKLAND, Calif.
An Oakland medical marijuana dispensary that has been billed as the largest pot shop on the planet has been targeted for closure by federal prosecutors in Northern California, suggesting that a crackdown on the state's medical marijuana industry remains well under way.
U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag has threatened to seize the Oakland property where Harborside Health Center has operated since 2006, as well as its sister shop in San Jose, executive director and co-founder Steve DeAngelo said Wednesday. His employees found court papers announcing asset forfeiture proceedings against Harborside's landlords taped to the doors at the two locations on Tuesday.
Although medical marijuana is legal in California, a federal court complaint that Haag's office filed Sunday says the dispensaries are violating federal law by selling marijuana. It cites a federal law that "makes it unlawful to rent, lease, profit from or make available for use, with or without compensation, a place for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing, storing, distributing or using a controlled substance, to wit, marijuana," as justification for going after the landlords.
The court action represents an escalation in a months-long, statewide crackdown on medical marijuana by Haag, who said last year that she would try to shut dispensaries that were within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and playgrounds, which Harborside isn't.
Haag issued a statement Wednesday, saying that while taking action against pot shops operating near children had been her first priority, "marijuana superstores such as Harborside" are now on her radar, as well.
"The larger the operation, the greater the likelihood that there will be abuse of the state's medical marijuana laws, and marijuana in the hands of individuals who do not have a demonstrated medical need," she said.
DeAngelo, who was the subject of a Discovery Channel reality TV show called "Weed Wars" last year, vowed to fight the Department of Justice's attempt to put him out of business. Harborside serves about 100,000 medical marijuana users a year and pays $3 million in federal, state and local taxes annually.
"Harborside has nothing to hide or be ashamed of. We will contest the DOJ action openly and in public, and through all legal means at our disposal. We look forward to our day in court, and are confident that justice is on our side" DeAngelo said.
City officials in Oakland, which has reaped about $1 million a year in tax revenue from Harborside, are planning to join DeAngelo on Wednesday at a news conference decrying Haag's action. Earlier this year, federal prosecutors and the Internal Revenue Service raided Oaksterdam University, a medical marijuana trade school in Oakland, and forced its founder to step aside.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Government-sponsored study destroys DEA’s classification of marijuana
Government-sponsored study destroys DEA’s classification of marijuana
A government-sponsored study published recently in The Open Neurology Journal concludes that marijuana provides much-needed relief to some chronic pain sufferers and that more clinical trials are desperately needed, utterly destroying the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) classification of the drug as having no medical uses.
While numerous prior studies have shown marijuana’s usefulness for a host of medical conditions, none have ever gone directly at the DEA’s placement of marijuana atop the schedule of controlled substances. This study, sponsored by the State of California and conducted at the University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, does precisely that, driving a stake into the heart of America’s continued war on marijuana users by calling the Schedule I placement simply “not accurate” and “not tenable.”
Reacting to the study, Paul Armentano, director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), told Raw Story that the study clearly proves U.S. drug policy “is neither based upon nor guided by science.”
“In fact, it is hostile to science,” he said. “And despite the Obama Administration’s well publicized 2009 memo stating, ‘Science and the scientific process must inform and guide decisions of my Administration,’ there is little to no evidence indicating that the federal government’s ‘See no evil; hear no evil’ approach to cannabis policy is not changing any time soon.”
Schedule I is supposedly reserved for the most inebriating substances that the DEA believes have no medical value, including LSD, ecstasy, peyote and heroin.* As the DEA describes it: “Drugs listed in schedule I have no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and, therefore, may not be prescribed, administered, or dispensed for medical use. In contrast, drugs listed in schedules II-V have some accepted medical use and may be prescribed, administered, or dispensed for medical use.”
And that’s the problem, the study’s authors portend.
“The classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug as well as the continuing controversy as to whether or not cannabis is of medical value are obstacles to medical progress in this area,” they wrote. “Based on evidence currently available the Schedule I classification is not tenable; it is not accurate that cannabis has no medical value, or that information on safety is lacking. It is true cannabis has some abuse potential, but its profile more closely resembles drugs in Schedule III (where codeine and dronabinol are listed). The continuing conflict between scientific evidence and political ideology will hopefully be reconciled in a judicious manner.”
They add that their evidence showed marijuana reliably reduced chronic neuropathic pain and muscle spasticity due to multiple sclerosis versus trials where a placebo was used. They also specifically tested marijuana’s effects when smoked, calling the delivery method “rapid and efficient” but noting that vaporization is a better choice because it produces less carbon monoxide.
The study adds that, like all medicines, there are negative side effects associated with marijuana, such as dizziness, fatigue, lightheadedness, muscle weakness and pain and heart palpitations — all of which can pose a risk in some chronic pain patients with co-occurring conditions like cardiovascular disease or substance abuse disorders. However, they call these side effects “dose-related” and “of mild to moderate severity,” adding that they “appear to decline over time, and are reported less frequently in experienced than in naïve users.” Researchers also noted that “fatal overdose with cannabis alone has not been reported.”
Authors additionally found that marijuana does cause withdrawal symptoms within 12 hours of use, noting the symptoms are mild in experienced users and typically abate within 72 hours. They added that ingesting marijuana “can acutely impair skills required to drive motor vehicles,” but noted that the data on marijuana and traffic accidents is “inconclusive.”
Ultimately, they concluded that more clinical trials are needed to determine which individual components of the marijuana plant are causing the medicinal effects, and whether the plant can be used to treat a host of other ailments.
“Medical marijuana is mostly used for chronic pain, and has enabled countless patients to either reduce or eliminate their pharmaceutical drug regimen,” Kris Hermes, a spokesman for Americans for Safe Access (ASA), one of the nation’s leading medical marijuana advocacy groups, told Raw Story. “However, it can also be used for: arthritis, nausea or as an appetite stimulant for people living with HIV/AIDS or cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, and movement disorders (not just for people with multiple sclerosis). That is only a sampling of health conditions for which cannabis has been found helpful in alleviating symptoms. Other health conditions include: [post-traumatic stress disorder], [attention deficit disorder], [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder] and other mental health conditions, glaucoma, and migraines.”
In hopes of forcing recognition of marijuana’s medical value, ASA sued the federal government last year after a long-running appeal for the reclassification of marijuana was shot down nearly a decade after it was filed. That case should go before the U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit later this year.
“The federal government’s strategy has been delay, delay, delay,” ASA chief counsel Joe Elford said in an advisory. “It is far past time for the government to answer our rescheduling petition, but unfortunately we’ve been forced to go to court in order to get resolution.”
“Reform advocates can and should use this study to show their congressional representatives that our country’s leading medical marijuana researchers agree that it should be reclassified,” Hermes added. “…This certainly should also have a bearing on the D.C. Circuit’s deliberations in the appeal of the rescheduling petition denial.”
Medical marijuana is currently legal in just 17 states and Washington, D.C. —— *Clarification: Scientific studies have shown LSD, ecstasy, peyote and heroin also have some limited medical value, which the DEA has refused to recognize.
A government-sponsored study published recently in The Open Neurology Journal concludes that marijuana provides much-needed relief to some chronic pain sufferers and that more clinical trials are desperately needed, utterly destroying the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) classification of the drug as having no medical uses.
While numerous prior studies have shown marijuana’s usefulness for a host of medical conditions, none have ever gone directly at the DEA’s placement of marijuana atop the schedule of controlled substances. This study, sponsored by the State of California and conducted at the University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, does precisely that, driving a stake into the heart of America’s continued war on marijuana users by calling the Schedule I placement simply “not accurate” and “not tenable.”
Reacting to the study, Paul Armentano, director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), told Raw Story that the study clearly proves U.S. drug policy “is neither based upon nor guided by science.”
“In fact, it is hostile to science,” he said. “And despite the Obama Administration’s well publicized 2009 memo stating, ‘Science and the scientific process must inform and guide decisions of my Administration,’ there is little to no evidence indicating that the federal government’s ‘See no evil; hear no evil’ approach to cannabis policy is not changing any time soon.”
Schedule I is supposedly reserved for the most inebriating substances that the DEA believes have no medical value, including LSD, ecstasy, peyote and heroin.* As the DEA describes it: “Drugs listed in schedule I have no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and, therefore, may not be prescribed, administered, or dispensed for medical use. In contrast, drugs listed in schedules II-V have some accepted medical use and may be prescribed, administered, or dispensed for medical use.”
And that’s the problem, the study’s authors portend.
“The classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug as well as the continuing controversy as to whether or not cannabis is of medical value are obstacles to medical progress in this area,” they wrote. “Based on evidence currently available the Schedule I classification is not tenable; it is not accurate that cannabis has no medical value, or that information on safety is lacking. It is true cannabis has some abuse potential, but its profile more closely resembles drugs in Schedule III (where codeine and dronabinol are listed). The continuing conflict between scientific evidence and political ideology will hopefully be reconciled in a judicious manner.”
They add that their evidence showed marijuana reliably reduced chronic neuropathic pain and muscle spasticity due to multiple sclerosis versus trials where a placebo was used. They also specifically tested marijuana’s effects when smoked, calling the delivery method “rapid and efficient” but noting that vaporization is a better choice because it produces less carbon monoxide.
The study adds that, like all medicines, there are negative side effects associated with marijuana, such as dizziness, fatigue, lightheadedness, muscle weakness and pain and heart palpitations — all of which can pose a risk in some chronic pain patients with co-occurring conditions like cardiovascular disease or substance abuse disorders. However, they call these side effects “dose-related” and “of mild to moderate severity,” adding that they “appear to decline over time, and are reported less frequently in experienced than in naïve users.” Researchers also noted that “fatal overdose with cannabis alone has not been reported.”
Authors additionally found that marijuana does cause withdrawal symptoms within 12 hours of use, noting the symptoms are mild in experienced users and typically abate within 72 hours. They added that ingesting marijuana “can acutely impair skills required to drive motor vehicles,” but noted that the data on marijuana and traffic accidents is “inconclusive.”
Ultimately, they concluded that more clinical trials are needed to determine which individual components of the marijuana plant are causing the medicinal effects, and whether the plant can be used to treat a host of other ailments.
“Medical marijuana is mostly used for chronic pain, and has enabled countless patients to either reduce or eliminate their pharmaceutical drug regimen,” Kris Hermes, a spokesman for Americans for Safe Access (ASA), one of the nation’s leading medical marijuana advocacy groups, told Raw Story. “However, it can also be used for: arthritis, nausea or as an appetite stimulant for people living with HIV/AIDS or cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, and movement disorders (not just for people with multiple sclerosis). That is only a sampling of health conditions for which cannabis has been found helpful in alleviating symptoms. Other health conditions include: [post-traumatic stress disorder], [attention deficit disorder], [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder] and other mental health conditions, glaucoma, and migraines.”
In hopes of forcing recognition of marijuana’s medical value, ASA sued the federal government last year after a long-running appeal for the reclassification of marijuana was shot down nearly a decade after it was filed. That case should go before the U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit later this year.
“The federal government’s strategy has been delay, delay, delay,” ASA chief counsel Joe Elford said in an advisory. “It is far past time for the government to answer our rescheduling petition, but unfortunately we’ve been forced to go to court in order to get resolution.”
“Reform advocates can and should use this study to show their congressional representatives that our country’s leading medical marijuana researchers agree that it should be reclassified,” Hermes added. “…This certainly should also have a bearing on the D.C. Circuit’s deliberations in the appeal of the rescheduling petition denial.”
Medical marijuana is currently legal in just 17 states and Washington, D.C. —— *Clarification: Scientific studies have shown LSD, ecstasy, peyote and heroin also have some limited medical value, which the DEA has refused to recognize.
California Court of Appeal Affirms Legality of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries and Rejects Municipal Bans
City of Los Angeles will soon vote on whether to enact an outright ban similar to the County ban just rejected
Los Angeles, CA -- The Second District Court of Appeal in California issued a landmark decision yesterday in County of Los Angeles v. Alternative Medicinal Cannabis Collective (AMCC), which affirmed the legality of medical marijuana dispensaries under state law, and rejected bans imposed by municipalities. In particular, the AMCC court held that Los Angeles County's "complete ban" on medical marijuana is "preempted" by state law and, therefore, void. The AMCC decision reverses a preliminary junction granted to the County by the Los Angeles Superior Court in May 2011.
On the issue of whether dispensaries are legal under state law, the AMCC court ruled that, "[T]he repeated use of the term 'dispensary' throughout [Health and Safety Code section 11362.768] and the reference in subdivision (e) to a 'storefront or mobile retail outlet' make it abundantly clear that the medical marijuana collectives authorized by section 11362.775 are permitted by state law to perform a dispensary function." The AMCC further held that, "[Los Angeles] County's total, per se nuisance ban against medical marijuana dispensaries directly contradicts the Legislature's intent," and called that contradiction "direct, patent, obvious, and palpable."
This landmark decision comes as a number of other state appellate court rulings impacting dispensaries have been granted review by the California Supreme Court, including Pack v. City of Long Beach, which addresses how localities can regulate distribution, and City of Riverside v. Inland Empire Patient's Health and Wellness, which deals with whether municipalities can permanently ban distribution. The California Supreme Court could also decide to review the AMCC ruling, which it will decide in the next several weeks.
"The court of appeal could not have been clearer in expressing that medical marijuana dispensaries are legal under state law, and that municipalities have no right to ban them," said Joe Elford, Chief Counsel with Americans for Safe Access, the country's leading medical marijuana advocacy group. "This landmark decision should have a considerable impact on how the California Supreme Court rules in the various dispensary cases it's currently reviewing."
On July 24th, the City of Los Angeles is scheduled to vote on a dispensary ban similar to the one enacted by the County, but just rejected by the court of appeal. "The AMCC decision puts a giant wrench into the plans of City Attorney Trutanich to persuade the City Council to enact a ban," continued Elford. The proposal introduced by Council member Huizar to ban dispensaries, which appeared to be favored by many of his colleagues, now faces an uncertain fate. Patient advocates have been pushing for a more sensible alternative being proposed by Council members Koretz and Wesson that would create “limited immunity” for a certain number of dispensaries in the city.
Los Angeles, CA -- The Second District Court of Appeal in California issued a landmark decision yesterday in County of Los Angeles v. Alternative Medicinal Cannabis Collective (AMCC), which affirmed the legality of medical marijuana dispensaries under state law, and rejected bans imposed by municipalities. In particular, the AMCC court held that Los Angeles County's "complete ban" on medical marijuana is "preempted" by state law and, therefore, void. The AMCC decision reverses a preliminary junction granted to the County by the Los Angeles Superior Court in May 2011.
On the issue of whether dispensaries are legal under state law, the AMCC court ruled that, "[T]he repeated use of the term 'dispensary' throughout [Health and Safety Code section 11362.768] and the reference in subdivision (e) to a 'storefront or mobile retail outlet' make it abundantly clear that the medical marijuana collectives authorized by section 11362.775 are permitted by state law to perform a dispensary function." The AMCC further held that, "[Los Angeles] County's total, per se nuisance ban against medical marijuana dispensaries directly contradicts the Legislature's intent," and called that contradiction "direct, patent, obvious, and palpable."
This landmark decision comes as a number of other state appellate court rulings impacting dispensaries have been granted review by the California Supreme Court, including Pack v. City of Long Beach, which addresses how localities can regulate distribution, and City of Riverside v. Inland Empire Patient's Health and Wellness, which deals with whether municipalities can permanently ban distribution. The California Supreme Court could also decide to review the AMCC ruling, which it will decide in the next several weeks.
"The court of appeal could not have been clearer in expressing that medical marijuana dispensaries are legal under state law, and that municipalities have no right to ban them," said Joe Elford, Chief Counsel with Americans for Safe Access, the country's leading medical marijuana advocacy group. "This landmark decision should have a considerable impact on how the California Supreme Court rules in the various dispensary cases it's currently reviewing."
On July 24th, the City of Los Angeles is scheduled to vote on a dispensary ban similar to the one enacted by the County, but just rejected by the court of appeal. "The AMCC decision puts a giant wrench into the plans of City Attorney Trutanich to persuade the City Council to enact a ban," continued Elford. The proposal introduced by Council member Huizar to ban dispensaries, which appeared to be favored by many of his colleagues, now faces an uncertain fate. Patient advocates have been pushing for a more sensible alternative being proposed by Council members Koretz and Wesson that would create “limited immunity” for a certain number of dispensaries in the city.
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