Category: Health

Editor: Last week we ran an article about an Ocean Beach woman who was arrested when she returned home to find her neighbor’s apartment had a fire and she was refused entrance to her own bottom floor apartment on Cape May. A firefighter had found marijuana in Larissa Danielli’s apartment, and even though she had a medicinal marijuana card, she was still arrested. Since our original report, there was much speculation among commenters. Eventually, Larissa herself came onto the post and left several comments, giving her side of the story. We thought it important enough to place her comments into its own post.

By Larissa Danielli / Comments posted originally on November 7, 2011

I am the woman arrested.

I am the business owner of a DJ company. Upon arriving at the scene, I realized the police had not protected my very EXPENSIVE DJ equipment and were letting it be water damaged.

I repeatedly requested that they move my equipment to a safer place and up off of the floor. The officer refused and I kept repeating my request. He then arrested me for “obstruction of justice.”

by Jill Richardson / La Vida Locavore / Originally published Oct. 25, 2011

What could be so terrible? Palm oil, of course. I wrote this piece for Alternet (the original has links) and was so scandalized by what I learned while writing it that I’ve decided to cross-post it here.

On August 10, police and security for the massive palm oil corporation Wilmar International (of which Archer Daniels Midland is the second largest shareholder) stormed a small, indigenous village on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. They came with bulldozers and guns, destroying up to 70 homes, evicting 82 families, and arresting 18 people. Then they blockaded the village, keeping the villagers in — and journalists out. (Wilmar claims it has done no wrong.)

by Alex Kreit / Two Cathedrals / November 4, 2011

As you may have seen, Bonnie Dumanis issued a statement Wednesday “clarifying [her] position on medical marijuana.” (This was linked to a page on Ms. Dumanis’ website that has since been removed) The statement articulates a reasonable — even admirable — position that seems designed to appeal to the moderate voters she’s trying to court. In it, Dumanis claims that she “absolutely support[s] the legitimate, legal use of marijuana for medicinal purposes” and even cites personal examples of “known friends suffering from debilitating, and sometimes fatal, diseases whose only relief from nausea or lack of appetite was marijuana.”

Unfortunately, Dumanis’s actions on this issue do not match her words. To put it mildly.

Filner and several Congressional colleagues write President Obama to back off medical marijuana

By Christopher Cadelago / SignOnSanDiego / Originally published November 2, 2011

Rep. Bob Filner and several congressional colleagues are urging President Barack Obama to reclassify marijuana as a legitimate controlled substance for medicinal purposes under federal law.

By Jen Lebron Kuhney / SignOnSanDiego / October 19, 2011

Protesters took to the streets Tuesday to oppose a federal crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries. Later in the day the city announced a Superior Court judge issued a ruling on Monday that the stores are prohibited by the municipal code in San Diego — a ruling similar to one he made last week.

Approximately 250 protesters marched from City Hall to the federal courthouse to voice their opposition to recent actions by U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy.

Welcomes “Healthcare is a Human Right” Leader from Vermont

Inspired by moves toward guaranteed healthcare for all in Vermont and Montana, advocates of Medicare-for-all, single-payer-style reform in California have formed a new coalition, the Campaign for a Healthy California (CHC), and are stepping up activity this coming week by hosting a California tour with a Vermont healthcare activist.

Protest and March to Defend Medical Marijuana Patients and their Collectives!

Tuesday, October 18th from Noon – 2pm

From Civic Center (1200 Third Ave) to Federal Building (880 Front Street)

US Attorneys in California have decided that they no longer respect the rights of patients, voters or the laws of California and are prosecuting medical marijuana collectives and cooperatives.

by Phillip Smith / StopTheDrugWar.org

California’s largest doctors’ group is calling for marijuana legalization. The trustees of the California Medical Association (CMA) adopted the position at their annual meeting in Anaheim Friday. The call came after the group last year decided to study the issue and make recommendations.

The group, which represents more than 35,000 physicians statewide, called for legalization even as it acknowledged health risks and questioned the medical value of pot.

by Christopher Cadelago / SignOnSanDiego / Oct 14, 2011

A judge this week ruled that the city of San Diego can restrict the location of medical marijuana dispensaries based on its zoning laws. San Diego County Superior Court Judge Ronald Prager wrote that state law regarding medical marijuana addresses the cultivation and possession for medicinal purposes, but not zoning and business licensing. …

Meanwhile, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith announced more lawsuits against another 16 collectives for allegedly violating local zoning code. … Under the decision, Ocean Beach Wellness Center at 4851 Newport Ave. was ordered to shutter its operation Thursday. The collective was part of an initial batch of 12 lawsuits brought by the city last month against businesses believed to be operating within 600 feet of schools, a violation of state law.

Getting rid of all the paper on his desk, Governor Jerry Brown on Sunday, October 9th, vetoed two pieces of legislation that would have been helpful to San Diego County.

Brown vetoed legislation that would have blocked a disputed landfill in North San Diego County, which is a major victory for Gregory Canyon LLC, developers of the long-pursued landfill proposed along state Route 76 near the Pala Indian Reservation, and a defeat for the rest of us, including the Pala tribe.

In addition, Brown also vetoed legislation that would have required big-box superstores – such as Wal-Mart – to submit a comprehensive economic analysis report when applying for a permit.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal prosecutors have launched a crackdown on pot dispensaries in California, warning the stores that they must shut down in 45 days or face criminal charges and confiscation of their property even if they are operating legally under the state’s 15-year-old medical marijuana law.

In an escalation of the ongoing conflict between the U.S. government and the nation’s burgeoning medical marijuana industry, at least 16 pot shops or their landlords received letters this week stating they are violating federal drug laws, even though medical marijuana is legal in California. The state’s four U.S. attorneys are scheduled to announce a broader coordinated crackdown at a Friday news conference.

By: Terrie Best / NUG Magazine / September 27, 2011

In the afternoon session of Tuesday’s San Diego City Council Meeting, the Council voted 7 to 1 to repeal the restrictive zoning ordinance which, if allowed to pass would have identified zones for medical marijuana collectives to exist but at the same time relegated them to far flung industrial areas and forcing a closure while collectives relocated and embarked on a strenuous processing procedure to re-open in those zones.