Category: Health

by Adrian Florido / Voice of San Diego / November 21, 2011

As the weak economy battered families across California, food stamp use nearly doubled since 2006. But in San Diego County, the spike has been even more dramatic. Food stamp use has nearly tripled here.

Despite that jump, recent statistics show that San Diego may still only be getting food stamps to about one-third of the people who qualify for them, offering a glimpse of just how many San Diegans may be struggling to put food on the table.

As always after a heavy rain, the waters of the Pacific near the coast are dangerously filled with elevated bacterial levels. So, as always, the County Department of Environmental Health has issued a General Advisory for coastal waters of San Diego County due to recent rainfall.

They advise people to avoid activities such as swimming, surfing and diving in all coastal waters for 72 hours following rain. And of course, this includes Ocean Beach, Sunset Cliffs, Mission Beach, Mission Bay, the other beaches and San Diego Bay.

5,000 cases being recalled of bagged salads containing romaine lettuce with the use-by date of Nov. 18, 2011. No illnesses have been reported.

A company from Irwindale, California – Ready Pac Foods, Inc. – is recalling more than 5,000 cases of ready-made salad due to possible contamination with E. coli bacteria, the Food and Drug Administration said on November 17. Although the FDA sent out a Press Release on November 16, the press / media does not appear to have picked it up for another day.

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.