Marijuana

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July 1, 2011 | 2:12 PM | By

Feds likely to resume crackdown on medical marijuana

 

 

Timothy Smith

California looks certain to return to the marijuana enforcement crackdowns of the 1980s and 1990s, as the U.S. Department of Justice released a memo this week reaffirming marijuana’s status as a controlled substance under federal law.

The June 29th memo, written by Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole, asserts that the federal government has the right to investigate and prosecute individuals involved in the manufacture and sale of cannabis, regardless of state laws allowing the sale and use of medical marijuana. Here is the relevant passage:

Persons who are in the business of cultivating, selling or distributing marijuana, and those who knowingly facilitate such activities, are in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, regardless of state law. Consistent with resource constraints and the discretion you may exercise in your district, such persons are subject to federal enforcement action, including potential prosecution. State laws or local ordinances are not a defense to civil or criminal enforcement of federal law with respect to such conduct, including enforcement of the CSA.

Full memo after the jump: Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Politics, Marijuana, US Department of Justice
April 11, 2011 | 4:31 PM | By

SFPD bust yields 1,400 marijuana plants from 3rd Street growhouse

Alexandra Moss

SFPD officers seized than 1,400 marijuana plants from a clandestine grow house in the South of Market area last Wednesday. Firefighters investigating an alarm in a five-story mixed use building on the 600 block of Third Street notified SFPD they had stumbled across a grow operation on the third floor, and suspected additional plants were located on the two floors above.

After obtaining a search warrant, SFPD entered the building and discovered plants on the third and fifth floors. According to SFPD’s account, wiring was strewn across the floor between the plants and open tubs of water. A similar set-up growing the plants was found on the fourth floor, but it appeared cultivation had not yet begun.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Police, grow houses, Marijuana, San Francisco, San Francisco Police Department, South of Market
January 20, 2011 | 4:59 PM | By

SF Marijuana busts mostly in the Sunset, Ingleside and Bayview-Hunter’s Point

Timothy Smith

Last month, we brought you partial statistics for marijuana grow busts by the San Francisco Police Department: roughly 13,500 plants worth an estimated $11.5 million were seized from 59 indoor grows from January through September of 2010.

SFPD Sgt. Mike Andraychak got back to us yesterday with the year-end tally from the Narcotics Division. And those last few months were fruitful. Approximately 19,000 plants were seized from 87 locations in total. The plants are work up to $15.7 million, although street prices for marijuana have since declined since SFPD provided us with their original figures (kudos to SF Weekly).
68 people were arrested in the raids, and 20 guns were seized. Thirty-two percent of the locations, or 27 sites, were electrical by-passes.
FILED UNDER: Police, Bayview-Hunter's Point, Ingleside, Marijuana, San Francisco, San Francisco Police Department, Sunset
January 5, 2011 | 11:16 AM | By

Regulating marijuana

leaf

gecko.juice

An East Bay Express article about the growing legitimization of the pot industry reminded us of a piece KALW’s Steven Short did a couple years ago, where he toured the Harborside Health Center in Oakland, which is the West Coast’s largest dispensary. (Audio above.) At the time, providers were grappling with confusing, regulations.

According to the EB Express, things now are moving towards the more legit–and there’s more and more of a need for analysis that will help standardize dosages, identify problems (like mold) that might trigger allergies, and simply make users feel more confident that they know what they’re taking. Both pieces are interesting windows into a quasi-legal industry trying to self-regulate in the hopes of greater productivity and acceptance.

FILED UNDER: Community, Marijuana
January 3, 2011 | 12:09 PM | By

Five public safety issues to watch in 2011

Keoki Seu

How will 2010's controversies play out this year?

In 2010, the Bay Area was a hotspot for criminal justice issues that have been brewing nationwide. From the shooting death of Oscar Grant to the campaign to legalize marijuana, we provided sparks that ignited controversies. That trend will likely continue in 2011– many themes of the past year will continue to resonate in policy and politics. Here are five that we’ll be watching:

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Community, Marijuana, Oscar Grant, Prison Overcrowding
December 22, 2010 | 1:56 PM | By

San Francisco Police net more than $11 million in pot seizures, figures show

Alexandra Moss

It’s been a tough year for marijuana advocates. Cannabis legalization took a blow with the defeat of Proposition 19 at the polls last month. Cities that were scrambling to draft regulations to produce and tax marijuana last summer are now shelving those plans. In a sign of the times, Oakland’s City Council voted Tuesday to suspend the city’s plan for the industrial-size cannabis grows in the face of scrutiny by Federal and local law enforcement.

San Francisco never put together a taxation plan, but pot is widely cultivated in many areas of the city. The Sunset District is particularly notorious for its collection of illegal growhouses.

This particular type of urban farming is plentiful – and lucrative. Figures from the San Francisco Police Department from January through mid-September 2010, 2009 show SFPD discovered 59 indoor grow locations. Of those 59, only four were found to be in compliance with California’s medical cultivation laws, and no action was taken.

Approximately 13,500 plants were taken out of the remaining 55 locations. The seized plants had a street value of about $11.5 million, according to SFPD Sergeant Mike Andraychak, a department spokesman.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Police, Marijuana, Oakland, San Francisco, San Francisco Police Department
November 16, 2010 | 2:51 PM | By

Marijuana (de)legalization: A history

Alexandra Moss

It was an electoral squeaker, but medical marijuana was legalized by a ballot proposition in Arizona. Which means medicinal use is now legal in 15 states. Patients with AIDS, cancer, and other chronic and debilitating diseases will be allowed to purchase 2.5 ounces every two weeks. Supporters of full legalization are hailing this most recent law as more evidence that full legalization is inevitable. In celebration, one of our pro-pot readers compiled this cannabis history chart:

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Politics, Marijuana
November 9, 2010 | 8:40 AM | By

The Blotter: Tuesday, November 9

Man shot and killed by Oakland police Following domestic dispute call and foot chase. No further details immediately available. (San Francisco Chronicle)

And Oakland officers were allegedly fired upon by a man last night He was detained after an extensive search. (Inside Bay Area)

Every gun has a story Richmond Police seize about one illegal firearm every other day. (richmondconfidential.org)

Oakland City Council to decide fate of marijuana farm permits tonight Who will win the potentially lucrative large-scale cultivation permits? (Oakland North)

After 30 years, Pleasanton’s police chief says goodbye to the badge His replacement should step in by March or April. (Contra Costa Times)

FILED UNDER: Police, Marijuana, Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco