Latest California Proposition 215 Stories

SAN DIEGO, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- A California initiative legalizing marijuana received enough signatures this month to appear on the state's November ballot. If passed, the measure would allow marijuana to be sold and taxed. Since 1996, however, California Proposition 215 has legalized marijuana use for medical purposes. That ruling has turned marijuana into the number-one cash crop for California. The ruling also has spawned a plethora of businesses catering to medical marijuana...

Federal prosecutors will not seek to arrest patients who use medical marijuana in states where such use is legalized, according to new formal guidelines on medical marijuana.Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday issued new guidelines for federal agents in states that have laws authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. "It will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are complying with state laws on...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Attorney General Eric Holder today announced formal guidelines for federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The guidelines make clear that the focus of federal resources should not be on individuals whose actions are in compliance with existing state laws, while underscoring that the Department will continue to prosecute people whose claims of compliance with state and local...

Unclear and tangled state regulations on medical marijuana has resulted in California becoming a safe haven for drug traffickers, police say. With storefront entrepreneurs selling pot for some medical conditions springing up all over the state, law enforcement officials say criminals are taking advantage of vague laws governing who can sell marijuana and under what circumstances, USA Today reported Wednesday. They appear to be run by drug dealers who see an opening in the market and a way to...

The US Supreme Court on Monday announced it would refuse to hear any further challenges to California's Compassionate Use Act, which allows patients to possess marijuana for medicinal purposes based on a doctor's recommendation.Both San Diego and San Bernardino counties had argued that federal law banning the use of marijuana should have precedence over the California state law that permits its use and cultivation. Both counties have refused to issue cards that allow patients to use marijuana...

US medical marijuana policy may be soon changing, according to a recent statement by Attorney General Eric Holder.During a Wednesday news conference about raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in California since the start of President Barack Obama's administration, Holder said the administration's policy has changed. Earlier this month U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents raided four Westside California medical marijuana dispensaries, angering supporters of pot for medicinal...

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents this week raided four Westside California medical marijuana dispensaries, angering supporters of pot for medicinal purposes who cited a comment made by President Barack Obama during his bid for the presidency last year. DEA agents seized more than 400 pounds of marijuana and other cannabis infused items along with about $10,000 cash, according to special agent Sarah Pullen, spokeswoman for the DEA, adding that no arrests were made. The raids...

By David Kihara By DAVID KIHARA REVIEW-JOURNAL Groups challenging the constitutionality of Nevada's ballot process said Wednesday in U.S. District Court that the state discriminates against voters in heavily populated Clark and Washoe counties in favor of the rural counties. The Marijuana Policy Project, Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana and American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada claim that state law favors voters in rural areas because fewer signatures are required to be...

By Lauren McSherry San Bernardino County has appealed its medical marijuana lawsuit to the California Supreme Court, but it remains unclear whether the court will agree to hear the case. The county lost its lawsuit July 25 when a court of appeals ruled that a state law requiring counties to issue medical marijuana identification cards is constitutional. The county maintains that the state law is at odds with federal law, which criminalizes the drug. "The lower courts haven't done what...

By Allison B. Margolin Last week, California Attorney General Jerry Brown issued guidelines to regulate medical-marijuana-related activities in California. Ostensibly, he issued these guidelines to clarify the boundaries regarding patients, caregivers, collectives and law enforcement. Ultimately, however, the vagueness of the guidelines will only further motivate law enforcement and district attorneys throughout the state who are sincerely trying to follow the laws. In 1996, California...