California

"Mardi Grass" festival goes to Oakland

Posted on July 14th, 2011 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , .

INTCHEThe East Bay Express' Legalization Nation blog reports July 13 that organizers expect up to 30,000 to pack Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in front of Oakland City Hall on Sept 3-4 for the International Cannabis and Hemp Expo 2011—dubbed "Mardi Grass" by blogger David Downs. Tickets for the event just went on sale for $18, marking the first time Oakland has turned over public space for a a paid cannabis-oriented event. Plans call for three entertainment stages, some 400 industry vendors, dozens of food trucks, guest celebrities, and heavy hitters from the movement. The expo will also feature an open-air "215" area for medical cannabis patients.

Will market sustain eco-friendly cannabis?

Posted on July 14th, 2011 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , .

earthWe have noted before that the cannabis industry has a huge carbon footprint—something of a dirty little secret for the legalization movement. David Downs in the July 13 issue of East Bay Express has a fascinating cover-story, "How Green Is Your Pot?" Traveling to backwoods Humboldt County, Downs finds: "A new collective is trying to sell sustainable, organically grown marijuana, but patients are hooked on indoor weed that wastes energy and pollutes the planet."

California prison hunger strike grows to thousands

Posted on July 12th, 2011 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , .

CaliforniaThe California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reports that as of July 8, at least 6,600 prisoners in at least 11 of the state’s 33 prisons have joined the hunger strike initiated by some 400 inmates at the Pelican Bay facility on July 1. With large numbers of inmates striking at Corcoran, Folsom, Tehachapi, Centinela, Calpatria and San Quentin state prisons, advocates and lawyers working to support the strike claim the number is much higher, and are pressing the CDCR to enter into negotiations with prisoners at Pelican Bay and immediately implement their demands.

Jim Squatter: Testament to the human spirit—and cannabis!

Posted on June 29th, 2011 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , .

Jim SquatterJim Squatter was already a longtime veteran of the squatting, anti-nuclear and anarchist movements before a devastating accident turned him into a medical marijuana user—and a fighter for the right to medicinal cannabis.

High court upholds order to reduce California prison population

Posted on May 24th, 2011 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , .

CaliforniaThe US Supreme Court ruled on May 23 to uphold an order requiring California to release up to 46,000 prisoners to remedy overcrowding in the state's prisons. The ruling in Brown v. Plata calls on California to reduce its prison population from more than 200% of design capacity to 137.5% of capacity within two years. The 5-4 decision written by Justice Anthony Kennedy finds that the extreme overcrowding of the California prison system is causing inmates to receive inadequate medical care in violation of the Eighth Amendment.

Fresno County bans outdoor growing after shooting incident

Posted on May 18th, 2011 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , .

CaliforniaCalifornia's Fresno County has banned outdoor medical marijuana growing following the case of Phayvanh Dydouanghphan, who shot to death an intruder who tried to steal his crop. Dydouangphan, a licensed medical grower, was sentenced to life in prison for the crime, AP informs us May 16. County Judge Arlan Harrell, imposing the sentence, said that Dydouangphan "apparently valued his pot more than human life," in AP's paraphrase. A story from Sept. 8 of last year on Fresno's KFSN provides more details on the case:

LA dispensary shuts down rather than fight City Hall

Posted on May 12th, 2011 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

CaliforniaThe Cancare Collective in North Hollywood, one of seven targeted for closure by the city of Los Angeles, shut down May 11 rather than wage a costly legal fight. The city charges the seven dispensaries with zoning code violations. The decision to close came after a judge issued an injunction barring the dispensary from operating in North Hollywood or any other location. City lawsuits to close dispensaries on grounds they were violating California law by selling cannabis have been successful, but municipal authorities say the new zoning violation suits move through the courts more quickly. (AP, May 12)

Medical advocates hold national day of action

Posted on May 2nd, 2011 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , .

Patients and their supporters rallied at the Justice Department in Washington DC on May 2 to protest increased federal interference in medical marijuana states. More than 200 supporters also rallied in Sacramento for medical marijuana patients Dr. Mollie Fry and her husband Dale Schafer as they surrendered to federal authorities to serve out five-year prison terms. Last week, the DEA raided several distribution centers in Spokane, Wash., as a state bill to license such facilities was vetoed the next day by Gov. Christine Gregoire. The Spokane actions are the latest in a string of more than 100 aggressive SWAT-style federal raids carried out since President Obama took office.

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