Global Ganja Report

Nine Santa Barbara area residents were arrested Oct. 13 for alleged involvement in a large-scale cannabis-trafficking organization. The arrests came at the conclusion of a year-long investigation, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department. Search warrants were served at seven locations in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, turning up more than 900 indoor and outdoor cannabis plants, more than 300 pounds of processed cannabis, more than 50 pounds of hashish, and several million dollars in hash oil. Investigators also seized more than $125,000 in cash, a 2010 Porsche and nine motorcycles. Police said primary suspect Erik Bjorklund operated under the guise of growing medical marijuana. "This was just a straight-up drug-trafficking operation—purely to make money," said Drew Sugars of the Sheriff's Department. "Based on the numbers, it's certainly a significant operation." (Santa Maria Times, Oct. 13)

After six years of limiting medicinal cannabis dispensaries to four, Oakland city officials are poised to double that cap. Along with new legislation that would increase the number of licensed clubs to eight, the Oakland Public Safety Committee voted unanimously Oct. 12 to double the annual fees paid by the dispensaries from $30,000 to $60,000. The ordinance was introduced by councilmembers Larry Reid and Rebecca Kaplan. The full City Council will vote Oct. 19.

The RAND Corporation has released a new study entitled "Reducing Drug Trafficking Revenues and Violence in Mexico: Would Legalizing Marijuana in California Help?" The headline for the Oct. 12 press release reads: "Legalizing Marijuana in California Will Not Dramatically Reduce Mexican Drug Trafficking Revenues." It states: "The study calculates that Mexican drug trafficking organizations generate only $1 billion to $2 billion annually from exporting marijuana to the United States and selling it to wholesalers, far below existing estimates by the government and other groups." It says the study also refutes the often-cited claim that marijuana accounts for 60% of gross drug export revenues of Mexican drug trafficking organizations, and notes that Proposition 19 would affect only one state in any case. But Jon Walker of the pro-legalization blog Just Say Now actually read the text of the study itself, and found some contrary findings:

Former administrators of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) John Bartels, Peter Bensinger, Francis Mullen, Jack Lawn, Robert Bonner, Tom Constantine, Donnie Marshall, Asa Hutchinson and Karen Tandy threw down the guantlet over Proposition 19, writing an editorial which doubled as an open letter urging Attorney General Eric Holder to bring suit against California —just as the Obama administration sued Arizona when that state passed its controversial immigration law.

Country music legend Willie Nelson has come out for Proposition 19, the California initiative that would tax and regulate cannabis. Asked by Mary Otte of High Times his opinion on the measure, Willie recently responded:

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of California has endorsed Proposition 19, the state's cannabis legalization initiative. LULAC is one of the most prominent organizations representing Latino voters. The group announced Oct. 8 it is supporting the initiative.

Voters in four East Bay cities face measures to expand the medical cannabis industry, tax it at a higher rate, and prepare for the passage of Prop 19 in November. In Berkeley, Measure T would mandate permitting six indoor medical cannabis farms in the manufacturing district. It would also permit residential medical cannabis collectives to cultivate up to 200 square feet. The measure would boost the number of local dispensaries from three to four, and require they be at least 600 feet from schools and other dispensaries.

Five cannabis dispensaries were raided by a multi-agency task force in Southern California Oct. 6, with 11 arrested in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties. Among those targeted was the Alternative Medicine Collective of Covina. "This organization was definitely working outside the law," said Capt. Ralph Ornelas of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Narcotics Bureau said. "Our investigation proved they were charging people and making a profit out of it. You're not supposed to make a profit."