Global Ganja Report

Oregon's Secretary of State on July 13 announced that Measure 80, the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, received 88,887 valid signatures—just over the 87,213 needed to qualify for the general election ballot. Oregon now becomes the third state, following Washington and Colorado, to place measures on the ballot this year to legalize cannabis.

A July 12 shootout between a robber and a resident of an East Oakland house led to the discovery of a suspected illegal cannabis grow—that police valued at $200,000—and the arrest of three people. The robber escaped, but those in the house were all arrested after police responded to reports of gunfire. No one was injured in the incident. Police found 249 potted cannabis plants and trash bags filled with about 20 pounds of harvested herb in a search of the house. Lighting, ventilation and power systems were recovered, as well as scales and packing materials, police said.  

A "narcotunnel" discovered July 12 by Mexican army troops on the northeast side of Tijuana, just across the border from San Diego, included a makeshift altar honoring Jesús Malverde, Mexico's (non-Vatican-recognized) patron saint of narco-traffickers. The alter also had images of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Jesus Christ. A second narco-tunnel was found at a property also located on the northeast side of the city, where 50 tons of marijuana were seized. (EFE, July 13)

California's most well-known medical marijuana dispensary, Harborside Health Center, was served with a civil complaint for "forfeiture of property" on July 9 for their locations in  both Oakland and San Jose. Employees found court papers announcing asset forfeiture proceedings against Harborside's landlords taped to the doors at the two locations the following morning. The Oakland dispensary has been fully permitted and operating since 2006 without incident. The forfeiture action is against the "third-party" property owner, Real Property and Improvements, and was filed by US Attorney Melinda Haag, who last October announced with the other US Attorneys an escalated campaign against medical marijuana dispensaries and growers.

Medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) filed an amicus ("friend of the court") brief July 9 in a federal appeal brought by California dispensary operator Charlie C. Lynch. Lynch's case drew a lot of attention during his 2008 trial and June 2009 sentencing under the Obama Justice Department. Though Lynch was supported by local officials and the Chamber of Commerce in Morro Bay, where his state-compliant Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers (CCCC) was located, the DEA raided and shut down CCCC in 2007 anyway. A hearing in the Lynch appeal is expected this winter.

Colombia's Constitutional Court on June 28 approved a measure to decriminalize possession of personal quantities of cocaine and cannabis. Those caught with less than 22 grams of cannabis or one gram of cocaine for personal use may receive mandated treatment depending on their level of intoxication, but may not be prosecuted or detained, the court ruled.

Doug Losak, recently appointed as the acting head of Mendocino County's legal department, was pulled over early July 3 and cited for allegedly having a concealed gun and cannabis in his vehicle, according to the Sheriff's Office. Deputies stopped Losak on Highway 101 for allegedly speeding and having a faulty license plate light. The deputies smelled marijuana and searched the vehicle.

A government-sponsored study published recently in The Open Neurology Journal concludes that cannabis provides relief to some chronic pain sufferers and that more clinical trials are needed—directly challenging DEA classification of the drug under "Schedule I," that reserved for substances with no medical uses. The study, sponsored by the State of California and conducted at the University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, calls the Schedule I placement "not accurate" and "not tenable."