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The SF Board of Supervisors will vote on amending medical cannabis dispensary legislation on Tuesday, August 8th at 2pm. San Francisco recently passed medical cannabis collective (or "dispensary") regulations. Since then, the first collective to undergo the permitting process has been denied at several hearings. Americans for Safe Access (ASA) fears this may be the start of a trend that would ultimately lead to the loss of dispensaries and, by extension, less safe access for the 12,000 patients who are the clients of the 30-40 dispensaries that operate in the city. The meeting will be held in the Legislative Chamber on the Second Floor of SF City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place.

The Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative has been awarded the agency contract to issue Alameda County patient ID cards as part of SB 420. OCBC will continue to issue its non-governmental cards for all patients and caregivers who live in other counties. The state ID card, which will be issued beginning on August 1st, will be handled through a process like a driver's license application. The OCBC card will continue to be a option for patients or caregivers who do not want to be on the state list.

On June 30th, the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM) with the city and county of Santa Cruz presented oral arguments in a constitutional challenge to the federal government’s prohibition of medical marijuana. The case, County of Santa Cruz v. Gonzales, represents the first significant challenge to the federal government’s prohibition of medical marijuana since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Gonzales v. Raich.

Update: The Green Cross was reportedly rejected and told to look for another space. More info to come.
The Green Cross medical cannabis dispensary has found a new home, but it has a struggle ahead to obtain the permits needed for the home. Kevin Reed, the operator of the Green Cross, is requesting that patients write letters on behalf of the dispensary. The Green Cross has received a lot of negative press recently because it is hoping to reopen at 2701 Leavenworth Street, near the Fisherman's Wharf tourist district. A discretionary review hearing was held on Thursday, July 13th.

On July 6th, federal agents from the DEA raided as many as 13 medical marijuana dispensaries in the San Diego area. At least two dispensary operators were arrested. This DEA action follows raids on 13 area dispensaries, all of which were also targets of raids last December. Corporate media has reported that the District Attorney’s office will be filing state charges, though the indictments are federal.

Congress debated and voted on the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Medical Marijuana Amendment to the Justice Appropriations bill this week. Although it did not pass, it did garner more votes than ever before. The Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment would prohibit the U.S. Department of Justice -- including the Drug Enforcement Administration -- from using any appropriated funds to interfere with the implementation of medical cannabis laws in the 10 states that have approved such use. Some 20 California dispensaries have been raided by the feds since the Supreme Court gave the DEA a green light with its decision in the Raich case almost a year ago.

A rally and march were held on Wednesday, May 24th before petitions about Lt. Martin Halloran of the SFPD were filed. The intial rally took place at 4:20pm at the Hall of "Justice" (850 Bryant St), with an additional protest at 5:00pm at SF City Hall. For the past six years, Lt. Martin Halloran (SFPD #772) has engaged in entrapment, intimidation, and harassment of San Francisco medical cannabis patients and caregivers. He has ignored the orders of his superiors, and has even falsified police documents after arresting legitimate medical cannabis patients. He has also made public statements against medical cannabis at many neighborhood group meetings.

Protesters believe Halloran's actions are in direct violation of the policy of the City and County of San Francisco. They demand that Lt. Halloran be held accountable for his numerous offenses against San Francisco medical cannabis patients and be disciplined accordingly. They want to have him taken off of the medical cannabis dispensary (MCD) detail, and that all SFPD officers stop investigations, surveillance, and arrest of cannabis patients, caregivers, and MCD operators. Medical cannabis supporters reminded the city that Halloran's actions led to the convictions of Stephanie Landa, Kevin Gage, and Thomas Kikuchi. The city of San Francisco had approved their garden, but the DEA "somehow" knew about the garden and arrested the three.

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