Feature Archives

The state of California had been planning to increase the fees that it charges to organizations that it licenses to issue medical cannabis ID cards on March 1st. However, at the last minute, the Department of Health announced that the fees would be raised by $66 on April 1st, rather than by $142 in March. The new fee for Medi-Cal patients will be $33 dollars, but people such as seniors and veterans will still have to scramble to pay the more expensive fee because they receive federal- rather than state- benefits. Americans for Safe Access says, "It is important now to encourage Boards of Supervisors in counties that have not yet implemented ID card programs to implement (them) immediately, so that there is equal protection across the state regardless of where one lives."

Thursday, March 8th is International Women's Day - a day on which women on all continents to come together to celebrate their various struggles for equality, justice, and peace. A number of events were held around the Bay Area and the Central Valley, including screenings of two different films about sweatshops, events that focused on struggles of women in Mexico, and an evening of poetry, music and dance with local activists and artists.

Feryal Abu Haikal and Mohammed Khatib live in communities that are immediately threatened with destruction and expulsion by the Israeli military and settlers. They will be in the Bay Area from February 25th through 28th to tell of their personal experiences mobilizing their communities to nonviolently resist these measures. Events will be held in Alameda, San Rafael, Moraga, San Jose, and Berkeley. Flyer Thousands of Palestinians and hundreds of Israelis are waging a grassroots, nonviolent campaign of resistance to Israel's apartheid system of military occupation and discrimination against Palestinians. Palestine-Related Events from Indybay's calendar

Attorney Lynne Stewart is on a 21-event, six-day tour of Northern California. Michael Ratner, Jeff Mackler, and Pam Africa will accompany Lynne for the first three days, February 23-25, for meetings and receptions in San Francisco, Berkeley, Marin and Palo Alto. Events during the tour, which will last until February 28th, will benefit both Lynne Stewart and Mumia Abu-Jamal. Lynne will also visit Sacramento, Fresno and Santa Rosa, as well as three area law schools—and many other events. Photos & Video | Audio

For years, the DEA has been demanding controlled, FDA-approved studies showing efficacy of medical marijuana. This week, Dr. Donald Abrams of UCSF published the first study of this type in two decades, in the journal Neurology. The study shows that marijuana is effective in reducing pain from HIV-related neuropathy, as patients have long reported. Researchers reported that inhaling (smoking) low-grade cannabis three times daily reduced patients' pain by 34 percent. The study is the first of a dozen clinical studies sponsored by California's Center for Medical Cannabis Research to reach publication

On Thursday, February 1st, Peter Young walked through the doors of the Victorville FCI II facility and into the free world. He was greeted by a small crowd and immediately taken to a celebration dinner in Los Angeles. To quote Peter’s toast (of coffee) that afternoon: “Here’s to being liberated”. Federal officials had accused him of freeing some 8,000 mink from fur farms in Wisconsin, South Dakota and Iowa.

Axis of Love San Francisco is calling for medical marijuana patients, disability activists, HIV/AIDS activists, and other allies to protest the huge increase in the fees for state medical marijuana cards. The protest took place at 12pm on Wednesday, February 14th at San Francisco General Hospital's "Love Statue." Photos and Report The state plans to increase the fees that it charges for the cards by 1000% on March 1st. Americans for Safe Access has called for people to tell Governor Schwarzenegger and CDHS Director Sandra Shewry how outraged they are about the proposed fee increase for Californians' access to their medicine.