A Moving Documentary-Waiting To Inhale

Marijuana, Medicine and the Law.

Waiting to Inhale examines the heated debate over marijuana and its use as medicine in the United States. Twelve states have passed legislation to protect patients who use medical marijuana. Yet opponents claim the medical argument is just a smokescreen for a different agenda-- to legalize marijuana for recreation and profit. What claims are being made, and what are the stakes?

Pack Ruling Threatens Mendocino Cultivation Law

The one-of-a-kind cooperation between medical marijuana growers and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department — which legitimized cannabis cultivation in the eyes of the law and saved the jobs of deputies facing layoffs — is at risk, pending the outcome of a court case.

Since 2010, Mendocino County marijuana growers with a doctor’s recommendation have been permitted to license plants with Sheriff Tom Allman’s department, Chris Roberts reports in S.F. Weekly. Growers wishing to cultivate up to 99 plants must pay the Sheriff’s Department an inspection fee and a $50 per-plant permit fee under chapter 9.31 of the Mendocino County Code. In return, growers receive zip-ties that mark each of their 99 plants as certified legal, and the promise that the inspected medical marijuana crop won’t be raided by local law enforcement.

Arcata Council Passes Ban On New Dispensaries

Confusion took center stage Wednesday night at the Arcata City Council meeting with the council ultimately voting to move forward with a medical marijuana dispensary moratorium that would not affect any existing dispensaries.

The meeting ended with new clarity over the city’s proposed temporary hold on processing applications for new medical marijuana cooperatives and collectives, not personal use grows. Staff will return to the council with a draft moratorium, Donna Tam reports in the Eureka Times-Standard.

L.A. Times: Too late for city to close dispensaries

City Councilman Jose Huizar is asking his colleagues to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles. It’s a great idea. Or rather, it would have been a great idea three or four years ago — before the city purported to regulate the storefront cannabis-selling shops. The idea would not be to ban dispensaries forever but to track court rulings, determine what regulations are and are not allowable, and then construct a smart and enforceable ordinance.

But it’s too late for that now, this Los Angeles Times editorial concludes. L.A. city government took its seat on a legal roller coaster when it first signaled that it couldn’t or wouldn’t block dispensaries from opening, then stayed for a second ride when it adopted and tried to enforce ordinances regulating where and when purveyors could operate. There’s no getting off now. This city is in the front car for the duration.