Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Central Valley Cannabis
Now the valley is growing...with over 20+ Care Service providers for your Medical cannabis needs! There is also a few new clinics and private doctors also helping out! Contact us for holiday specials on new patients and renewals. Referrals, Compassionate Discounts, and Specials! Ask us about the New Years discounts from our partners helping with the compassionate caregivers network!
Happy Holidays from Central Valley Co-op/ Primary Caregivers & Consultants and Central Valley Caregivers - 209-818-2932
The Central Valley Co-op would like to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Holidays! Merry Christmas! Also free gifts for new and updated patients! If you are un-able to reach the Patient Support Line at 209-818-2932 feel free to call the CVC (Co-op/Caregivers) answering service "PCS" at 800/420-4124! One of the PCS - Care Specialist will register, verify and guide you in the right direction! Until then please feel free to contact me with comments and Valley reviews of new services and/or old Care providers!
Local Medicinal Marijuana Stockton's 1st Medicinal Dispensary 3260 Tomahawk Dr, Tell them Brian sent you! 209-464-3940
LocalMedicinalMarijuana = Local Medicinal Marijuana
Stockton's 1st Medicinal Dispensary 3260 Tomahawk Dr,
Tell them Brian sent you! 209-464-3940
Stockton's 1st Medicinal Dispensary 3260 Tomahawk Dr,
Tell them Brian sent you! 209-464-3940
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Reduce, Manage, Control and make your dosages effective!!
Consider alternative's such as tea's, editable and more. Try reducing, controlling and managing your medical marijuana dosages to make them more effective.
For example have you ever felt your smoking too much? or you need to smoke more and more? Try taking breaks, alternating strains and varieties or approaches. Even consider stopping once a month or once every few months for a few days or a week.
For more on how to regulate, control or stop smoking contact us!
For example have you ever felt your smoking too much? or you need to smoke more and more? Try taking breaks, alternating strains and varieties or approaches. Even consider stopping once a month or once every few months for a few days or a week.
For more on how to regulate, control or stop smoking contact us!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
CALIFORNIA STATE MEDICAL MARIJUANA ID CARDS, PATIENT ID, CANNABIS CARD, CALIFORNIA CERTIFIED STATE CANNABIS CARD
What is the purpose of the STATE ID CARDS? TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF PATIENTS AND PREVENT ARREST WHILE GIVING OFFICERS VERIFICATION 24/7!
WHERE ARE THEY PRINTED? OUT OF THE STATE
WHY? ONLY ASSUMPTION WOULD BE COST, CONNECTIONS OR CONTACTS! CORRUPTION
MORE UPDATES TO COME! CALLING THE COUNTIES IN THE MORNING!
WHERE ARE THEY PRINTED? OUT OF THE STATE
WHY? ONLY ASSUMPTION WOULD BE COST, CONNECTIONS OR CONTACTS! CORRUPTION
MORE UPDATES TO COME! CALLING THE COUNTIES IN THE MORNING!
Medical-pot sales in AZ could start as early as mid-'11 Prop. 203
PHOENIX - Patients hoping to get medical marijuana now that voters have approved the law should not hold their breath.
State health director Will Humble said it could be summer 2011, or possibly even that fall, before all the applications to distribute legal marijuana are processed and the selected facilities are set up.
Humble said Monday that Proposition 203 gives the Department of Health Services 120 days from the time the election results are certified - now set for Nov. 29 - to come up with rules and regulations for how the system will operate.
Theoretically, he said, that should allow doctors to begin writing recommendations for patients in early April, but patients still may not have any place to legally purchase their drugs by then.
At the end of that 120 days, Humble said, his agency has to start reviewing what he expects to be hundreds of applications by groups wanting to operate one or more marijuana dispensaries around the state. He can approve only 125 permits, by law.
Humble said he probably will check each application for its operating and security plans, and award the licenses to only the most qualified. The alternative is a simple lottery process, which he said he does not favor.
"And remember, they've got to get their cultivation facility up and running so they have an inventory that's legitimate," he said. "I don't want this to be inventory that comes off the street or from Mexico or something. This has got to be from cultivation facilities inside the state."
But Andrew Myers, the campaign manager for Proposition 203, said patients may not have to wait that long because the proposition allows those who are at least 25 miles from a state-regulated dispensary to grow their own.
"Patients will be given ID cards before dispensaries will be licensed," he said. "So, at the outset, the first batch of patients are all going to be able to grow, for a year, until their renewal comes up."
Humble said he's still researching that question.
He said everything else to make the system work will be more complex.
Humble said there needs to be a secure computer system to track the drugs and the users. And, he said, there needs to be an inventory system to ensure everything that starts out as seeds in a legal cultivation facility winds up being sold through a legal dispensary, and only to a legitimate cardholder.
"That's not as simple as it might sound on the surface," he said.
He said dispensaries need round-the-clock access to the database of patients who have state-issued cards to verify that person is entitled to purchase marijuana. The system will keep cardholders from buying more than 2 1/2 ounces every two weeks, the limit in the new law.
Finally, law enforcement needs the same access to determine if the person they stopped is entitled to have that bag of marijuana.
Of greater concern is keeping some doctors from becoming the kind of "recommendation mills" he said have popped up in Colorado, Humble said.
"If we have a loose interpretation of what a doctor-patient relationship is ... you could end up with situations like they have in Colorado where folks are walking into a doctor's office for a 15-minute appointment and $150 bucks on the barrelhead, they're walking away with a recommendation," Humble said.
Of particular concern are those seeking the drug for chronic pain, which he said is difficult to measure and has become the justification for 90 percent of the marijuana recommendations in Colorado.
State health director Will Humble said it could be summer 2011, or possibly even that fall, before all the applications to distribute legal marijuana are processed and the selected facilities are set up.
Humble said Monday that Proposition 203 gives the Department of Health Services 120 days from the time the election results are certified - now set for Nov. 29 - to come up with rules and regulations for how the system will operate.
Theoretically, he said, that should allow doctors to begin writing recommendations for patients in early April, but patients still may not have any place to legally purchase their drugs by then.
At the end of that 120 days, Humble said, his agency has to start reviewing what he expects to be hundreds of applications by groups wanting to operate one or more marijuana dispensaries around the state. He can approve only 125 permits, by law.
Humble said he probably will check each application for its operating and security plans, and award the licenses to only the most qualified. The alternative is a simple lottery process, which he said he does not favor.
"And remember, they've got to get their cultivation facility up and running so they have an inventory that's legitimate," he said. "I don't want this to be inventory that comes off the street or from Mexico or something. This has got to be from cultivation facilities inside the state."
But Andrew Myers, the campaign manager for Proposition 203, said patients may not have to wait that long because the proposition allows those who are at least 25 miles from a state-regulated dispensary to grow their own.
"Patients will be given ID cards before dispensaries will be licensed," he said. "So, at the outset, the first batch of patients are all going to be able to grow, for a year, until their renewal comes up."
Humble said he's still researching that question.
He said everything else to make the system work will be more complex.
Humble said there needs to be a secure computer system to track the drugs and the users. And, he said, there needs to be an inventory system to ensure everything that starts out as seeds in a legal cultivation facility winds up being sold through a legal dispensary, and only to a legitimate cardholder.
"That's not as simple as it might sound on the surface," he said.
He said dispensaries need round-the-clock access to the database of patients who have state-issued cards to verify that person is entitled to purchase marijuana. The system will keep cardholders from buying more than 2 1/2 ounces every two weeks, the limit in the new law.
Finally, law enforcement needs the same access to determine if the person they stopped is entitled to have that bag of marijuana.
Of greater concern is keeping some doctors from becoming the kind of "recommendation mills" he said have popped up in Colorado, Humble said.
"If we have a loose interpretation of what a doctor-patient relationship is ... you could end up with situations like they have in Colorado where folks are walking into a doctor's office for a 15-minute appointment and $150 bucks on the barrelhead, they're walking away with a recommendation," Humble said.
Of particular concern are those seeking the drug for chronic pain, which he said is difficult to measure and has become the justification for 90 percent of the marijuana recommendations in Colorado.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
420 Insurence for the 215 Industy : Risk of an Insurace Agent For Medical Marijuana Collectives and the Cannabis Business
The risk of being an Insurance Agent for the medical marijuana industry
Even us Insurance Agents have a risk in the mmj industry.
Greenpoint Insurance
Financials see green in growing licensed marijuana industry
By Mindi Westhoff
SNL Financial
At first glance, the policies sold by Greenpoint Insurance Group owners J.B. and Mary Woods seem apropos for most any retail business, as lines such as general liability and business income coverage are common inclusions in their packages.
But the Woods have no misgivings about the unique product their clients offer and what they, in turn, insure: Medical marijuana.
The business of cannabis dispensary and crop insurance caters to a focused but growing segment of the retail industry, the Woodses said. Professional liability protects pharmacists who make recommendations to medical marijuana patients. Crop insurance, which Greenpoint has only been able to offer since the start of 2010, offers growers protection against, among other things, fire, flood and theft, the last of which Mary Woods said is the No. 1 concern for most dispensary owners and marijuana crop growers.
The threat of theft is exceptionally high for dispensaries because of the cash-only nature of many of the businesses, said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Because most banks will not provide lending to dispensaries due to federal laws against marijuana, St. Pierre said the roughly 4,000 “cannabusinesses” in the U.S. are forced to deal with university credit unions, “sketchy” regional banks that “go down on almost any given weekend,” or worse.
“Some of these folks must have the biggest mason jar collection you can imagine. They must have Tupperware stuffed to the brim with cash,” he said. “The banks are leaving hundreds of millions of dollars a year in fees [on thetable].”
A growing industry
While the Woodses would not reveal the names of the policy underwriters for competitive reasons, J.B. Woods said the underwriters for Greenpoint were “major” companies with A ratings or above. Many are domiciled in the U.S., but some are overseas. All of them specialize in medical marijuana insurance.
In the 17 years the Woodses have offered insurance packages to medical marijuana dispensaries, the pair have watched average six-month premiums slide from between $15,000 and $17,000 to closer to the $5,000 to $6,000 range, with some as low as $2,000, as more and more carriers have entered the marketplace. The increased competition is bittersweet for insurance brokers like Greenpoint, since more players also means a legitimization of the market, and the Woodses expect to see the business grow.
“I think it’s being considered by more insurance companies out there,” Mary Woods said. “I think they see the opportunity, due to the fact that there are so many legal states right now.”
So sure that the business of protecting medical marijuana dispensaries is about to explode, the Woodses have licenses to insure the businesses in Colorado, California, Montana and Oregon and are awaiting the approval to write policies in New Jersey, New Mexico, Michigan and Washington as well.
“This will become a national program for us,” Mary Woods said.
High profits, risky business
The threat of legal action on a federal level has kept some major money-center banks such as Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp. from approving new accounts for medical marijuana dispensaries. Although medical marijuana is now legal in 14 states, it is still very much illegal at a federal level, and no safe harbors have been put in place protecting banks or insurance companies from being prosecuted, said law firm Fenton Nelson LLP founder Harry Nelson, who also co-founded the Medical Marijuana Law Group.
“The statements of nonenforcement have focused on patients who use it or providers who recommend it. It has not focused on all these ancillary services,” Nelson said of medical marijuana. Although there is no known case of the federal government taking action against a bank for lending to a dispensary, “nobody wants to be the first one to be tagged for it,” he said.
The level of risk can be viewed as different for a small bank versus a national bank, but the differences are even more noticeable between a bank and insurance company, Nelson said. While all can be pegged for aiding and abetting a dispensary, the assistance provided by a bank is more direct, while insurers can make the argument that they are only insuring for a potential loss. Only once a claim is actually paid out, and only then if that claim is directly related to an illegal product, can an insurer hypothetically be charged, he said.
Regional banks, while broadly held to the same regulatory standards as their larger brethren, tend to maintain lower profiles, and some could make the argument — albeit tenuous, according to Nelson — that their businesses are intrastate if they solely conduct banking operations in California, Colorado or any of the states where dispensaries are legal.
There is “very limited” permissiveness for depository institutions operating purely intrastate in the states that have decriminalized marijuana, Nelson said. “But a regional bank that had any kind of interstate transaction would be at the same risk as a national bank,” he added.
The Woodses discovered this fact in early May, when the pair made calls to 50 local banks in Colorado to determine for their clients which ones would be willing to simply open a checking account for a dispensary. The response was bleak.
“We had two,” J.B. Woods said.
Rolling out new rules
A handful of banks in the Woods’ survey said they were considering the prospect of opening accounts for dispensaries, but the remaining 42 voiced a loud and clear “No.” From a conservative business point of view, St. Pierre admitted that the banks are probably right to be cautious, despite the recent Oct. 19, 2009, “Ogden Memo,” which provides guidelines that offer some protection for those who use and sell marijuana, so long as they comply with state laws.
“Even with that in place … you would be rue to make the advice to the CEO or CIO or whoever that this is a business endeavor or an underwriting they should undertake,” St. Pierre said. “Technically speaking, if someone is selling marijuana, they’re taking in cash. They hand it to a bank or insurance company, [and] by any strict reading of the law, that’s a RICO conspiracy.
Despite the risks of violating antiracketeering laws, the opportunity for the financial services industry to jump on board with medical marijuana dispensaries is an attractive one, and St. Pierre pointed to the growing number of hedge funds actually buying medical cannabis businesses.
Texas-based International Merchant Advisors announced March 15 that it would purchase medical marijuana company Organic Science Inc., followed by news in April that it would operate the Healing Arts Cooperative Medical Marijuana dispensary in San Diego. There are untapped opportunities in the insurance field as well, St. Pierre said.
“Even if you can walk into one of these places and buy a ball of hash the size of your fist, that doesn’t negate the fact that you can’t get health insurance,” he said of medical marijuana users. “You can’t get life insurance often.”
The conflicting laws that limit banks’ ability to access this segment of the retail market are ones that several lawmakers hope to change, including 15 members of Congress who on May 20 submitted a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner asking for formal, written guidance that assures banks will not be prosecuted for doing business with medical marijuana facilities.
As much as the pending legislation would open up opportunities for banks, the Woods said that a ballot in November to legalize marijuana for recreational use in California would also mean a huge boom to business for the insurance market.
“If that is passed, I think that is going to change the dynamics of this industry forever,” J.B. Woods said. “It’s going to cause more and more people who have been on the fence to actually jump into this business.”
Even us Insurance Agents have a risk in the mmj industry.
Greenpoint Insurance
Financials see green in growing licensed marijuana industry
By Mindi Westhoff
SNL Financial
At first glance, the policies sold by Greenpoint Insurance Group owners J.B. and Mary Woods seem apropos for most any retail business, as lines such as general liability and business income coverage are common inclusions in their packages.
But the Woods have no misgivings about the unique product their clients offer and what they, in turn, insure: Medical marijuana.
The business of cannabis dispensary and crop insurance caters to a focused but growing segment of the retail industry, the Woodses said. Professional liability protects pharmacists who make recommendations to medical marijuana patients. Crop insurance, which Greenpoint has only been able to offer since the start of 2010, offers growers protection against, among other things, fire, flood and theft, the last of which Mary Woods said is the No. 1 concern for most dispensary owners and marijuana crop growers.
The threat of theft is exceptionally high for dispensaries because of the cash-only nature of many of the businesses, said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Because most banks will not provide lending to dispensaries due to federal laws against marijuana, St. Pierre said the roughly 4,000 “cannabusinesses” in the U.S. are forced to deal with university credit unions, “sketchy” regional banks that “go down on almost any given weekend,” or worse.
“Some of these folks must have the biggest mason jar collection you can imagine. They must have Tupperware stuffed to the brim with cash,” he said. “The banks are leaving hundreds of millions of dollars a year in fees [on thetable].”
A growing industry
While the Woodses would not reveal the names of the policy underwriters for competitive reasons, J.B. Woods said the underwriters for Greenpoint were “major” companies with A ratings or above. Many are domiciled in the U.S., but some are overseas. All of them specialize in medical marijuana insurance.
In the 17 years the Woodses have offered insurance packages to medical marijuana dispensaries, the pair have watched average six-month premiums slide from between $15,000 and $17,000 to closer to the $5,000 to $6,000 range, with some as low as $2,000, as more and more carriers have entered the marketplace. The increased competition is bittersweet for insurance brokers like Greenpoint, since more players also means a legitimization of the market, and the Woodses expect to see the business grow.
“I think it’s being considered by more insurance companies out there,” Mary Woods said. “I think they see the opportunity, due to the fact that there are so many legal states right now.”
So sure that the business of protecting medical marijuana dispensaries is about to explode, the Woodses have licenses to insure the businesses in Colorado, California, Montana and Oregon and are awaiting the approval to write policies in New Jersey, New Mexico, Michigan and Washington as well.
“This will become a national program for us,” Mary Woods said.
High profits, risky business
The threat of legal action on a federal level has kept some major money-center banks such as Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp. from approving new accounts for medical marijuana dispensaries. Although medical marijuana is now legal in 14 states, it is still very much illegal at a federal level, and no safe harbors have been put in place protecting banks or insurance companies from being prosecuted, said law firm Fenton Nelson LLP founder Harry Nelson, who also co-founded the Medical Marijuana Law Group.
“The statements of nonenforcement have focused on patients who use it or providers who recommend it. It has not focused on all these ancillary services,” Nelson said of medical marijuana. Although there is no known case of the federal government taking action against a bank for lending to a dispensary, “nobody wants to be the first one to be tagged for it,” he said.
The level of risk can be viewed as different for a small bank versus a national bank, but the differences are even more noticeable between a bank and insurance company, Nelson said. While all can be pegged for aiding and abetting a dispensary, the assistance provided by a bank is more direct, while insurers can make the argument that they are only insuring for a potential loss. Only once a claim is actually paid out, and only then if that claim is directly related to an illegal product, can an insurer hypothetically be charged, he said.
Regional banks, while broadly held to the same regulatory standards as their larger brethren, tend to maintain lower profiles, and some could make the argument — albeit tenuous, according to Nelson — that their businesses are intrastate if they solely conduct banking operations in California, Colorado or any of the states where dispensaries are legal.
There is “very limited” permissiveness for depository institutions operating purely intrastate in the states that have decriminalized marijuana, Nelson said. “But a regional bank that had any kind of interstate transaction would be at the same risk as a national bank,” he added.
The Woodses discovered this fact in early May, when the pair made calls to 50 local banks in Colorado to determine for their clients which ones would be willing to simply open a checking account for a dispensary. The response was bleak.
“We had two,” J.B. Woods said.
Rolling out new rules
A handful of banks in the Woods’ survey said they were considering the prospect of opening accounts for dispensaries, but the remaining 42 voiced a loud and clear “No.” From a conservative business point of view, St. Pierre admitted that the banks are probably right to be cautious, despite the recent Oct. 19, 2009, “Ogden Memo,” which provides guidelines that offer some protection for those who use and sell marijuana, so long as they comply with state laws.
“Even with that in place … you would be rue to make the advice to the CEO or CIO or whoever that this is a business endeavor or an underwriting they should undertake,” St. Pierre said. “Technically speaking, if someone is selling marijuana, they’re taking in cash. They hand it to a bank or insurance company, [and] by any strict reading of the law, that’s a RICO conspiracy.
Despite the risks of violating antiracketeering laws, the opportunity for the financial services industry to jump on board with medical marijuana dispensaries is an attractive one, and St. Pierre pointed to the growing number of hedge funds actually buying medical cannabis businesses.
Texas-based International Merchant Advisors announced March 15 that it would purchase medical marijuana company Organic Science Inc., followed by news in April that it would operate the Healing Arts Cooperative Medical Marijuana dispensary in San Diego. There are untapped opportunities in the insurance field as well, St. Pierre said.
“Even if you can walk into one of these places and buy a ball of hash the size of your fist, that doesn’t negate the fact that you can’t get health insurance,” he said of medical marijuana users. “You can’t get life insurance often.”
The conflicting laws that limit banks’ ability to access this segment of the retail market are ones that several lawmakers hope to change, including 15 members of Congress who on May 20 submitted a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner asking for formal, written guidance that assures banks will not be prosecuted for doing business with medical marijuana facilities.
As much as the pending legislation would open up opportunities for banks, the Woods said that a ballot in November to legalize marijuana for recreational use in California would also mean a huge boom to business for the insurance market.
“If that is passed, I think that is going to change the dynamics of this industry forever,” J.B. Woods said. “It’s going to cause more and more people who have been on the fence to actually jump into this business.”
Monday, November 15, 2010
We have yet another chance....
If your pro 19 or not! All medical users have another chance to regulate, control and give back to the communities! Until the 2012 chance! Since prop 215, many retail clinics, private co-ops, or 215 collectives have been paying there taxes for many years now. Although if a not a schedule one drug it would be un-taxed like pharmaceuticals!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Work Slow, Times tough? Have your hours been cut back? Might re-consider the cannabis industry?
Some folks are following the lead, just 14yrs later~! Schools across the state such as Oaksterdamn teach folks everything from growing to selling. However with almost a dozen universities for cannabis, one might wanna think twice about the Cannabis business! For the first time ever the flood started early and even worse, it was a disaster! After speaking with growers, dispensary owners, smokers and caregivers I confirmed it has even hit the youth! With that in mind, we have done one thing positive. Instead of legalizing cannabis with prop.19, we over-grew the government. Prop. 19 would of been a good step, progress as well as change, however it might have increased the youth and underground distribution due to profits and over-taxed retail clinics. It would of been promoting corruption, payoffs, and greed with excess taxes in every town. Although it would of been great, I think it might of gave the wrong impression and we would still see too many friends and family in court, jail and prison~!
Sweet Purple from Stockton
Nice flavor, sweet taste! After a slow cure this smells kinda near a jack strain but dense like a purple...Clean taste, one of a kind~! Picture pending~!
Friday, July 30, 2010
The forgotten pioneers within the medical marijuana industry
The forgotten pioneers within the medical marijuana industry
The forgotten pioneers within the medical marijuana industry
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Proposition 215 was a California State voter initiative, also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, authored by Dennis Peron, Anna Boyce,...
Keep Reading » Proposition 215 was a California State voter initiative, also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, authored by Dennis Peron, Anna Boyce, Valerie Corral, Dale Gieringer, William Panzer, Steve Kubby, Richard Cohen, Ivan Silverberg, and Tod H. Mikuriya. Approved by voters in 1996 it allows those with a valid doctor's recommendation to possess and cultivate marijuana for personal medical use. It has also been expanded to protect a growing system of collective and cooperative distribution, but is not very well regulated or clearly defined. As such, implementation across the State varies widely, some counties and cities trying to ban it all together, while others such as San Francisco, Oakland and Santa Cruz embrace it with city-sanctioned gardens, patient programs and even taxation.
It was back in 1993 when Dennis Peron, one of the key authors of Prop 215, opened the first California medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco, The Cannabis Buyers Club, supplying medical cannabis to patients in need through a truly compassionate business model. It was a genuinely care giving enterprise to safely serve those suffering from a number of serious illnesses and disabilities which cannabis helped with the associated pain, appetite, nausea, and more. When they moved to their permanent location on Market Street in 1994 it became the headquarters for the 215 movement and model for future outlets. In mid 1996, with polls showing a clear majority ready to vote in favor of medical legalization and more clubs gearing up to open, then acting Attorney General Dan Lungren made his first move against the clubs by ordering the DEA to raid the Cannabis Buyers' Club. This, just one instance of a long line of tribulations Dennis has had to endure which has helped enable the industry to become what it is today.
About the same time Dennis was setting up the Cannabis Buyers Club in San Francisco, WAMM was being established by Valerie Corral and Husband Mike Corral in Santa Cruz. WAMM (Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana - www.WAMM.org) is the first medical marijuana collective to be granted non-profit status in the United States. It is also considered to be the most legitimate medical marijuana collective and cooperative in the nation due to their truly compassionate commitment to the cause and dedicated non-profit attitude. It is a model on how every medical marijuana enterprise should be developed based on the written law. Despite this, on September 5, 2002 armed federal agents from the DEA raided the WAMM garden, arresting the Corrals, detaining and restraining critically ill and disabled patients, and destroying the entire collective's medicine. Years later Valerie continues to care for her patients and if it was not for her die hard commitment to the cause patients and even growers would never be in the permissible state as they are now.
But when asked to a large group of newbie commercial growers, growers that each distribute more then $30,000 a month to our local dispensaries but have only been in the business 5 years or less, what they know about the leaders and activist founders, the current laws, and how their businesses are structured; most did not know the individuals mentioned, and the majority were not structured legally through a non-profit organization as required with current laws. Nearly all agree they are primarily profit minded, care less about the cause, and have little compassionate association to patients. Typically they still look at it as a black market, only now with viable methods of distribution, and do not pay taxes nor operate within the perimeters of the law. A lot of this is based on unclear regulations, continued DEA arrests and federal influence, and non cooperating cities that force growers to stay underground. But there seems to be a lack of compassion or care to those that led the way or those that use the product for medical use with only finding self-indulgence and free-enterprise leading the way.
The forgotten pioneers within the medical marijuana industry
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Proposition 215 was a California State voter initiative, also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, authored by Dennis Peron, Anna Boyce,...
Keep Reading » Proposition 215 was a California State voter initiative, also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, authored by Dennis Peron, Anna Boyce, Valerie Corral, Dale Gieringer, William Panzer, Steve Kubby, Richard Cohen, Ivan Silverberg, and Tod H. Mikuriya. Approved by voters in 1996 it allows those with a valid doctor's recommendation to possess and cultivate marijuana for personal medical use. It has also been expanded to protect a growing system of collective and cooperative distribution, but is not very well regulated or clearly defined. As such, implementation across the State varies widely, some counties and cities trying to ban it all together, while others such as San Francisco, Oakland and Santa Cruz embrace it with city-sanctioned gardens, patient programs and even taxation.
It was back in 1993 when Dennis Peron, one of the key authors of Prop 215, opened the first California medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco, The Cannabis Buyers Club, supplying medical cannabis to patients in need through a truly compassionate business model. It was a genuinely care giving enterprise to safely serve those suffering from a number of serious illnesses and disabilities which cannabis helped with the associated pain, appetite, nausea, and more. When they moved to their permanent location on Market Street in 1994 it became the headquarters for the 215 movement and model for future outlets. In mid 1996, with polls showing a clear majority ready to vote in favor of medical legalization and more clubs gearing up to open, then acting Attorney General Dan Lungren made his first move against the clubs by ordering the DEA to raid the Cannabis Buyers' Club. This, just one instance of a long line of tribulations Dennis has had to endure which has helped enable the industry to become what it is today.
About the same time Dennis was setting up the Cannabis Buyers Club in San Francisco, WAMM was being established by Valerie Corral and Husband Mike Corral in Santa Cruz. WAMM (Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana - www.WAMM.org) is the first medical marijuana collective to be granted non-profit status in the United States. It is also considered to be the most legitimate medical marijuana collective and cooperative in the nation due to their truly compassionate commitment to the cause and dedicated non-profit attitude. It is a model on how every medical marijuana enterprise should be developed based on the written law. Despite this, on September 5, 2002 armed federal agents from the DEA raided the WAMM garden, arresting the Corrals, detaining and restraining critically ill and disabled patients, and destroying the entire collective's medicine. Years later Valerie continues to care for her patients and if it was not for her die hard commitment to the cause patients and even growers would never be in the permissible state as they are now.
But when asked to a large group of newbie commercial growers, growers that each distribute more then $30,000 a month to our local dispensaries but have only been in the business 5 years or less, what they know about the leaders and activist founders, the current laws, and how their businesses are structured; most did not know the individuals mentioned, and the majority were not structured legally through a non-profit organization as required with current laws. Nearly all agree they are primarily profit minded, care less about the cause, and have little compassionate association to patients. Typically they still look at it as a black market, only now with viable methods of distribution, and do not pay taxes nor operate within the perimeters of the law. A lot of this is based on unclear regulations, continued DEA arrests and federal influence, and non cooperating cities that force growers to stay underground. But there seems to be a lack of compassion or care to those that led the way or those that use the product for medical use with only finding self-indulgence and free-enterprise leading the way.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Valley Attorney's
We have a network of 5 Lawyers who specialize in these type of cases, one from SF.
Central Valley Cannabis Doctors
Medicann
Also we now have :
two private doctors in Modesto as well as two public new clinics with a total of 5 doctors and clinics in MODESTO. THANKS TO THE SO CALLED "WAR ON DRUGS" MANY FOLKS ARE STANDING WITH US TO HELP OTHERS!
EMAIL ME FOR CONTACT INFORMATION!
THERE IS two CLINICS in Fresno as well as over 8 in Sacramento
Also we now have :
two private doctors in Modesto as well as two public new clinics with a total of 5 doctors and clinics in MODESTO. THANKS TO THE SO CALLED "WAR ON DRUGS" MANY FOLKS ARE STANDING WITH US TO HELP OTHERS!
EMAIL ME FOR CONTACT INFORMATION!
THERE IS two CLINICS in Fresno as well as over 8 in Sacramento
Monday, June 21, 2010
Modesto Cannabis Marijuana Ban, Discussions, Services and Support!
Welcome to the Modesto Cannabis Marijuana Blog! We will update you with new services and old with discrete titles. Just as I expected the county demand is growing. As ID cards are rising, recommendations and doctors are coming out. We have 16 services and counting. To be listed or work with us contact me asap.
PCC 2003
PS 2004
CVC 2006 collective
CVC-D 2008 deliveries
NG -2009
MH -2009
MCD-2009
MJM-2009
MH-2009
HM-2009
PP -2010
MOE -2010
CAL -2010
CC -2010
HSD-2010
MSD-2010
PCC 2003
PS 2004
CVC 2006 collective
CVC-D 2008 deliveries
NG -2009
MH -2009
MCD-2009
MJM-2009
MH-2009
HM-2009
PP -2010
MOE -2010
CAL -2010
CC -2010
HSD-2010
MSD-2010
Lowest Prop. 215 recommendation rates on 215 approvals and SB-420
Recommendation are now cheaper than ever in HollyWood, Long Beach,Orange, San Diego and LA area. We have contact to clinics and doctors as low as $35-60 Bucks!
Thanks California Compassionate Caregivers, we will market and advertise compassion for free as we believe in KARMA!
Thanks California Compassionate Caregivers, we will market and advertise compassion for free as we believe in KARMA!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Odds of getting busted selling marijuana
What are the odds of getting busted for selling marijuana?
The marijuana business poses one unique risk that you won't find in most business ventures -- you could wind up in jail for a long time. As with any other business risk, this one needs to be analyzed.
The first thing to understand is that the odds depend on the behavior of the marijuana grower and dealer. In many cases where someone got busted, there was a clear reason -- like their crop was growing over their fence and bothering the neighbors. Or, in many cases, the people just got too big and too greedy and fairly well provoked their arrest and prosecution. On the other hand, there are lots of examples of people who have been in business for years without getting busted. There are traditional marijuana dealers who have been in business for thirty years or more and some openly operating stores that have been in business for ten years or more. It has a great deal to do with the local situation, and how intelligently someone operates their business in view of the local situation. The goal is to "fly under the radar" of enforcement. It might also be added that marijuana dealers should be good citizens in every way they can. Being a good citizen is a good way to stay under the radar, and to have people vouching for one's integrity if anything bad should happen.
Overall, provided someone's behavior is what could be called "average" for marijuana growers and dealers, the odds of getting busted are something less than one percent over a period of about five years. If someone is reasonably careful, the odds of getting busted are close to zero. Marijuana dealers who want to stay hidden from law enforcement, and pay attention to what they are doing, can operate quite freely without any real fear from law enforcement.
This is true even of the clubs that are openly operating in California right now. Our surveys show that there is a uniform sentiment among the owners and operators of these clubs. They simply are not afraid of getting busted. They know they are safe under California law and with the current political situation in the Los Angeles area. They are not afraid of the Federal DEA because they know that the DEA is overwhelmed and rapidly losing the battle of public image. The DEA has raided several stores but arrests are few and prosecutions, so far, are fewer. There are already too many stores for the DEA to feasibly prosecute them. Under the current worldwide terrorist situation they would have a tough time justifying the resources needed for the prosecution of several thousand people for medical marijuana in Los Angeles.
The DEA has sent letters to landlords warning the landlords that they face seizure of their properties. As we will discuss in more detail elsewhere, this will not turn out to be a credible threat. If the DEA actually tries to do that, they will be in for one of the nastiest political battles of their lives.
Given this situation, the DEA is reduced to a kind of temper tantrum. They raid shops, take all the money and marijuana, break everything in the place and then leave. They are acting like stupid kids because they know they have lost this battle. They are still potentially dangerous and no one should underestimate their capacity for dangerous stupidity but they have already lost this fight and they know it themselves.
Therefore, the bottom line is that, if you pay attention to what you are doing, don't bend your security rules, don't have lines around the block outside your apartment, or stink the neighbors out with 400 plants in your apartment, you should be OK. If someone is careful, it is quite possible to do business for many, many years with no significant risk of any significant bust. In fact, it is the rule, rather than the exception.
The marijuana business poses one unique risk that you won't find in most business ventures -- you could wind up in jail for a long time. As with any other business risk, this one needs to be analyzed.
The first thing to understand is that the odds depend on the behavior of the marijuana grower and dealer. In many cases where someone got busted, there was a clear reason -- like their crop was growing over their fence and bothering the neighbors. Or, in many cases, the people just got too big and too greedy and fairly well provoked their arrest and prosecution. On the other hand, there are lots of examples of people who have been in business for years without getting busted. There are traditional marijuana dealers who have been in business for thirty years or more and some openly operating stores that have been in business for ten years or more. It has a great deal to do with the local situation, and how intelligently someone operates their business in view of the local situation. The goal is to "fly under the radar" of enforcement. It might also be added that marijuana dealers should be good citizens in every way they can. Being a good citizen is a good way to stay under the radar, and to have people vouching for one's integrity if anything bad should happen.
Overall, provided someone's behavior is what could be called "average" for marijuana growers and dealers, the odds of getting busted are something less than one percent over a period of about five years. If someone is reasonably careful, the odds of getting busted are close to zero. Marijuana dealers who want to stay hidden from law enforcement, and pay attention to what they are doing, can operate quite freely without any real fear from law enforcement.
This is true even of the clubs that are openly operating in California right now. Our surveys show that there is a uniform sentiment among the owners and operators of these clubs. They simply are not afraid of getting busted. They know they are safe under California law and with the current political situation in the Los Angeles area. They are not afraid of the Federal DEA because they know that the DEA is overwhelmed and rapidly losing the battle of public image. The DEA has raided several stores but arrests are few and prosecutions, so far, are fewer. There are already too many stores for the DEA to feasibly prosecute them. Under the current worldwide terrorist situation they would have a tough time justifying the resources needed for the prosecution of several thousand people for medical marijuana in Los Angeles.
The DEA has sent letters to landlords warning the landlords that they face seizure of their properties. As we will discuss in more detail elsewhere, this will not turn out to be a credible threat. If the DEA actually tries to do that, they will be in for one of the nastiest political battles of their lives.
Given this situation, the DEA is reduced to a kind of temper tantrum. They raid shops, take all the money and marijuana, break everything in the place and then leave. They are acting like stupid kids because they know they have lost this battle. They are still potentially dangerous and no one should underestimate their capacity for dangerous stupidity but they have already lost this fight and they know it themselves.
Therefore, the bottom line is that, if you pay attention to what you are doing, don't bend your security rules, don't have lines around the block outside your apartment, or stink the neighbors out with 400 plants in your apartment, you should be OK. If someone is careful, it is quite possible to do business for many, many years with no significant risk of any significant bust. In fact, it is the rule, rather than the exception.
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Hemperor, Jack Herer has Died Bonnie King Salem-News.com The global cannabis community mourns the loss of the
The Hemperor, Jack Herer has Died
Bonnie King Salem-News.com
Jack Herer
June 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010
Jack Herer
The one and only Jack Herer will be missed forever
The global cannabis community mourns the loss of the great Jack Herer.
(SALEM, Ore.) - The sad news has been confirmed. Jack Herer, author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes and renowned around the world for hemp activism, has died at 11:17 a.m. today, in Eugene, Oregon.
Jack Herer suffered a heart attack last September just after speaking on stage at the Portland HempStalk festival. The last seven months have proven to be a huge challenge to the man, with several health issues making his recovery complicated.
Jack Herer's health has been poor lately, this last week there have been reports of the severity, and an outpouring of prayers on his behalf.
"It's shocking news, even after these last seven, trying months," said Paul Stanford, THCF Executive Director.
"Jack Herer has been a good friend and associate of mine for over 30 years. I was there when he had the heart attack at our Hempstalk festival and I know he wouldn’t appreciate the quality of life he's endured these last months. Still he will be greatly missed. I honor his memory."
"No other single person has done more to educate people all across the world about industrial hemp and marijuana as Jack Herer. His book is translated into a dozen different languages, it's a bestseller in Germany," added Stanford.
"The Hempstalk stage will forever be the Jack Herer Memorial stage. And, a Memorial is planned to be built where he fell that day," Stanford said.
"His legacy will continue to inspire and encourage for generations to come."
Jack HererJune 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010
ARCHIVE of recent Salem-News.com reports about Jack Herer:
Marijuana Author Jack Herer Collapses After Stage Appearance at Portland Hempstalk (9/13/09)
Supporters of Jack Herer Say They're Focusing on the Positive (9/14/09)
Jack Herer Continues to Fight for His Life -- Donation Fund Formed (9/17/09)
Hemp Guru Jack Herer's Condition Critical But Stable (9/19/09)
Portland Media Group Releases False Report About Jack Herer's Death (9/19/09)
Dr. Phil Leveque Comments on Jack Herer's Recent Heart Attack (9/23/09)
The Hemperor Jack Herer Shows Slight Progress in Oregon Hospital (9/27/09)
Jack Herer Strives To Recover While The Fight For Hemp Goes On (10/13/09)
Jack Herer: A Man Well-Loved is Saved Again (11/2/09)
Jack Herer Benefit Event Tonight at Village Ballroom in Portland (12/3/09)
JACK, JACK: Who's Got Your Back? (12/21/09)
The Story of Jack Herer and Hempstalk VIDEO (12/24/09)
================================================
Bonnie King has been with Salem-News.com since August '04, when she became Publisher. Bonnie has served in a number of positions in the broadcast industry; TV Production Manager at KVWB (Las Vegas WB) and Producer/Director for the TV series "Hot Wheels in Las Vegas", posts as TV Promotion Director for KYMA (NBC), and KFBT (Ind.), Asst. Marketing Director (SUPERSHOPPER MAGAZINE), Director/Co-Host (Coast Entertainment Show), Radio Promotion Director (KBCH/KCRF), and Newspapers In Education/Circulation Sales Manager (STATESMAN JOURNAL NEWSPAPER). Bonnie has a depth of understanding that reaches further than just behind the scenes, and that thoroughness is demonstrated in the perseverance to correctly present each story with the wit and wisdom necessary to compel and captivate viewers.
View articles written by Bonnie King
Bonnie King Salem-News.com
Jack Herer
June 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010
Jack Herer
The one and only Jack Herer will be missed forever
The global cannabis community mourns the loss of the great Jack Herer.
(SALEM, Ore.) - The sad news has been confirmed. Jack Herer, author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes and renowned around the world for hemp activism, has died at 11:17 a.m. today, in Eugene, Oregon.
Jack Herer suffered a heart attack last September just after speaking on stage at the Portland HempStalk festival. The last seven months have proven to be a huge challenge to the man, with several health issues making his recovery complicated.
Jack Herer's health has been poor lately, this last week there have been reports of the severity, and an outpouring of prayers on his behalf.
"It's shocking news, even after these last seven, trying months," said Paul Stanford, THCF Executive Director.
"Jack Herer has been a good friend and associate of mine for over 30 years. I was there when he had the heart attack at our Hempstalk festival and I know he wouldn’t appreciate the quality of life he's endured these last months. Still he will be greatly missed. I honor his memory."
"No other single person has done more to educate people all across the world about industrial hemp and marijuana as Jack Herer. His book is translated into a dozen different languages, it's a bestseller in Germany," added Stanford.
"The Hempstalk stage will forever be the Jack Herer Memorial stage. And, a Memorial is planned to be built where he fell that day," Stanford said.
"His legacy will continue to inspire and encourage for generations to come."
Jack HererJune 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010
ARCHIVE of recent Salem-News.com reports about Jack Herer:
Marijuana Author Jack Herer Collapses After Stage Appearance at Portland Hempstalk (9/13/09)
Supporters of Jack Herer Say They're Focusing on the Positive (9/14/09)
Jack Herer Continues to Fight for His Life -- Donation Fund Formed (9/17/09)
Hemp Guru Jack Herer's Condition Critical But Stable (9/19/09)
Portland Media Group Releases False Report About Jack Herer's Death (9/19/09)
Dr. Phil Leveque Comments on Jack Herer's Recent Heart Attack (9/23/09)
The Hemperor Jack Herer Shows Slight Progress in Oregon Hospital (9/27/09)
Jack Herer Strives To Recover While The Fight For Hemp Goes On (10/13/09)
Jack Herer: A Man Well-Loved is Saved Again (11/2/09)
Jack Herer Benefit Event Tonight at Village Ballroom in Portland (12/3/09)
JACK, JACK: Who's Got Your Back? (12/21/09)
The Story of Jack Herer and Hempstalk VIDEO (12/24/09)
================================================
Bonnie King has been with Salem-News.com since August '04, when she became Publisher. Bonnie has served in a number of positions in the broadcast industry; TV Production Manager at KVWB (Las Vegas WB) and Producer/Director for the TV series "Hot Wheels in Las Vegas", posts as TV Promotion Director for KYMA (NBC), and KFBT (Ind.), Asst. Marketing Director (SUPERSHOPPER MAGAZINE), Director/Co-Host (Coast Entertainment Show), Radio Promotion Director (KBCH/KCRF), and Newspapers In Education/Circulation Sales Manager (STATESMAN JOURNAL NEWSPAPER). Bonnie has a depth of understanding that reaches further than just behind the scenes, and that thoroughness is demonstrated in the perseverance to correctly present each story with the wit and wisdom necessary to compel and captivate viewers.
View articles written by Bonnie King
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