The proposal, authored by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, a Santa Cruz Democrat, would allow licensed cannabis retailers to sell products through drive-thru windows. State law currently permits curbside pickup at licensed dispensaries, but drive-thru sales are not broadly allowed.

Supporters argue the change would help legal dispensaries compete with unlicensed sellers while also making cannabis purchases easier for customers with disabilities or limited mobility. That could be particularly relevant in Southern California and the Inland Empire, where many cannabis businesses operate in car-dependent communities and customers often travel by vehicle to reach licensed retailers.

At a Monday hearing, Annie Aubrey, owner of Chuck’s Wellness Center in Placerville, said many customers use cannabis for medical reasons, including older adults, veterans and people with chronic conditions that make it difficult to get in and out of a store.

The measure cleared the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee, with both Democrats and Republicans divided in their support and opposition.

Law enforcement groups are pushing back. The California Narcotic Officers’ Association opposes the bill, saying drive-thru sales would place convenience ahead of safety.

Ryan Sherman, a lobbyist for the association, told lawmakers that selling through a vehicle window could make it more difficult for dispensary workers to confirm a customer’s identification. He also warned that employees may have a harder time determining whether a driver is impaired before completing a sale.

Sen. Roger Niello, a Roseville Republican, also opposed the bill and used the hearing to raise broader concerns about the consequences of cannabis legalization. Niello said easier access, potential risks for young people and cannabis use disorder deserve closer scrutiny as state and federal leaders continue to revisit marijuana policy.

The bill’s advancement keeps the drive-thru cannabis proposal alive as California continues to adjust rules for its legal marijuana market, which has struggled to compete with unlicensed operators since recreational sales began in 2018.

Original source: CalMatters

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Melvin Mario James Landry, 42, of San Jacinto allegedly killed Gilbert Wah in 2020.

A Banning jury deliberated two days in January before deadlocking, after which Riverside County Superior Court Judge Rene Navarro declared a mistrial.

The case was transferred a week ago from the Banning Justice Center to the Riverside Hall of Justice, where Superior Court Judge Bernard Schwartz began summoning panels of prospective jurors for screening as to their availability and qualifications.

The judge is expected to swear in a panel Monday afternoon, with opening statements possible Tuesday morning.

Landry, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail, is charged with murder and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

According to a trial brief filed by the prosecution, on the night of July 23, 2020, Wah, his wife, Octavia Wah, and Landry got together at the victim’s house at 801 S. Camino Los Banos to “drink alcohol and smoke marijuana.”

The defense said in its brief Landry was in the midst of a divorce from his wife, Sylvia Joshua, because “he was caught cheating” on her. He was also suffering depression from the recent death of his mother and was upset that his sister had moved out of the area.

As he, the victim and Octavia Wah drank and smoked long into the night, tensions escalated due to Gilbert Wah’s references to Landry as a “pussy” and “bitch” — demeaning terms used to describe the defendant’s relationship with his wife, according to the prosecution’s brief.

Shortly after 3 a.m. on July 24, Wah became aggressive, slapping Landry across the face, the brief stated.

The defendant did not hit back, but instead went to his Dodge Durango pickup parked in front of the house, grabbed a semiautomatic handgun, then returned to the house and confronted Wah, firing a single shot into his heart, prosecutors allege.

The victim died on the spot.

His wife struck Landry and attempted to stop him from leaving, but he got away from her in his pickup. She called 911, and patrol deputies converged on the location.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Ken Thurm said as personnel were gearing up to begin a search, Landry “returned to the scene and surrendered.”

Court records show the defendant has a prior misdemeanor conviction in Riverside County for driving under the influence. He has a felony conviction in another jurisdiction, but the offense wasn’t listed.

Court papers indicated Wah, too, had a record, including battery on a peace officer in another state, as well as a fraud conviction locally.

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NEW YORK (AP) — The news lit up the world of weed: U.S. health regulators are suggesting that the federal government loosen restrictions on marijuana.

Specifically, the federal Health and Human Services Department has recommended taking marijuana out of a category of drugs deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” The agency advised moving pot from that “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.”

So what does that mean, and what are the implications? Read on.

FIRST OF ALL, WHAT HAS ACTUALLY CHANGED? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Technically, nothing yet. Any decision on reclassifying — or “rescheduling,” in government lingo — is up to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which says it will take up the issue. The review process is lengthy and involves taking public comment.

Still, the HHS recommendation is “paradigm-shifting, and it’s very exciting,” said Vince Sliwoski, a Portland, Oregon-based cannabis and psychedelics attorney who runs well-known legal blogs on those topics.

“I can’t emphasize enough how big of news it is,” he said.

It came after President Joe Biden asked both HHS and the attorney general, who oversees the DEA, last year to review how marijuana was classified. Schedule I put it on par, legally, with heroin, LSD, quaaludes and ecstasy, among others.

Biden, a Democrat, supports legalizing medical marijuana for use “where appropriate, consistent with medical and scientific evidence,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday. “That is why it is important for this independent review to go through.”

SO IF MARIJUANA GETS RECLASSIFIED, WOULD IT LEGALIZE RECREATIONAL POT NATIONWIDE?

No. Schedule III drugs — which include ketamine, anabolic steroids and some acetaminophen-codeine combinations — are still controlled substances.

They’re subject to various rules that allow for some medical uses, and for federal criminal prosecution of anyone who traffics in the drugs without permission. (Even under marijuana’s current Schedule I status, federal prosecutions for simply possessing it are few: There were 145 federal sentencings in fiscal year 2021 for that crime, and as of 2022, no defendants were in prison for it.)

It’s unlikely that the medical marijuana programs now licensed in 38 states — to say nothing of the legal recreational pot markets in 23 states — would meet the production, record-keeping, prescribing and other requirements for Schedule III drugs.

But rescheduling in itself would have some impact, particularly on research and on pot business taxes.

WHAT WOULD THIS MEAN FOR RESEARCH?

Because marijuana is on Schedule I, it’s been very difficult to conduct authorized clinical studies that involve administering the drug. That has created something of a Catch-22: calls for more research, but barriers to doing it. (Scientists sometimes rely instead on people’s own reports of their marijuana use.)

Schedule III drugs are easier to study.

In the meantime, a 2022 federal law aimed to ease marijuana research.

WHAT ABOUT TAXES (AND BANKING)?

Under the federal tax code, businesses involved in “trafficking” in marijuana or any other Schedule I or II drug can’t deduct rent, payroll or various other expenses that other businesses can write off. (Yes, at least some cannabis businesses, particularly state-licensed ones, do pay taxes to the federal government, despite its prohibition on marijuana.) Industry groups say the tax rate often ends up at 70% or more.

The deduction rule doesn’t apply to Schedule III drugs, so the proposed change would cut pot companies’ taxes substantially.

They say it would treat them like other industries and help them compete against illegal competitors that are frustrating licensees and officials in places such as New York.

“You’re going to make these state-legal programs stronger,” says Adam Goers, an executive at medical and recreational pot giant Columbia Care. He co-chairs a coalition of corporate and other players that’s pushing for rescheduling.

Rescheduling wouldn’t directly affect another pot business problem: difficulty accessing banks, particularly for loans, because the federally regulated institutions are wary of the drug’s legal status. The industry has been looking instead to a measure called the SAFE Banking Act. It has repeatedly passed the House but stalled in the Senate.

ARE THERE CRITICS? WHAT DO THEY SAY?

Indeed, there are, including the national anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana. President Kevin Sabet, a former Obama administration drug policy official, said the HHS recommendation “flies in the face of science, reeks of politics” and gives a regrettable nod to an industry “desperately looking for legitimacy.”

Some legalization advocates say rescheduling weed is too incremental. They want to keep focus on removing it completely from the controlled substances list, which doesn’t include such items as alcohol or tobacco (they’re regulated, but that’s not the same).

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Deputy Director Paul Armentano said that simply reclassifying marijuana would be “perpetuating the existing divide between state and federal marijuana policies.” Minority Cannabis Business Association President Kaliko Castille said rescheduling just ”re-brands prohibition,” rather than giving an all-clear to state licensees and putting a definitive close to decades of arrests that disproportionately pulled in people of color.

“Schedule III is going to leave it in this kind of amorphous, mucky middle where people are not going to understand the danger of it still being federally illegal,” he said.

___ Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed from Washington.

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File # I230940115

Details:

On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at 2:20 p.m., deputies responded to the 1800 Block of Jasmine Court, in San Jacinto regarding a disturbance. When the deputies arrived they discovered 254 marijuana plants in a garage at the residence. The deputies who were on scene called for the assistance of Hemet – San Jacinto station investigators. The investigators arrived and assumed the investigation. A search warrant was sought for the residence and several vehicles that were present. During the service of the search warrant the investigators found approximately 200 pounds of processed marijuana.

The estimated value of the processed marijuana was determined to be over $300,000. The persons believed to be responsible for the illegal cultivation of marijuana at the residence had fled prior to the deputies arriving on scene. The investigation is ongoing and will focus on identifying those persons determined to be responsible for the illegal cultivation. The marijuana was seized by investigators and later booked at the Sheriff’s station.

Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to call Master Investigator Jess Vasquez at the Hemet – San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station by calling (951) 791–3400.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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File # SW230530039

Details:

During February 2023, the Southwest Sheriff’s Station learned vape pens, containing concentrated cannabis, were being sold to juveniles who attend middle schools and high schools throughout the city of Temecula and the unincorporated area of French Valley.

The investigation revealed Anthony Harry Mathisen, 18-year-old resident of Murrieta and Catherine Hickisch, 18-year-old resident of Murrieta, sold vape pens containing concentrated cannabis to minors. Furthermore, it was determined Mathisen and Hickisch distributed concentrated cannabis and psilocybin (commonly referred to as mushrooms) using a mobile delivery service, identified through social media as, “AtomicClouds.”

On March 3, 2023, a search warrant was served at Mathisen’s residence and evidence related to the sales of marijuana and psilocybin was located and recovered. Mathisen and Hickisch were later arrested for narcotics sales and distributing marijuana to a minor and booked at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center.

Anyone with information on this case should call Sergeant Michael Perez at the Southwest Sheriff’s Station at 951–696–3000. Parents are encouraged to monitor their children’s social media activity for any suspicious activity. If you identify nefarious activity, to include information related to the distribution of narcotics to children, you are encouraged to contact WETIP (800–78-CRIME) or your local law enforcement agency.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law, as his administration takes a dramatic step toward decriminalizing the drug and addressing charging practices that disproportionately impact people of color.

Biden’s move also covers thousands convicted of the crime in the District of Columbia. He is also calling on governors to issue similar pardons for those convicted of state marijuana offenses, which reflect the vast majority of marijuana possession cases.

Biden, in a statement, said the move reflects his position that “no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana.”

“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,” he added. “It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

According to the White House, no one is currently in federal prison solely for “simple possession” of the drug, but the pardon could help thousands overcome obstacles to renting a home or finding a job.

“There are thousands of people who have prior Federal convictions for marijuana possession, who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result,” he said. “My action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions.”

The pardon does not cover convictions for possession of other drugs, or for charges relating to producing or possessing marijuana with an intent to distribute. Biden is also not pardoning non-citizens who were in the U.S. without legal status at the time of their arrest.

The announcement marks Biden’s reckoning with the impact of 1994 crime legislation, which he supported, that increased arrest and incarceration rates for drug crimes, particularly for Black and Latino people.

The Department of Justice is working to devise a process for those covered by Biden’s pardon to receive a certificate of pardon, which they can show to potential employers and others as needed.

“The Justice Department will expeditiously administer the President’s proclamation, which pardons individuals who engaged in simple possession of marijuana, restoring political, civil, and other rights to those convicted of that offense,” the department said in a statement. “In coming days, the Office of the Pardon Attorney will begin implementing a process to provide impacted individuals with certificates of pardon.”

Biden is also directing the secretary of Health and Human Services and the U.S. attorney general to review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. Rescheduling the drug would reduce or potentially eliminate criminal penalties for possession. Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD, but ahead of fentanyl and methamphetamine. The White House did not set a timeline for the review.

But Biden said he believes that as the federal government and many states ease marijuana laws, they should maintain limitations on trafficking, marketing and underage sales.

The move by Biden puts the federal government on course with other big cities like New York that have been moving toward decriminalizing low-level marijuana arrests for years. But there’s a big divide in the nation as some police departments still believe the drug leads to more serious crime and ignoring low-level offenses emboldens criminals.

Advocacy groups praised Biden’s announcement, with Kassandra Frederique, the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, saying the organization was “thrilled.”

“This is incredibly long overdue,” said Frederique. “There is no reason that people should be saddled with a criminal record — preventing them from obtaining employment, housing, and countless other opportunities — for something that is already legal in 19 states and D.C. and decriminalized in 31 states.”

It remains to be seen whether governors follow Biden’s lead. Erik Altieri, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said extending the action to states could help millions of Americans.

“Since 1965, nearly 29 million Americans have been arrested for marijuana-related violations — for activities that the majority of voters no longer believe ought to be a crime,” he said.

Rev. Al Sharpton, the president of the National Action Network, said Biden’s “righteous action today will give countless Americans their lives back.” But he added, “The United States will never justly legalize marijuana until it reckons with the outdated policies that equated thousands of young Black men with hardened drug pushers.”

The move also fulfills one of the top priorities of the Democratic nominee in one of their party’s most critical Senate races, as Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has repeatedly pressed Biden to take the step, including last month when they met in Pittsburgh.

Fetterman, in a statement, took credit for elevating the issue on Biden’s agenda and praised the decision, calling it “a massive step towards justice.”

“This action from President Biden is exactly what this work should be about: improving people’s lives. I commend the president for taking this significant, necessary, and just step to right a wrong and better the lives of millions of Americans,” he said.

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HIGHEST RATES AMONG AMERICANS WHO SMOKE CIGARETTES

A study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and The City University of New York found that the rates of cannabis use and daily cannabis use have increased across the U.S., and that current cannabis use and daily use are substantially higher among individuals residing in states that have legalized recreational cannabis use, relative to those where cannabis use remains illegal. The study also found that rates of cannabis use are even higher among Americans 12 and older who smoke cigarettes, and who reside in states with recreational cannabis laws, compared to those who live in states where cannabis was illegal in 2017. 

“Based upon over a decade of data, cannabis use was markedly more prevalent in states where recreational use is legal for adults, relative to states where it was not in 2017. Yet, the increases in cannabis use during this time period were as fast, or faster, in states where cannabis use is prohibited by law, relative to states that had legalized for recreational use by 2017,” said Renee Goodwin, PhD, adjunct associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School and professor of epidemiology at CUNY, and lead author. “It remains to be seen how increased lawful access and growing use of cannabis among adults in all states—almost regardless of legal status—will impact the adolescent population. Recent trends, however, outline a potential explosion in both of-age and under-age use,”  she noted.

The researchers used data from the 2004–2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a representative survey of U.S. individuals aged 12 and older. State of residence was used to determine state-level medical and recreational cannabis laws. The total sample was 784,293 respondents and for 2017 was 56,276 respondents. 

The study found that cannabis use and daily cannabis use increased in the U.S with little difference in the speed of increase by state-level legal status of cannabis use from 2004 through 2017. Cannabis use and daily cannabis were much more common in states with recreationally legal cannabis use, relative to those with legal medical cannabis and those with no legal cannabis use. 

Cannabis use was even greater among Americans who also smoke cigarettes in states that had adopted recreational cannabis laws, relative to those where cannabis use was not legal. In 2017, one in three (33 percent) daily cigarette smokers reported cannabis use in the past month in recreationally legal states and almost one in five (18 percent) reported daily cannabis use.  In contrast, among non-smokers, one in ten reported any cannabis use in recreationally legal states and 3 percent of non-cigarette smokers in these states reported daily use. 

The study found that among adolescents ages 12-17 who used cigarettes daily, the majority (73 percent) had used cannabis in the past month and almost one in three (30 percent) used cannabis daily. Among adolescents who did not smoke cigarettes, 5 percent used cannabis in the past month and one percent used cannabis daily. 

The study is published online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Goodwin observes, “U.S. states are rapidly passing legislation, yet what should be requisite public education on how cannabis can be used safely has not accompanied these changes.  For instance, retail licenses are being issued and it is expected that recreational retail outlets will open within the year in New York State, yet New York has not provided evidence-based guidance outlining safe cannabis use practices or informing the public of potential health risks associated with various levels of cannabis use.”

Co-authors are Katarzyna Wyka, City University of New York and Andrea Weinberger, Yeshiva University. 

The study was supported by National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Drug Abuse (grant number R01-DA20892). 

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File # Multiple

Details:

On April 15, 2022, personnel from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Riverside County Code Enforcement, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife served six marijuana cultivation related search warrants in the unincorporated county area of Anza. While conducting the searches, approximately 6804 marijuana plants and 12 pounds of processed marijuana was eradicated from several indoor and outdoor structures. A total of 1.75 tons of marijuana was destroyed.

The goal of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is to keep all of our citizens safe while also improving the quality of life for those residing within the community. Marijuana cultivation negatively impacts the environment in many ways including diminishing and poisoning the water table and pesticides adversely affecting the health of neighboring residents. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has a zero-tolerance policy for these offenses. If you suspect drug activity in your area, please contact your local Sheriff’s Station. The Hemet Sheriff’s Station can be reached at (951) 791-3400 and the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station can be reached at (951) 766-2400. Criminal activity can also be reported through the We-Tip Crime Reporting Hotline, (909) 987-5005

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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Qinshun Chen 65-years-old and Zhoulin Zhong 36-years-old, both residents of Diamond Bar, were arrested for illegal marijuana cultivation and later booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center.

The goal of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is to improve the quality of life for those residing within the communities we serve. “Community Policing” involves partnerships between law enforcement and community members. This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Deputy Jordan Merle at the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station by calling 951-486-6700.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department | Contributed

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The Daily Beast reported that dozens of White House staffers have been suspended, asked to resign or assigned to remote work due to past marijuana use. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted on Friday that five workers were let go, though she told the Daily Beast that “there were additional factors at play in many instances for the small number of individuals who were terminated.”

Even though adult use of marijuana is legal in more than a dozen states, it remains illegal under federal law. Applicants for White House jobs are asked about past drug use as part of the vetting for the security clearance they’ll need to work there. Yet the Biden administration announced last month that past drug use wouldn’t automatically disqualify someone from getting a job in the White House. It was an acknowledgement that it’s getting harder to find employees, especially young ones, who haven’t used marijuana. Because it’s legal in many places.

Now, 16 states and the District of Columbia — which collectively hold one-third of the American population — have legalized the adult use of marijuana. Thirty-six states, with nearly 70% of the population, have legalized medical marijuana.

Federal prohibition is woefully out of step with the facts on the ground, and this White House staff issue is just another example of that illogical conflict.

A White House spokesperson told the Daily Beast: “This decision was made following intensive consultation with career security officials and will effectively protect our national security while modernizing policies to ensure that talented and otherwise well-qualified applicants with limited marijuana use will not be barred from serving the American people.”

We don’t know all the specifics on why some individuals were fired or sidelined for admitted marijuana use. Still, if their use was in a state that has moved past prohibition, it’s hard to see how buying and consuming state-legal pot would amount to a national security threat. One big reason to legalize marijuana is to eliminate the black market that is dominated by drug cartels. The federal government’s reefer madness mentality perpetuates the illicit drug trade and slows the efforts to make marijuana a regulated and taxed industry.

Plus, it’s just unfair to punish people who thought they were engaging in a legal activity, if that’s what happened here. The federal government is way behind the curve on marijuana. Instead of hewing to the old drug warrior mentality, the Biden administration ought to be pushing policies and practices that reflect the cultural and political shift on marijuana. That starts with backing bills in Congress to decriminalize cannabis at the federal level to end the conflict with state legalization efforts.

The mixed message on marijuana is a quandary for President Biden, but it’s one he can help fix.

—-

Kerry Cavanaugh is an editorial writer covering Los Angeles and Southern California, with a focus on housing, transportation and environmental issues. Prior to joining the board, she was a producer on KCRW’s “To the Point” and “Which Way, L.A.” Before that, she spent a decade at the L.A. Daily News, where she covered L.A. and California politics and wrote a column on local government issues. She’s a graduate of New York University and Columbia Journalism School.

Kerry Cavanaugh • Editorial Writer

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