NewMexicann Natural Medicine

Recent California appellate court decision rejected distribution bans based on federal preemption

A medical marijuana advocacy group sent letters Wednesday to about 140 California cities and counties that have banned pot dispensaries, including several in the Bay Area, and urged them to change their stance or face lawsuits.

After a California court of appeal rejected the city of Anaheim's argument that marijuana's federal outlaw status allowed the municipality to ban medical pot dispensaries, a pro-cannabis group is urging all cities in California that ban pot shops to change course.

Caren Woodson, director of government affairs at the patient advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) -- who has five sick relatives who used marijuana as medicine -- said that neighborhood dispensaries would keep needful patients out of situations in which they must obtain the pot illicitly.

After a Rancho Cordova woman complained last year about the skunky smell of pot being grown by a medical marijuana-using neighbor, one City Council member suggested a ban on residential pot cultivation.

After winnowing out medical marijuana clinics that violate provisions of Los Angeles' strict new ordinance, just 41 of the 169 applicants meet city standards for operating, court documents filed Thursday show.

Doctors, patients, and industry are bashing the organizers of HempCon, which took place August 6-8 in San Jose, for running a de facto medical marijuana prescription mill out of the trade show.