Dispensaries

Montel Williams Lights A Joint At Maine Marijuana Speech

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 7, 2010 Culture, Dispensaries, Medical

Montel Williams lights a joint at the urging of Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion

As media personality Montel Williams spoke at Saturday’s medical marijuana conference in Maine, his eyes filled with tears as he shared his pain with the audience. Encouraged by one attending sheriff to do so, Williams lit up a joint and took a few puffs in front of the crowd.

Once Williams’s pain level became so intense he was in tears, Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion shouted from the audience, “Why don’t you just take your medicine?” The audience applauded and gave a standing ovation as Montel sat down, got out a joint and fired it up.

According to Williams, his pain level drops tremendously when he uses marijuana, and if not for medical cannabis he would not have been able to bear the nerve pain he endured prior to and while on stage.

About 250 people came to the convention in Portland to learn how they can get involved in growing or selling medical marijuana, reports WCSH6.com.

L.A.’s New Medical Pot Law Will Shut Hundreds Of Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 7, 2010 Dispensaries, Legislation

Photo: The Fresh Scent

Starting today, June 7, Los Angeles’s medical marijuana ordinance says there should be 400 fewer dispensaries in town.

Hundreds of Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensaries are under orders to lock their doors Monday as the city’s new ordinance regulating the shops takes effect. About 400 stores have been ordered to shut down by Monday, June 7.

“The people pushing the law haven’t come out to see what we’re actually doing here,” said “Amber,” an employee at The Humming Collective in Highland Park. “We’re here for everyone, and it’s a shame they don’t see that as part of the healing of the community.”

The owner of The Humming Collective said they serve 4,000 patients, most of them from the San Gabriel Valley, reports Leanne Suter at KABC-TV. Those who rely on the location will be seriously impacted by the city’s new ordinance, according to patients and advocates.

L.A. Pot Shop Says It Will Stay Open Despite New Law

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 7, 2010 Dispensaries, Legislation

Photo: Los Angeles Cannabis Clubs

JJ Herbal says it is committed to serving patients in the West Los Angeles area — even if the city tries to shut it down

A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge’s rejection on Friday of requests for a temporary restraining order on L.A.’s ordinance restricting the number of medical marijuana dispensaries means hundreds of shops must close on Monday. But at least one dispensary on Santa Monica Boulevard plans on staying open.

According to Michael Lee, manager at JJ Herbal, there are no plans to close, even if it is found the shop is out of compliance with the new law.

The facility’s attorney is still determining whether JJ Herbal is affected by the ordinance because of its proximity to a residential area, reports Jonathan Friedman at Lookout News.

Marijuana Dispensary Joins Chamber Of Commerce

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 4, 2010 Dispensaries, News

Photo: The Hemp Center

The Hemp Center: “We’re trying to represent a more upscale experience”

The Hemp Center in Littleton, Colorado, has become the first medical marijuana dispensary to join the local Chamber of Commerce, in what may be a sign of growing acceptance of the cannabis industry.

The family-owned shop on downtown’s Main Street was approved last month by the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, reports Peter Jones at The News Press.

It took the chamber’s governing board of business leaders less than five minutes to reach its unanimous decision to approve The Hemp Center’s application, according to chamber president John Brackney.

CA: Marijuana Delivery Services Sidestep Dispensary Bans

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 4, 2010 Dispensaries, Medical

Photo: Green House Collective

Services such as Green House Collective deliver marijuana to California patients

Hundreds of medical marijuana delivery services are circumventing bans on storefront pot dispensaries in California, bringing cannabis directly to people’s homes and offices across the state.

The delivery of marijuana through these services shows how quickly California’s pot industry is moving out of the shadows and into uncharted legal territory, report Gary Cohn and Michael Montgomery at California Watch.

The “mobile dispensaries” advertise a wide range of strains, edibles and related products in newspapers and on the Internet. One service even delivers organic vegetables along with medical marijuana, as part of a “farm-direct” service.

Canadian Police Raid Marijuana Compassion Clubs

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 4, 2010 Dispensaries, Global

Photo: CTV

Police officers oversee the spoils of Thursday’s raids. Canada’s Conservative government appears to be cracking down on medical marijuana

Canadian police raided marijuana compassion clubs around the city on Thursday. A major anti-pot dragnet in Quebec resulted in raids at five cannabis clubs in Montreal and Quebec City, and police said they arrested 35 people for distributing marijuana.

Officers forced their way into the clubs, which offer marijuana to those who need it for medical reasons, and seized 35 kilograms (77 pounds) of cannabis, $10,000 in cash and computer equipment, reports CTV.

Police claim the clubs — four in Montreal and one in Quebec City — were selling cannabis without a permit from Health Canada. Those arrested are expected to be charged with trafficking, possession and conspiracy, according to police.

Michigan Medical Marijuana Smokers Club Reopens After Raid

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on June 4, 2010 Dispensaries, Medical

Photo: Lansing City Pulse

Rev. Wayne Dagit before the bust: “I’m not serving pot, I’m serving the Lord.” Dagit remains in jail on $500,000 bond.

A Michigan medical marijuana smokers club has reopened for business while its owner, the Rev. Frederick Wayne Dagit, remains in jail on $500,000 bond.

Dagit, 60, was arrested May 26 after the Tri-County Narcotics Team raided the Green Leaf Smokers Club and his home in Meridian Township east of Lansing. Police said they seized more than 100 pounds of marijuana, mostly at Dagit’s home, reports the Lansing State Journal.

“They treated us like criminals, forced us to the ground, even though I have to walk with a cane,” said patient Terry Clark, 48, who said he suffers from arthritis, seizures and chronic pain.

Clark and the one other customer in the club at the time eventually were asked to show their state-issued medical marijuana cards, which they did, according to Clark. They were then allowed to leave.

Montana Tobacco Shop Diversifies With Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 31, 2010 Dispensaries, Products

Photo: Walter Hinick/Montana Standard

Glenn Erickson, MedMar: “We wanted to provide a safe, secure atmosphere”

One of Montana’s largest single-location retailers of cigarettes is now selling something else to smoke. But you need to be a registered patient to buy it.

Glenn Erickson at Gilligan’s Tobacco Shop has opened MarMed of Montana on the second floor of his store in Butte, reports Tim Trainor at The Montana Standard.

Before adding marijuana to his smokables, Erickson, 55, met with Butte-Silver Bow law enforcement and the county attorney’s office, making sure he was doing nothing illegal and was operating within the law.

“From a business standpoint, there are a lot of unknowns,” said Erickson, who has operated the tobacco shop for 12 years. “Let’s be honest; there is a lot that still needs to be cleared up.”

Marijuana Farmer’s Markets Proposed In California

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 31, 2010 Dispensaries, Growing

Photo: RAWBLOG

A California medical marijuana dispensary operator has presented his idea to start “patient-to-patient cannabis farmer’s markets” in Sacramento and surrounding counties.

Joseph Funes, president of North Country Comfort Club in North Highlands, said the farmer’s market model will help to keep money in the community by employing only local growers, reports Erin Tracy of the Woodland Daily Democrat.

An alliance with the county could result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales tax revenue, Funes told the Yolo County Board of Supervisors in the public comment portion of last Tuesday’s board meeting.

Dennis Hopper’s Pot Dealer Pays Tribute To Star

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 31, 2010 Culture, Dispensaries

Photo: Easy Rider

Hopper’s message to conservative America in the 1969 classic, “Easy Rider.”

Operators of the dispensary where film legend Dennis Hopper bought medical marijuana in his final days said they have lost one of their star clients, and a good friend.

“We’re sorry to see one of our favorite patients go,” said a staffer at The Farmacy Cannabis Club in Venice, California, according to Radar Online. The staffer confirmed that Hopper was a “frequent patient” as he battled terminal cancer.

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