Back in 2011, the state of Montana saw a pretty big backlash against medical marijuana patients, caregivers and collectives and state lawmakers approved a ban on the small commercial medical cannabis industry and limited caregivers to three patients. Thankfully those laws were blocked in favor of the medical marijuana industry on appeal, however the state Supreme Court overruled that decision and has forced the judge in the case to reexamine his ruling.
Yesterday an attorney representing patients and collectives argued that the restrictions should remain blocked and that the proposed rules would keep patients from accessing something the state has deemed legal.

Earlier this month we got the 2013 numbers for how many marijuana dispensaries in the city of L.A. have filed to pay a special city collective tax. It reflects how many weed retailers are in L.A. And it was higher than any other number we had seen in nearly five years: 1,140. This despite repeated city crackdowns and a new law, passed last year, that limits the number of shops in town to the 135 or fewer that were legit during a 2007 city “moratorium.”

California has allowed for the compassionate use of marijuana since 1996. And while the state has become known for it’s medical pot tolerance, the industry has gone unchecked since it’s inception. Despite some cities and municipalities banning marijuana collectives, the system seems to work well for everyone involved.
Except, of course, the government. But a California lawmaker wants to change that, and has introduced a bill that would establish state oversight on the industry while butting into the business of doctors and their patients.

The Ninth District Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that California state law does not protect the state’s medical marijuana shops from the feds. The court made the ruling yesterday in dismissing three lawsuits trying to stop federal prosecution of three California collectives.
Specifically, the dispensaries had argued that federal law enforcement were violating equal protection clauses in the U.S. Constitution.