AltWeeklies Wire
Encycloweedia is Trying a New Way to Turn Pot into Doughnew
Every two weeks or so, we wander into our publisher's office and flip through copies of our company's sister papers in Denver and California, where medical marijuana is legal. "Wow, they must be raking in the ad dough," we say.
Dallas Observer |
Patrick Williams |
01-25-2010 |
Drugs
Insurance Agents Are the Latest to Cater to Colorado's Budding Businessnew
Something magical is happening: Medical marijuana is starting to look a lot like a business. A real one. Dispensaries are paying taxes, they're following OSHA regulations, and, increasingly, they're buying insurance.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
01-07-2010 |
Drugs
A Little Program With Big Results is Running Out of Moneynew
Unique in the nation, the Resource Advocacy Program in Colorado Springs takes the people who have hit absolute rock bottom. Often they're addicted to drugs and alcohol, homeless and mentally ill. Oh, and they're usually distrustful of the Man.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
01-07-2010 |
Drugs
Weed Takes Root: Marijuana's Steady Creep Toward Legalization Nationwidenew
Oaksterdam takes its name from a bastardization of Oakland, where the university began, and pot-friendly Amsterdam. Here, new growers and dispensary operators are being trained like whole legions of Johnny Appleseeds, soon to spread pot's blessings from one coastline to the other.
New Year, New Momentum Give New Hope For Legalizing Cannabisnew
Paul Stanford, who runs a national chain of medical marijuana clinics, is making a new legalization push. And with the help of a professional signature-gathering company, and a political climate vastly more turned on to cannabis, Stanford hopes to attain his lifelong goal.
Willamette Week |
James Pitkin |
01-06-2010 |
Drugs
Obama Entrapped Me: Medical Marijuana Provider Mounts a Novel Criminal Defensenew

More than most citizens, James Dean Stacy feels betrayed by the candidate for whom he voted for president. Stacy was arrested in September when his medical-marijuana collective, Movement in Action, was raided along with 13 others.
San Diego CityBeat |
Dave Maass |
12-28-2009 |
Drugs
FDA Late to Fight Rampant Abuse of OxyContinnew

An estimated 70 percent of Central Coast heroin addicts start out on pharmaceuticals like OxyContin. Now, after widespread abuse, the FDA is looking to clamp down on drug makers. For Stefan R., a recovering addict, the efforts are too little, too late.
Good Times Santa Cruz |
Curtis Cartier |
12-17-2009 |
Drugs
When Will Medical Marijuana Get the High Sign in Monterey County?new
Daniel Maniscalco dreams of getting off the road and opening Monterey County’s first medical pot storefront. “I want to provide medical marijuana patients the medicines their doctors recommend,” he says.
Monterey County Weekly |
Robin Urevich |
12-17-2009 |
Drugs
The saga of Jose Morales Continues in Texas, as he Awaits Sentencing on a Cocaine Charge.new
Jose Morales was arrested in August, 2008 at the Edinburg airport after trying to charter a jet back to Baltimore. Federal agents found six kilos of cocaine in a restroom trash can. Morales pled guilty to a single felony count last spring, and there began a battle over his sentencing.
Baltimore City Paper |
Edward Ericson Jr. |
12-08-2009 |
Drugs
Junkie Town: Santa Cruz's Heroin Problemnew

In the woods just outside Santa Cruz, heroin is laying waste to a hidden population.
Good Times Santa Cruz |
Curtis Cartier |
12-02-2009 |
Drugs
L.A.'s Medical-Weed Warsnew

Today Los Angeles stands as the nation's pot capital, a mecca for buying and selling the drug under the guise of the medicinal use initiative California voters approved 13 years ago. The conditions are testament to a breakdown in basic governance unseen in any other major California city.
L.A. Weekly |
Patrick Range McDonald and Christine Pelisek |
11-30-2009 |
Drugs
Recent Legal Tangles Leave Colorado's Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in a Hazenew

Owners of dispensaries around Colorado have been scrambling to expand their services -- adding everything from housekeeping to lawn-mowing -- in an effort to conform to a recent court ruling that has modified the crucial definition of the "caregiver."
Boulder Weekly |
Jeff Dodge and David Accomazzo |
11-16-2009 |
Drugs
How the Holder Memo Affects New Mexico's Groundbreaking Medical Marijuana Programnew

Doctors, growers, caregivers and patients stick their necks out under New Mexico's cannabis law. Does the AG's directive make any difference?
Weekly Alibi |
Marisa Demarco |
11-12-2009 |
Drugs
Colorado Legislator Wants University to Grow Pot for the Statenew
Al White has proposed legislation that would effectively give the state complete control over the growth, sale and distribution of medical marijuana, possibly putting an end to the gold rush of dispensaries that has emerged in Boulder and around the state.
Boulder Weekly |
Jefferson Dodge |
11-09-2009 |
Drugs
California Dopes Out Marijuana Bill as Legalization Petition Gets Passed Aroundnew

Two serious bids to legalize marijuana in California are moving forward simultaneously. And while decisions won't be made for months, both efforts have generated interest from around the world.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Rebecca Bowe |
11-04-2009 |
Drugs