Marijuana delivery services

August 27, 2014

14 Arrested and 5000 Marijuana Plants Seized in San Bernardino County

A sweeping drug bust in San Bernardino County resulted in 14 arrests and the seizure of approximately 5000 marijuana plants. According to law enforcement authorities, the drug bust was part of the crackdown on illegal marijuana cultivation in several unincorporated areas of the county. Over a two day period in the end of August, members of the police force conducted investigations and obtained nine search warrants for residential properties in various locations throughout the area. Though medical use is legal in California, growers must operate within the confines of state law and violations could result in criminal liability.

This case is a reminder to growers, distributors, and users of marijuana in Southern California and statewide, that criminal liability still exists. Our Orange County marijuana crimes defense attorneys are experienced in providing strategic, comprehensive advocacy to defendants. We understand the severe penalties related to drug charges and will work hard to protect the rights of our clients. In addition to providing defense, we are abreast of legal developments in the area that may impact the interests of marijuana dispensary owners and medical marijuana users.
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July 22, 2014

Medical Marijuana Researcher Loses University Position Over PTSD Trial

By Cannabis Law Group

Medical marijuana research is complicated by federal law, the FDA, as well as varying opinions in the public and private sector. According to recent reports, a University of Arizona researcher lost her job over a study involving the impact of marijuana use on post-traumatic stress (PTSD) patients, especially veterans who have been involved in combat. The professor has called her own work some of the most controversial at the university, even though it was approved by the FDA. Now her passion, dedication, and long-term commitment to the research project has left her out of work.

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The trial was aimed at reviewing the safety and efficacy of using medical marijuana to treat veterans with PTSD. Many of the veterans were not responding well to other forms of treatments. The new study had selected 70 participants to participate, testing various potency and placebos. Our Orange County medical marijuana attorneys are dedicated to raising awareness to protect the rights of users, researchers, distributors and growers nationwide. We are also abreast of legal issues and advancements in marijuana research.
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July 14, 2014

Proposition D Enforcement Leads to Medical Marijuana Farmers Market in California

By Cannabis Law Group

Enforcement of Proposition D, a law passed by the voters of Los Angeles, threatens to close many medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the city. The law limits the number of legal dispensaries to no more than 135. The 135 remaining dispensaries must have been in operation since 2007 and must adhere to a number of new regulations and pay increased taxes on gross revenue.

The City Attorney for Los Angeles has also stated that, under the law, it will be illegal to work at a medical marijuana dispensary that is not on a list of authorized businesses. To make matters more confusing, many of the business are not sure if they are or are allowed to continue to operate, and, according to the city attorney, they have no means to appeal placement or non-placement on the list.

This new effort to shut down dispensaries throughout the city not only has a major effect on owners of these businesses but also on medical marijuana patients who have come to rely on these local dispensaries.
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July 9, 2014

App Technology Highlights Future in Marijuana Business

By Cannabis Law Group

Entrepreneurs have been looking for ways to maximize mobile apps and the medical marijuana business is no different. Two 19-year-old students at the University of Washington have created and plan to launch an app known as “Canary” that will allow users to order marijuana through their smartphones. The app gives users the convenience and freedom of ordering marijuana and having it delivered to the doorstep. The app allows medical-marijuana cardholders to order various strains of pot in different amounts from the dispensaries that they prefer. The dispensaries have agreed to partner up with Canary, which will hire and employ the delivery drivers.

Canary is another example of how the legal landscape is creating business opportunities, not only for growers, but also individuals in other sectors of the economy. Our Orange County medical marijuana attorneys are dedicated to protecting the rights of individual users, growers, distributors, and others involved in the California marijuana industry. We understand the legal ramifications of marijuana business practices and are dedicated to staying abreast of business and legislative trends.
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March 10, 2014

Medical Marijuana Delivery Thrives in Dispensary-free Santa Monica

By Cannabis Law Group

As officials in Santa Monica continue to struggle with how they will handle marijuana regulation, many patients are able to receive their medicine using marijuana delivery services.

Our Los Angeles marijuana lawyers have seen the impact of delivery services and know that they can be extremely advantageous for those patients unable to leave their homes and reach a dispensary easily.

There are many reasons an individual may not be able to reach a dispensary. In some cases when the surrounding locality has outlawed marijuana dispensaries it may too far for a sick patient to travel in order to get to an area with legal dispensaries.
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December 9, 2013

Marijuana Delivery Services on the Rise in California

By Cannabis Law Group

Due to the inconsistent enforcement of marijuana laws by the federal government, many more dispensaries are operating their businesses on a delivery model. Although previous crackdowns have reduced their numbers, marijuana delivery appears to be experiencing a revival in California.

Our Los Angeles marijuana lawyers know the federal government has cracked down on dispensaries and even operated with very little consistency regarding marijuana legalization by various states. Many dispensaries have been the victims of heated battle with the federal government despite their willing compliance with all state regulations.
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March 16, 2012

Shuttered California Marijuana Dispensaries Turn to Delivery Services

By Cannabis Law Group

The crackdown by federal law enforcement on California medical marijuana providers has had a side effect they may not have anticipated: delivery services.

Our Los Angeles medical marijuana attorneys have seen this growing trend gain steam, as authorities have forced the shut down of a number of collectives and dispensaries across the state.

The San Diego Union Tribune recently reported on this phenomenon, which is one way ill patients are trying to circumvent the federal government’s efforts to deprive them of their doctor-prescribed medication.

According to the paper, an excess of 200 collectives and dispensaries have been shuttered in the San Diego area alone. This has all happened within the handful of months since the federal government announced the massive crackdown targeting growers and distributors of medical marijuana in California.

These efforts have kicked off a tidal wave of lawsuits and settlements because the enforcement effort is contrary to California state law, which says that people have a right to access marijuana that is medically prescribed. In San Diego, the number of distributors has fallen from about 185 to less than 10. And that is just an illustration of what is happening throughout the state.

In order to meet the needs of patients who rely on marijuana to ease a wide array of ailments, former dispensaries have been getting creative. In fact, about 50 of them in the San Diego area are advertising delivery services on demand.

While it’s not ideal, many growers say it allows them to continue to operate and provide this crucial service to California patients. Critics, however, say it isn’t any better than having these operations at an actual store.

In fact, one might wonder if it is actually better to have dispensaries operate in an actual storefront – one that is not only out in the open and free for spontaneous inspection, but is invested in the neighborhood where it resides.

Those opposed to these delivery services have been quoted as saying that it is akin to the operations of a “traditional drug dealer.”

“They aren’t fooling anybody,” Scott Chipman, head of the San Diegans for Safe Neighborhoods said.

But it doesn’t seem as if the growers are trying to fool anyone. They simply want to operate their legal businesses without the interference of federal authorities who appear to have nothing better to do. And given the restrictions and legal sanctions that are being imposed by the federal government and some municipalities, these former growers really have no choice.

In fact, it seems growers too would prefer to operate in a storefront, for a number of reasons. The first reason is the cost. With rising gas prices, delivery services can quickly cut into profit. But there is also the rising risk of danger. You have lone delivery people who are transporting large amounts of cash and marijuana. That’s going to make them a prime target for robberies, especially if they begin to develop regular routes. So in fact, authorities are going to end up possibly increasing crime, rather than reducing it, with these crackdown efforts. Not to mention that when patients aren’t able to obtain the drug legally, they are more likely to turn to underground sources – which aren’t regulated and may be funded by criminal elements involved in trafficking of much harder illicit drugs.

Federal authorities wouldn’t comment on the matter, saying they would have to weigh each case on an individual basis.

February 11, 2012

Los Angeles Man With Medical Marijuana License Arrested on Flight

By Cannabis Law Group

A 43-year-old man from Los Angeles was arrested in New Jersey after he allegedly smoked marijuana on a flight from Florida to Newark, The Star-Ledger reports.

This has become a somewhat common problem for people who are licensed to use medical marijuana in Los Angeles because of various ailments. While they may be able to use this drug to help them in California, they can face legal trouble when traveling.

Our Los Angeles medical marijuana lawyers believe that everyone’s rights should be upheld in criminal proceedings that revolve around medical marijuana allegations. If people are arrested in other states and possess pills but have legal prescriptions, they don’t face scrutiny.

Medical marijuana is different and users understand that. In many cases, marijuana is less expensive and has fewer side effects than hardcore narcotic drugs. But prescription drugs are more acceptable in many communities and under the laws of other states, so there are fewer arrests when people abuse those substances.

On our Marijuana Lawyer Blog recently, we reported on the arrest of Los Angeles rapper Snoop Dogg, who was pulled over on a tour bus in Texas at the Mexico border.

In that case, he, too, has an official license to use marijuana in California. But because Texas has different laws — that don’t include using medical marijuana for patients — he was arrested. He now has pending charges in that state.

In this situation, the man was inside the bathroom on the flight when the trip from Orlando to Newark began landing in New Jersey. A flight attendant knocked on the door of the bathroom and when the man came out, the flight attendant reported smelling a strong odor of marijuana.

The man allegedly told police who met him inside the terminal gate that he is allowed to use marijuana for medical use. He then allegedly pulled out a pipe and a baggie of marijuana. Police then arrested him.

A spokesman for the port authority police told the newspaper that no smoking is allowed on any commercial flight, regardless of the reason. That is based on federal laws for flying.

The man now faces charges of possession of less than 50 grams of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. The man was later released. The newspaper reported that efforts to reach the man were unsuccessful.

This is a problem that many Californians run into because marijuana is the drug they use to relieve pain from which they are suffering. While they could get prescriptions for more powerful and more dangerous drugs, they choose marijuana sometimes because it is cheaper and also because it is less damaging.

Despite this, sometimes people can be punished if they travel with the drug and attempt to use it in states where it isn’t allowable. This is the unfair truth about medical marijuana. Patients who are suffering from ailments must hide in order to use their pain killer while others can pop a pill without scrutiny or suspicious looks.
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June 30, 2010

Marijuana delivery services could be targeted by Los Angeles District Attorney

By Cannabis Law Group

A Claremont California medical marijuana delivery business has ceased operation after an announcement by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office that it would seek to prosecute anyone distributing medical marijuana by home delivery, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reported.

As our Claremont medical marijuana attorneys and Los Angeles dispensary lawyers recently reported, a number of dispensary businesses forced to close because of local city ordinances are seeking new life as marijuana delivery services.

Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley contends that such delivery services are illegal and violators could face felony drug charges. The CANNABIS LAW GROUP encourages owners of dispensaries or delivery services who are facing harassment or criminal charges to call for a confidential appointment to discuss their rights.

Cooley, who is running for state attorney general, issued the opinion in response to claims that medical marijuana providers in Los Angeles are continuing to serve the needs of patients by providing delivery services. Los Angeles recently passed an ordinance seeking to force the closure of about three-quarters of the city’s medical marijuana dispensaries. The dispensaries were operating legally under California law. The CANNABIS LAW GROUP is currently representing 13 dispensaries in fighting the ordinance.

On such delivery service, called Tasty Licks, was delivering marijuana to patients with a valid medical marijuana identification card and could be up and running again as soon as July, the Daily Bulletin reported. The owner said his business had fewer than 100 customers but began to grow in response to a directive by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The Justice Department statement was released in October and said that patients and suppliers should not be targeted for federal prosecution in states that allow medical marijuana.
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