Medical Marijuana in California

August 5, 2011

Legalization in the Future? Advocates of Medical Marijuana in Los Angeles Hope

Advocates of marijuana in Orange County and elsewhere in the state of are back at it, making another attempt at legalizing recreational use of the drug. Earlier this week, the secretary of state’s office approved the circulation of ballot petitions for their proposition. Supporters of the drug must collect nearly 505,000 signatures from residents by the 19th of December in order to get the initiative to appear on the ballot next year.

This wave of support, headed by medical marijuana activist Steve Kubby, varies from California’s Proposition 19. This was the failed attempt to legalize recreational marijuana during the 2010 midterm elections.

Our Los Angeles medical marijuana attorneys would like to recognize the continuous efforts of these advocates. We also see the strategy of this campaign as next year’s presidential election is more likely to gain better support from a broader group of voters. Midterm elections typically bring out more conservatives.

In their latest attempt, they’re pushing to legalize marijuana by asking that people who grow the plant be treated like vintners and microbrewers. These people are not taxed when they keep the product for themselves.

The proposition recommends that those who sell marijuana be regulated by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

When Proposition 19 was voted down in 2010 by a 54-46 percent vote, liberal and conservative politicians alike joined together in rejecting the proposal. If Proposition 19 would have passed, California would have been the first state to legalize smoking pot recreationally.

The California chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) called for an end to the “war on drugs” in what it called a “historic resolution.” Its resolution endorses rehabilitation programs. This theory is supported by recently released data that concludes that African Americans were nearly 15 times more likely to go to jail than whites for the same drug-related offense.

“These flawed drug policies that have been mostly enforced in African American communities must be stopped and replaced with evidenced-based practices that address the root causes of drug use and abuse in America,” said Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP.

Throughout the Proposition 19 campaign a number of other black leaders voiced their opposing opinions on the legalization of the drug, saying that it would in fact harm the black community.

“It will cause more carnage, more devastation, more crime, more burglary in that community or in any other community. It doesn’t make sense. How can you educate an intoxicated mind? You can’t,” says Ron Allen, who is president of the International Faith-Based Coalition and is African American. “If Martin Luther King could hear something like that, he would turn over in his grave, knowing that our greatest civil rights organization is talking about legalizing a drug and calling that civil rights.”

In California, current law states that the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana is only an infraction. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed that law, making the punishment for possession the same as the punishment for a speeding ticket.
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July 30, 2011

Federal Government Declares Medical Marijuana in Los Angeles Has No Medical Use

By Cannabis Law Group

Earlier this month the federal government ruled that medical marijuana in Los Angeles and elsewhere has absolutely no accepted use as a medicinal treatment and needs to remain classified as a highly dangerous drug like heroin and ecstasy. They’re pretty much saying that patients in California and a number of other states, including the nation’s capitol, are delusional.

Apparently this was no easy decision for the federal government either, or at least that’s how they made it look. The release of this information comes nine years after medical marijuana supporters requested that the government look into reclassifying cannabis and to take into account a growing body of worldwide research that clearly illustrates its effectiveness in treating a number of diseases, including glaucoma and multiple sclerosis.

Our Orange County medical marijuana attorneys doubt that the 55,193 medical marijuana cards that have been issued since 2004 have gone to patients that are “faking” their symptoms. As of January 2009, more than 200,000 California patients turned to medical marijuana to treat their conditions and are now medical marijuana card holders. This means less than 6 percent of the entire state’s population seeks this treatment.

“It is clearly motivated by a political decision that is anti-marijuana,” said Joe Elford, the chief counsel for Americans for Safe Access and the lead attorney on the lawsuit.. He noted that studies demonstrate pot has beneficial effects, including appetite stimulation for that are currently people undergoing chemotherapy. “One of the things people say about marijuana is that it gives you the munchies and the truth is that it does, and for some people that’s a very positive thing.”

The decision to deny the initial request was made by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This decision comes just two months after advocates requested the U.S. Court of Appeals to force the administration to respond to their petition.

Those who support tmedical use of the drug have criticized the ruling but were ecstatic that the Obama administration finally acted. Now that the decision has been made, advocates are now able to appeal the decision to the federal courts.

“We have foiled the government’s strategy of delay, and we can now go head-to-head on the merits,” said Elford.

DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart wrote a letter back in June to the organizations that filed the petition and stated that the request was rejected because marijuana “has a high potential for abuse,” “has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States” and “lacks accepted safety for use under medical supervision.”

This is the third time a petition to reclassify marijuana have been rejected. The first petition was filed in 1972. It wasn’t denied until 17 years later. The second petition was filed in back in 1995 and was denied six years later. Both of the decisions were appealed, but the courts sided with the federal government.

“The regulatory process is just a time-consuming one that usually takes years to go through,” said Barbara Carreno, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The DEA looked at their researcher’s evidence before making their decision. The federal government’s position on the study discourages scientists from pursuing research needed to test the drug’s medical effectiveness, reports Dr. Igor Grant, a neuropsychiatrist who is the director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at UC San Diego. On the other hand, state-supported clinical trials continue to conclude that marijuana in fact helps with neuropathic pain and muscle spasticity.

“We’re trapped in kind of a vicious cycle here,” says Grant. “It’s always a danger if the government acts on certain kinds of persuasions or beliefs rather than evidence.”

Public opinion has also taken a stance behind medical marijuana. Americans overwhelmingly support it in a number of national polls. When the petition was initially filed, only eight states had approved medical marijuana. Currently, there are 16 states and the District of Columbia that have decided to give the okay to the medical treatment.

Medical marijuana was classified as a Schedule I drug when Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970. Schedule I is the most serious and the most restrictive of the five categories.

“At this time the known risks of marijuana use have not been shown to be outweighed by specific benefits in well-controlled clinical trials that scientifically evaluate safety and efficacy,” said Leonhart in her letter.
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July 28, 2011

City Council Aims to Shut Down Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Glendale

By Cannabis Law Group

An ordinance that will put a permanent ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in Glendale was introduced by Glendale City Council earlier this week. This ban was introduced just two months before a moratorium prohibiting the shops is set to expire, according to the Glendale News-Press.

As it stands now, zoning codes keep the medical marijuana dispensaries under thumb. That’s not good enough for city officials though. They’re looking for more strict regulations and enforcement as they say interest has grown in recent years.

Our Glendale medical marijuana attorneys understand how “convenient” this new ordinance is. As the City could enacted a moratorium back in 2009 to prevent any and all dispensaries from opening, the council is well aware of its expiration in September. What’s even more convenient is that this moratorium does not allow for an extension. This is exactly why City Council is looking to enact an entirely new ban on the industry.

Last month, city attorneys were instructed by council to draft out an all-out ban.

These same city officials were hoping that a decision by a state appellate court regarding a similar ban in Anaheim would provide their government with a legal precedent. Unfortunately for them, the state 4th District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana sent a legal challenge of the city’s ban back to a lower court for yet another review. Even as courts fail to rule in favor of cities enacting such bans, the politicians continue to force the issue, incurring millions in tax payer legal fees and other expenses in the process.

Glendale’s proposed ordinance uses zoning code amendments to shut the door on dispensaries. This same ordinance specifically calls out medical marijuana dispensaries and bans them from operating in any zone.

“State law allows cities to make decisions about their zoning laws,” said Senior City Atty. Carmen Merino. “We really feel that this ordinance will protect the citizens of Glendale and be in compliance with both federal and state law.”

South Pasadena, La Cañada, Flintridge, Pasadine and Burbank are all among local cities that have also prohibited the operations of medical marijuana dispensaries.

Hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries were able to open in Los Angeles because the city did not enforce a moratorium. Last year though, Los Angeles passed an ordinance that was to limit the number of these dispensaries to only 70. Shops that were open before 2007 were exempt from the new rules. That fight is ongoing.

In cities in which dispensaries have been permitted, oppositional parties report that there has been an increase in burglaries, vandalism, illegal drug sales and other crimes. A number of studies have proven this to be completely false.

Supporters of medical marijuana report that California law prohibits all-out bans and local government officials should feel obliged to address the needs of local patients. It will be up to dispensary owners and patients to stand and fight for their rights.

Glendale City Council is expected to cast their final vote on the ordinance next week.
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July 26, 2011

New Regulations Looking to Limit Some California Medical Marijuana Patients to One Dispensary

By Cannabis Law Group

Proposed guidelines from Attorney General Kamala Harris could now make it possible for users of medical marijuana in Los Angeles to only belong to one dispensary at a time and for individual police officers to have the authority to determine whether someone is a legitimate patient or not, according to The Examiner.

Medical Marijuana advocates aren’t going to stand for it, saying that this will only make it harder for patients to obtain their medicine and easier for cops to improperly arrest them.

Our Los Angeles medical marijuana attorneys would like residents to know that these guidelines have not been made public yet by the attorney general, but a copy of an April “discussion draft” has been obtained by members of San Francisco’s Medical Marijuana Task Force.

This draft consists of a number of guidelines that go further in some areas than those that were issued back in 2008 by Jerry Brown, Harris’ predecessor. The Attorney General’s office declined to comment on the proposed regulations.

These guidelines influence how cities and counties regulate their medical marijuana dispensaries and how law enforcement agencies should and can treat the operators and their patients.

“I’m first and foremost concerned that people can only be members of one collective,” said task force member Shona Gochenaur, the executive director of the Axis of Love medical marijuana activist group. “That doesn’t work.”

Advocates compare this shop regulation to if residents were only allowed to shop at one grocery store. It doesn’t make any sense.

“Officers should use their sound professional judgment to assess the validity of the person’s medical use-claim” if they do not have a state ID card. Advocates compare this writing to law enforcement jargon, as if it were written by the officers themselves.

Another concern of the advocates pertains to the restrictions on cultivators. Under these proposed regulations, cultivators would only be able to sell their product to one dispensary. This could lead cultivators to favor large-scale operations over smaller groups.

The industry continues to grow, expand and change with every passing year. Last year, Oakland started exploring large-scale taxable grow operations. Earlier this week, a major crackdown on illegal cultivation of marijuana in Northern California was reported. A number of legal conflicts continue to burden dispensaries in Los Angeles, San Diego and Butte counties.

“[Medical marijuana] is something brand new,” said Stephanie Tucker, a spokeswoman for The City’s Medical Marijuana Task Force. “As the community evolves, so do some of the best practices.”

Currently in San Francisco there are more than 25 permitted medical marijuana dispensaries and more than 10 applications that are pending, according to the Department of Public Health.

Advocates have been in continuous support for industry regulations because they believe that the controls are a way to maintain a legitimate medical industry, address residents’ complaints and prevent a federal law enforcement crackdowns. Advocates believe that government officials are taking these regulations too far and are doing nothing more than hurting residents and business owners.
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July 24, 2011

Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Garden Grove Now Required to Register with City Council

By Cannabis Law Group

Garden Grove marijuana dispensaries won a huge victory with the decision by city council to drop its ban on marijuana dispensaries. Our Los Angeles medical marijuana attorneys applaud the decision and point to the victory as proof of what can happen when owners and patients stand up and fight for their rights.

As the Orange County Register reported Garden Grove becomes the second city to pass regulations as opposed to bans. The city cited costly litigation as the factor in the change of policy.

Earlier this week, Garden Grove’s City Council finalized a decision to require medical marijuana dispensaries to register with the city before opening their business’ doors. The City Council is using this new ordinance to help regulate the number of Orange County medical marijuana dispensaries and to regulate where they’re able to open up shop. They will not be allowed to operate within residential or school zones, according to The Orange County Register.

“This way we know who is in our city and where they are located,” says City Manager Matthew Fertal. “Once we know that, we will be performing background checks into the individuals who are running these operations.”

This is still less than ideal — Our Garden Grove medical marijuana defense lawyers believe state law permits the legal operation of these businesses. But restrictions are better than bans, which will no doubt continue to be challenged. The new ordinance is already in effect and only allows dispensaries that have registered with the city to be eligible for a future permit. There are approximately 30 dispensaries currently operating in the city despite a ban that was passed back in 2008. Those who closed or gave up the fight could be out of luck.

“This is needed for our city to have some control over the facilities and to make sure our children and families are protected from illegal activities,” said Councilwoman Dina Nguyen. “Unless we define what is legal or illegal, it will not be possible for police to enforce the law.”

The Garden Grove City Council already has the blueprint laid out regarding enforcement efforts of the new ordinance. Dispensaries will be limited along Harbor Boulevard as that area is targeted towards tourists and entertainment.

“With more business licenses, the city will get more revenue,” she said. “But you will also need to hire more people to enforce these codes. We’ve worked hard to keep this environment drug-free. If it has to be done, we better do it right.”

Police Chief Kevin Raney says that his crew continues to support the Title 9 recommendation regarding medical marijuana dispensaries in the C-2 zones and to keep them 1,000 feet from residential neighborhoods and school zones. He believes that this new ordinance is an effective way for the city council and local law enforcement to regulate the industry and to continue to support Proposition 215 of the State of California, according to Garden Grove Planning Commission Minutes.

The City Council says that C-2 locations are the most suitable because they’re the furthest commercial zones from single-family neighborhoods and they these areas are the most flexible with the greatest number of uses.

“This should be an example for other cities to follow,” says Kris Hermes, spokesman for Americans for Safe Access. “The common sense approach is to regulate dispensaries instead of banning them outright, which is a violation of state law.”

Cities with bans:

-Anaheim
-Buena Park
-Costa Mesa
-Cypress
-Fullerton
-Huntington Beach
-Laguna Hills
-Laguna Niguel
-Lake Forest
-Mission Viejo
-Placentia
-San Juan Capistrano
-Santa Ana
-Seal Beach
-Tustin

There are also bans in effect in unincorporated areas of Orange County.
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July 16, 2011

Thousands Gather at Kush Expo in Anaheim to Support Medical Marijuana in Orange County

By Cannabis Law Group

The event organizers of the Anaheim Convention Center’s marijuana expo were so thrilled with the turnout of their first annual Kush Expo that they’ve already jumped the gun and celebrated their second annual event just eight months later. Organizers were so overwhelmed with the turnout of advocates for medical marijuana in Orange County from the first event, they decided to keep the momentum going with the second annual event that was held last weekend.

The Kush Expo was held, again, at the Convention Center. Organized are already planning a third expo and have it booked it for November 18th through the 20th of this year.

Our Los Angeles medical marijuana lawyers understand that these events truly illustrate the number of supporters and active members we have in the medical marijuana industry. This is an industry that provides so many residents with healing medications that allow them to function properly on a daily basis and to reduce the side effects of terrible diseases and conditions. The first annual expo that was held last November attracted thousands of people during the three-day event.

“There’s such an upward swing,” said on participant, who has a doctor’s recommendation to use marijuana for panic attacks and sleep problems. “More and more states are legalizing it for personal use, for medical use. I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be legalized.”

Some people were a little disturbed by the event. The expo included a smoking patio where card-carrying medical-marijuana patients were able to smoke pot during the event, just outside the Convention Center doors.

“I think that it’s a pretty cool sign for those of us who support legalization of marijuana that this kind of event goes on in the heart of Orange County – and it’s accepted,” said one medical-marijuana user and attendee of last year’s Kush Expo. “I think society is beginning to get the picture that cannabis isn’t as dangerous as previous generations have made it out to be.”

Only those who were 18-years-old and older were allowed into the expo. The Kush Expo was coined the biggest marijuana convention in Orange County. There were dozens of vendor booths with representatives from collectives and dispensaries throughout the state. There was also growing and smoking equipment available as well as doctors who there to offer exams to issue medical-marijuana cards.

“This is not just a party card,” said Dr. Lucia Ferraro, from Sherman Oaks. “My typical patient is not a 20-year-old stoner. It’s somebody 40-plus who needs help from prescription medicine or from pain.”

Anaheim has an ordinance that bans all medical-marijuana dispensaries within its city limits. The city has been battling that decision in court to defend its stance.

City officials understand that the expo provided visitors with a smoking section. It was after all approved by city council. Security officers were on scene to ensure that it was only open to qualified patients. There were no pot sales during the expo.
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July 12, 2011

Promises from Obama Administration to Medical Marijuana Industry in Los Angeles Fade Away

By Cannabis Law Group

Marijuana is unsafe and its alleged benefits have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to the Obama Administration. This sounds like medical marijuana in Los Angeles is now going to have to face yet another battle — the flip-flop arguments of the Obama Administration.

“While there may be medical value for some of the individual components of the cannabis plant, the fact remains that smoking marijuana is an inefficient and harmful method for delivering the constituent elements that have or may have medicinal value,” the White House’s National Drug Control Strategy for 2011 says.

Our Los Angeles medical marijuana attorneys understand that this anti-marijuana campaign is more than likely a direct result of the Justice Department’s decision against reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Obama Administration has yet to make up its mind on where it stands with regard to the medical marijuana industry. As it stands now, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This means that medical marijuana has a high potential for abuse and that is has no currently accepted medical use for treatment. It puts it in the same category as hardcore narcotics.

The federal government has spent the last 9 years responding to requests from a number of medical marijuana advocates to reevaluate the drug and to take into account studies that have concluded that medical marijuana does indeed provide benefits to the user. After the review, the Justice Department stood by its decision to keep marijuana classified as a Schedule I drug. This means that medical marijuana is grouped together in the same category with dangerous drugs like heroin and ecstasy. The Americans for Safe Access group is appealing the decision in federal court.

The Justice Department recently stated in a memo that state-approved marijuana dispensaries and growers could potentially face prosecution. These companies worry that the federal government will be upping their enforcement even more, forcing them to shut their doors for good. The Department also stated that those involved in the medical marijuana business in the 16 states and Washington, D.C. could face severe consequences for allowing the distribution and use of the drug.

The Department’s report also noted that while tobacco and alcohol are both legal and taxed in the United States, neither product provides a “net economic benefit to society.” There is no monetary gain from the sale of these products because of health-care expenses and various criminal justice costs from incidents such as drunken driving arrests.

The anti-marijuana tone of Obama’s Administration is disappointing, says Nail Franklin, director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

“It’s sad that the drug czar decided to insert a multi-page rant against legalizing and regulating drugs into the National Drug Control Strategy instead of actually doing his job and shifting limited resources to combat the public health problem of drug abuse,” Franklin said.
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July 11, 2011

Government Officials Meet to Straighten Out Medical Marijuana Regulations

By Cannabis Law Group

California may have been the first state to legalize medical marijuana but we’re still struggling with medical marijuana issues both on the state and federal level. We’re not alone in this battle though, both Michigan and Montana are facing some serious issues regarding how the medicinal drug can be obtained and sold.

Currently in Michigan, a group of Republican state lawmakers are planning on working through the summer to sort through a new regulation of medical marijuana. State Rep. John Walsh, R-Livonia, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and chief sponsor of the proposed legislation, says that the new rules aren’t aimed at replacing the 2008 medical marijuana referendum approved by voters, but to crease some clear guidelines for law enforcement and legitimate medical marijuana patients, according to Detroit Free Press.

Our Orange County medical marijuana attorneys have been there time and time again. Lawmakers throw a number of laws, rules and regulation at the medical marijuana industry. The problem isn’t that there are a bunch of rules, but they all conflict with one another. These conflicting rules make it extremely difficult for users and sellers to operate legally without facing undeserving raids, fines, fees and shut downs.

Walsh is intending to clarify the following though his bill package:

-Aim to more closely monitor and regulate the relationship between doctors and the patients to whom they issue medical marijuana cards to.

-Look to prohibit patient-to-patient marijuana transactions. They aim to shut down the marijuana collectives and dispensaries that have begun operations in some areas of the state.

-They would like to find a way to give law enforcement instant access to the patient registry that is maintained by the state-run Michigan Medical Marijuana Program.

-Zoning needs to be clarified, seeking out communities that would like to restrict the use and the sale of medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana was legalized in Montana in 2004 though Initiative 148. As of now, they’re not even sure if the business will be legal come July 1st.

“Right now, us dispensary owners are in limbo-land,” said Tom Charlton, who owns M4U, a medical marijuana shop off North Reserve Street.

The new law looks to completely replace Montana’s 2004 voter-approved initiative. The new law aims to, among many other restrictions, require providers to give marijuana to their patients.

“We’re just sitting back and waiting for the dust to settle,” said Missoula Police Chief Mark Muir. “There’s no point in spending too much time planning.”

This new law would also allow patients to grow their own marijuana in limited quantities, or acquire it from caregivers. These caregivers would be allowed only to grow for three people apiece. Currently, they’re allowed supply an unlimited number.

The judge said that he might just wait until June 30 to issue a ruling. He says he may either strike down all or just part of the law.

More than 30,000 people in Montana now have medical marijuana cards.

Until government officials can reach an agreement and set forth clear and concise rules to regulate the industry, companies and patients will continue to operate in limbo, potentially facing serious fines, jail time or shut downs.
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July 3, 2011

Oakland Medical Marijuana Operation Shut Down

By Cannabis Law Group

An Oakland man was arrested recently after authorities accused him of running illegal marijuana farms in Sacramento and Sutter County. Federal authorities report to have confiscated thousands of plants.

The 33-year-old man has been released on a $150,000 property bond, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento. Authorities also arrested eleven other people that they believe were involved in various aspects of the growing and the processing of that marijuana.

Our Los Angeles medical marijuana attorneys understand that federal and state laws may be foggy as the two compete to regulate the industry. Until there is are unified laws to regulate the farmers of the medical marijuana industry, arrests and unjust shutdowns are going to happen. It is your duty as an operator, a farmer and as a user to fight for your rights in the medical marijuana industry. If you’re facing a crime involving marijuana, contact an experienced attorney immediately.

The dispensary’s owner quietly left Oakland shortly after local and federal law enforcement pressure the city to give up on its plans to license his four industrial pot farms. Oakland ended up withdrawing the ordinance.

The 33-year-old entrepreneur was previously on the radar of local authorities in Oakland. He reportedly already converted a number of large warehouses into medical pot production centers. Authorities report that he even hired some unionized workers for these operations. His operations didn’t make it too far though, after he experienced thefts, financial problems and constant pressure from federal authorities, his facility went under.

Descriptions of the massive marijuana-growing efforts at a former tomato farm in Rio Oso in Sutter County and at a former wholesale commercial florist in Sacramento were described in a criminal complaint that was filed this week in U.S. District Court in Sacramento.

Undercover federal drug agents report that surveillance flyovers confirmed their suspicion of pot plants. Sutter County sheriff’s deputies reported seeing more than 7,000 plants growing in a greenhouse the size of a football field. According to court documents, the owners of the farm told deputies that they expected the operation would earn nearly $25 million each year from six harvests.

“He was very ambitious,” said Jeff Wilcox, an Oakland developer who, like the Oakland farmer, was competing for a marijuana cultivation license before the ordinance was withdrawn. “Most people don’t operate at that scale.”

Those who are advocates for the legalization of medical marijuana dispensaries in the area argue that this medicinal plant is a safe and effective way to treat the symptoms of cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, pain, glaucoma, epilepsy, and a number of other conditions and should be made available to deserving patients.

Opponents of medical marijuana argue that it is far too dangerous to use, lacks FDA-approval, and that various legal drugs make marijuana use unnecessary. They go on to claim that marijuana is addictive, leads to harder drug use, interferes with fertility, impairs driving ability, and injures the lungs, immune system, and brain. They don’t see the legalization of medical marijuana as a health treatment, but as a front for recreational use.

Back in 1972, the U.S. Congress put marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act because they considered it to have “no accepted medical use.” Today, 16 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have legalized the medical use of marijuana. Still, the legal industry faces a number of obstacles from both state and federal officials.
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June 29, 2011

Miracle-Gro Looks to Jump into Medical Marijuana Production in Los Angeles and Elsewhere

By Cannabis Law Group

You think of Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. and you think of weed killer, but did you know they’re now looking into helping medical marijuana in Los Angeles and elsewhere?

It caught nearly everyone by surprise, but it’s true. The company’s top dog, Scotts Chief Executive Jim Hagedorn, says that he’s looking into targeting medical marijuana to help boost sales at his lawn and garden company.

Our Orange County medical marijuana attorneys understand that this recognition, by such a high-powered company, may benefit the medical marijuana industry. If the owners of home-based products don’t see anything wrong with growing medical marijuana, why should the government? This recognition from Scotts Miracle-Gro may be a sign, a sign that the use of medical marijuana may one day be accepted in deserving household across the nation.

“I want to target the pot market,” Mr. Hagedorn said. “There’s no good reason we haven’t.”

Scotts sales increase by 5 percent last year to nearly $3 billion. The company, that is based out of Marysville, Ohio, relies on three retail stores to make the majority of their sales — Home Depot Inc., Lowe’s Cos. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Since the slumped economy is causing consumers to hold on tightly to their money and these corporations are halting the building of new stores, Scotts is looking for smaller pockets of growth, like the marijuana market, to increase in their sales.

Currently, there are 16 states that have legalized medical marijuana, with California and Colorado being the largest.

A report on revenue from growers and dispensaries, by See Change Strategy LLC, an information data services company, concludes that the market for companies selling hydroponic equipment and professional services is alive and thriving.

“We see very good growth for these types of companies as the medical-marijuana business grows,” said Kris Lotlikar, president of See Change.

Mr. Hagedorn is serious about increasing sales, no matter how small. To target marijuana growers, Scotts says they would likely buy niche dirt companies. Companies that already exist instead of creating its own line of newly branded products.

Enforcement officers have found Scotts products in a number of recent marijuana raids. Mr. Hagedorn is thrilled about it, claiming that it’s a good sign of brand awareness. He does fear that some growers will be reluctant to use a mainstream product.

Before this recent plan, Scotts wouldn’t even have considering pursuing a business plan or a product line that generated less than $10 million a year in revenue. That’s not the case anymore. Since the medical marijuana industry has grown so large, the company has altered their strategy.

“We can’t operate our business like that anymore,” said Mr. Hagedorn.
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