San Diego County Licenses 1st Dispensary

San Diego County has issued its first license for a medical marijuana dispensary in unincorporated San Diego County today.

The full article can be found at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/27/medical-marijuana-co-op-poised-get-first-county-pe/

Glendale To Permently Ban Dispensaries

Add the city of Glendale to the list of cities statewide ignoring the voice of the voters and seeking to permanently ban dispensaries within its city limits. The city had previously been operating under the infamous temporary moritorium weapon that many cities employ.  We will just have to stay tuned to see who chooses to take on the city's blanket denial of medical cannabis.

California's Not So Clear Path Ahead

The current status of California's medical marijuana laws are iffy at best.  From county to county, region to region law enforcement action and municipality enforcement provide a cloudy outlook on medical cannabis in the golden state.  The Los Angeles Times recently took a look at all of the various bills in the legislature.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/17/local/la-me-marijuana-20110617

The IRS - A Word To The Wise

While parts of California enjoy at least being tolerated by law enforcement and the protection of  its Medical Marijuana laws, there is one constant that must always be respected.  The three  biggest letter in the adult alphabet....IRS.  The IRS can take down even the most well managed  and efficent medical marijuana dispensary if they are not compliant with federal tax laws.

According to Forbes columnist Robert W. Wood, the agency is relying on Internal Revenue Code Section 280E, which "precludes deductions for any business trafficking in controlled substances." While dispensaries are legal in some states, including California, marijuana trafficking remains illegal on a federal level. The IRS is arguing that normal business expenses that most companies can deduct on their taxes are not applicable to dispensaries.

The Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana in Fairfax, Calif., was the first dispensary to be hit with this ruling earlier this year. Founder Lynette Shaw told the Marin Independent Journal of California that the IRS audited the company's returns for 2008 and 2009 and disallowed all of the alliance's business deductions such as buying marijuana, hiring employees, and renting office space. Shaw did not disclose the amount the IRS told her she owes, but she described it as "a staggering sum" totaling several million dollars.


The best advice- add a medical marijuana accountant to your team. He/she will more than pay for itself.
Its the cost of doing business.  "This is the business we've chosen."

Imperial Beach Bans Dispensaries

Proving there is no shortage of irrational thinking the city of Imperial Beach voted to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in their fair city.  Imperial Beach is only 2 square miles you would have thought the city decision makers would have allowed at least one.  But a complete ban?! Really...

Naturally the default argument of dispensaries being a hub of crime was cited. Funny how no one mentions all of the liquor stores in Los Angeles, and Orange Counties.  Could it be all the taxes liquor stores generate?

As for Imperial Beach...30 days is the over-under for the filing of the first law suit against the city.

Full text: http://ww.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/16/imperial-beach-bans-medical-marijuana-dispensaries/

Imperial Beach Considers MJ Dispensaries

The San Diego County city of Imperial Beach will conduct public hearings today June 15 on the issue of allowing medical marijuana dispensaries within their city limits.

Here's to wishing logic and rational thinking prevail tonight. 

Full text: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/15/imperial-beach-hear-views-dispensaries/

Montel Williams Joins The Medical Marijuana Industry

Wow, what a first half of the year our state's capital is having. First Arnold leaves town (addition by subtraction), their NBA team the Sacramento Kings decide to stay another year in Sacramento and now Sacramento gets a high end marijuana dispensary!  The Albatin Wellness Cooperative is now owned by entertainer, and now medical marijuana advocate Montel Williams. 

This is just another sign of both the growing legitimacy of the medical marijuana industry and the common sense approach that is needed on this issue.  For Williams who suffers from Multiple Scolrosis  the issue of safe access to medical marijuana is both personal and significant. "It's absurd. I can go get morphine pumped into my system and nobody's got a problem," he said. "But all of a sudden they're really worried if I smoked a joint,"said Williams.

Now if Montel can improve the Sacramento Kings like he improved his new dispensary!


Full text of the article from Sacramento Bee:
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/14/3698335/tvs-montel-williams-comes-to-sacramento.html