Email Author Chris Roberts

2013 Stories by Chris Roberts

• Jerry Brown: The Philosopher-Governor

  published May 24, 2013

  The days of the philosopher-king are long gone. Slipping away, too, are the days when the citizenry was familiar with the concept of a benevolent despot shaping a state in his mind's image. But not i... More >>

• Those "Pot-Fed Pigs" Aren't Getting High, But Possibly Healthier

  published May 22, 2013

  The Washington state hog farmer whose pigs are fed marijuana trim has been all the rage on the Internet over the last few days. And with good reason: the barnyard animals who had leaves, stems and... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to Visit Berkeley, Marijuana Supporters to Protest

  published May 10, 2013

  Eric Holder is a survivor. The United States attorney general's record during President Obama's first term was more than a bit spotty: Holder angered the left when he defended Obama's use of drones to... More >>

• Re-Potted: Cities Can Now Ban Pot Clubs, But Dispensaries May Still Benefit

  published May 8, 2013

  A major roadblock in the way of medical cannabis reform in California was removed Monday when the California Supreme Court issued a... More >>

• CA Supreme Court: Marijuana Dispensaries Can Be Banned, But At Least They're Legal

  published May 06, 2013

  At least one major roadbloack in the way of medical cannabis reform in California was removed Monday when the California Supreme Court issued a long-awaited ruling -- which says that cities and town... More >>

• Planned Parenthood Opponents Conjure Up Forced Sterilization, Baby Livers in Pepsi

  published May 02, 2013

  For a shrill time, just add abortion. Or, in the case of Planned Parenthood's "invasion" of South San Francisco -- as Catholic Radio put it -- plan to not offer termination of pregnancies and suffer t... More >>

• SF's Hemp Center Is the Latest Target in Federal Marijuana Crackdown

  published May 01, 2013

  The crackdown is back. A Richmond District medical cannabis dispensary is the latest local law-abiding marijuana provider to be put on notice by the federal Justice Department. The Hemp Center, on G... More >>

• Buyer's Market For Illegal Marijuana In Haight Ashbury

  published Apr 26, 2013

  We don't buy drugs off the street (anymore). But if we did, or if someone asked us where to score some sweet illicit narcotics, we suppose we might try the Haight Ashbury. If there's one thing a pack ... More >>

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  COVER STORY

  "Miracle" Cannabis Oil: May Treat Cancer, But Money and the Law Stand in the Way of Finding Out

  published April 24, 2013

  First it was a cough. Then it was bronchitis. Then it was time to say goodbye to Michelle Aldrich. The year 2011 was supposed to be a... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  S.F. Officials Now Have An Excuse to Cancel 4/20 Fun, but Will Theyr

  published Apr 23, 2013

  Update 1:24 p.m: Supervisor London Breed talked to ABC News, saying she would like to ban the pot-smoking event at Hippie Hill because of all the "irresponsible behavior." "Since marijuana is illegal... More >>

• Right-Wing Conspiracies Try to Wrest Media Shame Away From Broadcast, Twitter

  published Apr 19, 2013

  From print to broadcast to online, there's very little the media's gotten right about this Boston tragedy before getting it wrong multiple times. The New York Post exaggerated the death toll from Mo... More >>

• DEA Moves to Ban Synthetic Marijuana; Real Weed Is Still Illegal

  published Apr 17, 2013

  Real marijuana appears to have significant health benefits. Fake marijuana does not -- and in fact, the chemically sprayed herbs labeled as "K2" and "Spice" could possibly kill you. For a long time, ... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Fracking In Monterey County Blocked -- Temporarily

  published Apr 09, 2013

  The land of Steinbeck has more to it than fertile soil from which the nation's spinach and strawberries sprout: The country's biggest supply of shale oil lies below the central California turf.The Mon... More >>

• Drone Time In San Mateo -- $70,000 Drone Buy Approved

  published Apr 08, 2013

  Few words produce as many knee-jerk reactions these days as the term "drone." Unmanned surveillance and destruction vehicles set off the alarms of privacy advocates and big-government conspirators a... More >>

• Drug NAFTA: More Mexican Cartels in the United States, but Americans Are Doing the Smuggling

  published Apr 05, 2013

  It can be hard to figure out exactly what to make of the evil, ugly specter known as Mexican drug cartels. A pair of investigative reports, conducted by the Associated Press and the Center for Investi... More >>

• All the Polls Say Majority of Americans Favor Marijuana Legalization

  published Apr 04, 2013

  Gallup, Pew, straw -- whatever poll you take, the result of late is the same: a majority of Americans think marijuana should be legal. Today's offering is from the Pew Research Center, which has been... More >>

• Federal Agents Used Controversial Trackers Without Warrants

  published Apr 03, 2013

  Controversial devices used to track cell phones and mobile Internet devices were used by local federal law enforcement without the necessary permission from a judge, according to recently released e-m... More >>

• Oaksterdam Raid: Journalist Is Only Person Charged One Year Later

  published Apr 02, 2013

  Our friends over at SFist today posted a reminder that it's been one year since federal agents -- mostly the IRS, though DEA and US Marshals were on scene -- raided the campus of Oakland marijuana gro... More >>

• Google Glass to Be Built in U.S. By Foxconn

  published Mar 28, 2013

  The clamor for American jobs includes a clamor for American-made consumer goods. This may change when iPhones double in cost -- or when tiny American fingers start making soccer balls and tennis shoes... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Gavin Newsom Says the Year for Marijuana Legalization in California Is 2016

  published Mar 26, 2013

  As the most powerful man in the room milled aimlessly about the bar of the United Irish Cultural Center on Friday, looking for someone who recognized him as United States Congressman, all the attentio... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Dave Chappelle Maneuver: Tickets Sold Out in Less Than 60 Seconds -- Again

  published Mar 22, 2013

  Dave Chappelle is an inscrutable fellow. Living legend, comedic icon, he's also a very mercurial performer. His live shows are notorious -- for their unscripted, off-the-cuff nature, for their length ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  California Has No Clue How Much Money It's Making From Marijuana Sales

  published Mar 21, 2013

  Most government agencies in California prefer to pretend that the state's medical cannabis industry doesn't exist. The state Board of Equalization is an exception -- and with good reason. State sales... More >>

• Find out About the Business of Cannabis in San Francisco

  published Mar 20, 2013

  Believe it or not, the term "marijuana business" is still a fresh one for vast swaths of our populace, even in a San Francisco where cash has been exchanged for cannabis -- with the state taking a cut... More >>

• Feds Might Stop Trying to Seize Marijuana Grow Records

  published Mar 19, 2013

  While real casualties abound, by and large the U.S. Justice Department's crackdown on California's medical marijuana industry has been half-hearted. True, about one-third of San Francisco's licensed... More >>

• Gilbert Lam, Department of Homeland Security Employee, Arrested on Kiddie Porn Charges

  published Mar 15, 2013

  A San Francisco man employed by the federal Department of Homeland Security was arrested and charged with two felonies for possessing and distributing child pornography, police said. Gilbert Lam, 37,... More >>