Email Author Chris Roberts

2012 Stories by Chris Roberts

• SFPD Will Not Stop Busting People With Small Amounts of Weed, Even Though They're Not Supposed To

  published Dec 27, 2012

  They say the best journalism produces outrage, not awareness. Medical cannabis and marijuana legalization advocates are sometimes easily annoyed, but last week's Bay Citizen report of an uptick in und... More >>

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  Mendocino Fights Feds on Medical Marijuana Subpoena

  published Dec 26, 2012

  A year ago, the federal Justice Department took aim at legal medical marijuana in Mendocino County. The feds warned that the county's novel cannabis plant licensing program, which generated cash and k... More >>

• Study: Teens' Brains Affected by Alcohol, Not Marijuana

  published Dec 21, 2012

  A key part of the marijuana debate is the impact cannabis has on developing brains. And when reaching for a weekend tonic, teenagers have a choice -- to reduce their brain tissues' health with alcohol... More >>

• Gavin Newsom Changes His Mind, Now Supports Marijuana Legalization

  published Dec 21, 2012

  "Late to the party" was a term not typically applied to Gavin Newsom during his eight years as San Francisco mayor. This was the man who catapulted himself to national acclaim by jumping the gun on ga... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Drugged Driving Has No Definition, but It's Definitely Illegal

  published Dec 20, 2012

  A few weeks ago, the Santa Cruz Sentinel ran a story in which the California Highway Patrol warned of a creeping trend: drugged driving.Marijuana was present in several fatal automobile crashes in the... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Obama Says Feds Will Back Off Marijuana; Do You Believe Himr

  published Dec 14, 2012

  Stop us if you've heard this one before: As the states press forward with reform on marijuana prohibition, the president of the United States -- which still outlaws marijuana and prosecutes providers ... More >>

• Science Finds Link Between Marijuana and Binge Eating

  published Dec 13, 2012

  As far as epidemics go, childhood obesity may inspire more giggles than fear. But unlike SARS or swine flu, (remember that, when we were all gonna dier) it's no joke. Some 20 percent of kids today are... More >>

• Child Services Can't Remove Kids for Parental Medical Marijuana Use, Court Says

  published Dec 10, 2012

  A toddler is back in the unsupervised care of his Southern California father after an appeals court ruled that the state cannot remove a child from their home because the parent uses medical marijuana... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Medical Marijuana Users Can Get Booted From Public Housing at Any Time

  published Dec 05, 2012

  Medical marijuana users enjoy protection from criminal prosecution under California law -- but that's about it. A medical cannabis patient can be fired solely for using the preferred drug, and any med... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Harborside Health Center: Landlord Can't Evict Medical Marijuana Dispensary

  published Dec 03, 2012

  California Court Upholds State Law; Federal Court Next on Dec. 20Oakland's Harborside Health Center is in the business of selling medical marijuana. This is obvious to anyone -- and in particular the ... More >>

• Federal Grand Jury Digs Into Mendocino Marijuana Growers

  published Nov 29, 2012

  Maybe it's the helicopters flying overhead from April to November, or maybe it's their cash crop. Whatever it is, marijuana growers love rumors. And a big one -- that the United States attorney had co... More >>

• Genetics Could Explain "Marijuana Psychosis"

  published Nov 28, 2012

  Science can be tricky thing, and particularly so when discussing the cannabis plant.  Laymen -- and your average Internet expert -- often sum up complex studies involving biochemistry and neurolo... More >>

• President Felipe Calderon: Drug Trafficking, Consumption "Impossible to End"

  published Nov 27, 2012

  At the end of his six-year term in D.F., Mexican President Felipe Calderon is taking the garrulous route out of office. Calderon, who exits the presidency next month, is busily talking up Mexico's sur... More >>

• Ranked-Choice Voting: Does Anyone Really Understand It?

  published November 28, 2012

  Every local election since 2004 has allowed voters the option of ranking their top three choices for office. If a voter's top choice is... More >>

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  Marijuana Dispensary Closed By Feds Re-Opens. Is the Crackdown Overr

  published Nov 23, 2012

  It's hard to understand the federal government's plan on marijuana. First, President Barack Obama helped encouraged a boom in cultivation and in dispensing when he said states were in charge and he wa... More >>

• The Finest Marijuana in the Bay Area: Patients' Choice Medical Cannabis Competition

  published Nov 19, 2012

  What's a medical cannabis competition in San Francisco liker Relaxed. Dark. And surprisingly un-smoky, believe it or not. Think vapor bags -- lots and lots of vapor bags. Like, an unending parade of 6... More >>

• Cash Hyde Succumbs to Cancer, Family Says Medical Marijuana Extended His Life

  published Nov 16, 2012

  Cash Hyde lived half of his life with a feeding tube surgically attached to his stomach. And about half of his life was spent in hospitals -- including a 49-day coma -- after a diagnosis with brain ca... More >>

• Marijuana Legalization in Two States Has Mexico, Costa Rica Questioning U.S. Role in Drug War

  published Nov 14, 2012

  On Nov. 6, the country watched closely as voters legalized small amounts of marijuana for adults in Colorado and Washington. And now those votes are resonating south of the border.This week, the presi... More >>

• Medical Cannabis Task Force: So Long, Farewell

  published November 14, 2012

  These are hard times for medical cannabis. The federal Justice Department crackdown has closed nine marijuana dispensaries in San Francisco... More >>

• Eric Mar Wins, Volunteers Outdo Record Spending in District 1 Election

  published Nov 07, 2012

  The odds were against Eric Mar. The Richmond District supervisor was seen as the most vulnerable of all San Francisco progressives up for election Tuesday -- and that was before the city's moneyed int... More >>

• Marijuana's Victory in Colorado, Washington Means California Will Follow Soon

  published Nov 07, 2012

  An end to America's experiment with marijuana prohibition is in sight, after voters in Colorado and Washington approved re-legalizing the plant Tuesday. In California, where voters said "no" to a... More >>

• Unlike in 2010, Attorney General Eric Holder Stays Silent on Marijuana Legalization

  published Nov 06, 2012

  Scapegoats were readily available when California voters missed their chance to live in the first state to legalize marijuana for adults in 2010. While some blamed the medical marijuana supporters who... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  In Colorado, Marijuana Candidate Gary Johnson Aims to Be Obama's Nader

  published Nov 05, 2012

  During his two terms as New Mexico governor, Gary Johnson was best known for two things: vetoing nearly half of the bills that reached his desk, and advocating for marijuana legalization.Now, as the L... More >>

• Mexican Study: Marijuana Legalization Would Hurt Cartels -- Badly

  published Nov 02, 2012

  Backers of marijuana legalization measures on the ballot next week in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon -- sorry, California, but nobody ponied up the cash to give us the choice -- have an enemy with m... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Drugs and Marijuana Dominate Nation's Arrests -- As Usual

  published Oct 30, 2012

  Yes, America is the world's most incarcerating nation. But take solace in this: Fewer people are arrested in America every year, according to the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Reporting data. They just k... More >>