Two weeks of medical cannabis news in review.

• Congresswoman Introduces Bill to Protect Landlords of Compliant Medical Marijuana Businesses – ASA PR
• Michigan court rules localities cannot use federal law as an excuse for violating state laws protecting medical cannabis patients – The Detroit News
• Case on Benefits of Marijuana Heads to Court – Huffington Post
• LA Councilman Bill Rosendahl comes out at as a medical cannabis patient – LA Times
• Detailed Rules for Medical Marijuana Proposed in Maine – Kennebec Journal
• Pharmacy Shutdown Hoax Revealed – San Diego ASA
• Medical Marijuana Advocates Mourn Pot Club Closures with Mock Funeral – SF Weekly
• Arizona prosecutors urge Governor Jan Brewer to end the medical marijuana program, citing threats from federal prosecutors. The Governor declined to intervene – Arizona Republic

Jonathan Bair is ASA’s Social Media Director.

There are many who suffer the “collateral damage” of the war on safe access to medical cannabis. Patients who must suffer or break the law to obtain medicine, as well as their loved ones and providers are some of the more well known victims in this federal assault. However, the overzealous actions of US Attorneys at the Department of Justice (DOJ) have brought to light another group suffering from our utterly nonsensical federal medical cannabis policy – the landlords who lease property to dispensaries.

On Thursday, Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced HR 6335 (text), the  the States’ Medical Marijuana Property Rights Protection Act. The bill would stop the seizure of property from landlords of state law-compliant medical marijuana businesses, and was introduced less than a month after US Attorney Melinda Haag began forfeiture proceedings against the landlords of Harborside, the well-known dispensary who’s Oakland location is in Lee’s district. (more…)