By Janis Russell

October 10, 2016 (San Diego) - Close to a hundred people turned out on Wednesday October 5 at the Jacob Center for a pre-regulatory meeting on medical marijuana regulatory issues.  The public meeting was convened by the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation (BMCR) in the California Department of Consumer Affairs and the Office of Medical Cannabis Safety, Department of Public Health.

Source: SANDAG

July 24, 2016 (San Diego) -- More than half (56 percent) of at-risk youth in the San Diego region reported marijuana was the first illicit substance they ever used, up from 34 percent in 2007, and they reported marijuana was even easier to obtain than tobacco, according to data compiled by the SANDAG Substance Abuse Monitoring (SAM) Program.

East County News Service

February 3, 2016 (Sacramento) – At a time when many local cities in San Diego County are banning the cultivation of marijuana even for medical purposes, our state’s capitol city has approved a measure to license and tax commercial marijuana cultivation. 

East County News Service

December 11, 2015 (San Diego)—Over 88,213 marijuana plants were seized in San Diego County in 2015 from 98 separate grow locations, including 60 outdoor and 38 indoor sites with a value of $464,149. The announcement was made by the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Narcotics Task Force in San Diego County, along with the Sheriff’s Department and Health Advocates Rejecting Marijuana (HARM).   

 Of additional significance is the fact that 52,439 plants were removed from our public lands, including U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management properties. DEA/NTF officials estimate that it takes approximately 900 gallons of water to bring an outdoor marijuana plant to harvest, and 450 gallons for an indoor grown plant.  Based on those numbers, the marijuana seized this year used approximately 72 million gallons of water.

East County News Service

May 9, 2014 (Lakeside) – Sheriff’s deputies from the Santee station responded to a report of a burglary at the Aurora Green Dispensary at 8575 Los Coches Road, #2, in Lakeside.  After searching the area, they found Wendell Coleman, 37, hiding in bushes on nearby Snow White Drive and arrested him. Coleman had a large amount of marijuana and baked marijuana goods in his possession that the business owner identified as stolen property, said Lt. George Calderon.

Youth focus group shows growing concern

January 5, 2014 (Spring Valley)– “After the assembly we had last week, I went to the bathroom. It was really smoky. I don’t think it was weed. It was hookah or something. I saw it and smelled it and just got out.”

Stories like this were common when students at a local East County high school participated in a focus group last month to discuss current drug trends on their campus, the Grossmont Union High School District reports.

By Miriam Raftery

November 20, 2013 (Spring Valley) – Growing marijuana indoors can prove hazardous to your health and wealth. No, we’re not talking about smoking pot—we’re talking about pot going up in smoke.  

 Firefighters found that a fire at a Spring Valley home on Campo Road this morning was caused by a marijuana grower’s illicit hookup to a nearby power pole.  The blaze caused $40,000 in structural damage and burned up 40 to 50 mature marijuana plants ready  for harvest.  An average plant grown indoors yields 3.5 ounces of pot, with a street value of $200 to $1,000 an ounce.  In addition, SDG&E could opt to hold the growers responsible for the cost of the stolen electricity. 

By Janis Mork

August  26, 2013 (San Diego) - “Bottom line - we’re all losers if we stay in the political advocacy. We need to get them on our side [and] come up with a political campaign that’s a winning campaign.” – Congressman Patrick Kennedy

Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy spoke in San Diego recently about a new project that began in 2012 called Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana).  

A background on San Diego marijuana issues was addressed followed by Project SAM at the offices of California for Alcohol and Drug Free Use. 

February 23, 2013 (Ramona) –Three men were arrested early February 22 in Ramona following a SWAT operation that led to the seizure of $15,000 worth of marijuana, plus a firearm and $17000 cash.

“The suspects had fortified the residence with a steel security screen door, steel gates and an aggressive dog,” said Sergeant B. Hout with the San Diego Sheriff’s office.

Sheriff’s detectives from the Ramona substation, with assistance form the Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Detail (SWAT team), served a warrant at a residence at 312 Fegahli Road around 6 a.m. Thursday.  The search warrant was the result of a month-long narcotics operation.

December 12, 2012 -- (San Diego’s East County) – ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Bracing for fiscal cliff, investors move assets (Washington Post)
• Public backs fiscal cliff compromise; will Washington listen? (CBS)
• USDA chief: Rural American becoming less relevant (Associated Press)
• Washington state lights up as smoking marijuana becomes legal (UK Telegraph)

WORLD

• Egypt president scraps decree that sparked protests (Reuters)
• Protest at Egypt president's palace turns violent (UT San Diego)
• NATO warns Syria not to use chemical weapons (Reuters)
• Thousands accept postal service buyout deal  (cbsnews)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

November13, 2012 --  (San Diego’s East County) – ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflecting all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• War opens inside GOP on immigration (The Hill)
• Can police collect DNA before conviction? Supreme Court to hear case. (Christian Science Monitor)
• Supreme Court appears ready to nuke the Voting Rights Act (Mother Jones)
• CIA Director David Petraeus resigns, cites extramarital affair (NBC News)
• Obama wins Florida, sweeping all battleground states (CNN)
• George P. Bush gears up for political run in Texas (KPBS)
• Obama, Boehner reiterate plan to work on ‘fiscal cliff’ but offer differing ways to do so (Washington Post)
• Marijuana legalization victories could be short-lived (Reuters)
• After Sandy, communities mobilize a new kind of disaster relief (Common Dreams)
• West Nile cases still climbing as temperatures drop (NPR)

WORLD

• To combat sanctions, Iran buys up gold (NPR)
• Wind farm noise does harm sleep and health, say scientists ( UK Telegraph)
• Strong earthquake off Guatemala kills at least 48 (Reuters)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

September 27, 2012 --  (San Diego’s East County) – ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflecting all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Judge rules Arizona can enforce strict provision to immigration law (Reuters)
• Worrisome levels of arsenic in rice (Consumer Reports)
• Massive tumors in rats fed genetically modified corn (CA Right to Know blog)
• More than 1,000 pastors plan to challenge IRS by endorsing candidates (Fox)
• As tax credit wanes, jobs vanish in wind power industry (New York Times)
• Tesla offers free solar travel with new super-charged tech (RawStory)
• Senators to Hilary: Show us the ambassador’s cables (ForeignPolicy)
• Mormons want to expel Romney critic (Daily Beast)
• Whose next in line for a kidney transplant? The answer is changing (NPR)

WORLD

• Out with color: Islamists force Timbuktu women to wear black veils or face corporal punishment (Observers)
• Fake Italian pilot traveled in cockpit, police say (Reuters)
• Marijuana and cancer: Researchers find cannabis stops metastasis in aggressive forms of cancer (Huffington Post)
•  Report: restrictions on religious views rise worldwide (Jerusalem Post)
• Second day of anti-Japan attacks rock China (NPR)
• Man held in revenge plot over Muslim cartoons (Christian Science Monitor)
• Russia reveals shiny state secret: It’s awash in diamonds (Christian Science Monitor)
• Pakistani TV stations air a real ‘made in USA’ video. Will it calm violence? (Christian Science Monitor)
• The terrorist veto (City Journal)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

By Miriam Raftery

September 7, 2011 (San Diego) — A load of hot sauce hauled by a Mexican trucker had a secret ingredient: more than a ton of marijuana, with a street value of $1.4 million.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa cargo facility disiscovered the marijuana hidden in boxes of hot sauce on Friday.