The news in brief . . .
May 15, Lexington, KY -- Several farmers and agricultural organizations filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to force the federal government to allow industrial hemp farming.
May 15, Lake County, CA -- Agents seized 250 marijuana plants from a "pot farm" run by Dennis Peron, founder of the San Fransisco Cannibus Buyers Club and gubernatorial candiate. Peron said every plant was assigned to a patient who had a letter from their doctor.
May 18, Santa Clara, CA -- Peter Baez, co-founder of the defunct Santa Clara County Medical Cannabis Center was indicted on seven felonies including two new counts of grand theft and maintaining a drug house.
May 21, San Francisco -- Superior Court Judge William Cahill ordered the San Fransisco Cannabis Healing Center closed, saying it was a "public nuisance" and violated state law.
May 23, San Francisco -- A new study has begun to study the effect of marijuans on AIDS patients. The study recieved a $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
May 26, Pain Court, Ontario -- Planting of Canada's first legal hemp crop in over sixty years began.
May 26, Sacremento -- State Senator John Vasconcellos held a summit on medical marijuana in the wake of rulings against California's cannabis clubs. Federal officials did not appear.
May 27, Las Vegas -- Five petitioners gathering signatures for NevadaÕs medical marijuana initiative filed complaints with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after police allegedly threw them off a public street and told them never to return under threat of arrest.
May 28, Capitol, MI -- State Senator Mike Rogers proposed a budget amendment to withhold $1.3 million from the city of Ann Arbor unless they change their marijuana possession law. The law makes marijuana possession a $50 civil infraction.
June 1, San Francisco -- Lawyers Kenneth Frucht and William Simpich filed a lawsuit on behalf of an anonymous plaintiff charging Attorney General Dan Lungren with thwarting implementation of Proposition 215.
June 2, San Diego -- Cannabis club operators Steven McWilliams and Dion Markgraaff were ordered to stand trial for growing over 450 marijuana plants.
June 4, Princeton, WV -- Bob Denver, better known as Gilligan from "Gilligan's Island," was arrested after a package of marijuana was delivered to his home.
June 5, Jerusalem, Israel -- According to reports published in the Israeli press, U.S. military tests show that rats injected with Dexanabinol, a chemical substitute for hashish, are 70% less likely to suffer epileptic seizures or brain damage after exposure to nerve gases.
June 5, Manchester, England -- Colin Davies, who smoked marijuana to relieve pain caused by a broken back, was found not guilty on charges of cultivating the drug.
June 9, Sacremento -- Councilman Robbie Waters instructed the city attorney to draw up a law making it illegal for patients to smoke marijuana in public. The request stems from a case in which charges were dropped against AIDS patient Ryan Landers after being arrested for smoking at an outdoor restaraunt.
June 9, United Nations -- The U.N. opened its three-day "special session on drugs."
June 10, Los Angeles -- Prosecutors and defense attorneys for Todd McCormick have worked out a deal where McCormick will not have to wait in jail while he awaits trial for growing over 4,000 marijuana plants for California cannabis clubs.
June 11, London, England -- England's first legal cannabis farm has been established by GW Pharmaceuticals, the first company to receive a government license to grow marijuana for research purposes.
June 13, Victoria, BC -- The Victoria city council voted 3-2 to revoke the business license for Ian Hunter's hemp store, the Sacred Herb. Hunter was convicted on three drug offenses last year, which he says were acts of civil disobediance used to challenge Canada's marijuana laws.
June 14, Ontario -- A recent report by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse recommends making marijuana possession a civil violation subject to a fine, easing the burden on police and the justice system.
June 17, San Diego -- A "Marijuana Tip Line" has been set up in San Diego to report suspected marijuana cultivation and trafficking. The number is (619) 616-4444.
June 19, Simi Valley, CA -- Simi Valley Police were ordered to return a dozen marijuana plants they seized from Dean Jones after prosecutors found he was protected under Proposition 215.