Report squashes hopes for California-backed marijuana bank

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California would likely lose money and face insurmountable federal hurdles if it tried to create a state-backed bank for the marijuana industry, according to a report released Thursday by the state treasurer.

The year in marijuana: Key events for legal pot in 2018

It took less than a week for the Trump administration to kill the considerable buzz created Jan. 1 when California's broad marijuana legalization law took effect, creating the largest legal U.S. cannabis marketplace.

Up to 10 cannabis farms may get green light in Alameda County, neighbors worried about smell, crime

The rural fields of Alameda County have long been home to farmers growing grapes, pistachios and olives, beekeepers harvesting honey and ranchers raising cattle and sheep. By next year, agricultural land near the edges of Sunol and Livermore, will also showcase farmers growing weed. Up to 10 cannabis farms will be allowed to operate within the county, and the first cultivator is expected...

Pleasant Hill City Council could extend cannabis moratorium

The Pleasant Hill City Council on Monday night will consider renewing an "emergency ordinance" that would extend a moratorium on almost every commercial marijuana-related business from operating within that city.

Big safety testing failure rate for California pot products

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Nearly 20 percent of marijuana products in California have failed tests for potency and purity since the state started requiring the checks on July 1, a failure rate some in the industry say has more to do with unrealistic standards and technical glitches than protecting consumer safety.

Last day of fire sale at Bay Area pot dispensaries

It's Christmas in June if you're a cannabis user. Dispensaries are blowing out stock at bargain prices, but only through Saturday June 30. New state regulations on purity, potency, and packaging take effect July 1. 

SF city college offering cannabis workshop series

City College of San Francisco is accepting students for a series of workshops that are being launched in response to community interest following the statewide legalization of recreational marijuana.

California pot shops slash prices ahead of new testing rules

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Bargain basement bud is on the menu in California, but you need to act fast to cash in on the cheap weed. Regulations being phased in six months after the state broadly legalized marijuana require that pot sold after Saturday meet strict quality standards, so retailers unloading untested inventory are offering blowout prices.

Monterey County slashes marijuana taxes

A Northern California county slashed its marijuana tax rate, yielding to growers' complaints and over the objections of local law enforcement.

Flower town grapples with blossoming pot industry's stench

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (AP) - This picturesque coastal town cradled by mountains and sandy shores is a scene out of a Southern California postcard. Residents of Carpinteria say they feel lucky to live in what they consider a slice of paradise. But change is in the air. And sometimes, they say, it stinks. That's because marijuana has become a new crop of choice in the farmlands surrounding this...

San Rafael high school stoner clique reminisces about start of 4/20

How the marijuana-loving world came to mark the occasion is believed traceable to five Northern California men now in their 60s with bad backs and graying hair. They are the unofficial grandmasters by virtue of the code they created nearly 50 years ago as students at a suburban San Francisco high school in 1971.