In tonight's Extra, Extra, marijuana bans move forward, a nudist resort makes a controversial decision, and a family settles with a rave promoter. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports. You can also find us on Pinterest, Storify, Foursquare, and Instagram (laistpics).
Extra, Extra: What's The Future of Weed in Los Angeles?
Weed or Booze? Some Mixologists Won't Make You Choose
Mixing booze and weed isn't anything new—in fact we wouldn't be surprised if you told us that the POTUS himself mixed shots with hits during his adolescence. But recently THC-laced cocktails have been shaking up (if not stirring) the cocktail scene in states where medical marijuana is legal.
Byron and Grumbine Med Marijuana Retrial Starts May 8
Medical marijuana defendants Joe Byron and Joe Grumbine head back to Long Beach court tomorrow morning for the start of a second trial after the first one was thrown out in April by Superior Court Judge Jean Comparet-Cassani.
24-Hour Marijuana Vending Machine Quells Your Need for Weed
While some local authorities have made it their mission to complicate access to medical marijuana, an Aliso Viejo-based company has pioneered an invention that will make accessing medicinal pot almost as easy as pressing "A3."
"Whitney Houston" Weed Makes Brief Appearance at Local Dispensary
Your hit of Whit was listed as available--temporarily--at 45 Cap Elite Herbal Center, according to the Huffington Post, who found the strain included on the venue's page on WeedMaps.com.
Baton-Wielding Ninjas Rob Medical Marijuana Delivery Man
Police are continuing their hunt today for two men dressed as ninjas who robbed a medical marijuana delivery man in West Covina on Friday. The man was returning to his vehicle post-pot drop-off around 9:45pm when the two suspects - armed not with swords, but batons - approached him in the 800 block of South Sunset Avenue.
Dreams of a Medical Marijuana Shuttle in Eagle Rock Have Been Dashed (For Now)
Businesses in Eagle Rock haven't exactly been jumping for joy to see medical marijuana collectives open up in their neighborhood. One sticking point was that patients' cars have been taking up space in business parking lots. So one collective booster decided to come up with a solution: chartering a shuttle for patients.
Study: Stoned Drivers Are Almost Twice As Likely to Crash as Sober Drivers
Researchers looked at some of the studies that have already been conducted on driving under the influence of weed while also digging into actual car crash data. Its analysis showed that drivers smoking pot are about twice as likely to get into a crash as sober drivers.
LAPD Shuts Down Chatsworth's Last Medical Marijuana Dispensary
It was the last medical marijuana dispensary standing. While a ban of all medical marijuana dispensaries operating in the City of Los Angeles is in the works, the LAPD continues to crack down and wrapped their storefront sweep in Chatsworth Monday afternoon.
Weed Smoking Man on JetBlue Flight Says He Thought it Was OK to Toke
It's one thing to not listen to the safety instructions on airplanes. It's another thing to suggest that you've completely and utterly ignored standard airline regulations for the past fourteen years, which one SoCal man did yesterday on a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Newark, New Jersey.
Mom Busted For Bringing Pot On Visit to Son at Juvie Camp
Rhonda Gonzales, 44, made a trip out to San Dimas Saturday, to pay a visit to her son, who is at a juvenile probation camp there. Gonzales, however, either forgot to take her marijuana stash out of her handbag, or was hoping to pass it to her kid, since a routine search turned up "multiple bundles" of marijuana, as well as "a falsified medical marijuana card."
"Blue Ivy" Now A Hot OG Marijuana Strain
Blue Ivy Carter isn't even a week old but she's already collaborated with her pops Jay-Z on a Billboard-charting hit—and provided creative inspiration for the marketing geniuses at pot dispensaries.
Medical Marijuana Dispensary Ban in L.A. Closer to Reality
A full ban of medical marijuana dispensaries operating in the City of Los Angeles is one step closer to happening today after the City Council Public Safety Committee forwarded a draft ordinance prepared by City Attorney Carmen Trutanich's office to the full City Council, reports City News Service.
Road Trip: Where to Score Free Medical Marijuana & Free French Fries!
If you can get out of work (or your jammies) NOW you may still have time to hit the road, or, better yet, catch a flight, up to the Sacramento area, where in a town called Orangevale, one medical marijuana dispensary is giving out free pot today.
Study Finds Safer Roads Are a Side Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws
States that have legalized medical marijuana have fewer fatal car accidents, according to a new study by the Institute for the Study of Labor.
The study looked at traffic fatalities and concluded that there were 9 percent fewer traffic fatalities in the 13 states that have legalized marijuana.
Did Someone Lose Their Marijuana on Redondo Boulevard?
We found a full prescription of medical marijuana casually kicking it in the streets of Los Angeles.
Cancer Patient Denied Liver Transplant After Using Medical Marijuana
Doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center removed a cancer patient from the liver transplant list in February for using medical marijuana and failing to show up for a drug test. Last week the 63-year-old patient, Norman Smith, asked the medical center to reconsider reinstating him.
City Councilman: If We Can't Really Regulate Medical Marijuana, Let's Just Ban All Those Businesses in L.A.
Today Councilman Jose Huizar will announce he plans to join with community activists and seek a full ban on the businesses, because a recent court decision will create severe limitations on how the City of Los Angeles can "effectively regulate" those medical marijuana operations.
Medical Marijuana Patients Will Take Sacramento, Protesting DOJ Crackdown
Medical marijuana patients and supporters will rally in Sacramento on Wednesday to address the recent Department of Justice (DOJ) crackdown in California. Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a coalition of advocacy and labor groups and the aforementioned supporters will descend on the federal building at noon to protest DOJ attacks on the Golden State's medical marijuana laws.
Nice Try, But State Farm Insurance Will Not Cover Damage to Your Precious Pot Plants Caused by a Drug Raid
If you're a small business owner medical marijuana patient looking to protect those pot plants you have growing in your backyard, you might be tempted to take out an insurance policy to cover your assets medicine in case of the inevitable drug raid that comes from growing an unthoroughly legalized plant.
Pot Advocates Fired Up Over Dispensary Crackdown Will Protest When Obama Arrives Monday
Pot advocates who are fired up over the recent, unexpected federal crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries are going to be protesting when Obama comes into town on Monday.
Docs for Pot: State's Largest Doctors' Group Calls For Legalization
A group that represents 35,000 doctors in the state is calling for the legalization of marijuana at the federal level.
The California Medical Association, a lobbying group for doctors in the state, fights tooth and nail to protect doctors' rights to treat their patients the best way they know how. The doctors' group is complaining that right now federal policy is getting in the way of their work.
Feds Plan to Crack Down on Ads for Marijuana
Gird your loins, LA Weekly: the feds are getting ready to crack down on newspaper ads for marijuana. Since the 1996 passage of Prop 215, the Compassionate Use Act, ads for marijuana dispensaries have popped up on TV and in alt papers. Now, the Huffington Post reports that they're becoming more common in mainstream publications, such as the the Sacramento Bee.
Study Showing Crime Increase Around Shuttered Dispensaries Removed From Website After City Attorney Demanded It
A controversial study showing that crime actually increased in the neighborhoods around shuttered dispensaries has been yanked from the the website of the think tank that commissioned the study.
Senior Citizens Who Ate Pot Brownies at Funeral Were Enjoying Their Late Friend's Choice Dessert
The three senior citizens who unknowingly gobbled down brownies containing medical marijuana at a mutual friend's memorial service on Saturday were victims of one of their late friend's favorite treats. After the unsuspecting trio - an 82-year-old man and two 71-year-old women - indulged, all three were hospitalized within an hour of each other after experiencing "nausea, dizziness and inability to stand unassisted."
Three Senior Citizens Hospitalized After Eating Pot Brownies
Brownies are an appropriate treat for memorial services, right? But what about pot brownies? Three unsuspecting senior citizens unknowingly ingested brownies containing medical marijuana during a memorial service for a mutual friend on Saturday, October 8. The trio was admitted to Hoag Hospital post-snack.
Feds Clarify That They're Not Targeting All Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, Just the Illegal For-Profit Kind
California's U.S. Attorneys held a press conference today to formally announce their crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries in the state and to unveil the actions they were taking against dozens of dispensaries in the state — including several in North Hollywood and Orange County.
Feds Are Starting to Crack Down on California Pot Dispensaries
The era of legal pot dispensaries could be coming to an end. Sixteen shops in San Diego received notices from the federal government ordering them to shut down within 45 days, even if they are operating legally under California's 15-year-old medical marijuana law, according the Associated Press.
Study: When You Shut Down a Dispensary, the Neighborhood Goes to Pot
A new study shows that shutting down pot dispensaries could actually increase crime in neighborhoods — a finding that flies in the face of conventional wisdom.
Local politicians have created laws to limit dispensaries, argue that they are magnets for crime. But the RAND Corporation's study pokes holes in that argument.
Orange County Court Says Cities Can Ban Pot Dispensaries
A judge in Orange County ruled that Anaheim's ban on dispensaries doesn't conflict with the 1996 state law that legalized medical marijuana, the Los Angeles Times reports.
But the group that filed the case, Qualified Patients Assn., plans to appeal the court's decision.

