January 1 marks the one year anniversary of California’s legalization of recreational pot. Today on AirTalk, guest host Frank Stoltz moderates the year in review with a medley of major players in the cannabis industry. We also discuss the potential impact of the First Step Act on California; and more.
Gov. Brown orders new DNA tests for Kevin Cooper. We revisit the 1983 Chino Hills murder case
On Christmas Eve, Governor Brown ordered new DNA testing on four pieces of evidence in the case of Kevin Cooper, who was convicted of murdering a couple, their ten year old daughter and an 11 year old boy in Chino Hills in 1983.
Brown wants more precise DNA tests on four items, including a bloody t-shirt and hatchett.
Cooper has long said he’s innocent. Prosecutors in San Bernardino are steadfast in arguing he should be put to death.
We analyze what the new DNA tests could tell us about the case.
We reached out to Governor Brown’s office for legal affairs Peter Krause. They declined our request for interview.
We also reached out to San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos, who did not get back to us in time for the interview.
Guests:
Don Thompson, reporter at the Associated Press who’s been following the case; he tweets
Richard Eikelenboom, forensic scientist specializing in DNA trace recovery and bloodstain pattern analysis, and co-founder of Independent Forensic Services, a private laboratory that specializes in recovery of trace evidence and Touch DNA testing based in Denver
Norman Hile, attorney representing Kevin Cooper
What will be the impact of the federal criminal justice reform bill on California?
In a year full of political division, the federal criminal justice reform bill signed by President Trump last Friday was a rare bipartisan effort.
The Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act — or First Step Act — had support from various lawmakers and groups, and was championed by Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
It enacts prison and sentencing reforms, giving judges more leeway in sentencing, retroactively applying earlier sentencing reforms and paving the road for earlier pre-release custody for certain inmates. However, the First Step Act only extends to the federal prison system, meaning that nearly 90 percent of inmates will not be affected.
So what will be the actual impact of the bill on California? We discuss.
Guests:
Franklin Zimring, professor of law and faculty director of the Criminal Justice Research Program at UC Berkeley, California; his recent book is “When Police Kill” (Harvard University Press, 2017)
Don Specter, executive director of the Prison Law Office, non-profit public interest law firm that provides legal services to prisoners, based out of Berkeley
Kate Chatfield, policy director for Re:store Justice, a non profit that advocates for criminal justice reform in CA; she is also an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law
California cannabis check-in: A year after marijuana sales began in the Golden State, a deep dive into the state of the legal market
The new year is around the corner, so you’d better stock up on confetti, champagne and enough celebratory weed paraphernalia to get you through the next morning.
This January 1 marks the one year anniversary of California’s legalization of recreational pot, and the state has come a long way in destigmatizing the drug. We’ve seen companies like MedMen become mammoths in an increasingly competitive industry, turning a historically counter-culture business into one of the trendiest capitalist ventures of 2018.
But that’s not to say there isn’t a long way to go before the marijuana industry settles all of its growing pains. Those attempting to get into the legal business claim the state’s regulations are too stringent and the barrier for entry too costly. Additionally, weed is still a schedule 1 drug under federal law, hampering potential for inter-state commerce and growth, as well as blurring the lines of legality for past and present criminal possession charges.
Guest host Frank Stoltz moderates the year in review with a medley of major players in the industry.
We reached out to the California Bureau of Cannabis Control, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to see if they could make a representative available for our discussion today. The District Attorney’s Office and the California Bureau of Cannabis Control were not able to provide us someone for the interview.
Guests:
Cat Packer, executive director and general manager of the Department of Cannabis Regulation of Los Angeles
Amanda Chicago Lewis, LA-based freelance reporter covering cannabis; she tweets
Sgt. Oscar Chavez, supervisor with the Impaired Driving Section at California Highway Patrol HQ in Sacramento
Sunshine Lencho, attorney specializing in the cannabis industry; co-founder of Supernova Women, an organization supporting women of color in the cannabis industry; she is a former member of the City of Oakland Cannabis Regulatory Commission
Jerred Kiloh, president of United Cannabis Business Association, a Los Angeles-based cannabis industry group representing regulated cannabis retailers in California, and owner of The Higher Path Collective, a medical and recreational cannabis dispensary in Sherman Oaks