Oakland pot biz workers joining unions as companies ramp up for November elections
Article by Sara Knight.
Last updated at Mon, 1 Nov at 9:29pm.

The medical marijuana business is going strong in Oakland.

In July, the City Council approved construction of four permitted production facilities. And with the constant flow of clients to local dispensaries, workers now are unionizing.

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In California, people of color arrested far more than whites for pot possession, new study reveals
Article by Susan Mernit.
Last updated at Tue, 26 Oct at 6:26am.

Are you surprised to learn that the although US government surveys show that young whites are more likely to use marijuana than Latinos and African-Americans, the number of people of color--especially young men-- arrested for  marijuana possession in California is disproportionately high?

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Is it true ... can you grow marijuana in your backyard in Oakland? (Community Voices)
Article by CB Smith-Dahl.
Last updated at Tue, 12 Oct at 5:52pm.

On Nov. 2, voters will decide whether to levy taxes on the tens of million of dollars worth of medical marijuana sold in town. It's part of a plan our City Council approved in July, to license four large scale cannibis cultivation factories.

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Oakland City Council Approves Landmark Medical Cannabis Cultivation Ordinance
Article by Josh Wolf.
Last updated at Sun, 3 Oct at 5:52pm.

Oakland’s smaller medical marijuana growers could face legal uncertainty after a divided City Council voted to offer licenses for industrial-scale marijuana farms starting in January 2011.

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Oakland City Council Council Delays Decision on Pot Tax Ballot Measure
Article by Josh Wolf.
Last updated at Sun, 3 Oct at 5:51pm.

The Oakland City Council is poised to put a new cannabis tax on the ballot that would give the council leverage to decide the final tax-rate, but the council can’t vote until Monday on Council Member Rebecca Kaplan’s last-minute proposal.

While many in the city are eager to see more money flowing into the city coffers, not everyone at the Thursday meeting liked the idea of the city taxing pot.

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Oakland Tribune Called for Pot Legalization in 1970s (Community Voices)
Article by Stephen Allen.
Last updated at Sun, 3 Oct at 5:50pm.

The legalization of marijuana has always been a controversial issue, with people from all walks of life advocating on both sides of the debate. But have you ever heard of a newspaper calling for the legalization of marijuana?

Well you better believe it - and if you guess what newspaper it is you probably wouldn’t be a surprised.

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Oaksterdam: Expanding cannabis education
Article by Ryan Van Lenning.
Last updated at Sun, 27 Jun at 11:09pm.

(Editor's note: This is the second piece in a six-part series on Oakland Local on the business of marijuana.)

After just two years, Oaksterdam University is an institutional heavy-weight, drawing hundreds of students from all over the United States to learn to cultivate marijuana and legally sell the plants. Forty-seven-year-old entrepreneur and Oaksterdam founder Richard Lee started the school after seeing the need for a disciplined, academic approach to cannabis cultivation, and also cannabis law and business. And in the process he wanted to legitimize the marijuana industry.

"This isn't your older brother growing a plant in the garage," said Oaksterdam spokesperson Greg Grimala. "This is a legitimate industry like any other. Everyone here is an entrepreneur."

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Shifting Sands in the Cannabis Industry
Article by Ryan Van Lenning.
Last updated at Fri, 2 Apr at 12:40pm.

(Editor's note: This is the final piece in a six-part series on Oakland Local on the business of marijuana.)

Opening any enterprise in an unclear legal and business environment is a difficult proposition. Even more so for cannabis-related efforts. In California, let alone in the rest of the country, a patchwork of regulations make for an ever-shifting and sometimes thorny landscape.

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