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Federal prosecutors have launched a crackdown on pot dispensaries in California, warning the stores they must shut down in 45 days or face criminal charges and confiscation of their property even if they are operating legally under the state's 15-year-old medical-marijuana law.

Judge: Landlords must allow pot dispensaries, and FEDs can then confiscate property. Is this a backdoor way to get eminent domain? Is this "legal"? County courts offer various results, City of Oakland to go against FEDs saying to close it "would create a public safety problem by encouraging a black market for marijuana." Confusion abounds.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Judge-Landlords-can-t-stop-pot-sal...

The Los Angeles City Council decided unanimously on Tuesday to ban all storefront medical marijuana shops, in a blow to a industry that operates in violation of federal law but has become the largest collection of pot dispensaries in California. The 14-0 vote by the council comes after conflicting court decisions on how far local jurisdictions in California can go in cracking down on the cannabis shops. Some observers say the issue could end up before the state's Supreme Court.

The federal government is planning to close medical marijuana dispensaries in California

More than 400 dispensaries are under orders to close in accordance with the city's news medical marijuana ordinance. Eventually, the city hopes to whittle the number of pot shops down to 70 and to limit outlets to industrial areas.

Pot Shops Don’t Boost Teen Drug Use, Study Says

In the never-ending battle over medical marijuana, the latest flashpoints include a myth-busting study, a popular singer and legal twists in several states.

Credit cards are no longer being accepted at California medical marijuana dispensaries -- thanks to pressure from the federal government. Someone -- likely the Treasury Department -- has informed credit card companies that they must no longer process credit card transactions involving medical marijuana, according to SF Weekly.

Earl Stein's "Organic Pharmacy" is one of more than 400 medical-marijuana dispensaries the City Council aimed to shut down with an ordinance that took effect recently. But he hasn't closed up shop completely. He has merely removed his marijuana inventory for now, and hopes discrimination lawsuits filed against the city by himself and other dispensary operators will force officials to let him resume the trade....

"Bob Newland, the director of the South Dakota chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, founder of South Dakotans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana group, and publisher of Hemphasis, was sentenced to one year in the Pennington County Jail, with all but 45 days suspended. During that year, he is forbidden to publicly advocate marijuana legalization."