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Sun Grow employee Diego Cambron shows some of the product that is available at the dispensary.(Photo: J. Omar Ornelas/ The Desert Sun)Buy Photo

On a recent Thursday morning, a crowd gathered in the parking lot of a Desert Hot Springs gas station to welcome the latest new business to the struggling city.

Mayor Adam Sanchez stood in front of the shop's refurbished storefront and cut the ribbon with giant scissors — just as he would for a restaurant, tire store or hair salon — before talking about how perfectly Sun Grow would fit into Desert Hot Springs' healthy "spa city" image.

Sun Grow is the first permitted medical marijuana dispensary to open in Riverside County, outside of Palm Springs.

Medical cannabis faces a double standard for safety and efficacy compared to prescription pharmaceuticals.

The most recent illustration of that fact is a story from the Wall Street Journal, which reported this week that at least a third of children with previously untreatable epilepsy got better on extracts of cannabis - a non-toxic botanical.

Of 75 children who took cannabidiol (CBD), the second most common active molecule in cannabis, “33% of them had their seizures drop by half,” the Journal reported.

Del Rey Oaks >> Next week’s opening of Monterey County’s only medical marijuana dispensary doesn’t seem to worry local marijuana delivery services.

A few of them say the private and convenient nature of their services assures them they will stay in business, despite new competition from the dispensary slated to open April 1 in Del Rey Oaks.

“I don’t see it affecting us because we deliver quality and convenience to your door,” says Luis Solis, part owner of Compassionate Bay Delivery, a 6-month-old company serving the Salinas area.

In fact, more than one delivery business owner welcomed the arrival of the dispensary.

To help pay for its upcoming legal battle with the City of Los Angeles, medical marijuana delivery service Nestdrop has launched a GoFundMe campaign to seek donations from medicinal cannabis patients, fellow tech companies, dispensaries and supporters across the country.

After sending a letter to the City Attorney’s office offering to work with them on sensible medical marijuana enforcement -- which went unanswered -- Nestdrop has moved forward with appealing the injunction.

Speakers line up to argue for or against banning marijuana cultivation in Santa Cruz County.  (March 24, 2015)

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Speakers line up to argue for or against banning marijuana cultivation in Santa Cruz County.  (March 24, 2015)

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It came down to one vote Tuesday as the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to ban commercial marijuana grows in unincorporated Santa Cruz County.

Before the vote, public comments lasted for more than three hours. Passionate pleas were made on both sides of the debate. 

The Santa Cruz County board chamber was packed with growers, medical marijuana patients, and neighbors who are impacted by illegal and legal marijuana cultivation.

A panga boat stocked with nearly three tons of marijuana worth about $3 million was spotted in the Channel Islands, and three men on board -- all citizens of Mexico -- were arrested, authorities said Monday.

Alfonso Ramirez-Lopez, 40; Marco Montes-Lopez, 46; and Daniel Garcia-Sanchez, 32, are being held without bail on federal drug trafficking charges, according to U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles. 

The boat was spotted about 12:40 p.m. Saturday near San Miguel Island by an off-duty officer with the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, according to a sworn affidavit by a DEA agent obtained by The Times.

Marijuana advocates have launched a legal challenge to Clearlake’s ban on cannabis cultivation.

“The Clearlake ordinance is not only extremely cruel, but it is also illegal under California law,” which legalized pot for medical use, attorney Joe Elford said.

The lawsuit is backed by Cal NORML — National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Elford said he filed the suit Thursday afternoon on behalf of all the city’s medical marijuana patients.

Nevada's vote is set and advocates believe they can get similar measures on the ballot in four other states

On Friday, Nevada lawmakers adjourned without voting on a petition submitted by residents to legalize marijuana and regulate it like alcohol. That means the initiative is going on the ballot in 2016, making Nevada the first state to officially be voting on pot legalization in the next election.

San Diego — A group of “ganjapreneurs” looking to break into the budding business of marijuana attended the Cannabis Career Institute seminar Sunday.

Attendees shelled out about $300, which includes the cost of a state-specific text book, to attend the daylong course at a downtown hotel. The curriculum included a handful of speakers who taught different aspects of the marijuana industry — from growing the plant to starting a cannabis business, to navigating the legal and regulatory requirements for the ventures.

Many attendees came with ideas of their own.

Potential medical marijuana patients who in live in California and are too shy to ask their primary care physician for a recommendation now have an alternative in marijuana doctors who make house calls.

Meadow recently launched CannabisMD for medicinal enthusiasts who want convenience and privacy. “Some patients don’t want to be seen at a doctor’s office or drive to doctors whose offices are located in a sketchy part of town,” said David Hua, Meadow’s co-founder and CEO. “Others are not mobile so they love the experience of being in the comfort of their home and having a doctor arrive to evaluate them.”