District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has been ordered to return more than $100,000 seized from a medical marijuana businessman and his family, 15 months after drug agents raided the company and didn’t charge anyone with a crime.

Superior Court Judge Tamila E. Ipema issued the order late Friday, almost six weeks after lawyers representing San Diego businessman James Slatic argued that the money must be returned.

“Investigations have been ongoing since January 2016 and there is no indication … that criminal charges are going to be filed in this case in the near future,” the judge wrote.

Before recreational marijuana usage became legal in eight states, weed tech typically stayed in the realm of online discussions. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that bongs and rolling paper were the most sophisticated ways to partake of weed.

Now, though, the mixture of recreational and medicinal marijuana laws has brought legal weed to more than half the country. As a result, Silicon Valley and other major technology players have become highly interested in developing weed tech.

They’re the new frontier of pot products.

Candies, crackers, breath mints, even potato chips can be found at most marijuana dispensaries. Edibles are the fastest-growing segment of the multibillion-dollar cannabis industry.

Waylon Broussard is the co-founder of Edibles magazine. He says just a decade ago, there were only a handful of distributed food products infused with marijuana.

Now, he can hardly keep up.

At a fine restaurant in Los Angeles, diners might encounter a sommelier who recommends a chardonnay with the fish or a cabernet sauvignon with the steak.

At a gourmet cannabis pop-up, the resident chef might serve a citrusy sativa (like the strain pink lemonade) with a citrus crudo or a heavier indica to make a person feel rooted before indulging in some wintery vegetables and lamb. It’s not about getting "high," cannabis chef Lauren Unger says, it’s about becoming “elevated.”

If state officials have their way, the California Medical Marijuana Identification Card (MMIC) program will disappear.

The cards are not mentioned in recent proposed state regulations for the medical pot industry, and legislation put forth by the office of Gov. Jerry Brown would end the documents. "There is currently a legislative proposal that would delete the requirement for state-issued medicinal ID cards," according to an email from the California Department of Public Health, which overseas the MMIC program.

USA

New York City
Parade Assembly: 11:00 a.m. | West 31st & Broadway, Koreatown, NYC
Parade Start Time: 12:30 p.m. | Parade will march to Union Square (Route South on Broadway)
Rally: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Union Square South Plaza
“The NYC Cannabis Parade is the longest running public expression of drug policy reform in New York City, with roots as far back as the early 70’s. This event have gone by many different monikers, but our purpose remains the same, to spread awareness throughout the world! In 1999, the Million Marijuana March brand exploded and has since turned into a annual event held in hundreds of cities across dozens of countries.”

Former President of Mexico and Coca-Cola Latin America Head joins Award-Winning Cannabis Industry Trade Show

OAKLAND, CA - The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) announces that former President of Mexico Vicente Fox will be the keynote speaker for its flagship event, Cannabis Business Summit & Expo.

Fox served as President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, and since his presidency has become a notable proponent for a legal, regulated cannabis industry, actively supporting cannabis legalization in Mexico and the United States. Prior to his presidency, Fox was also a highly successful business leader at Coca-Cola, rising from a position as a route supervisor to ultimately become president of Coca-Cola Latin America.

​The three state agencies that will oversee California’s medical cannabis industry released their proposed rules for the state system late last week. There are a lot of them. Rules, that is. It took us a while to comb through them all, but we managed. The result: Below you will find the single most insightful, comprehensive, legalese-free insider’s guide to California’s proposed regs.

Observers point out that new state rules proposed for medical marijuana sales would govern just about every aspect of retailing, including possibly tracking weed patients' purchases.

The rules would require that "patient identification numbers" be entered into a state "track and trace" database and state that: "Upon request from the bureau, a licensed dispensary shall provide the name of the medical cannabis patient associated with the patient identification number listed on the delivery request receipt."

It’s 3am in Beverly Hills and an A-list actor, in the throes of a marathon sex session with five young women, reaches across the silk sheets for his phone.

But the woman he has on speed-dial is not being summoned to join in.

Despite her glamorous looks, Cheryl Shuman is no ­support actress. She is Hollywood’s favourite producer – of top-quality cannabis.

After taking his call, the 57-year-old mum-of-two changes into an all-black outfit of jeans, T-shirt and high heels, packs her antique doctors’ bag and heads across town in her red Ferrari.