BRITNEY SPEARS DIVORCE OFFICIAL

Spears, Federline Divorce Is Final
By AMANDA BECK, Associated Press Writer
7:54 AM PDT, July 31, 2007

LOS ANGELES -- Britney Spears' marriage to Kevin Federline officially ended Monday. "They are divorced," the pop star's attorney, Laura Wasser, said after a Superior Court hearing. "Everything is finalized."

Court Commissioner Scott Gordon signed orders for dissolution of marriage, an alimony agreement and child custody.

The alimony agreement will not be made public unless there is an enforcement issue, Wasser said.

"Most of that tracks the prenup," the attorney said, without elaborating.

The child custody order was tentatively sealed, pending an Aug. 14 hearing.

"The best interests of the children could be harmed" if the arrangement were not sealed, Gordon said.

Spears married Federline in October 2004, eight months after her first marriage to childhood friend Jason Alexander was annulled. She cited irreconcilable differences when she filed for divorce from Federline on Nov. 7, 2006.

Wasser said that Spears was "OK" with the terms of the settlement but that "she would like to be with her kids more."

Since February, Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, have shared joint custody of their two sons, 22-month-old Sean Preston and 10-month-old Jayden James.

MARIJUANA SCHIZOPHRENIA REPORT IS PURE BUNK

Will One Joint Really Make You Schizoid?

Maia Szalavitz, July 30, 2007

Just what did a new study on marijuana and schizophrenia actually say – and what did the media leave out?

Watching the media cover marijuana is fascinating, offering deep insight into conventional wisdom, bias and failure to properly place science in context. The coverage of a new study claiming that marijuana increases the risk of later psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia by 40% displays many of these flaws.
What are the key questions reporters writing about such a study needs to ask? First, can the research prove causality? Most of the reporting here, to its credit, establishes at some point that it cannot,though you have to read pretty far down in some of it to understand this.

Second – and this is where virtually all of the coverage falls flat –, if marijuana produces what seems like such a large jump in risk for schizophrenia, have schizophrenia rates increased in line with marijuana use rates? A quick search of Medline shows that this is not the case-- in fact, as I noted here earlier, some experts think they may actually have fallen. Around the world, roughly 1% of the population has schizophrenia (and another 2% or so have other psychotic disorders), and this proportion doesn’t seem to change much. It is not correlated with population use rates of marijuana.

MORE

NICOLE RICHIE TO SERVE 90 HOURS IN JAIL FOR DUI VIOLATION

Nicole Richie, co-star on"The Simple Life" was sentenced this moring at the Glendale courthouse to serve 90 hours in jail for driving under the influence in December. Richie has been given until September 28th to serve her jail hours.

Richie is rumored to be four months pregnant. She showed up at the courthouse with no immediate family, just her boyfriend, As part of her sentencing she is to complete 21 days of rehab, and will be on probation for three years.

GO ASK ALLISON- WHY'S THE DEA SO HELL-BENT ON CLOSING CANNABIS CLUBS?

LA's Dopest Attorney Allison Margolin talks about what is motivating the DEA to go after cannabis clubs so aggressive

YESTERDAY'S LA DEA RAIDS SECOND BIGGEST ALL TIME

DEA raids LA medical marijuana clinics

By ANDREW GLAZER, Associated Press Writer Thu Jul 26, 2:41 AM ET

LOS ANGELES - Federal agents raided 10 marijuana clinics Wednesday, the same day city leaders introduced a measure calling for an end to the crackdown on the dispensaries allowed under state law.

The bust netted five arrests, large quantities of marijuana and cash, and was the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's second-largest since California voters approved medical marijuana sales in 1996. The drug remains illegal under federal law.

DEA spokeswoman Sarah Pullen said the timing of the bust and the city's action was "purely coincidental."

MORE

Allison has been asked to represent five medical marijuana prostesters that were arrested during the raids.

MORE DEA CANNABIS CLUB RAIDS IN LA

The DEA at it again in LA!

The DEA raided several cannabis clubs today in Hollywood. One of those clubs includes the California Patient’s Group on Santa Monica Blvd and Vine St. As police officers stand by it's been reported that up to two hundred protesters have been gathering ouside the popular cannabis club to show thier support

Several members of the CPG's staff as well as some patients are being held inside the dispensary.

LINDSAY LOHAN ARRESTED IN SANTA MONICA

Another bust. Say it ain't so Lindsay Lo

Lindsay Lohan was arrested in Santa Monica this morning for allegedly driving under the influence, narcotics possession and driving with a suspended license. Lohan was reported to be chasing another vehicle drven by the mother of her personal assistant before she was arrested.

Not to overstate the obvious here but Ms Lohan should employ a full time driver right away.

Blair Berk, counsel to actress Lindsay Lohan, has released a statement following her arrest on DUI and cocaine charges early Tuesday morning.

“Addiction is a terrible and vicious disease. Since Lindsay transitioned to outpatient care, she has been monitored on a SCRAM bracelet and tested daily in order to support her sobriety. Throughout this period, I have received timely and accurate reports from the testing companies. Unfortunately, late yesterday I was informed that Lindsay had relapsed. The bracelet has now been removed. She is safe, out of custody and presently receiving medical care.”

GO ASK ALLISON - ALLISON ASKS BRUCE MARGOLIN ABOUT THE MARGOLIN GUIDE

ALLISON asks her dad BRUCE MARGOLIN a question concerning his "Margolin Guide". Bruce Margolin's guide covers pot laws of all fifty states.

The Margolin Guide is a must weed read!

LINDSAY LOHAN SURRENDERS TO BEVERLY HILLS POLICE

Police book Lohan on charges spurred by May crash

By Richard Winton, Times Staff Writer
July 20, 2007

Actress Lindsay Lohan surrendered to Beverly Hills Police Thursday in connection with a driving under the influence incident in May.

A Los Angeles County Sheriff's website record shows she was taken into custody at about 4 p.m. and booked 15 minutes later. She was released an hour later in lieu of $30,000 bail.

Lohan was initially arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in May after she crashed her Mercedes convertible in Beverly Hills shortly before dawn. Lohan, 21 was slightly injured after she lost control of her car traveling west on Sunset Boulevard about 5:30 a.m., Beverly Hills police said. The car ended up striking a curb and shrubbery along Foothill Road. Two other people in the 2005 Mercedes SL65 -- a car that normally seats a driver and one passenger -- were not hurt. The "Georgia Rule" and "Mean Girls" star left the scene of the crash and was taken by an unidentified associate to Century City Doctors Hospital, Lt. Mitch McCann told the Times at the time.

MORE

DEA, CANNABIS CLUBS & LANDLORD LETTERS

LA Weekly helps hype Simpson's movie while LACityBeat gets down in the Grass

MORE LA WEAKLY COVERAGE ON DEA AND CANNABIS CLUBS
July 19th 07 By Jay Good

About ten days ago random cannabis club landlords began receiving forfeiture letters from the DEA causing the landlords to make a decision; possibly lose their property, or evict the cannabis club owners. For many it was not much of a choice and in no time cannabis club owners began getting thirty day eviction notices.

The news was kept quiet by the club owners so as not to cause a panic among the landlords …Some of the first people outside of landlords and cannabis club owners to hear about the DEA letters were the weekly papers who advertise dozens upon dozens of display ads for these cannabis clubs . Then Tuesday morning the story officially broke in the LA Times

For some strange reason LA Weekly the second largest alt paper in the country didn’t touch the DEA/Landlord letter story. So what’s up with that, I'd like to know? I like the LA Weekly and Allison Margolin occasionally places her LA’s Dopest Attorney ads with them but the people over at Village Voice/New Times blew it and get a great big fat “Doh!” for ignoring this one... The voice of the people...lately, I think not.

Thankfully LACitybeat saw the DEA Landlord letter story for what it was and is; big breaking news effecting thousands locally with huge national ramifications. In today’s LACityBeat issue they are running a four page feature called
“Stay off the Grass” Read it and weep...that goes for you too, LA Weekly. - Jay Good


Allison Margolin has been busy in court the past two weeks fighting a medical marijuana case and plans to have a few things to say about this unfolding event soon

DEA MAILS WARNING LETTERS TO CANNABIS CLUB LANDLORDS

DEA targets landlords of pot outlets

About 150 L.A. owners are told they could face jail and lose properties rented to dispensaries.

By Eric Bailey, Times Staff Writer
July 17, 2007

Raising the stakes in the federal government's war against medical marijuana, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has warned more than 150 Los Angeles landlords that they risk arrest and the loss of their properties if they continue renting to cannabis dispensaries.

The two-page letter sent last week by Timothy J. Landrum, DEA special agent in charge of the Los Angeles office, has whipped up worries among landlords and dispensary operators in a region that has seen a proliferation of the businesses in the last two years.

"I'm devastated," said Lisa Sawoya, who left her lucrative job selling high-tech hospital equipment to open a dispensary 18 months ago in Hollywood. "My landlord believes in cannabis as medicine. But they're taking the letter very seriously. So I'll be closing my doors at the end of this month."

MORE

excerpt from landlord letter:

"The DEA has determined you own, or have under your management or control, a building located at [ADDRESS]. The DEA has determined there is a marijuana dispensary, [NAME], operating on the property.

This is a violation of federal law...."

ORANGE COUNTY ACCEPTS MEDICAL MARIJUANA

O.C. to license medical marijuana

In a switch from an earlier stand, the county will issue ID cards and validate prescriptions.

By Christian Berthelsen, Times Staff Writer
July 18, 2007

Orange County will begin licensing medical marijuana use and issuing identification cards to patients who are entitled to it under a plan approved by county supervisors Tuesday.

The decision marked a surprise turnabout from just three months ago, when the proposal initially seemed doomed to failure.

Under the plan, the county will create a system to identify patients eligible to use marijuana for medical purposes, and issue them identification cards, validate prescriptions and monitor the qualifications of care providers who dispense the drug.

MORE

CATHOLIC CHURCH AGREES TO PAY 660 MILLION FOR CLERGY ABUSE

Lee Bashforth says the church settled at the last minute to avoid a public trial.

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A judge on Monday approved a $660 million settlement between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and more than 500 alleged victims of clergy abuse, the largest payout yet in a nationwide sex abuse scandal.

Some of the plaintiffs sobbed as the deal was formally approved and a moment of silence was held for others who had died during the years of negotiations.

"This is the right result," said Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Haley Fromholz.

"Settling the cases was the right thing to do, and it was done by dint of a number of extremely talented and dedicated people putting in an awful lot of time."

The deal came after more than five years of negotiations and is by far the largest payout by any diocese since the clergy abuse scandal emerged in Boston in 2002.

MORE

CELEBRITIES LINE UP FOR HOLLYWOOD'S WONDERLAND

Is Celebrity Rehab Effective?

With So Many Going To Get Sober, It Now Just Seems Like A Trend

Lindsay Lohan, show here parting at the nightclub Warehouse on April 12, 2007, in Tokyo, is one of many celebrities who have checked into rehab.

Not so long ago, alcohol and drug addiction in Hollywood were considered taboo, something shameful. But now hardly a week goes by without a celebrity announcing they've checked into rehab.

Young Hollywood just loves to party but the seduction of alcohol and drugs has led many to rehab facilities like Wonderland, co-founded by Howard Samuels. It was reportedly where Lindsay Lohan went to get sober the first time.

"I have kids lining up at the door that are 19, 20, 21, that are on cocaine on a daily basis. They're doing ecstasy. They're smoking pot 24 hours a day," Samuels said.

MORE

SARA CAPLAN TO TESTIFY IN SPECTOR CASE

Ex-Spector Lawyer Decides To Testify

Sara Caplan Could Have Faced Jail Time For Refusing To Testify About Evidence Allegation

AP) A former attorney for Phil Spector agreed Thursday to testify in his murder trial about evidence allegedly withheld by a defense expert rather than go to jail for contempt of court.

The turnabout by attorney Sara Caplan came a day after the California Supreme Court refused to hear her appeal of a contempt order issued by Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler, who had ordered her jailed to coerce her testimony.

The judge ordered her to return to court Thursday afternoon to give her testimony.

Caplan was part of an original defense team that examined the foyer of Spector's mansion where actress Lana Clarkson died from a bullet fired from a snub-nose .38-caliber revolver stuck in her mouth on Feb. 3, 2003. The defense claims Clarkson
shot herself.


Watch my recent Phil Spector Youtube that details why the jury will acquit Mr Spector

LEE BACA - NON VIOLENT OFFENDERS SHOULD GO HOME

Baca seeks authority to order home detention



Some legislators call the practice too lenient, while sheriff says it ensures more dangerous inmates will serve full sentences.
By Patrick McGreevy, Times Staff Writer
July 12, 2007

SACRAMENTO — Under fire for overcrowded jails, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is seeking the power to force thousands of inmates to be placed on detention in their homes, but prisoners rights advocates are fighting the move, saying that it would mean many more inmates would be deprived of the medical and mental healthcare they get behind bars.

Baca called the proposed new power a short-term solution to the jail overcrowding problem that has forced him to release thousands of inmates after they served only a fraction of their sentences.

MORE


Is anyone else coming up with solutions to reduce LA's insanely overcowded prison population? Right on Sheriff Baca!

GO ASK ALLISON - ALLISON ASKS CHRIS CONRAD A QUESTION

LA's Dopest Attorney asks Chris Conrad what the five golden rules are for not getting arrested for growing marijuana

ALLISON'S MYSPACE FRIEND'S HEADLINES

LA's Dopest Attorney "On the right to get High"


MYSPACE; Love it or hate it, you gotta love a good headline...


MY SPACE FRIEND'S HEADLINES

"Nice shoes....wanna fuck."

"Change is inevitable; except from a vending machine....."

"Are you suggesting i fondue your vagina?

"And then I was like yeah whatever..."

"The well behaved rarely make history......"

"Only Dead Fish Go with the Flow"

"If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention."

"DONT HATE, APPRECIATE!"

"Go fuck yourself"

"DO NOT BOTHER WITH ME IF YOU ARE FULL OF SHIT!"

"Tryin to stay number 1 without steppin in number 2"

"Stop bitching- start a Revolution!"

"I may not be Mr. Right, but I'll fuck you till he shows up!"

"Reality is really just a fucked up dream"

"Wait till they get a load of me!"

"Dear Lord, give me patience & give it to me NOW!"

"If you don't desire to change the world, you are a collaborator in everything that is wrong with it."


Thanks Myspace friends!

ED ROSENTHAL MAKES A BIG CASE IN FEDERAL COURT

Pot advocate admonishes federal judge

Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer

(07-06) 17:23 PDT -- Marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal lectured a federal judge Friday before being sentenced to a day in jail -- which he has already served -- for growing pot plants for medicinal use.

"I am proud of what I did. I know I have done nothing wrong,'' Rosenthal told U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer. Referring to the two juries that convicted him of violating federal drug laws without hearing that the marijuana was intended for medical use, Rosenthal said, "You have now hurt 24 jurors. ...You left them feeling guilty about their unwitting role in these faux trials.''

MORE

STUDENTS PASS ON POT FOR PILLS ON TODAY'S CAMPUSES

Experts: Pills becoming the new marijuana on campus

Elizabeth Cohen
CNN

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The prescription drugs allegedly found in Al Gore III's possession this week are favorites among young people, according to drug abuse experts, who say prescription drugs may soon overtake street drugs in popularity.
art.pills.jpg

Some young people perceive that prescription drugs are safer than street drugs, experts say.

"I wouldn't be surprised if right now at this point in time, there are more kids abusing prescription drugs than abusing marijuana," said Joseph A. Califano Jr., chairman and president of CASA, the National Center on Alcohol and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

Gore was arrested on charges of possessing -- in addition to marijuana -- Vicodin, Xanax, Valium and Adderall.

MORE

This article really points out why pot must be legalized. And soon! Whatever you believe, keep in mind that while hundreds die every year from prescription medications, to date, not a single person has overdosed from smoking cannabis.

MAYORS AGREE DRUG WAR A BUST

Nation's Mayors Call for a New Bottom Line in U.S. Drug Policy

The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) made history last weekend by passing a resolution calling for a public health approach to the problems of substance use and abuse (PDF). The resolution was sponsored by Mayor Rocky Anderson of Salt Lake City.

The resolution proclaims the war on drugs a failure, and calls for "a New Bottom Line in U.S. drug policy, a public health approach that concentrates more fully on reducing the negative consequences associated with drug abuse, while ensuring that our policies do not exacerbate these problems or create new social problems of their own."

More

NORML PODCAST

My very first Norml Podcast interview with Chris Goldstein

PARIS SMOKES POT - NOW THAT'S HOT!

It's being widley reported in the news that Paris Hilton smokes pot. Paris is under intense srutiny, probably more than any celebrity in our history. Well... except perhaps for OJ Simpson. But it's safe to say Paris has a lot of anxiety and stress in her life so bravo to her for choosing a natural herb to medicate and decompress rather than a prescription drug chemically produced in some lab.

I hope Ms Hilton can summon the courage to talk publicly about marijuana use and it's benefits for releasing the stress she now deals with.

An old plumber once remarked "It's simple, when enough pressure builds up it busts steel pipes. And in life, when enough pressure builds up, eventually... we bust."

GO ASK ALLISON - NORML QUESTION ON WHAT HARVARD WAS LIKE

Here's a clip from my podcast interview with Norml's producer Chris Goldstein. The podcast will be availabe on Norml's site as well as here on my blog.

Thank you Chris!

On this Go Ask Allison - Norml video Chris asks me about my early days at Harvard which gave me the opportunithy to once again praise a man who opened doors for me, my mentor; Professor Peter Bsrton Hutt.