First, the good news: California attorney general candidate Steve Cooley conceded the election to his opponent, Kamala Harris. While Harris may not be the most outspoken supporter of Prop 215 or medical marijuana patients, she is sure to be a better option. Cooley's history of antagonism toward the medical marijuana field and complicity with federal law enforcement as district attorney of Los Angeles would have meant trouble for the state's more than 350K registered patients. Disaster averted! Unfortunately,…

We’re still tracking down all the results from yesterday’s election, but here’s a quick look at how things fared in races affecting marijuana policy. This year witnessed historic progress in the campaign to end marijuana prohibition – but as some of these results below show, there remains much work ahead. MPP and others are already looking to build on this year’s advances by launching new campaigns in 2012. First, the good news: Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts The only two major party gubernatorial…

When it comes to medical marijuana dispensaries and their right to exist under California state law, Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley doesn’t seem to want to listen. Earlier this year, Cooley ignored the legal opinion of California’s attorney general when Cooley claimed (incorrectly) that virtually all medical marijuana dispensaries were operating illegally and should be shut down.  Now, after two L.A. City Council committees rejected calls to ban the sale of medical marijuana, Cooley…