Around Town: Expert panel to discuss marijuana
A panel of experts will assemble Thursday night in Newport Beach to discuss the costs and benefits of decriminalization and legalization of cannabis, including medical marijuana.
Issues to be considered include addiction risk, child protection and product potency.
The event, which is open to the public, is part of the sixth Western Conference on Behavioral Health and Addictive Disorders. It will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Newport Beach Marriott hotel, 900 Newport Center Drive.
For more information, call Kim Weiss or Gary Seidler at (800) 851-9100, Ext. 212.
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Walk raises $16,000 for diabetes charity
A walk to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation raised more than $16,000 on Sunday in Newport Beach.
The event on Balboa Island was organized by Corona del Mar resident Joanne Milo, author of “The Savvy Diabetic: A Survival Guide.”
“It’s the most I’ve ever raised at one event,” said Milo, who has raised more than $200,000 for the foundation through such events in the past 20 years.
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Haunted house to take food donations
Daniel Bukaty of Costa Mesa will take donations of canned food for Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County as he hosts his annual haunted house in Mesa Verde.
The free event from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday will feature a five-room maze filled with ghouls, goblins, zombies and more. It’s open to all ages.
The address is 2715 Sparrow Circle, Costa Mesa.
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O.C. Market Place clothing drive to benefit veterans
The Orange County Market Place at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa will host a clothing drive to support local veterans.
On Nov. 14 and 15, the Market Place will be accepting items on behalf of Patriots and Paws, a nonprofit that assists veterans, active military and reservists with housing, home furnishings and rescued companionship animals, according to a news release.
Patriots and Paws is looking for any and all clothes, shoes, towels, gloves, hats, sheets, blankets, quilts, bedspreads, decorative pillows, drapes, luggage, area rugs, purses, belts and stuffed animals, according to a news release.
For more information, visit ocmarketplace.com or call (949) 723-6660.
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Working Wardrobes co-organizes veterans event
The Orange County Rescue Mission in Tustin and Costa Mesa-based Working Wardrobes hosted the fifth annual Orange County Stand Down & Veterans Resource Expo on Saturday and Sunday in the blimp hangar at the former Marine Corps Air Station Tustin.
The event featured more than 100 resource providers offering healthcare, housing assistance and other veterans services. Tents were set up for homeless veterans to attend both days.
More than 2,500 individuals participated in the expo.
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Assistance League partners with SmileOnU
The Costa Mesa-based Assistance League of Newport-Mesa, in partnership with SmileOnU, recently helped provide three needy people with dental implants.
SmileOnU, a Newport Beach-based nonprofit, offers dental services locally and internationally to low-income clients.
Three clients had the dental impacts done on Oct. 22 at the Cheri Harris Dental Center, on the first floor of the Assistance League’s headquarters at 2220 Fairview Road.