The Year in Pot: Looking Back at Our Top Five Marijuana-Related Stories of 2010

​From the failure of Prop 19 to the various battles between cities and medical marijuana dispensaries fighting to stay open, 2010 was, well, the year of pot.

Take a look through Staff Writer Nick Schou's picks for marijuana-related stories of the year after the jump.

Mark Moen, Marijuana Martyr: The arrest of 215 Agenda's owner has OC's medical-pot community wondering if it has a prayer of avoiding trouble with the cops.

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1) Mark Moen, Marijuana Martyr

Until Nov. 2009, Moen ran Orange County's biggest marijuana dispensary, Agenda 215 in Lake Forest. Getting busted with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash while making bi-monthly road trips up to Mendocino took care of that. And then there was that OC Weekly ad that offered "free marijuana" to new patients. Now Moen faces 40 years in prison. Click here to read the story.

2) Marijuana Without the Buzz?

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Is there an award for worst invention ever? A Chapman university professor says it's possible to make marijuana that's medicinal, but won't get you high. Uh, thanks, but no thanks, professor... Click here to read the story.

Isaac Robert Longo

​3) The Poster Boy for Marijuana Manslaughter
Isaac Robert Longo tested positive for marijuana-and a couple of other medications--shortly after he caused a five-car pileup that killed one and injured four others. Now he's serving 15 years to life. His case rolled around just in time to spook voters from supporting Prop. 19. Click here to read the story.

John Gilhooley/OC Weekly

Sue Lester, cannabis candidate.

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4) Sue Lester, OC's First Cannabis Candidate

If she'd won her race for Costa Mesa City Council, Lester would have been the first OC official whose occupation--marijuana dispensary owner--happened to be illegal under federal law. Click here to read the story.

Kandice Hawes President of OCNORML.

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5) Prop 19. Would-be Pot Legalization Initiative Goes up in Smoke

A few weeks before California voters said no thanks to this ballot initiative that would have allowed residents 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational purposes, we talked to local marijuana activists about Prop. 19. Turns out they weren't big fans. Click here to read the story.