Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 7:15 pm | By: Radical Russ
(Last Blog on Earth – San Diego City Beat) The San Diego Police Department and other county law-enforcement agencies are conducting a sweeping raid on marijuana dispensaries this afternoon. As of this writing, CityBeat has heard that Green Kross Collective, Total Care Collective, San Diego Discount Caregivers, Hillcrest Compassionate Care, Downtown Kush lounge, Top Quality Collective, Medical Cannabis Providers, and Nature’s Rx Collective have been shut down by the San Diego Police Department and their owners arrested if they were present. Sources tell CityBeat that the owners have been given 48 hours to provide proper paperwork for their shops, but everything is very tentative at the moment.
Amy Roderick, a spokesperson for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, says the DEA is involved in the raids currently being conducted by the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego Sheriff’s Department on medical marijuana dispensaries. She said DEA is involved “in a support role,” but she said she didn’t know if DEA agents were actually making arrests.
Randy Wall is a 52-year-old AIDS patient and volunteer at Hillcrest Compassionate Care, one of the medical marijuana dispensaries raided today by the San Diego Police Department. Wall said he has been a member and a greeter for the store for a year, about as long as the place has been in business. Wall said they were preparing to shoot a TV commercial at about 11:30 a.m. when police arrived. Wall had been cleaning a back office.
“When I walked out, we heard the cops were coming, but we said, ‘Be cool, be cool,’” he said. “We thought they were going to check our permits. But there was like 20 cops with guns drawn and battering rams. We told them we would unlock the door if they gave us a second.”
“We said, ‘Hold on! Hold on! We’ll let you in,’ but they busted the door open,” he said. “Then they busted down another door that was locked. There was nothing in there; it’s a bedroom where someone sleeps. We have one person stay there; we have to have a security guard in there 24-hours a day.”
“It seems to me that everybody that worked there got arrested today. They handcuffed everyone—everybody that worked there was in handcuffs that I saw,” Wall said.
We all know the San Diego DA and Sheriff’s Office have made overturning Prop 215 their reason for living, so police and sheriffs raiding dispensaries isn’t surprising. But the DEA was involved “in a support role”? Didn’t the president say that there were much more pressing issues for his Justice Department to deal with?
“What I’m not going to be doing is using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on [medical marijuana]…” – Barack Obama, May 2008
And didn’t the Attorney General say that Mr. Obama’s campaign promise was now Justice Department policy?
“What the President said during the campaign [about ending raids] … is now American policy.”
Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 2:40 pm | By: Radical Russ
ok there ARE NOT multiple dispensaries being raided. It is ONE building. We have been standing here all day with the Feds deciding if they need to take my clients MJ. There are NO allegations against my client and law enforcement already stated they were acting in compliance with the state constitution. There are financial fraud allegations againsts cannamed, a dr referral service.
They have informed me that they are taking the mj because it is “illegal under federal law.” Which it is. They are not happy that I presented the press with the utube statements of our president and AG. Yea laptop and internet card. We then all had a big discussion on how it does not appear that the feds are leaving it up to the states in this case.
Again the DEA IS NOT here and has not been here. I currently advise 52 dispensaries in the state and none of them are having any issues.
DENVER – 9Wants to Know has learned federal authorities including the FBI are raiding multiple medical marijuana establishments in Colorado, as part of a separate criminal investigation.
9Wants to Know has confirmed search warrants are being served at multiple locations, including CannaMed on Leetsdale Drive in Denver.
Jeff Dorschner, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Denver, says the search warrants being served are “part of an ongoing criminal investigation.”
FBI Spokesperson Kathy Wright told 9NEWS they are not after the medical marijuana. Instead, Wright said, “Our purpose is not to get the marijuana. We are there for another reason.”
Wright continued, “We have the legal authority for a criminal investigation. We were not specifically targeting the marijuana.”
If you have more information about this story e-mail the 9Wants to Know investigative team at blowthewhistle@9news.com
Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 9:49 am | By: Radical Russ
We’re receiving initial reports out of Colorado this morning – this just in from our Executive Director, Allen St. Pierre:
I just received a phone message from Warren Edson on my cell explaining what apparently is going down this morning in CO.
A business that connects patients and doctors was raided this morning by the feds, and the rumors are increasingly flying around CO that the feds are shutting down medical cannabis collectives/wellness centers.
According to Warren’s message, the business in question is being raided because of alleged financial improprieties (fraud, etc…) not because of medical cannabis per se.
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Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 3:54 pm | By: Radical Russ
“What I’m not going to be doing is using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue, simply because I want folks to be investigating violent crimes and potential terrorism; we’ve got a lot of things for our law enforcement officers to deal with,” said presidential candidate Barack Obama in a March 2008 interview.
“Given the limited resources that we have, our focus will be on people, organizations that are growing, cultivating substantial amounts of marijuana and doing so in a way that’s inconsistent with federal and state law,” said Attorney General Eric Holder in a March 2009 statement.
(Mercury News) LOS ANGELES—Federal and local agents are raiding at least two marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles but authorities won’t say what they’re seeking. Officials say more than 20 people from various agencies served a state search warrant at around 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Organica Collective in Marina del Rey.
Los Angeles police, the FBI and DEA were still searching the distribution center three hours later.
DEA spokesman Jose Martinez says agents also served the warrant at the Overland Gardens Collective in West Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office says a residence also was named in the warrant.
Well, at least President Obama is fulfilling his other campaign promises, like getting us out of a protracted Middle Eastern war. Oh, right, Afghanistan.
But at least he’s bringing us health care reform. No, wait, better not use that one.
At least he’s holding the past administration accountable for… no, can’t go there.
Reducing the influence of lobbyists in Washington and refusing to have any lobbyists in his administration… uh, no.
Protecting the Constitution from the serious abuses of the previous administration, like warrantless wiretapping… no again.
Bringing Wall Street excesses to an end… ‘fraid not.
Ending the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for the military… uh-uh.
Wait, I know! Cash for Clunkers! There we go!
At NORML, we are a non-partisan organization, and with these new DEA raids, it makes it so much easier for me to move from my personal support of the Democratic Party to political independence. I’ve had it. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. At least with a President McCain, I would have known straight up that he hates medical marijuana and would allow DEA raids to continue instead of being sold a bill of goods about not “circumventing state laws” and then circumventing them anyway.
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 3:20 pm | By: Radical Russ
SACRAMENTO – Senator Mark Leno introduced a resolution late on Monday that urges the federal government to end medical marijuana raids in California. Senate Joint Resolution 14 also calls for a comprehensive federal policy to ensure safe and legal access to medical marijuana for patients who benefit from its therapeutic use.
“The Obama Administration has indicated a willingness to change federal policy regarding medical marijuana, but details of that plan have not yet been released,” said Senator Leno, D-San Francisco. “Meanwhile, patients and providers in California remain at risk of arrest and prosecution by federal law enforcement and legally established medical marijuana cooperatives continue to be the subjects of federal raids,” he said. “When passed, this resolution will clearly state the Legislature’s opposition to federal interference with California’s medical marijuana law and support for expanded federal reform and medical research.”
SJR 14 aims to harmonize federal law with California’s medical marijuana laws by calling for an end to federal raids. The resolution also urges the federal government to support research trials on the therapeutic use of marijuana, an affirmative defense to medical marijuana charges in federal court and comprehensive federal policy to support legal access for all patients.
The pot-pun headline is one of my biggest pet peeves, especially when the marijuana story is medical in nature. I can barely tolerate the word “pot” in a headline, as in “medical pot”, but I understand that three letters is better in headline typography than eight or nine. But can you think of another medicine that gets such disrespectful headlines? When it is discovered that the next mass shooter was a longtime anti-depressant user, do you think the headline might read “Mass shooter had long term benzo habit”? Even alcohol gets better treatment – ever see a headline refer to “drunks” or “booze”?
Thursday, May 7th, 2009 at 11:20 am | By: Radical Russ
Just a week or so after word spread that local marijuana dispensaries are starting to reopen in Bakersfield the local sheriff’s office has raided one and arrested three men.
Kern County deputies and officials with the DEA served a search warrant Wednesday at the Green Cross Compassionate Co-Op at 309 Bernard Street in east Bakersfield.
They arrested three men, Albert Juarez, 40; Adam Romero Valenzuela, 27; and Brandon Neal Luck, 24. All three were booked on charges of selling and possessing marijuana as well as conspiracy.
Deputies said they also found two pounds of “high grade” marijuana and two loaded handguns.
Bakersfield once had at least a half dozen licensed medical marijuana dispensaries but they all closed in 2007 after sheriff’s raids.
56% of Californians support outright legalization of marijuana, and public support for medical marijuana runs in the 70%-80% range. Even if the sheriff had reason to believe this dispensary may have been operating outside of Attorney General Brown’s guidelines (for-profit vs. non-profit), why bring in the DEA? (To get them on federal charges where they can’t use medical marijuana as a defense, I presume.) I think we may be looking at a Kern County Sheriff that will have trouble getting re-elected. Why don’t we tell him so?
Mailing Address:
Kern County Sheriff’s Office
1350 Norris Road
Bakersfield, CA 93308-2231
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Thursday, March 26th, 2009 at 9:43 am | By: Radical Russ
The dispensary had been operating with a temporary permit issued by the Department of Public Health.
“Based on our investigation, we believe there are not only violations of federal law, but state law as well,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Anthony Williams said in a prepared statement.
Williams, who runs the San Francisco field office that covers a territory stretching from Bakersfield to Redding, would not specify the alleged violations. The information was under court seal.
“As of now, we are prohibited from releasing further details of the case. Items of evidentiary value were seized and no arrests have been made,” Williams said.
A source in San Francisco city government who was informed about the raid said the DEA’s action appeared to be prompted by alleged financial improprieties related to the payment of sales taxes. DEA Special Agent Casey McEnry, spokeswoman for the local office, would not comment on that information.
So now the federal Drug Enforcement Administration is in charge of enforcing California State Sales Tax laws? I thought that was the job of the California Board of Equalization? In any other business accused of sales tax improprieties, the board would conduct an audit and then press state charges if any applied. The board doesn’t send armed stormtroopers to shut down the business and seize all its assets until after a conviction on charges proven in a state court!
The Obama Administration must now set a clear policy that if the DEA is to be raiding medical marijuana dispensaries in violation of both state and federal law, that the state must be the one to decide if the state laws are being obeyed. We cannot have federal agencies in charge of enforcing state laws. Call President Obama at 202-456-1111. Call your congressman at 202-224-3121. These raids must end!
RevRayGreen: MASS TWEET THIS -@ChuckGrassley Truth is Chuck you follow Nixon's CSA full of reefer sadness. btw Chuck, Marijuana is not a drug.
RevRayGreen: @ChuckGrassley http://bit.ly/55Ejsi Truth is Chuck you follow Nixon's CSA full of reefer madness. btw Chuck, Marijuana is not a drug.
SneakerPimp: one last thing Puff puff pass to any one who wants it
SneakerPimp: i wanna here about the imminent MiniSpof sounds like time for some
SneakerPimp: im estatic and excited for NSL today.
SneakerPimp: mountain time wake n bake
SneakerPimp: oh yea also wake n bake
SneakerPimp: its central im high as a kite everybody
SneakerPimp: ill grab that WUD
WakeUpDead: @Russ, I dont think that wireless is going to work out for the show, it was choppy and studdered just like last week. Hardline may be the only way. Puff [...]
WakeUpDead: A MINI Spof, Lock up your Weed, in 18 years that is. Really Man congrats! Greatest days of my life when my kids were born, hell yeh, great news [...]
BenJaMin: Late night Stash!!!
SneakerPimp: heres a bong rip for spof
RevRayGreen: errr test over....
RevRayGreen: on hold..
RevRayGreen: @RR I'll try and lob a call to you.....
SneakerPimp: where is the first field of cannabis gonna be?
SneakerPimp: !
Radical Russ: Breaking News: MrSpof's wife's water just broke! A MiniSpof is imminent!
SneakerPimp: oh russ its not my fault that i dont understand choppy word:stoned:
SneakerPimp: @Mrspof congratulations tell us all about it tommrow
Radical Russ: OK, test over. Sorry. Only needed a half hour. Be back tomorrow afternoon.
slash5city: don't forget to watch CCS live on u-stream 8 pm west
thaistik: Local Crime Stoppers notice.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Pot shop burglars sought
Crime Stoppers is looking for information on the suspects who police say burglarized a medical marijuana dispensary and stole cash, drugs [...]
Marijuana-Related Health Costs Minimal Compared To Those Of Alcohol, Tobacco; California Medical Association Says Pot Prohibition Is A "Failed Public Health Policy"; Oregon: State NORML Affiliate Opens First 'Cannabis Café'. […]
American Medical Association Calls For Scientific Review Of Marijuana's Prohibitive Status; Dutch Marijuana Use Lower Than European Average, Study Says […]
"Truth In Trials Act" Reintroduced In Congress; Maine: Voters Approve Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Measure; Colorado: Breckenridge Voters Overwhelmingly Decide To End Pot Penalties. […]
Some of the nation’s top athletes discuss why today's pros are turning to cannabis — and away from alcohol and painkillers — off the field, and question why pro sports leagues are continuing to sanction those who do. Moderator: Steve Bloom, Author, Pot Culture; editor, celebstoner.com * Toby Grear, MMA fighter * Sean Neumann, Documentary Filmm […]
Cannabis Law Reform's Missing Link: Law Enforcement Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper; LEAP and NORML Advisory Board; Author of Breaking Rank Putting the Mexican Cartels Out of Business Mexican drug cartels now employ over 100,000 soldiers and are responsible for nearly ten thousand deaths per year. Their largest source of income is marijuana. […]
Multiple raids on collectives and dispensaries in San Diego
sounds like time for some 
mountain time wake n bake 
don't forget to watch CCS live on u-stream 8 pm west 
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