Three people held in raids at San Diego marijuana dispensaries

Three people held in raids at marijuana dispensaries | The San Diego Union-Tribune
SAN DIEGO – Narcotics agents raided four San Diego marijuana dispensaries, made three arrests at the locations and seized about 20 pounds of pot yesterday.

Federal authorities said the businesses were not selling the drug within the limits of state Proposition 215, a 1996 initiative legalizing the sale of marijuana by prescription to seriously ill patients.

[A DEA spokeswoman] said marijuana and pot-laced brownies, ice cream, chocolate and fruit bars were seized at the businesses, along with a loaded handgun and thousands of dollars. She said the investigation took several months, and continues, to trace where the pot came from.

Meanwhile, the county Board of Supervisors is continuing its court battle against the state’s medical marijuana laws.

The board voted 4-1 yesterday, with Ron Roberts opposing, to ask the state Supreme Court to review its lawsuit challenging the state requirement that counties issue government identification to qualified medical marijuana patients.

The county contends the requirement conflicts with federal drug statutes that categorize marijuana as a dangerous drug with no medical benefits.

A Superior Court judge rejected the county’s case in 2006, and an appellate court backed that decision Thursday. The state Supreme Court will be asked to review last week’s ruling, said Tom Bunton, senior deputy county counsel.

I thought it was interesting for the DEA to note that the businesses weren’t operating within the limits of Prop 215, as if obeying Prop 215 would keep the feds from making the bust!  And between four operating dispensaries, you could only seize 20 pounds of pot – that’s five pounds per dispensary.  Using the inflated DEA estimate of $3,000 / lb., that’s a whole $60,000 worth of pot y’all rounded up.  I’m betting the salaries and equipment costs involved in the raid cost more than that.

Notice also the detail in describing the medibles – “pot-laced brownies, ice cream, chocolate and fruit bars”.  Why wouldn’t the spokesperson say “marijuana and marijuana-laced foods”?  Because the DEA is constantly hyping the threat of marijuana being marketed to children, and kids love ice cream!  They must think adult patients wouldn’t also like brownies, ice cream, chocolate, and fruit bars; adults should take their drugs in pill form.

Also they’ve got to mention the loaded handgun and the thousands of dollars, which you could likely find in any small business dealing with lots of cash.  That’s to hype the “medical marijuana dispensaries are like dangerous drug dealers” meme.

Finally, looks like San Diego is going to take the ID card case all the way to the California Supreme Court.  Some people just can’t take “No” for an answer.