Browsing: Dispensaries

Graphic: Doc Herbalist

​In a bizarre twist Monday, the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in Fresno, California — along with his son — tried to put a deputy city attorney under citizen’s arrest outside a courtroom.

Three days after being released from jail, Rick Morse, owner of Medmar Clinic, a dispensary in Fresno, and his son Brandon tried to arrest Deputy City Attorney Michael Flores as Flores approached the civil courthouse, reports Dennis Hart at KMJnow.
Sheriff’s deputies intervened and prevented the attempted arrest.
Morse and son were cited on suspicion of battery after trying to arrest Flores, after bailiffs quickly broke up the confrontation, reports Pablo Lopez at The Fresno Bee.

Photo: The Santa Barbara Independent
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown shows special housing he has prepared for medical marijuana patients

​A rabidly anti-marijuana coalition made up of various groups in Santa Barbara, California, including one charming bunch called “Don’t Cannabis Our Community,” are “demanding a ban on marijuana dispensaries” in the city. There is still no word on when the same confederacy of wingnuts plans to take a brave stand against Vicodin, Valium or Viagra.

The misguided butt-inskys plan to gather at Santa Barbara City Hall Tuesday before the Concil meeting on a revised medical cannabis dispensary ordinance, and publicly call for a complete ban on the medicine.
The mission statement for the coalition quickly removes any doubt that this is a group of people seriously disconnected from reality.
“We, the citizens of Santa Barbara demand protection for all of our citizens, schools, and recovery centers from the harm of marijuana sold from storefronts, and we demand immediate enforcement of all pot shops operating without permit,” the statement, undoubtedly damp with indignant spittle, reads.
“Our permitted dispensaries are breaking the law and we demand the city close them immediately,” the statement says.
The usual robotically anti-pot dunderheads were quick to join the low-IQ chorus.

Photo: Colorado Connection
Rep. Jared Polis: “I would certainly encourage that the question of whether or not it’s consistent with state law certainly be left to state enforcement actions”

​Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado on Thursday quizzed Attorney General Eric Holder about federal enforcement of marijuana laws in states like Colorado which have legalized it for medical use and are now seeing a growing number of dispensaries.

In his very first appearance as a new member of the House Judiciary Committee, Polis, a Democrat from Boulder, quizzed Holder about comments from a federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agent suggesting the Justice Department planned to raid Colorado dispensaries, reports Michael Riley of The Denver Post.
Holder denied any such plans are in place, saying there were “higher enforcement priorities” and citing a directive by the deputy attorney general giving specific criteria under which federal agents would shut down dispensaries operating legally under state law.
“There are a variety of factors that are contained within the memo… that United States attorneys and assistant United States attorneys are supposed to apply, supposed to consider, when trying to make the determination about whether or not federal resources are going to be used to go after somebody who is dealing in marijuana,” Holder equivocated.

Drew Perine/The Tacoma News Tribune
Before the bust: North End Club 420’s Guy Casey tends to marijuana plants

​Two men who operate a Tacoma, Washington medical marijuana dispensary pleaded not guilty Thursday to drug charges stemming from an undercover police operation.

Michael Jonathan Schaef, Guy Lewis Casey and their supporters say authorities unfairly targeted them. Medical marijuana was legalized by Washington state voters in 1998.
The dispensary, North End Club 420, was open again Thursday morning, two days after it was raided, report Adam Lynn and Rob Carson with the The Tacoma News-Tribune.
“Helping sick people get their medical marijuana is not illegal,” said Kristine Casey, who works at North End Club 20 and is married to Guy Casey.
Both men were allowed to remain free Thursday after posting bail following their Tuesday arrests.
Police claim the two sold marijuana to people who were not authorized patients, kept a larger supply on hand than allowed, and charged exorbitant prices to enrich themselves.
Schaef and Casey said statements from police and prosecutors “grossly misrepresent” their motives, their operation, and their legality.
“They said we were in this because of greed and that we’re making thousands of dollars,” Schaef said. “That is crazy.”


Graphic: DispensaryFinder.com

​A California Superior Court judge on Wednesday issued a ruling allowing the city of Lake Forest to shut down all medical marijuana dispensaries. An attorney representing the city said the ruling could eventually shut down every dispensary in California.

Jeffrey Dunn, an attorney who is representing Lake Forest, wasted no time in issuing an over-arching, hubristic crow of victory, saying that he believes Chaffee’s ruling could eventually force the closure of all marijuana dispensaries in the state.
The ruling only applies to Lake Forest for now, because it is only a trial court decision. Dispensaries located in the city limits will have to close down immediately unless they get a temporary stay.

Graphic: Last Blog On Earth
Downtown Kush Lounge was one of two San Diego dispensaries operated by Joseph Nunes

​San Diego medical marijuana dispensary operator Joseph Nunes was sentenced to one year in federal prison on Monday, May 10.

“They took him right to jail,” said a medical marijuana activist who was in the downtown courtroom to support Nunes, reports Shane Finneran at the San Diego Reader.
“Joe, we wont forget you,” said an emotional Donna Lambert after U.S. District Court Judge Larry A. Burns announced Nunes’s sentence.
Police raided two dispensaries operated by Nunes as part of a sweep of pot shops across San Diego in September 2009.

wussuphater.wordpress.com

​Colorado lawmakers are finally sending a measure regulating the state’s medical marijuana industry to the desk of Gov. Bill Ritter, and Ritter has indicated he’s inclined to sign it into law.

The State House voted 46-19 on Tuesday afternoon to approve House Bill 1284, report Jeffrey Wolf and Adam Schrager at 9 News. The bill mandates that dispensaries are licensed and monitored throughout the state, but in a very controversial provision, also gives local communities the ability to completely ban them.

Photo: The Fresh Scent

​After countless media reports about Los Angeles’s “1,000 medical marijuana dispensaries,” which news organizations repeatedly said was “more pot shops that Starbucks,” we finally have a number, repots Dennis Romero at the L.A. Weekly — and it’s 583.

The hard number comes courtesy of the Los Angeles Police Department, which looked at a list of dispensaries forwarded to it by City Attorney Carmen Trutanich. The LAPD then had officers confirm the outlets that were up and running throughout the city.

Photo: KOMO News
Guy Casey, North End Club 420: “I’m calling for everybody in the medical marijuana community to stand behind us”

​Law enforcement officers served three warrants Tuesday morning in their attempt to shut down a Tacoma, Washington-based medical marijuana dispensary, North End Club 420.

The warrants were served at two Tacoma addresses — a home and an office building — and an Olalla home, according to the West End Narcotics Enforcement Team (WestNET), reports Stacey Mulick of The Tacoma News Tribune.
The multi-agency WestNET force, which focuses primarily on Kitsap and Mason counties, claimed it had been working on the case since January with the help of undercover snitches.
The North End Club 420 is one of three new medical marijuana dispensaries in Tacoma.

Graphic: Digital Journal

​Maine officials will accept applications starting this week fro residents who want to register as medical marijuana patients under the state’s new distribution system. But some who are already using marijuana under the current rules say they are in no hurry to put their names on the list.

Rules created after last November’s statewide referendum allow eight non-profit medical marijuana dispensaries to be set up in Maine, reports John Richardson at the Kennebec Journal. Prospective dispensary owners have until June 25 to file applications and business plans under guidelines posted last week.
All individuals who want to use medical marijuana must register with the state by January 2011, under the new rules. Applications will be posted online as soon as Tuesday, May 11, ac cording to Catherine Cobb, director of licensing for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
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