News

Feds Threaten Marijuana Dispensaries Nationwide

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 17, 2011 Dispensaries, News

In a little-publicized memo, the U.S. federal government has indicated that the gloves are off regarding medical marijuana dispensaries, regardless of state laws.

Previous memos had indicated a loosening of federal prosecutions of medical marijuana; however the new memo states very clearly that the feds consider all dispensaries illegal under federal law and that their prosecution is a “core priority” of federal agents, according to the Cannabis Therapy Institute (CTI).

The “Haag Memo” [PDF], written on February 1, 2011 from U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag (Northern District of California) to Oakland City Attorney John A. Russo, was a response to an Oakland City Council request for guidance regarding medical marijuana and federal law. The memo was written with consultation and approval from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, according to CTI.

No Charges Yet In MT Dispensary Raids; $4 Million ‘Seized’

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 17, 2011 Medical, News

Photo: THC Finder

Dumb-ass DEA agents felt they needed to wear masks and respirators while raiding and killing medical marijuana gardens in Montana on Monday, because otherwise they might get some of that evil cannabis on them.

There are still no charges related to this week’s medical marijuana dispensary raids across Montana, but an examination of civil seizure warrants reveals a possible motive behind the raids: The warrants authorized federal agents to “seize” more than $4.2 million from dispensary bank accounts.

Following what authorities claimed was an 18-month investigation, 26 search warrants targeting seven dispensaries were executed on Monday, reports Angela Brandt at the Helena Independent Record. Federal agents claimed they were looking for evidence of “large-scale trafficking” as well as tax evasion.

R.I. Selects Three Medical Marijuana Dispensaries To License

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 16, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Graphic: Potspot 411

A long-awaited decision was announced Tuesday afternoon, with the Rhode Island Department of Health selecting three applicants, the maximum allowed under state law, to operate state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries.

Applicants selected were Summit Medical Compassion Center in Warwick; The Thomas C. Slater Compassion Center in Providence; and Greenleaf Compassion Center in Portsmouth, reports W. Zachary Malinowski of The Providence Journal.

Top officials at the Department of Health determined that nine of the 18 applicants were qualified to open dispensaries in Rhode Island, but state law limited them to selecting a maximum of three centers. Health Department spokeswoman Annemarie Beardsworth refused to name the other six approved applicants, saying that was “protected information.”

Dispensary Raids In Hollywood As Obama Breaks Promise

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 16, 2011 News

Photo: Los Angeles Times

Federal agents carry away stolen merchandise, I mean “evidence,” March 15, 2010

Drug Enforcement Agency agents, with the help of the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, raided two medical marijuana dispensaries in West Hollywood, California on Tuesday. It was the first such action in the city since the Obama Administration decided two years ago to take a hands-off approach to dispensaries in compliance with state laws.

The federal warrants were served on the Zen Healing Collective and on Alternative Herbal Health Services, and one individual was taken into custody, which may result in arrest. Both shops were among the four dispensaries the city had authorized to operate, reports John Hoeffel at The Los Angeles Times.

New York City Spends $75 Million A Year On Marijuana Arrests

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 16, 2011 News

Graphic: Law Firm Blog

In 2010, New York City spent $75 million arresting 50,383 people for possession of small amounts of marijuana.

That’s just one of the startling facts in a new report released Tuesday which documents the crushing costs of misguided marijuana enforcement in the city. Every day, about 140 people are arrested for marijuana offenses in New York City, making it the leading cause of arrest.

A full 87 percent of those arrested are black or Latino, a particularly outrageous number since people of color do not use marijuana at higher rates than the rest of the population.

“Incredibly, the NYPD has quietly made marijuana infractions their top law enforcement priority without even a pretense of public input or debate,” said Neill Franklin, a retired narcotics officer who heads Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).

Four Tons Of Marijuana Seized From Texas Warehouse

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 16, 2011 News

Photo: ICE

These artfully arranged bales of marijuana, totaling four tons, were found inside hidden compartments of a tractor trailer parked inside a warehouse in Texas

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security agents have seized more than 8,000 pounds of marijuana from a warehouse in south Texas.

Agents executed a search warrant Friday at the warehouse on Highway 281 in Edinburg, Texas, north of McAllen, reports WOAI. They found a tractor trailer parked inside the warehouse. The tractor trailer had false compartments filled with bundles of cannabis totaling more than four tons, which agents claimed had a street value of $6.6 million.

“This significant seizure sends a strong message to drug smugglers that we will not tolerate brazen disregard for U.S. laws,” said Jerry Robinette, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in San Antonio, who, bless karma’s humorous heart, of course has to deal on a daily basis with people who have a brazen disregard for U.S. laws.

Marijuana Reform Hearings At R.I. State House Wednesday

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 15, 2011 Legislation, News

Photo: Zazzle

Hearings will take place at the Rhode Island State House, Wednesday, March 16, on two bills that would reform marijuana laws in the state. One bill would make marijuana possession similar to a traffic violation, and the other would legalize, tax and regulate cannabis.

H 5031 would remove criminal penalties for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana and replace them with a civil penalty carrying a fine of $150. The bill, sponsored by Rep. John G. Edwards (D-Tiverton) and others, would allow people who are convicted of simple, nonviolent cannabis possession charges to avoid the lifelong stigma of a criminal record.

The measure would also save the state millions of dollars on police and court time.

Marijuana Dispensary Wins International Design Award

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 15, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Photo: Curbed

The clean lines inside SPARC delighted the judges of an international interior design competition.

A San Francisco medical marijuana dispensary has won a prestigious interior design award for its clean, smartly used space.

The International Interior Design Association awarded the San Francisco Patient and Resource Center (SPARC) in the 19th Annual Will Ching Design Competition, reports RJ Middleton at NBC Bay Area.

The pot shop’s retail space features minimalist oak tables and benches, showcasing “vaguely bong-shaped lights,” steel shelves holding the cannabis, and a sales counter “made of local oak, with inset glass-topped drawers exhibiting buds, salves and edibles like snickerdoodle cookies and ‘cosmic caramels,’ ” according to Sarah Firshein at Curbed.

But what may have really made SPARC a big hit is the “cascading grid of steel and glass patterned loosely on marijuana’s DNA and peppered with clear aquamarine panes.”

Washington Marijuana Dispensaries Fight For Licensing

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 15, 2011 Dispensaries, News

Photo: Hemp Beach TV

The city of Federal Way, Washington, just south of Seattle, is trying to shut down three medical marijuana dispensaries, claiming they are illegal under state law. Two of the businesses are fighting back, appealing the city’s denial of their business licenses.

Federal Way city officials claim they are trying to enforce the state’s medical marijuana law, but they may run out of time if the Legislature changes that law in the coming weeks, reports Steve Maynard at The Tacoma News Tribune.

Oklahoma Woman Arrested In Online Marijuana Bakery Bust

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 15, 2011 News

Photo: CNN

Sarah Probasco, 29, was arrested for baking goods containing marijuana and selling them online

A Stillwater, Oklahoma woman has been arrested after allegedly selling baked goods that included marijuana as an ingredient, and marketing them on the Internet. She now faces several felony charges.

“It’s not something we see every day,” said Captain Randy Dickerson of the Stillwater Police Department, reports Jesse Wells at KFOR.

Dickerson said investigators arrested the suspect, Sarah Probasco, 29, this week for running the illegal bakery from her home.

(See video after the fold.)

Browsing: News