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Oakland, Berkeley fighting feds for medical marijuana

By William Breathes on July 5, 2013 Medical, News

City governments in Oakland and Berkeley are putting their lawyers to work defending medical marijuana dispensaries in those towns.
Earlier this week, the city of Oakland won a court order preventing the federal government from seizing a building occupied by Harborside Health Center, one of the nations largest dispensaries. Meanwhile, their neighbor to the north, Berkeley, has filed a claim against the feds saying seizing and shutting down marijuana businesses in that town will adversely affect the town’s tax coffers.

Showdown: Oakland vs Feds In Marijuana Dispensary Forfeiture Case

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 19, 2012 Dispensaries, News

THC Finder

Hearing at 10 a.m. Thursday may decide whether Oakland’s challenge to federal authority can proceed

The Obama Administration will be going toe-to-toe in federal court Thursday at 10 a.m. with the City of Oakland and California’s largest medical marijuana dispensary, Harborside Health Center.

U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag filed forfeiture proceedings in July against Harborside’s landlords to force the dispensary to close its two locations in Oakland and San Jose. Then, in October, the City of Oakland filed its own legal action against Haag and her boss, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

Oakland Fights Back Against Federal Medical Marijuana Asset Forfeiture

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on October 11, 2012 Dispensaries, Legislation, News

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House of 420

Oakland Lawsuit in U.S. District Court to Stop Seizure of Property of Oakland Dispensary

Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker and San Francisco law firm Morrison & Foerster have announced that the City of Oakland filed a complaint Wednesday in United States District Court to stop the federal government from seizing an Oakland building used by a medical marijuana dispensary.

“This is a great day for medical marijuana patients and for the residents of Oakland,” said Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana patients’ advocacy organization. “City Attorney Parker is ray of sunshine for all patients who have been watching the federal government jeopardize their access to medical marijuana.”

Marijuana Activists Protest Obama’s Visit To Oakland

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 24, 2012 Culture, News

All photos by Jack Rikess

By Jack Rikess

Toke of the Town

Northern California Correspondent

Steve DeAngelo, executive director of Harborside Health Center

Oakland, California: Starting at noon a few hundred cannabis supporters and activists gathered on the steps of Oakland’s City Hall to show support for Harborside Health Center and to protest President Obama’s early evening fundraiser at the picturesque Fox Theater.

On July 11, Harborside Health Center in Oakland and San Jose was served an official Complaint for Forfeiture of Property. The complaint is signed by U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, Assistant U.S. Attorney Arvan Perteet, and DEA Agent David White, filed on July 6 in the District Court, San Francisco Division and received by the court on Sunday, July 9. The complaint seeks forfeiture of real estate and improvements on the grounds that cannabis is being distributed on the premises, in violation of federal law.

Steve DeAngelo, executive director of Harborside, Libertarian vice-presidential candidate Judge Jim Gray, and others spoke under the hot East Bay sun to the cheers and applause of the cannabis crowd that assembled in the commons of City Hall.

Medical Marijuana Patients Rallying Today In Oakland

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 23, 2012 Dispensaries, News

ASA

ASA welcomes Obama to Oakland: The night before his fundraiser on Monday, July 23, 2012, Americans for Safe Access members put together a projection action and projected this message onto the Obama’a campaign headquarters in downtown Oakland

At Obama Fundraiser in Oakland, Patients Demand End to Federal Attacks

President Obama’s visit to Oakland follows aggressive DOJ actions aimed at shutting down city-permitted dispensaries

Hundreds of medical marijuana patients and advocates are staging a rally on Monday in downtown Oakland at a fundraiser for President Obama’s re-election campaign. The president’s visit to Oakland follows a recent forfeiture action aimed at shutting down Harborside Health Center, a city-permitted dispensary that has operated since 2006 without incident.

Earlier this year, the Obama Justice Department raided and shut down another of Oakland’s permitted dispensaries, Blue Sky, leaving the city with a dwindling number of facilities to serve Oakland’s patient population. Protesters will demand an end to federal interference and call for the firing of Melinda Haag, the U.S. Attorney for northern California.

What: Rally and press conference to protest federal attacks on the medical marijuana community and on Oakland’s dispensaries in particular

When: Monday, July 23rd Press Conference at 1:45 pm (Rally Noon-5pm)

Where: Press conference at Oaksterdam University, 1600 Broadway, Oakland (Rally at City Hall Plaza)

Marijuana Entrepreneur Charged With Defrauding Oakland

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on May 18, 2012 Culture, Medical, News

Armando Trull/WAMU

Dhar Mann, 27, has been charged with defrauding the city of Oakland

Dhar Mann, a controversial young businessman who sought fame and fortune as an entrepreneur in the medical marijuana industry, was charged Thursday with 13 felonies for allegedly defrauding an Oakland, California grant program that helps property owners pay for renovations.

Alameda County prosecutors charged Mann, 27, with stealing thousands of dollars from Oakland in 2008 and 2009, report Demian Bulwa and Matthai Kuruvila at SFGate. Mann was not arrested; his arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday.

Mann’s attorney, John Runfola, admitted that his client “took shortcuts” in the grant program, but claimed the charges were trumped up.

Oakland Hosting Nation’s 1st Marijuana Street Fair This Weekend

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 2, 2011 Culture, Dispensaries, Products

Photo: Bnk Presents

Last year’s event was held at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, but a state moratorium on “drug use” in state facilities necessitated a move to Oakland this year.

Oakland, California — which has been one of the leading cities in the cannabis movement, medicinal and otherwise, for more than 15 years — will this weekend host a cannabis street fair touted as the first in the nation.

The fair will feature speakers, music, booths and vendors, along with a “215 area,” also know as the “Patient Consumption Area and VIP Lounge,” which is a designated spot — directly in front of City Hall — where patients with medical marijuana cards will be allowed to ingest, smoke or vaporize their medicine, reports Matthai Kuruvila of the San Francisco Chronicle.

“Patients need to take their medicine when they need to,” said Berkeley resident Kim Cue, chief executive of the International Cannabis & Hemp Expo (INT CHE), which kicks off at “high” noon on Saturday. “Being a patient myself, that’s something that’s mandatory.”

Oakland Could Charge $211K A Year For Pot Cultivation Permit

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 15, 2011 Dispensaries, Growing, Medical

Photo: Hollywood Grind

Oakland, California’s plan to license and regulate large-scale medical marijuana farms have taken another tentative step forward after several setbacks. Unfortunately, the news isn’t particularly good for smaller growers.

The city’s rules and laws about medicinal cannabis dispensaries have sometimes been controversial, but mostly successful, with four dispensaries in town servicing thousands of patients and enjoying about $28 million in annual sales, reports Sean Maher at the Oakland Tribune.

But City Council members including Desley Brooks have long argued that there is little local control over where those four dispensaries get their marijuana. They have proposed, instead, city-licensed, industrial-scale marijuana grow operations to supply the dispensaries.

Oakland Hires New Law Firm For Big Pot Farm Plan

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 14, 2011 Growing

Oakland City Atty John Russo PHO-10Sep14-251664.jpg

Photo: The Washington Post

Oakland City Attorney John Russo wouldn’t advise the city council on their plans for an industrial pot farm — so they hired another law firm.

The City of Oakland has hired a new law firm to press ahead with its plan to authorize large-scale industrial medical marijuana farming operations. Last week, City Attorney John Russo said he and his office would no longer represent the city after the Council introduced a revised ordinance for the pot farm plan, in spite of recent warnings of potential criminal liability from both the district attorney and the U.S. attorney.

The law firm of Meyers Nave Riback Silver & Wilson have been hired to provide medical cannabis cultivation legal advice to the city in the absence of any help from City Attorney Russo.

City Attorney Russo’s withdrawal has inflamed relations with the city’s new mayor and several council members who accuse him of putting politics before his client’s interest, reporets Kate Moser of The Recorder.

Oakland City Atty. Tells Council: Hire Your Own Pot Farm Lawyer

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 5, 2011 Growing, Legislation

Photo: nowtruth.wordpress.com

Oakland City Attorney John Russo doesn’t want to play Pot Farm with the City Council anymore.

Russo has delivered another blow to the city’s plans to license and tax large-scale marijuana farms — he’s withdrawn his legal advice and told the City Council to hire their own attorney.

In the letter Russo advises the council to retain outside counsel for the duration of the deliberations on the medical cannabis cultivation issue, reports Cecily Burt of The Oakland Tribune. He said that once an attorney has been secured, his office will turn over the files it has amassed so far.

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