Jacob Bell
New Member
CHICO, CA. — Former dispensary employees shook their heads Friday when patients came in asking where they could get their medical marijuana.
North Valley Holistic Health, the only dispensary operating in Butte County, stopped dispensing the drug Wednesday, said Andrew Merkel, vice president of the nonprofit.
The dispensary that once housed a wall full of bud-filled jars, display cases of marijuana edibles and a shelf of clones for patients to grow their own was left Friday with a few mother plants, soon to be destroyed or given away.
The operators plan to keep their doors open without distributing or cultivating, Merkel said.
"We're keeping our establishment," Merkel said. "But we're not dispensing medicine until the federal government or the state chills out."
Their landlord received a letter Oct. 7 from the U.S. Attorney's Office representing the northeastern district of California warning him he could be imprisoned, fined or required to forfeit the property.
"It is not a defense to claim the property is providing so-called 'medical marijuana,' " the letter reads. "Congress has determined that marijuana is a dangerous drug, and that the manufacture and distribution of marijuana are serious crimes. The Department of Justice remains firmly committed to enforcing the Controlled Substances Act in all states.
"Accordingly, we will vigorously enforce the prohibitions against cultivation and distribution of marijuana, even if such activities are permitted by state law. Those who allow their property to be used for such activities do so at their peril." Robert Galia is CEO of the dispensary that has been open since Nov. 1, 2009.
"Just because a few dispensaries are operating outside the law, it's not fair and it doesn't make sense to close them all," Galia said.
Their landlord is not kicking them out, but the operators came to the decision to stop dispensing and cultivating "for a while." They were using it as an opportunity Friday to clean.
"We don't want to subject our employees to federal prosecution," Galia said. "It wouldn't surprise me if they went after stock boys and the guy who waters the plants."
The dispensary paid all 15 employees before laying them off, and its taxes and rent for at least six months, Merkel said. The employees have been told to file for unemployment.
About a week ago, workers asked growers to stop bringing in their product. The dispensary gave away the rest of the medical marijuana to patients, Merkel said.
An indoor grow room that had housed more than 40 plants was almost bare, as plant tender Joel Diaz cut mother plants Friday and threw them into the garbage.
The dispensary is also facing restrictions and action from the Butte County government.
A ban on medical marijuana dispensaries within the unincorporated area of the county that was enacted temporarily in 2010 will go before the Butte County Supervisors Tuesday for permanent adoption.
Merkel is also the president of Citizens for Compassionate Use Butte County, which is having a fundraiser today to campaign against the county's residential-grow ordinance Merkel considers restrictive.
Not only do the dispensary operators think illegal marijuana operations will grow, but the government will have less money to combat it.
Merkel said last month, the dispensary paid $25,000 in sales tax.
Galia thinks some patients are afraid to grow because they think "punks will steal it," he said.
Former dispensary worker Teddy Aanestad thinks seriously ill patients do not have the ability to grow for themselves, he said.
"It's a weed so it's going to grow," Aanestad said. "But it's very hard to grow safely."
Pesticides, spider mites and mold are some of the concerns along with the expense of lights, fans, soil and nutrients, he said.
"You're not going to have good medicine come out of it, especially your first time," he said.
He thinks patients won't likely be able to get the marijuana creams, oils and drops that ease pain, he said.
Aanestad said Friday he plans to file for unemployment. As soon as patients see the open doors and no marijuana, they are disappointed, he said.
"The more complex someone's disease, the more sick the patient was, the more upset they were," Aanestad said.
Galia thinks the dispensary allows patients to try different varieties to find one that eases their symptoms, he said.
"The main thing is they're not criminals," Galia said. "It gives everybody legal standing. They're criminals if they get if off the street."
Merkel thinks some patients will go to illegal drug dealers who don't pay taxes, he said.
He said he still has access to his medicine.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: orovillemr.com
Author: Katy Sweeny
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Oroville Mercury-Register
Website: Dispensing with the pleasantries: Local marijuana shop stops providing pot to its patients
North Valley Holistic Health, the only dispensary operating in Butte County, stopped dispensing the drug Wednesday, said Andrew Merkel, vice president of the nonprofit.
The dispensary that once housed a wall full of bud-filled jars, display cases of marijuana edibles and a shelf of clones for patients to grow their own was left Friday with a few mother plants, soon to be destroyed or given away.
The operators plan to keep their doors open without distributing or cultivating, Merkel said.
"We're keeping our establishment," Merkel said. "But we're not dispensing medicine until the federal government or the state chills out."
Their landlord received a letter Oct. 7 from the U.S. Attorney's Office representing the northeastern district of California warning him he could be imprisoned, fined or required to forfeit the property.
"It is not a defense to claim the property is providing so-called 'medical marijuana,' " the letter reads. "Congress has determined that marijuana is a dangerous drug, and that the manufacture and distribution of marijuana are serious crimes. The Department of Justice remains firmly committed to enforcing the Controlled Substances Act in all states.
"Accordingly, we will vigorously enforce the prohibitions against cultivation and distribution of marijuana, even if such activities are permitted by state law. Those who allow their property to be used for such activities do so at their peril." Robert Galia is CEO of the dispensary that has been open since Nov. 1, 2009.
"Just because a few dispensaries are operating outside the law, it's not fair and it doesn't make sense to close them all," Galia said.
Their landlord is not kicking them out, but the operators came to the decision to stop dispensing and cultivating "for a while." They were using it as an opportunity Friday to clean.
"We don't want to subject our employees to federal prosecution," Galia said. "It wouldn't surprise me if they went after stock boys and the guy who waters the plants."
The dispensary paid all 15 employees before laying them off, and its taxes and rent for at least six months, Merkel said. The employees have been told to file for unemployment.
About a week ago, workers asked growers to stop bringing in their product. The dispensary gave away the rest of the medical marijuana to patients, Merkel said.
An indoor grow room that had housed more than 40 plants was almost bare, as plant tender Joel Diaz cut mother plants Friday and threw them into the garbage.
The dispensary is also facing restrictions and action from the Butte County government.
A ban on medical marijuana dispensaries within the unincorporated area of the county that was enacted temporarily in 2010 will go before the Butte County Supervisors Tuesday for permanent adoption.
Merkel is also the president of Citizens for Compassionate Use Butte County, which is having a fundraiser today to campaign against the county's residential-grow ordinance Merkel considers restrictive.
Not only do the dispensary operators think illegal marijuana operations will grow, but the government will have less money to combat it.
Merkel said last month, the dispensary paid $25,000 in sales tax.
Galia thinks some patients are afraid to grow because they think "punks will steal it," he said.
Former dispensary worker Teddy Aanestad thinks seriously ill patients do not have the ability to grow for themselves, he said.
"It's a weed so it's going to grow," Aanestad said. "But it's very hard to grow safely."
Pesticides, spider mites and mold are some of the concerns along with the expense of lights, fans, soil and nutrients, he said.
"You're not going to have good medicine come out of it, especially your first time," he said.
He thinks patients won't likely be able to get the marijuana creams, oils and drops that ease pain, he said.
Aanestad said Friday he plans to file for unemployment. As soon as patients see the open doors and no marijuana, they are disappointed, he said.
"The more complex someone's disease, the more sick the patient was, the more upset they were," Aanestad said.
Galia thinks the dispensary allows patients to try different varieties to find one that eases their symptoms, he said.
"The main thing is they're not criminals," Galia said. "It gives everybody legal standing. They're criminals if they get if off the street."
Merkel thinks some patients will go to illegal drug dealers who don't pay taxes, he said.
He said he still has access to his medicine.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: orovillemr.com
Author: Katy Sweeny
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Oroville Mercury-Register
Website: Dispensing with the pleasantries: Local marijuana shop stops providing pot to its patients
