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420
Founder
pics of the protest
Help Us Protest DEA Raids Thursday Morning at 8:30am in West Hollywood!
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Akornpatch
Well-Known Member
There would be 6.4 billion dollar profit from taxation and regulation. there's no way they make that kind of money from incarceration. Especially when prisons are turning to the private sector.Nasty Norm said:
I agree...How about like vegtables instead. You can buy carrots, you can grow carrots, you can sell carrots. Get my point?Nasty Norm said:
How about we just open up our borders to the south and north and just all of us form one big country. Shared military, shared taxes, shared oil, shared government.Nasty Norm said:
Ditto that!Nasty Norm said:
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420
Founder
It all started with these Los Angeles Newspaper articles:
Moratorium sought on new pot clinics
By Patrick McGreevy, Times Staff Writer
January 16, 2007
Concerned by a 2,350% increase in the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles in a one-year period, Police Chief William J. Bratton is calling for a moratorium on new facilities until strict rules can be adopted governing them.
In a report to the Police Commission, Bratton said he wants to ban existing dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, parks and places designated exclusively for the care of children. He also advocates limiting their hours to 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The establishments are allowed under a 1996 state ballot measure and a more recent state law making marijuana available to patients by prescription to relieve pain or nausea.
Bratton said the number of dispensaries increased from four in November 2005 to 98 a year later.
"This has fostered an increase in ... crime problems and caused quality-of-life issues for families and communities, as evidenced by the 110 complaints received from neighbors, business owners and concerned citizens concerning these dispensaries," Bratton's report states.
The Police Commission will consider his recommendations today.
Los Angeles Police Department officers have been called to clinics because of problems including robberies, burglaries and drug use in front of the clinics, Lt. Paul Vernon said. Without regulations, he said, officers are hamstrung.
In the absence of specific zoning rules, 12 of the medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles have opened within 1,000 feet of schools, Bratton said.
"One clinic blatantly resorted to placing fliers on the windshields of vehicles parked in and around Grant High School in an obvious effort to entice children," Bratton said.
The chief did not identify the clinic, but said its flier stated that it is legal to own, grow and smoke medical marijuana and that "qualification is simple and our experienced physicians are more than happy to help you," adding that the visit is free if the applicant does not qualify.
"This was not the intent of the voters when they passed Proposition 215," the chief said.
The clinics have proliferated elsewhere as well, although Los Angeles, as the state's largest city, has the most, said Joseph Elford of Americans for Safe Access, a group in support of the clinics. But San Francisco, with about 30 clinics, has more per capita, or about one per 25,400 residents, while Los Angeles has one dispensary for every 39,200 people.
On Monday, advocates for medical marijuana disputed that the dispensaries are magnets for crime, and expressed concerns that Los Angeles officials may reduce patients' access to the drug.
"A blanket ruling saying you can't be within a number of feet within a school or park is entirely unnecessary and overbroad," said Bruce Mirken, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, another advocacy group.
He said a lengthy moratorium on new dispensaries would have an adverse effect on medical patients who rely on marijuana in their battles with disease.
The proliferation of dispensaries followed passage of Proposition 215, called the Compassionate Use Act, and Senate Bill 420, which took effect in 2004; together, they legalized possession and cultivation of marijuana for qualified medical patients.
Marijuana is used for medical purposes by thousands of people suffering from painful and appetite-killing diseases, including cancer, AIDS, anorexia and arthritis.
"However, the spirit and intent of this act has been exploited and abused for both profit and recreational drug use by many of the medical marijuana dispensaries in the city of Los Angeles," Bratton said. "Absent stringent regulations and enforcement actions, these dispensaries have flourished throughout the city."
The chief's recommendations were welcomed Monday by Councilman Dennis Zine, who already has asked the Planning Department to draft a moratorium ordinance, banning any new outlets for six months, with an option to extend it for another six months while new rules are being formulated. "There is no regulation as far as zoning and hours of operation," Zine said. "What I want to do is bring a semblance of order and not go against the public's will in favor of these clinics."
Steve Leon, owner of the medical marijuana outlet Highland Park Patient Collective, disagreed with the allegation that the clinics spur criminal activity.
"I think it's quite the opposite," he said. "I'm in an area that is gang-infested, but there is no graffiti on my building. It is very clean. And other businesses have moved in. We have created quite a nice little artistic community."
Leon said his building is more than 1,000 feet from schools and parks, and that the LAPD has been "very gracious."
The proposed moratorium found favor with at least some owners of current dispensaries.
"The moratorium is kind of a good idea. It's getting out of control, with a new one opening every week," said Billy Astorga, manager of the Eagle Rock Herbal Collective, adding that his business already has strict operating rules.
Moratorium sought on new pot clinics
By Rachel Uranga, Staff Writer
Source: Los Angeles Daily News
California -- With an explosion of medical marijuana storefronts in Los Angeles - 143 of them, more than half in the San Fernando Valley - and reports of Grant High School students being targeted for business, Police Chief William Bratton is backing a moratorium on pot-distribution centers.
On Tuesday, Bratton and the Los Angeles Police Commission called for the City Council to impose a moratorium on all centers until they ban dispensaries within 1,000 feet of any school, day-care facility, church or other house of worship.
"It's mind-boggling that the state has allowed them to mushroom," Bratton said. "The state should be ashamed of itself for setting up a process so that this gateway drug is allowed to proliferate, and have it so poorly regulated."
Under a 1996 state ballot measure, the clinics can distribute doctor-prescribed marijuana to relieve anything from anxiety to nausea to acute pain. But federal officials consider all marijuana illegal.
Bratton said he supports medical marijuana but believes pharmacists - not storefront operators - should be the ones dispensing pot.
"I am sorry, but the vast majority of these places are using it for recreational drugs, and that's my opinion," he said.
With the number of dispensaries jumping from just five in July 2005 to 143 by the end of last year, police say the centers' tactics have become more brazen, including distributing fliers near high schools and colleges.
At Grant High in Van Nuys, police found medical marijuana fliers on car windshields in August and said they appeared to be ads to get teens high.
The message in the fliers, emblazoned with a marijuana leaf: "It is still legal to own, grow and smoke medical marijuana as long as you do it properly. Qualification is simple, and our experienced physicians are more than happy to help you."
The dispensaries also have attracted crime, with neighborhood complaints around the centers totaling 110 as of November, police said. Police also note an increase of robberies around the dispensaries.
But medical marijuana advocates say any change in the city's law could harm patients in need of pain relief.
"This is completely arbitrary and capricious. There is no rational reason," said Bruce Margolin, director of LANorml, a local marijuana legalization advocate group. "By forcing it back into the black market, you are going to be encouraging more underground use of marijuana."
Last year, Councilman Dennis Zine called for a moratorium on new clinics after a rash of clinic openings spawned community complaints. And the police note that seizures of marijuana are up 140 percent.
"It's alarming that it's increased, and there are so many of them," said Sarah Pullen, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration. "As far as we are concerned, they are regular drug dealers. They are violating federal law."
An aide for Zine said the matter could come before the council early next month. But it won't come without protest.
"This is not a big scam. This is not a way to get rich," said a man who said he is the owner of the Natural Relief Center, a Canoga Park marijuana center, but who declined to disclose any name but Michael. "There are a lot of things involved, working with cancer patients, patients who have seizures. They want to make us look like a bunch of partying hippies."
Then 24 Hours Later this came:
DEA Raids Multiple MMJ Dispensaries including:
AHHS (Alternative Herbal Health Services)
Medical Marijuana Farmacy
West Hollywood Center for Compassionate Healing
H.I.P. SHERMAN OAKS
H.I.P WOODLAND HILLS
WEST VALLEY CO-OP
FAIRFAX VENICE
Fairfax Hollywood
Fairfax Sherman Oaks
West Hollywood Caregivers
Zen Healing Collective
DEA raids 11 marijuana outlets
Agents seize drugs, guns and cash, prompting W. Hollywood protests. Twenty are detained, but no charges are filed.
Source: LA Times
By Tami Abdollah, Times Staff Writer
January 18, 2007
Federal agents Wednesday raided 11 medical marijuana outlets in Los Angeles County, seizing several thousand pounds of processed drug, hundreds of marijuana plants, an array of guns and bagfuls of cash.
The simultaneous raids, part of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, were the largest such operation in the county in recent memory. Five dispensaries in West Hollywood were raided with the other six in Venice, Hollywood, Sherman Oaks and Woodland Hills.
The action by federal agents angered some local officials and was taken despite a state law permitting possession and cultivation of marijuana for qualified medical patients.
Officials said that more than 20 people were detained for questioning but no charges have been filed. Authorities would not release information about any other people possibly detained at the dispensaries.
Sarah Pullen, spokeswoman for the DEA's Los Angeles field division, said agents seized large quantities of marijuana-laced edibles that included "anything from ice cream bars to lollipops to cookies to candies and candy bars."
In West Hollywood, agents in bulletproof vests, sunglasses, gloves and face masks piled out of the stores – four of which were on Santa Monica Boulevard – with boxes and black trash bags full of seized evidence while protesters booed and shouted, "State's rights!" and "DEA go away!" among other slogans.
At the Farmacy, agents loaded three cars with bags as amateur documentary filmmakers and medical marijuana users pushed against police tape. The raid and protest clogged traffic, and motorists honked their horns to show support for the demonstrators.
In all, Pullen said, agents seized well over 100 boxes of evidence and continued their work past 10 p.m.
West Hollywood officials said they were taken by surprise, only learning of the raids as they occurred. West Hollywood has a "long-standing commitment" to the use of medical marijuana for people with such catastrophic illnesses as HIV and AIDS, city spokeswoman Helen Goss said.
"We've been fighting to support the access of medicinal marijuana for many, many years and there's just a great disconnect between the federal government and communities like West Hollywood," Councilman Jeffrey Prang said. "Medicinal marijuana provides comfort and relief to people who are seriously ill and seemingly they view those people as drug addicts who belong in jail as opposed to people who deserve compassion and assistance."
The West Hollywood sheriff's station was notified of the impending raids about 1:30 p.m., one hour before they began, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. David Smith said. Deputies moved in to help control about 50 protesters who gathered in the 7800 block of Santa Monica Boulevard near three of the stores.
California voters approved Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, in 1996, which made marijuana available by prescription for medicinal uses. SB 420, which took effect in 2004, clarified Proposition 215, and taken together legalized possession and cultivation of marijuana for qualified medical patients.
According to Pullen, neighboring businesses and residents had complained about a significant number of the dispensaries, and there had been increased reports of crime in the areas around the outlets.
"Anyone in possession, selling or distributing marijuana is in violation of federal law and subject to prosecution," she said.
"There are hundreds of thousands of patients in California who need safe and reliable access to a medication that their doctors recommend they use and these raids are an example of the federal government going out of its way to interfere with the lives of patients," countered Steph Sherer, founder of Americans for Safe Access, a national advocacy group for medical marijuana use, based in Oakland.
"I think if California has a problem with our law, that our courts and our law enforcement should handle it," she said. "We have no need for the federal government to come and interfere."
The group planned a protest at 8:30 a.m. today in front of West Hollywood City Hall, Sherer said.
The raids came on the heels of separate actions taken Tuesday by the West Hollywood City Council and the Los Angeles Police Commission.
The council Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance establishing permanent regulations on medicinal marijuana dispensaries, capping the number in the city at four.
The Police Commission, meanwhile, voted to support a moratorium on new marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles and for tougher regulations of existing enterprises. Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton pledged to work with federal authorities to prosecute businesses found to be violating the law.
Richard Eastman, a pro-medical marijuana activist who said he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1995, said he was horrified by the raids. Some of the pills he takes to fight his illness, Eastman said, "take away my appetite, but the marijuana keeps me eating."
As a result of the raids, Eastman estimated that perhaps 2,000 people who ordinarily would buy marijuana for medical purposes "won't be able to get their medicine tomorrow. And it's not like they can go to Sav-On or Thrifty."
The owner of one of the raided dispensaries said Wednesday that she was saddened that people will not be able to have the freedom of choice to use medical marijuana.
"We abide by state and local ordinances, and state laws, in providing a service to patients because they have the legal right by state Legislature to be able to make the choice of having medical marijuana as their choice of therapy," the dispensary owner said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Times staff writer Stuart Silverstein contributed to this report.
************************************************** ***************************
The response comes now:
ASA is called on patients, advocates, and city officials to gather at West Hollywood City Hall Thursday January 18, 2006 at 8:30 a.m. to protest this attack on safe access:
Thursday, January 18th
Rally @ 8:30 a.m.
Press conference @ 9:00 a.m.
West Hollywood City Hall
8300 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood
We are asking supporters to wear red shirts, and if you have one, wear a red shirt with your condition on it (i.e. chronic pain, cancer). Gather signs and make new ones! And tonight, please call all the patients and advocates you know to encourage them to join you at this action tomorrow morning.
Please come out tomorrow to show the DEA we won't stand for this attack on safe access!
************************************************** ***************************
Action for today:
Prevent Federal Attacks on Medical Marijuana Access!
Urge Congress to Introduce Legislation to End DEA Raids
Yesterday, the DEA raided at least 11 medical cannabis dispensaries in the Los Angeles area, including facilities in West Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley, and Venice. This morning, a hundred patients and supporters gathered for a rally and press conference at West Hollywood City Hall. Former California Assemblyman Paul Koretz criticized the Bush administration for targeting medical cannabis patients and providers.
Please join Koretz and demand that DEA raids must stop! Until federal policy on medical cannabis is changed, the regulation of dispensaries must be left up to the state, cities, and counties. More and more local jurisdictions are stepping up to this challenge so it is more appropriate than ever to call for the DEA to end raids and leave medical cannabis issues to the state.
For every dispensary that the DEA raids and shuts down, hundreds of patients are denied access to the medical marijuana they rely on. Despite the DEA's claim that they are not after patients, by arresting and prosecuting providers, the federal government has had a significant impact on the health of thousands of people. It's time for the medical cannabis community to come together to urge our elected representatives to end these raids!
Take Action to Defend Safe Access: Call Speaker Nancy Pelosi & Your Congressional Representative
on Friday, January 19th to Demand an End to DEA Raids
A new Congress has recently been seated, and it is time for our California representatives to stand up for safe access and patients' rights! Our congressional representatives have the power to stop the raids on medical marijuana dispensaries and providers. This Friday, join thousands of patients, doctors and supporters and call on Speaker Nancy Pelosi and your local congressional representative to end these senseless raids and restore safe access to patients.
Script #1: Research Focus
Hello, my name is (Your NAME) and I live in (City, State). I am calling to speak with Representative ________ about this week's raids on 11 medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, California.
The DEA needs to stop raiding medical marijuana providers. Research shows that medical marijuana helps patients with AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Hepatitis C, and chronic pain. For every dispensary that the DEA raids and shuts down, hundreds of patients are denied access to the medical marijuana they rely on.
Safe access to medical marijuana improves the lives of countless patients nationwide. I urge Representative ________ to introduce legislation to stop DEA raids on medical marijuana providers.
Script #2: California Raid Focus
Hello, my name is (Your NAME) and I live in (City, State). I am calling to speak with Representative ________ about this week's raids on 11 medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, California.
The DEA needs to stop raiding medical marijuana providers. In California, the voters have spoken, the legislature has acted, the courts have affirmed, and local officials are regulating. The federal government has no business interfering with California's compassionate, community-based solutions for patient access.
Safe access to medical marijuana improves the lives of countless patients nationwide. I urge Representative ________ to introduce legislation to stop DEA raids on medical marijuana providers.
Numbers for Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
District Office: (415) 556-4862
Washington, D.C. Office: (202) 225-4965
How to Contact Your Congressional Representative*:
Member Name DC Phone
Representative **** Thompson (D - 01) 202-225-3311
Representative Wally Herger (R - 02) 202-225-3076
Representative Dan Lungren (R - 03) 202-225-5716
Representative John T. Doolittle (R - 04) 202-225-2511
Representative Doris Matsui (D - 05) 202-225-7163
Representative Lynn C. Woolsey (D - 06) 202-225-5161
Representative George Miller (D - 07) 202-225-2095
Representative Barbara Lee (D - 09) 202-225-2661
Representative Ellen O. Tauscher (D - 10) 202-225-1880
Representative Jerry McNerney (D - 11) 202-225-1947
Representative Tom Lantos (D - 12) 202-225-3531
Representative Fortney (Pete) Stark (D - 13) 202-225-5065
Representative Anna G. Eshoo (D - 14) 202-225-8104
Representative **** Honda (D - 15) 202-225-2631
Representative Zoe Lofgren (D - 16) 202-225-3072
Representative Sam Farr (D - 17) 202-225-2861
Representative Dennis Cardoza (D - 18) 202-225-6131
Representative George P. Radanovich (R - 19) 202-225-4540
Representative Jim Costa (D - 20) 202-225-3341
Representative Devin Nunes (R - 21) 202-225-2523
Representative Kevin McCarthy (R - 22) 202-225-2915
Representative Lois Capps (D - 23) 202-225-3601
Representative Elton Gallegly (R - 24) 202-225-5811
Representative Howard P. (Buck) McKeon (R - 25) 202-225-1956
Representative David Dreier (R - 26) 202-225-2305
Representative Brad Sherman (D - 27) 202-225-5911
Representative Howard L. Berman (D - 28) 202-225-4695
Representative **** Schiff (D - 29) 202-225-4176
Representative Henry A. Waxman (D - 30) 202-225-3976
Representative Xavier Becerra (D - 31) 202-225-6235
Representative Hilda A. Solis (D - 32) 202-225-5464
Representative Diane E. Watson (D - 33) 202-225-7084
Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D - 34) 202-225-1766
Representative Maxine Waters (D - 35) 202-225-2201
Representative Jane Harman (D - 36) 202-225-8220
Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald (D - 37) 202-225-7924
Representative Grace Napolitano (D - 38) 202-225-5256
Representative Linda T. Sanchez (D - 39) 202-225-6676
Representative Edward R. Royce (R - 40) 202-225-4111
Representative Jerry Lewis (R - 41) 202-225-5861
Representative Gary Miller (R - 42) 202-225-3201
Representative Joe Baca (D - 43) 202-225-6161
Representative Ken Calvert (R - 44) 202-225-1986
Representative Mary Whitaker Bono (R - 45) 202-225-5330
Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R - 46) 202-225-2415
Representative Loretta Sanchez (D - 47) 202-225-2965
Representative John Campbell (R - 48) 202-225-5611
Representative Darrell Issa (R - 49) 202-225-3906
Representative Brian Bilbray (R - 50) 202-225-5452
Representative Bob Filner (D - 51) 202-225-8045
Representative Duncan Hunter (R - 52) 202-225-5672
Representative Susan A. Davis (D - 53) 202-225-2040
*If you don't know who represents you, visit the House of Representatives website and type in your zip code to find your representative.
If you support this cause; please read up and call your representatives!
Moratorium sought on new pot clinics
By Patrick McGreevy, Times Staff Writer
January 16, 2007
Concerned by a 2,350% increase in the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles in a one-year period, Police Chief William J. Bratton is calling for a moratorium on new facilities until strict rules can be adopted governing them.
In a report to the Police Commission, Bratton said he wants to ban existing dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, parks and places designated exclusively for the care of children. He also advocates limiting their hours to 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The establishments are allowed under a 1996 state ballot measure and a more recent state law making marijuana available to patients by prescription to relieve pain or nausea.
Bratton said the number of dispensaries increased from four in November 2005 to 98 a year later.
"This has fostered an increase in ... crime problems and caused quality-of-life issues for families and communities, as evidenced by the 110 complaints received from neighbors, business owners and concerned citizens concerning these dispensaries," Bratton's report states.
The Police Commission will consider his recommendations today.
Los Angeles Police Department officers have been called to clinics because of problems including robberies, burglaries and drug use in front of the clinics, Lt. Paul Vernon said. Without regulations, he said, officers are hamstrung.
In the absence of specific zoning rules, 12 of the medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles have opened within 1,000 feet of schools, Bratton said.
"One clinic blatantly resorted to placing fliers on the windshields of vehicles parked in and around Grant High School in an obvious effort to entice children," Bratton said.
The chief did not identify the clinic, but said its flier stated that it is legal to own, grow and smoke medical marijuana and that "qualification is simple and our experienced physicians are more than happy to help you," adding that the visit is free if the applicant does not qualify.
"This was not the intent of the voters when they passed Proposition 215," the chief said.
The clinics have proliferated elsewhere as well, although Los Angeles, as the state's largest city, has the most, said Joseph Elford of Americans for Safe Access, a group in support of the clinics. But San Francisco, with about 30 clinics, has more per capita, or about one per 25,400 residents, while Los Angeles has one dispensary for every 39,200 people.
On Monday, advocates for medical marijuana disputed that the dispensaries are magnets for crime, and expressed concerns that Los Angeles officials may reduce patients' access to the drug.
"A blanket ruling saying you can't be within a number of feet within a school or park is entirely unnecessary and overbroad," said Bruce Mirken, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, another advocacy group.
He said a lengthy moratorium on new dispensaries would have an adverse effect on medical patients who rely on marijuana in their battles with disease.
The proliferation of dispensaries followed passage of Proposition 215, called the Compassionate Use Act, and Senate Bill 420, which took effect in 2004; together, they legalized possession and cultivation of marijuana for qualified medical patients.
Marijuana is used for medical purposes by thousands of people suffering from painful and appetite-killing diseases, including cancer, AIDS, anorexia and arthritis.
"However, the spirit and intent of this act has been exploited and abused for both profit and recreational drug use by many of the medical marijuana dispensaries in the city of Los Angeles," Bratton said. "Absent stringent regulations and enforcement actions, these dispensaries have flourished throughout the city."
The chief's recommendations were welcomed Monday by Councilman Dennis Zine, who already has asked the Planning Department to draft a moratorium ordinance, banning any new outlets for six months, with an option to extend it for another six months while new rules are being formulated. "There is no regulation as far as zoning and hours of operation," Zine said. "What I want to do is bring a semblance of order and not go against the public's will in favor of these clinics."
Steve Leon, owner of the medical marijuana outlet Highland Park Patient Collective, disagreed with the allegation that the clinics spur criminal activity.
"I think it's quite the opposite," he said. "I'm in an area that is gang-infested, but there is no graffiti on my building. It is very clean. And other businesses have moved in. We have created quite a nice little artistic community."
Leon said his building is more than 1,000 feet from schools and parks, and that the LAPD has been "very gracious."
The proposed moratorium found favor with at least some owners of current dispensaries.
"The moratorium is kind of a good idea. It's getting out of control, with a new one opening every week," said Billy Astorga, manager of the Eagle Rock Herbal Collective, adding that his business already has strict operating rules.
Moratorium sought on new pot clinics
By Rachel Uranga, Staff Writer
Source: Los Angeles Daily News
California -- With an explosion of medical marijuana storefronts in Los Angeles - 143 of them, more than half in the San Fernando Valley - and reports of Grant High School students being targeted for business, Police Chief William Bratton is backing a moratorium on pot-distribution centers.
On Tuesday, Bratton and the Los Angeles Police Commission called for the City Council to impose a moratorium on all centers until they ban dispensaries within 1,000 feet of any school, day-care facility, church or other house of worship.
"It's mind-boggling that the state has allowed them to mushroom," Bratton said. "The state should be ashamed of itself for setting up a process so that this gateway drug is allowed to proliferate, and have it so poorly regulated."
Under a 1996 state ballot measure, the clinics can distribute doctor-prescribed marijuana to relieve anything from anxiety to nausea to acute pain. But federal officials consider all marijuana illegal.
Bratton said he supports medical marijuana but believes pharmacists - not storefront operators - should be the ones dispensing pot.
"I am sorry, but the vast majority of these places are using it for recreational drugs, and that's my opinion," he said.
With the number of dispensaries jumping from just five in July 2005 to 143 by the end of last year, police say the centers' tactics have become more brazen, including distributing fliers near high schools and colleges.
At Grant High in Van Nuys, police found medical marijuana fliers on car windshields in August and said they appeared to be ads to get teens high.
The message in the fliers, emblazoned with a marijuana leaf: "It is still legal to own, grow and smoke medical marijuana as long as you do it properly. Qualification is simple, and our experienced physicians are more than happy to help you."
The dispensaries also have attracted crime, with neighborhood complaints around the centers totaling 110 as of November, police said. Police also note an increase of robberies around the dispensaries.
But medical marijuana advocates say any change in the city's law could harm patients in need of pain relief.
"This is completely arbitrary and capricious. There is no rational reason," said Bruce Margolin, director of LANorml, a local marijuana legalization advocate group. "By forcing it back into the black market, you are going to be encouraging more underground use of marijuana."
Last year, Councilman Dennis Zine called for a moratorium on new clinics after a rash of clinic openings spawned community complaints. And the police note that seizures of marijuana are up 140 percent.
"It's alarming that it's increased, and there are so many of them," said Sarah Pullen, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration. "As far as we are concerned, they are regular drug dealers. They are violating federal law."
An aide for Zine said the matter could come before the council early next month. But it won't come without protest.
"This is not a big scam. This is not a way to get rich," said a man who said he is the owner of the Natural Relief Center, a Canoga Park marijuana center, but who declined to disclose any name but Michael. "There are a lot of things involved, working with cancer patients, patients who have seizures. They want to make us look like a bunch of partying hippies."
Then 24 Hours Later this came:
DEA Raids Multiple MMJ Dispensaries including:
AHHS (Alternative Herbal Health Services)
Medical Marijuana Farmacy
West Hollywood Center for Compassionate Healing
H.I.P. SHERMAN OAKS
H.I.P WOODLAND HILLS
WEST VALLEY CO-OP
FAIRFAX VENICE
Fairfax Hollywood
Fairfax Sherman Oaks
West Hollywood Caregivers
Zen Healing Collective
DEA raids 11 marijuana outlets
Agents seize drugs, guns and cash, prompting W. Hollywood protests. Twenty are detained, but no charges are filed.
Source: LA Times
By Tami Abdollah, Times Staff Writer
January 18, 2007
Federal agents Wednesday raided 11 medical marijuana outlets in Los Angeles County, seizing several thousand pounds of processed drug, hundreds of marijuana plants, an array of guns and bagfuls of cash.
The simultaneous raids, part of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, were the largest such operation in the county in recent memory. Five dispensaries in West Hollywood were raided with the other six in Venice, Hollywood, Sherman Oaks and Woodland Hills.
The action by federal agents angered some local officials and was taken despite a state law permitting possession and cultivation of marijuana for qualified medical patients.
Officials said that more than 20 people were detained for questioning but no charges have been filed. Authorities would not release information about any other people possibly detained at the dispensaries.
Sarah Pullen, spokeswoman for the DEA's Los Angeles field division, said agents seized large quantities of marijuana-laced edibles that included "anything from ice cream bars to lollipops to cookies to candies and candy bars."
In West Hollywood, agents in bulletproof vests, sunglasses, gloves and face masks piled out of the stores – four of which were on Santa Monica Boulevard – with boxes and black trash bags full of seized evidence while protesters booed and shouted, "State's rights!" and "DEA go away!" among other slogans.
At the Farmacy, agents loaded three cars with bags as amateur documentary filmmakers and medical marijuana users pushed against police tape. The raid and protest clogged traffic, and motorists honked their horns to show support for the demonstrators.
In all, Pullen said, agents seized well over 100 boxes of evidence and continued their work past 10 p.m.
West Hollywood officials said they were taken by surprise, only learning of the raids as they occurred. West Hollywood has a "long-standing commitment" to the use of medical marijuana for people with such catastrophic illnesses as HIV and AIDS, city spokeswoman Helen Goss said.
"We've been fighting to support the access of medicinal marijuana for many, many years and there's just a great disconnect between the federal government and communities like West Hollywood," Councilman Jeffrey Prang said. "Medicinal marijuana provides comfort and relief to people who are seriously ill and seemingly they view those people as drug addicts who belong in jail as opposed to people who deserve compassion and assistance."
The West Hollywood sheriff's station was notified of the impending raids about 1:30 p.m., one hour before they began, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. David Smith said. Deputies moved in to help control about 50 protesters who gathered in the 7800 block of Santa Monica Boulevard near three of the stores.
California voters approved Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, in 1996, which made marijuana available by prescription for medicinal uses. SB 420, which took effect in 2004, clarified Proposition 215, and taken together legalized possession and cultivation of marijuana for qualified medical patients.
According to Pullen, neighboring businesses and residents had complained about a significant number of the dispensaries, and there had been increased reports of crime in the areas around the outlets.
"Anyone in possession, selling or distributing marijuana is in violation of federal law and subject to prosecution," she said.
"There are hundreds of thousands of patients in California who need safe and reliable access to a medication that their doctors recommend they use and these raids are an example of the federal government going out of its way to interfere with the lives of patients," countered Steph Sherer, founder of Americans for Safe Access, a national advocacy group for medical marijuana use, based in Oakland.
"I think if California has a problem with our law, that our courts and our law enforcement should handle it," she said. "We have no need for the federal government to come and interfere."
The group planned a protest at 8:30 a.m. today in front of West Hollywood City Hall, Sherer said.
The raids came on the heels of separate actions taken Tuesday by the West Hollywood City Council and the Los Angeles Police Commission.
The council Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance establishing permanent regulations on medicinal marijuana dispensaries, capping the number in the city at four.
The Police Commission, meanwhile, voted to support a moratorium on new marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles and for tougher regulations of existing enterprises. Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton pledged to work with federal authorities to prosecute businesses found to be violating the law.
Richard Eastman, a pro-medical marijuana activist who said he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1995, said he was horrified by the raids. Some of the pills he takes to fight his illness, Eastman said, "take away my appetite, but the marijuana keeps me eating."
As a result of the raids, Eastman estimated that perhaps 2,000 people who ordinarily would buy marijuana for medical purposes "won't be able to get their medicine tomorrow. And it's not like they can go to Sav-On or Thrifty."
The owner of one of the raided dispensaries said Wednesday that she was saddened that people will not be able to have the freedom of choice to use medical marijuana.
"We abide by state and local ordinances, and state laws, in providing a service to patients because they have the legal right by state Legislature to be able to make the choice of having medical marijuana as their choice of therapy," the dispensary owner said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Times staff writer Stuart Silverstein contributed to this report.
************************************************** ***************************
The response comes now:
ASA is called on patients, advocates, and city officials to gather at West Hollywood City Hall Thursday January 18, 2006 at 8:30 a.m. to protest this attack on safe access:
Thursday, January 18th
Rally @ 8:30 a.m.
Press conference @ 9:00 a.m.
West Hollywood City Hall
8300 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood
We are asking supporters to wear red shirts, and if you have one, wear a red shirt with your condition on it (i.e. chronic pain, cancer). Gather signs and make new ones! And tonight, please call all the patients and advocates you know to encourage them to join you at this action tomorrow morning.
Please come out tomorrow to show the DEA we won't stand for this attack on safe access!
************************************************** ***************************
Action for today:
Prevent Federal Attacks on Medical Marijuana Access!
Urge Congress to Introduce Legislation to End DEA Raids
Yesterday, the DEA raided at least 11 medical cannabis dispensaries in the Los Angeles area, including facilities in West Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley, and Venice. This morning, a hundred patients and supporters gathered for a rally and press conference at West Hollywood City Hall. Former California Assemblyman Paul Koretz criticized the Bush administration for targeting medical cannabis patients and providers.
Please join Koretz and demand that DEA raids must stop! Until federal policy on medical cannabis is changed, the regulation of dispensaries must be left up to the state, cities, and counties. More and more local jurisdictions are stepping up to this challenge so it is more appropriate than ever to call for the DEA to end raids and leave medical cannabis issues to the state.
For every dispensary that the DEA raids and shuts down, hundreds of patients are denied access to the medical marijuana they rely on. Despite the DEA's claim that they are not after patients, by arresting and prosecuting providers, the federal government has had a significant impact on the health of thousands of people. It's time for the medical cannabis community to come together to urge our elected representatives to end these raids!
Take Action to Defend Safe Access: Call Speaker Nancy Pelosi & Your Congressional Representative
on Friday, January 19th to Demand an End to DEA Raids
A new Congress has recently been seated, and it is time for our California representatives to stand up for safe access and patients' rights! Our congressional representatives have the power to stop the raids on medical marijuana dispensaries and providers. This Friday, join thousands of patients, doctors and supporters and call on Speaker Nancy Pelosi and your local congressional representative to end these senseless raids and restore safe access to patients.
Script #1: Research Focus
Hello, my name is (Your NAME) and I live in (City, State). I am calling to speak with Representative ________ about this week's raids on 11 medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, California.
The DEA needs to stop raiding medical marijuana providers. Research shows that medical marijuana helps patients with AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Hepatitis C, and chronic pain. For every dispensary that the DEA raids and shuts down, hundreds of patients are denied access to the medical marijuana they rely on.
Safe access to medical marijuana improves the lives of countless patients nationwide. I urge Representative ________ to introduce legislation to stop DEA raids on medical marijuana providers.
Script #2: California Raid Focus
Hello, my name is (Your NAME) and I live in (City, State). I am calling to speak with Representative ________ about this week's raids on 11 medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, California.
The DEA needs to stop raiding medical marijuana providers. In California, the voters have spoken, the legislature has acted, the courts have affirmed, and local officials are regulating. The federal government has no business interfering with California's compassionate, community-based solutions for patient access.
Safe access to medical marijuana improves the lives of countless patients nationwide. I urge Representative ________ to introduce legislation to stop DEA raids on medical marijuana providers.
Numbers for Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
District Office: (415) 556-4862
Washington, D.C. Office: (202) 225-4965
How to Contact Your Congressional Representative*:
Member Name DC Phone
Representative **** Thompson (D - 01) 202-225-3311
Representative Wally Herger (R - 02) 202-225-3076
Representative Dan Lungren (R - 03) 202-225-5716
Representative John T. Doolittle (R - 04) 202-225-2511
Representative Doris Matsui (D - 05) 202-225-7163
Representative Lynn C. Woolsey (D - 06) 202-225-5161
Representative George Miller (D - 07) 202-225-2095
Representative Barbara Lee (D - 09) 202-225-2661
Representative Ellen O. Tauscher (D - 10) 202-225-1880
Representative Jerry McNerney (D - 11) 202-225-1947
Representative Tom Lantos (D - 12) 202-225-3531
Representative Fortney (Pete) Stark (D - 13) 202-225-5065
Representative Anna G. Eshoo (D - 14) 202-225-8104
Representative **** Honda (D - 15) 202-225-2631
Representative Zoe Lofgren (D - 16) 202-225-3072
Representative Sam Farr (D - 17) 202-225-2861
Representative Dennis Cardoza (D - 18) 202-225-6131
Representative George P. Radanovich (R - 19) 202-225-4540
Representative Jim Costa (D - 20) 202-225-3341
Representative Devin Nunes (R - 21) 202-225-2523
Representative Kevin McCarthy (R - 22) 202-225-2915
Representative Lois Capps (D - 23) 202-225-3601
Representative Elton Gallegly (R - 24) 202-225-5811
Representative Howard P. (Buck) McKeon (R - 25) 202-225-1956
Representative David Dreier (R - 26) 202-225-2305
Representative Brad Sherman (D - 27) 202-225-5911
Representative Howard L. Berman (D - 28) 202-225-4695
Representative **** Schiff (D - 29) 202-225-4176
Representative Henry A. Waxman (D - 30) 202-225-3976
Representative Xavier Becerra (D - 31) 202-225-6235
Representative Hilda A. Solis (D - 32) 202-225-5464
Representative Diane E. Watson (D - 33) 202-225-7084
Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D - 34) 202-225-1766
Representative Maxine Waters (D - 35) 202-225-2201
Representative Jane Harman (D - 36) 202-225-8220
Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald (D - 37) 202-225-7924
Representative Grace Napolitano (D - 38) 202-225-5256
Representative Linda T. Sanchez (D - 39) 202-225-6676
Representative Edward R. Royce (R - 40) 202-225-4111
Representative Jerry Lewis (R - 41) 202-225-5861
Representative Gary Miller (R - 42) 202-225-3201
Representative Joe Baca (D - 43) 202-225-6161
Representative Ken Calvert (R - 44) 202-225-1986
Representative Mary Whitaker Bono (R - 45) 202-225-5330
Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R - 46) 202-225-2415
Representative Loretta Sanchez (D - 47) 202-225-2965
Representative John Campbell (R - 48) 202-225-5611
Representative Darrell Issa (R - 49) 202-225-3906
Representative Brian Bilbray (R - 50) 202-225-5452
Representative Bob Filner (D - 51) 202-225-8045
Representative Duncan Hunter (R - 52) 202-225-5672
Representative Susan A. Davis (D - 53) 202-225-2040
*If you don't know who represents you, visit the House of Representatives website and type in your zip code to find your representative.
If you support this cause; please read up and call your representatives!
ZedRules
New Member
To war!!!! 420 is right...let's activate our voices, keyboards & pens and bombard our representatives with our anger over these DEA raids!!! We don't have to take this silently!!! If you or a friend/family member is a MMJ pt, you have a direct voice in this...my wife disagrees with my pot use, but she thinks this is stupid!!!peterdavis87
New Member
I love how the city takes a high and might stance saying medical marijuana clubs tried to "entice" children to smoke pot and talking about how badly the state has done keeping it regulated. They obviously haven't heard that kids these days are taking more PRESCRIPTION PIlls and sometimes dying from them then smoking marijuana. That seems a little weird. Also, kids of all ages see beer commercials and people smoking cigarettes on tv and nobody says anything about that. When will they stop viewing a plant and a medicine as a street drug meant to be kept under lock and key. Keep up the good fight. Help end ignorance. Legalize It. Dont criticize it.
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