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Picketers gathered outside downtown Napa's Criminal Courthouse Monday morning with signs that read: "Honk 4 Cannabis," "Racism alive + well in Napa" and "Stop raiding legal grows."
They were upset that Hakeem Mwata Brown, owner of Life Enhancement Services, a medical cannabis dispensary in Vallejo, is on trial for alleged possession of marijuana for sale and marijuana cultivation.
They said they plan on being outside the courthouse for as long as the trial lasts.
The Napa Special Investigations Bureau executed a search warrant on the 1200 block of Rimrock Drive in rural Napa County on Aug. 13, 2013, where a large marijuana grow was found.
Brown, who was on the property, claimed that the grow was part of a collective, investigators said.
According to the report filed by NSIB, evidence at the grow scene near Lake Berryessa and at Brown's house in Oakland indicated otherwise.
Brown was arrested on Nov. 13, 2013, at his home in Vallejo on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and cultivating marijuana, according to court documents.
Brown's jury trial began Monday. He is out on bail and his dispensary is still operating.
Lani Cleveland, president of the Vallejo Patient's Coalition, said that it is her duty to come out and support Brown. "Our dispensary owners take a lot of huge chances for us every single day just opening up, cultivating for us. Because they take those chances, it's up to us to come out here and support them when things like this happen."
"What they're doing to Hakeem is outrageous. It's insane," Cleveland said.
"As a patient, it's my duty to come out here and support our caregivers, and Hakeem is the best of the best," said Leslie Wetsch, secretary of the Vallejo Patient's Coalition. "He really cares."
"He's a good man who is meticulous about following the law. He has a kid and he's a very involved father," she said. "He doesn't want to do anything that would jeopardize his freedom — he's got a family."
Wetsch said that if Brown loses the trial, the only option will be for him to close his dispensary, which serves hundreds of patients.
His trial continues this week.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Supporters Picket Outside Napa Courthouse
Author: Maria Sestito
Contact: Napa Valley Register
Photo Credit: J.L. Sousa
Website: Napa Valley Register
They were upset that Hakeem Mwata Brown, owner of Life Enhancement Services, a medical cannabis dispensary in Vallejo, is on trial for alleged possession of marijuana for sale and marijuana cultivation.
They said they plan on being outside the courthouse for as long as the trial lasts.
The Napa Special Investigations Bureau executed a search warrant on the 1200 block of Rimrock Drive in rural Napa County on Aug. 13, 2013, where a large marijuana grow was found.
Brown, who was on the property, claimed that the grow was part of a collective, investigators said.
According to the report filed by NSIB, evidence at the grow scene near Lake Berryessa and at Brown's house in Oakland indicated otherwise.
Brown was arrested on Nov. 13, 2013, at his home in Vallejo on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and cultivating marijuana, according to court documents.
Brown's jury trial began Monday. He is out on bail and his dispensary is still operating.
Lani Cleveland, president of the Vallejo Patient's Coalition, said that it is her duty to come out and support Brown. "Our dispensary owners take a lot of huge chances for us every single day just opening up, cultivating for us. Because they take those chances, it's up to us to come out here and support them when things like this happen."
"What they're doing to Hakeem is outrageous. It's insane," Cleveland said.
"As a patient, it's my duty to come out here and support our caregivers, and Hakeem is the best of the best," said Leslie Wetsch, secretary of the Vallejo Patient's Coalition. "He really cares."
"He's a good man who is meticulous about following the law. He has a kid and he's a very involved father," she said. "He doesn't want to do anything that would jeopardize his freedom — he's got a family."
Wetsch said that if Brown loses the trial, the only option will be for him to close his dispensary, which serves hundreds of patients.
His trial continues this week.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Supporters Picket Outside Napa Courthouse
Author: Maria Sestito
Contact: Napa Valley Register
Photo Credit: J.L. Sousa
Website: Napa Valley Register
