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Three medical marijuana shops in the Wenatchee area have closed after federal prosecutors threatened to seize the properties and to fine or prosecute the landlords.
Medical marijuana store operator Eric Cooper says the letters last week from Eastern Washington U.S. Attorney Michael Ormsby prompted three existing dispensaries to close immediately.
He says the fourth shop in the area is staying open a little longer but also intends to close.
"We all probably got spooked a little easier than we should have," said Cooper, who has operated a medical marijuana dispensary called Apple Capital Holistic Care, 118 N. Chelan Ave., since May. But the operators did not want to face criminal records, Cooper said.
Joe Harrington, First Assistant U.S. Attorney in Spokane, said the letters were sent to four dispensaries in Wenatchee. He declined to say why dispensaries in Wenatchee were chosen, or whether growing operations in other cities would be targeted in the future.
Despite state laws allowing limited distribution of medical marijuana, the dispensaries violate federal law.
"The trafficking in controlled substances is in violation of federal law, as is knowingly maintaining a premises where drugs are being distributed," Harrington said.
He said the letter was not technically a "cease and desist" order. "The U.S. Attorney's Office suggested that within the next 30 days, the landlords take appropriate steps" to make sure their properties were not being used for illegal purposes, he said.
Harrington said the U.S. Attorney's Office sent similar letters to some dispensaries in the Spokane area over a year ago. He said some search warrants were executed after those letters were sent. "I don't think anybody was arrested, but I think people were prosecuted" he said. He said he did not think any landlords in the Spokane area were prosecuted, nor was their land seized.
Cooper said he decided to close his shop immediately after his landlord received the letter.
"I would not put my landlord in that type of position," Cooper said. The letter gave landlords 30 days to evict the dispensaries.
"We ran a really nice, clean professional operation in a nice location here in Wenatchee," Cooper said. "We were doing everything by the book.
"I don't feel good," he said, adding the closing of his shop put seven people out of work.
Washington is among 16 states and the District of Columbia that have laws allowing the medical use of marijuana, and that has led to the opening of dispensaries in cities across the state. But federal law holds that marijuana use is illegal, and federal law enforcement officials have moved to shut down many of the dispensaries.
An initiative to legalize and tax marijuana in Washington state is on the November ballot.
Initiative 502 would legalize possession and sale of up to 1 ounce of marijuana. It also would impose a steep excise tax on marijuana and cannabis-infused products at new state-licensed marijuana stores, and would allow state-regulated grow farms.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: wenatcheeworld.com
Author: Nicholas Geranios
Contact: Contact Us | The Wenatchee World
Website: Wenatchee-area marijuana shops close due to letter | The Wenatchee World
Medical marijuana store operator Eric Cooper says the letters last week from Eastern Washington U.S. Attorney Michael Ormsby prompted three existing dispensaries to close immediately.
He says the fourth shop in the area is staying open a little longer but also intends to close.
"We all probably got spooked a little easier than we should have," said Cooper, who has operated a medical marijuana dispensary called Apple Capital Holistic Care, 118 N. Chelan Ave., since May. But the operators did not want to face criminal records, Cooper said.
Joe Harrington, First Assistant U.S. Attorney in Spokane, said the letters were sent to four dispensaries in Wenatchee. He declined to say why dispensaries in Wenatchee were chosen, or whether growing operations in other cities would be targeted in the future.
Despite state laws allowing limited distribution of medical marijuana, the dispensaries violate federal law.
"The trafficking in controlled substances is in violation of federal law, as is knowingly maintaining a premises where drugs are being distributed," Harrington said.
He said the letter was not technically a "cease and desist" order. "The U.S. Attorney's Office suggested that within the next 30 days, the landlords take appropriate steps" to make sure their properties were not being used for illegal purposes, he said.
Harrington said the U.S. Attorney's Office sent similar letters to some dispensaries in the Spokane area over a year ago. He said some search warrants were executed after those letters were sent. "I don't think anybody was arrested, but I think people were prosecuted" he said. He said he did not think any landlords in the Spokane area were prosecuted, nor was their land seized.
Cooper said he decided to close his shop immediately after his landlord received the letter.
"I would not put my landlord in that type of position," Cooper said. The letter gave landlords 30 days to evict the dispensaries.
"We ran a really nice, clean professional operation in a nice location here in Wenatchee," Cooper said. "We were doing everything by the book.
"I don't feel good," he said, adding the closing of his shop put seven people out of work.
Washington is among 16 states and the District of Columbia that have laws allowing the medical use of marijuana, and that has led to the opening of dispensaries in cities across the state. But federal law holds that marijuana use is illegal, and federal law enforcement officials have moved to shut down many of the dispensaries.
An initiative to legalize and tax marijuana in Washington state is on the November ballot.
Initiative 502 would legalize possession and sale of up to 1 ounce of marijuana. It also would impose a steep excise tax on marijuana and cannabis-infused products at new state-licensed marijuana stores, and would allow state-regulated grow farms.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: wenatcheeworld.com
Author: Nicholas Geranios
Contact: Contact Us | The Wenatchee World
Website: Wenatchee-area marijuana shops close due to letter | The Wenatchee World
