Medical Marijuana in the News: Week of 10/6

· FEDERAL: Raids in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Palm Springs,
Modesto
· CALIFORNIA: Dispensary Regulations Continue

FEDERAL: Raids in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Modesto
Medical cannabis dispensing collectives in four California cities have been
raided in little more than a week. Why federal resources are being spent
undermining the state’s regulation of the drug is unclear. DEA spokespersons
claim sympathy for patients, but the raids come in the same month as new
research on people fighting hepatitis C virus that shows those using
cannabis are three times more likely to get better. Why stopping those
patients from getting the medicine that will help save them is a priority
for the federal government is also unclear.



SAN FRANCISCO

The Board of Supervisors declared the City of San Francisco a sanctuary for
medical marijuana patients some years ago. Yet federal agents this week
flouted the will of the city’s leaders and the laws of the state.



Feds raid Mission pot club
by Liz Highleyman, Bay Area Reporter
In the latest federal government action against medical marijuana providers,
Drug Enforcement Administration agents raided the New Remedies cannabis
dispensary on Mission Street and several associated facilities on Tuesday,
October 3. "It's unfortunate that the government continues to ignore
scientific findings and waste taxpayer dollars persecuting the sick and
those who help them," said William Dolphin of the Oakland-based medical
cannabis advocacy group Americans for Safe Access.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3748

DEA raids pot collective's sites, arrests 15
by Josh Richman, ANG Newspapers
Federal agents raided several Bay Area sites and arrested 15 people Tuesday
morning to shut down what supporters called a medical marijuana cooperative
but what federal officials said was a drug-dealing operation. "There's a
major California push from the federal government going on right now, it
would seem," said Americans for Safe Access spokesman William Dolphin,
noting DEA raids last week in Modesto and Granada Hills.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3749

Drug agents arrest 15 in raids on major marijuana club
by Demian Bulwa, Jaxon Van Derbeken, San Francisco Chronicle
Federal agents went after a major Bay Area marijuana club Tuesday, raiding
eight locations in San Francisco and Oakland, arresting 15 people including
the group's leader and seizing nearly 13,000 plants.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3739



Feds Raid Eight Medical Marijuana Locations


by Bay City News, CBS 5 TV
Federal authorities raided eight different Bay Area locations today
associated with growing, prescribing and dispensing medical marijuana,
according to the U.S. attorney's office.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3733



Federal agents raid S.F. pot dispensary
by Adam Martin and Sajid Farooq, The San Francisco Examiner
Federal drug agents raided a marijuana dispensary, grow sites and associated
businesses in San Francisco and Oakland on Tuesday, arresting 15 people and
seizing marijuana, property and cash.

http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3743



Feds Raid Medical Cannabis Dispensary in SF
KCBS TV
Federal police and drug enforcement agents raided a medical cannabis
dispensary in San Francisco's Mission District Tuesday.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3744



PALM SPRINGS

Riverside County officials took action to block dispensaries, and the DEA
promptly raided an are dispensary.



DEA, police serve search warrant at local marijuana dispensary
by K Kaufmann and Marie McCain, The Desert Sun
A medical marijuana-laced “tip” left for an employee at Palm Springs’ Spa
Resort & Casino in September ended with a search- and-seizure raid on a Palm
Springs medical marijuana dispensary on Wednesday.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3751



LOS ANGELES

On the day of statewide protests against the dispensary raid in Modesto,
federal agents hit another in the LA area.



Feds Raid Another Medical Marijuana Clinic
As supporters of medical marijuana planned a downtown demonstration for noon
Friday, Federal drug enforcement agents raided a medical marijuana clinic
and arrested three people in North Hills on Thursday afternoon.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3740



MODESTO

The Modesto dispensary raid of last week had a follow up this week.



Feds Raid Home Linked To Modesto Medical Marijuana Seizure
Associated Press
Local and federal drug agents seized 1,100 more plants linked to a medical
marijuana shop accused of illegally selling drugs to agents with fake
identifications and bogus prescriptions.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3737



OPED



Medical Marijuana and the Ninth and Tenth Amendments
by Anthony Gregory, LewRockwell.com
On Tuesday, Drug Enforcement Administration agents swooped down upon the
premier medical marijuana club in California’s Bay Area, targeting its
dispensary and seven ancillary locations in San Francisco and Oakland. By
destroying and confiscating property, seizing medical records, pummeling ATM
machines with sledge hammers and jailing fifteen people, the federal agency
hopes to teach a lesson, not just to medicinal pot users but to all
Americans – this area, as all areas in the country, belongs to the federal
government.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3750

______________________________________

CALIFORNIA: Dispensary Regulations Continue
Regulatory ordinances for dispensaries work for local communities, according
to ASA’s recent research on the experience of communities in California that
have adopted them. LA is moving toward implementing rules. Riverside’s
planning department had recommended that they establish regulations, but
supervisors there balked.



Los Angeles

Where there's marijuana, there's fire
by Kerry Cavanaugh, Los Angeles Daily News
Concerned about the soaring number of storefronts offering medical marijuana
and the increase in neighbors' complaints, City Councilman Dennis Zine has
called for a moratorium on new clinics until the city adopts rules governing
the operations. "This is not the kind of thing that should be hidden or be
done in the shadows," said William Dolphin, spokesman for Americans for Safe
Access. "I know that Los Angeles has been serious about considering the
needs of patients. Councilman Zine understands it is the most seriously
injured who need dispensaries."
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3746

Riverside County

Riverside County votes against medical marijuana ordinance
by K. Kaufmann, The Desert Sun
The Riverside County supervisors today took strong steps toward limiting
medical marijuana dispensaries, collectives and use in the county.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3738

Medical Marijuana Outlets Banned In Some Areas
CBS 2 News
A week after rejecting a proposal to allow medical marijuana dispensaries
and cooperatives in some unincorporated areas, the Riverside County Board of
Supervisors banned them entirely Tuesday.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3732



Medical marijuana only available in incorporated Riverside County
News Channel 3
You may no longer be able to buy medical marijuana in some areas of
Riverside County. That comes after a 4 to 1 vote by Riverside County
supervisors today. This means only people in incorporated areas of Riverside
County will be allowed to buy medical marijuana.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3736



Medical Marijuana Supporters Slam Riverside Supervisors
NBC-4 TV
Medical marijuana supporters are slamming Riverside County supervisors for
their decision Tuesday to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in
unincorporated parts of the county.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3735



DA says he won't go after the sick
by Kimberly Trone, Press-Enterprise
Riverside County's district attorney won't prosecute sick people who use
marijuana in accordance with state law, despite his recent report urging a
ban on marijuana dispensaries and condemning its use as a federal crime.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3742


___________________________________________________________
FOR MORE MEDICAL MARIJUANA NEWS
Previous News Summaries are archived. The complete text of all these
articles and more is available by clicking the links on the article
headline. You can also see the latest news for the week by selecting "News
Articles" under the Press Room menu at http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org.

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national member-based
organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned
citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic uses
and research. ASA works in partnership with state, local and national
legislators to overcome barriers and create policies that improve access to
cannabis for patients and researchers. We have more than 30,000 active
members with chapters and affiliates in more than 40 states.