October 11 – In contrasting moves, the city of Oakland has sued the federal government to stop its forfeiture actions against city-regulated dispensaries, while Long Beach has joined the feds to arrest 40 dispensary workers and is threatening to arrest more.
Oakland sues feds over pot dispensary
Excerpt:
The city of Oakland took the unusual step Wednesday of filing a suit in an attempt to stop the federal government from seizing and closing down one of the largest medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.
Attorneys for Harborside Health Center said the suit against the federal government appears to be the first such action by a municipality on behalf of a marijuana dispensary. The city states that federal attempts to seize the property, which began in July, contradicted promises by officials with the Obama administration who have said that dispensaries complying with state laws would not be targeted by federal agencies.
40 Arrested, 7 Long Beach Pot Dispensaries Raided
(Excerpt):
The L.B.P.D. is strongly urging the remaining dispensaries to voluntarily cease their operations. Any dispensary that continues to operate will be targeted for closure and those operating the business will be arrested.
Today’s operation addressed the following locations:
745 E. 4th Street (dispensary site)
2130 Cowles Street (cultivation/dispensary site – red-tagged)
1581 W. Wardlow Road (cultivation/dispensary site – red-tagged)
1735 E. 7th Street (cultivation/dispensary site – red-tagged)
2508 E. 10th Street (dispensary site)
3748 Atlantic Avenue dispensary site)
5115 Atlantic Avenue (dispensary site)
(The article ends by asking for anonymous tips about dispensaries.)