July 12 – The federal government has filed property forfeiture suits aimed at closing Harborside, the foremost medical cannabis dispensary still operating in Northern California. In addition to its flagship Oakland location, Harborside operates a branch in San Jose. The landlords of both received forfeiture notices from the DOJ. DOJ has previously pretended that it was only targeting dispensaries that were out of compliance with state law or located within 1,000 feet of schools or playgrounds, but in this case no such excuse was offered.
“This raid belies the administration’s pretense to be targeting only dispensaries that are in violation of California law,” says Cal NORML Director Dale Gieringer. “Harborside is a city-licensed facility with a long record of supporting legal regulation and taxation of cannabis, and has been at the forefront of developing innovative products and services such as product testing.”
Medical cannabis supporters held a press conference at 9 AM this Thursday, Jul 12th, at Oakland City Hall, with statements by Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan. See video of press conference.
Supporters are invited to protest the administration’s crackdown when Obama visits the Fox Theater in Oakland on July 23rd, 3:30 PM. More details to follow.
“Obama’s crackdown on medical marijuana is costing thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenues while abetting criminal drug dealers,” says Gieringer,”If the administration is truly concerned about fixing the nation’s health care system, it needs to provide Americans legal access to medical cannabis.”