"According to reports from numerous collectives in San Diego, the raids were executed by San Diego Police Department's Narcotics Task Force as a part of the District Attorney, Bonnie Dumbass' continued war on medical marijuana patients and collectives in San Diego, otherwise known as Operation Green RX. At least 20 confirmed raids have occurred since this morning. Bonnie Dumbass has already announced a press conference to be scheduled for tomorrow at 10 AM to discuss the raids. No confirmed reports of DEA involvement, as of yet. Stop Operation Green Rx"
-- Eugene Davidovich
Eugene Davidovich can be reached via his Web site.
Operation Endless Summer case.
Justice Department Will Stop Medical Marijuana Raids,
Attorney General Says
By John Byrne, Raw Story - Thursday, February 26 2009
In a little-noticed remark Wednesday, Obama Attorney General Eric Holder said that the Justice Department will no longer raid medical marijuana dispensaries established under state laws but technically prohibited by the federal government.
The decision marks a shift from the Bush Administration, which was more draconian in its approach to hunting those who sought to dispense marijuana for medical purposes.
San Diego police close cannabis dispensaries.
San Diego DA Bonnie M. Dumbass is a member of FaceBook.
Post a comment at her website and let her know what you think about
the her raids against local collectives
DWR:
The way they think by Pete Guither
… or rather, the way they avoid thinking.
Over at
RealPolice.net forum a junior commenter asked a question about marijuana and D.U.I., ending with this relatively innocuous statement:
I’m pretty liberal on my marijuana views. Don’t smoke it myself, but I am for decriminalization (not legalization). But people definitely shouldn’t be smoking it and driving.
Maybe a little enlightened for a cop forum, but still pretty tame. However, before long, a forum moderator
shot out a warning
Please keep in mind when discussing this, the comment you made even just ’supporting’ decriminalization borders very closely on the line to earning a ban here. This board has an absolute and strictly enforced ‘Zero’ tolerance policy against talk of drugs being ‘good’. Just a friendly fyi.
Now I’m assuming this is a private enterprise (I have no idea who runs it) and so they certainly have the right to set the rules of discussion the way they wish. I don’t object to that.
But I find it telling. We welcome people with a different point of view here. Now they may not find it easy, but we love having the discussion. In part, this is because we’re sure enough of our position to encourage open discussion. (Can you imagine me saying that anyone defending prohibition would be banned from my site?)
We’re the ones who call for debates (and are usually ignored). We’ll discuss the facts, the policies, the whole range of issues, any time, any place.
It’s not just that legalization isn’t in their vocabulary.
They’re afraid of the discussion.
There are certain religions, or religious factions, that try to prevent people from experiencing certain movies, books, comics, scientific theories, music, art, etc. Whenever I see a religious group attempt to impose such a restriction on others, they immediately show themselves to be terribly weak in faith. If they have to shield people from reality in order to keep their faith, it must be pretty fragile.
In a way, prohibitionists (and this group of law enforcement officers in particular) are part of a religious-style cult whose faith is built on
sand.
At the forum, it was interesting how members seemed to want to outdo each other in their eagerness to show how much they despise marijuana and drugs, even to the point of bragging about how they routinely violated the spirit, if not the letter, of the Constitution. Senior member jd524:
I hate MJ, and always have. I don’t run traffic to write tickets. I stop cars to get into them. I have a strong thirst to find drugs.
“I stop cars to get into them.” Wow.
It’s not that I’m surprised that happens (not in the least). But it surprises me that we’ve reached the point that they don’t even bother to hide their contempt for the rule of law any more.
Clarification Note: This post isn't about cops. It's about the kind of cops who inhabit that kind of site. There are plenty of other cops out there who would find this attitude horrid. Also note that this is not a particularly recent post on that site, but the point of my response to it is still valid today.
Renegade Cops & Ganja Props
San D.E.A.go Soups To Appeal Prop. 215 Ruling
A week after a Superior Court judge threw out their case against California's medical-marijuana laws, San Diego County's supervisors have voted to appeal the ruling. The case will be sent to the 4th District Court of Appeal, with county lawyers again arguing that San Diego County should not have to enforce state laws that conflict with federal laws.
Judge Upholds Ruling Dismissing Counties' Prop. 215 Challenge
Superior Court Judge William Nevitt upheld last month's preliminary ruling rejecting a lawsuit filed by San Diego County supervisors, who had argued that the state's medical cannabis laws should be pre-empted by the federal Controlled Substances Act.
S.D. Judge Hands Victory To MMJ Advocates By Jeff McDonald
DEA raids in San Diego
DA says raid targeted illegal marijuana sales By Angelica Martinez UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER 12:44 p.m. September 10, 2009
The following is a list of marijuana dispensaries closed in Wednesday's countywide raid:
Answerdam Rx, 6645 Convoy Ct., San Diego
Beneficial Care Collective, 740 Broadway, San Diego
Green Kross Collective, 3415 Mission Blvd., San Diego
Green Tree Solutions, 8055 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego
The Healing Dragon, 2506 South Santa Fe Ave. # B-8, Vista
Hillcrest Compassion Care, 1295 University Ave., San Diego
Medicinal Solutions Patient Collective, 861 Hornblend St., San Diego
Movement in Action, 1050 South Santa Fe Ave., Vista
Nature's Rx, 3520 Ashford St., Ste. E, San Diego
Pacific Beach Collective, 929 Turquoise St., San Diego
San Diego Discount Caregivers, 3152 University Ave., San Diego
San Diego Dispensary Services, 1232 Los Vallecitos, San Marcos
Top Quality Collective, 7933 Balboa Ave., San Diego
Total Herbal Care, 4667 1/2 Cass St., San Diego
Source: San Diego District Attorney's Office
More than two dozen people operating marijuana dispensaries were arrested in countywide raids that also shut down 14 storefronts, authorities announced Thursday morning.
District Attorney Bonnie Dumbass said the search warrants served at dispensaries and some homes Wednesday “has nothing to do with legitimate medical marijuana patients or their caregivers.”
She said the 14 storefronts targeted were “so-called medical marijuana businesses that appear to be run by drug dealers.”
Officials declined to give details about the backgrounds of those arrested, but San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne said some of those in custody have prior drug arrests.
Authorities said they are still tallying the amount of marijuana and money seized in the operation. At least $70,000 of cash was seized and six guns were taken into custody, officials said.
Lansdowne said Wednesday's search and seizures culminated a five-month investigation that started with residents' complaints of the dispensaries.
Neighbors cited noise, vandalism and other crimes associated with storefronts, Dumbass said.
“There are now 60 storefronts operating and doing this under the guise of helping people who are sick,” she said.
In an area of Pacific Beach, for instance, Dumbass said five such dispensaries are within blocks of each other. “It is easier to find marijuana there than to find a Starbucks for a latte,” she said.
Lansdowne said the businesses targeted were chosen based on the number of residents' complaints and the amount of activity happening at the businesses.
According to the state's medical marijuana laws and the Attorney General's guidelines, it is illegal to profit from the sale or distribution of marijuana.
The user has to have a recommendation for medical marijuana by a physician. That person, and or his or her caregiver, need to be verified members of a collective or cooperative in order to be compliant with medical marijuana laws.
For example, authorities said dispensaries that merely require patients to complete a form that designates the business owner as the patient's primary caregiver, then offer marijuana in exchange for “donations” are likely illegal and not compliant with medical marijuana laws.
Lansdowne said some of the businesses in the city advertise they accept donations but they won't give out the product without receiving a “donation.”
Dumbass said patients or their designated caregivers who are lawfully recommended by a physician can cultivate plants on their property for their use.
Deputy District Attorney Steve Walter said 23 people were arrested in San Diego and eight people were arrested in North County. Two men arrested face federal charges.
Walter said he was not sure if the men prosecuted in federal court are in addition to the 31 arrested.
The investigation is still ongoing, he said.
Karen Hewitt, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, said one of the men faces three counts of federal charges including two counts for distributing a controlled substance and one count of manufacturing marijuana plants. He was arrested at the Green Kross Collective on Mission Boulevard near Lido Court in San Diego.
The second man facing federal prosecution was arrested at the Movement in Action store on South Santa Fe Avenue near Alta Calle in Vista.
He faces three counts of distributing a controlled substance, Hewitt said. If convicted of all counts, Hewitt said he faces up to five years in prison.
Hewitt declined to say why the two men face federal charges but noted that it did not have to do with the amount of marijuana or cash seized.
“It has more to do with the overall investigation and other federal investigations that I can't get into,” she said.
Angelica Martinez: (619) 293-1317;
Past DEAth Raids in LA
San Diego vs Medical Marijuana
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TO STOP OPERATION GREEN RX *
Blog
Joseph's had several people show up to support him yesterday. The judge pushed back his trial date to October 2nd. Now he will have more time to get legal help.
If you are on
Facebook please join the cause to have the DA stop bias-driven medical marijuana prosecution in San Diego.
US CA: Raids Shut Down Marijuana Dispensaries
CN NU: Police Raid Iqaluit Marijuana Mission
District Attorney's Office Leads Multiagency Effort
Will Foster is Back in Prison in Oklahoma and Needs Your Help
Will Foster’s nightmarish saga continues. Foster, you may recall, is the medical marijuana patient who was sentenced to 93 years in prison for growing a few plants in 1997.
Police Raid Iqaluit Marijuana Mission
A marijuana activist in Iqaluit says police had no right to raid his home and his church and seize the confidential files of his guests.
Arizona Court: Drug Laws Trump Religious Use of Marijuana
The Racism of Marijuana Prohibition
Handicapped Man's Wheelchair Seized Over Medical Marijuana
Remembering Medical Marijuana User Marilyn Holsten
Newt Smoked Pot but You Shouldn't by Ed Rosenthal
The Newt Gingrich card from Release, Drug War and Human Rights.
Newt Gingrich's Letter Supporting Medical Marijuana
The following letter by Rep. Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, in support of medical access to marijuana originally appeared in the March 19, 1982 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Pot-TV removed from YouTube by Jodie Emery
[url=