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Medical Marijuana News Update
The Coalition
for Medical Marijuana includes:
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Protest Temporarily Stalls DEA Raid Of San Francisco Medical Cannabis DispensaryA raid by federal agents on a medical cannabis dispensary in San Francisco was temporarily halted by a protest organized by Americans for Safe Access. Unfortunately the victory was short-lived, as reported by KTVU-TV on Dec. 21, 2005 ( "DEA Returns And Raids SF Medical Marijuana Club"): "Drug Enforcement Administration agents raided a medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco this evening, just hours after protesters celebrated scaring the DEA agents away. The daylong protest involved nearly 100 demonstrators who gathered outside HopeNet, a medical marijuana co-op at 223 Ninth St., after DEA agents raided the home of the co-op's directors." According to KTVU, " After two and a half hours, the agents turned around and left, and the protesters thought they had won. "There was a jubilant outcry of victory," said Hilary McQuie with Americans for Safe Access, a national coalition that works to protect the rights of medical marijuana users. However, sometime between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., the DEA returned to Ninth Street and raided the facility, seizing a number of marijuana-based goods including brownies and butter, according to DEA spokeswoman Casey McEnry. Additionally, shortly before the Ninth Street raid, DEA agents raided a San Francisco warehouse and seized about 500 marijuana plants, McEnry said." Other materials were seized in the raids, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle ) "Feds Raid Home, Growing Facility Of Pot Club Pair"): "In addition to marijuana plants, agents confiscated growing equipment, bulbs, utility bills, tax documents, financial records and photographs from the Smiths' home, the couple said. Steve Smith said he suspected the agents had taken some patient records as well. 'They beat on the door. They took me outside in my underwear and cuffed me and then searched the house,' he said. The Hope Net club has been open for about a year and distributes marijuana to about 100 patients for free in addition to its paying clients, Catherine Smith said. Several medical marijuana proponents said the club had a reputation for distributing only to deserving patients and not causing problems in the neighborhood. 'This is a good one,' said Wayne Justmann, a longtime activist." The Chronicle noted that "The raid was the first in the city since June, when federal agents seized marijuana and other items from two cannabis clubs on Ocean Avenue in the Ingleside district and a third on Judah Street in the Inner Sunset District. Nineteen people were accused of drug trafficking and money laundering. Those raids were the first in the Bay Area since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this summer that the federal government had the authority to prosecute people whose activities are legal under state law. The growing and use of medical marijuana were legalized by state voters in 1996, but are still prohibited under federal law. San Francisco will put in place regulations for the city's 34 medical marijuana clubs starting Dec. 30. The new rules give the Planning Department the right to hold public hearings on the location of all clubs. Patients will be allowed to buy a maximum of one ounce of marijuana per visit to a club."
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