on September 25, 2012
Federal officials took their war on medical marijuana dispensaries to Los Angeles on Tuesday, raiding several shops and issuing warning letters to dozens more.
Officials at the U.S. attorney's office said it was the first large-scale federal action taken against cannabis shops in the city and said more would probably follow.
“We couldn’t do all of L.A. at once,” said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the office. “There’s just too many stores.”
The crackdown adds a dramatic new element to the already tense fight over the fate of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. And it underscores the stern stance of the federal government that the sale and distribution of cannabis is illegal, no matter what cities do to try to regulate the industry.
Over the last year, federal authorities have targeted pot businesses across California, including a high-profile raid at a marijuana trade school in Oakland, where proceeds on medical marijuana are taxed.
The Southern California effort began last October in Orange County and has since moved east into the Inland Empire and north into Los Angeles County. “Now we have arrived at the city of Los Angeles,” Mrozek said.
On Tuesday, prosecutors went to court to file civil asset forfeiture complaints against the owners of three Eagle Rock properties for allowing three commercial marijuana stores to operate: “Together for Change Collective,” “House of Kush,” and “ER Collective.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration also executed federal search warrants at three other locations in downtown, Boyle Heights and Silver Lake.
Mrozek said authorities have mailed out warning letters to the property owners and operators of 67 other Los Angeles marijuana dispensaries, mostly in Eagle Rock and downtown, giving them two weeks to comply with federal law. Another marijuana business, believed to be the only one in Huntington Park, was also told to shut down.
Read more on LA TIMES - http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/09/feds-take-marijuana-dispensary-crackdown-to-la.html#more
Officials at the U.S. attorney's office said it was the first large-scale federal action taken against cannabis shops in the city and said more would probably follow.
“We couldn’t do all of L.A. at once,” said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the office. “There’s just too many stores.”
The crackdown adds a dramatic new element to the already tense fight over the fate of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. And it underscores the stern stance of the federal government that the sale and distribution of cannabis is illegal, no matter what cities do to try to regulate the industry.
Over the last year, federal authorities have targeted pot businesses across California, including a high-profile raid at a marijuana trade school in Oakland, where proceeds on medical marijuana are taxed.
The Southern California effort began last October in Orange County and has since moved east into the Inland Empire and north into Los Angeles County. “Now we have arrived at the city of Los Angeles,” Mrozek said.
On Tuesday, prosecutors went to court to file civil asset forfeiture complaints against the owners of three Eagle Rock properties for allowing three commercial marijuana stores to operate: “Together for Change Collective,” “House of Kush,” and “ER Collective.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration also executed federal search warrants at three other locations in downtown, Boyle Heights and Silver Lake.
Mrozek said authorities have mailed out warning letters to the property owners and operators of 67 other Los Angeles marijuana dispensaries, mostly in Eagle Rock and downtown, giving them two weeks to comply with federal law. Another marijuana business, believed to be the only one in Huntington Park, was also told to shut down.
Read more on LA TIMES - http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/09/feds-take-marijuana-dispensary-crackdown-to-la.html#more
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they musta ran out of the crack and gangs problem in LA so they're concentrating on weed now. Crenshaw and MLK area must be a big tourist attraction now so they wanna keep all the pot stores out of there so that the tourists can only see the Rollin 60's crips sell crack on the corner.
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September 26, 2012
wrong, wrong, just plain wrong. now in colorado they're worried that if it is legalized it will bring more heat from the feds and the dispensaries are worried that they'll have to many customers at first. can't we get past this?
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October 2, 2012
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