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Medical Marijuana News Update
The Coalition
for Medical Marijuana includes:
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Feds, County Police Raid Several Dispensaries In San Diego; At Least 15 Reported ArrestedLaw enforcement agents raided several medical marijuana dispensaries in the San Diego area on Thursday, July 6, 2006. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on July 7, 2006 ("15 Held In Raids On Pot Stores") that "Drug agents showed up at dispensaries in La Jolla, Ocean Beach, North Park and elsewhere across the city, detaining patients, running warrant checks on employees and arresting previously identified dispensary owners. Of the 15 people arrested, six face federal charges related to a grand jury indictment handed down late Wednesday, and 10 were charged by county prosecutors. One suspect, John Sullivan, 38, of San Diego, faces both federal and state charges." According to the Union-Tribune, "Prosecutors took the unusual step of filing official complaints with the California Medical Board against four physicians who they said sell an inordinate number of recommendations for medical marijuana. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that doctors cannot be targeted for recommending that their patients use marijuana. The raids followed a December sweep by the same joint-agency narcotics task force. In that sweep, agents confiscated equipment and thousands of patient records but made no arrests. Investigators said much of the information seized then helped form the case that unfolded with Wednesday's grand jury indictments and yesterday's raids. District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said her office decided not to target legitimate medical marijuana patients, who are protected under state law but remain vulnerable to prosecution under federal drug statutes. Rather, she said, her office was singling out dispensaries that indiscriminately sell marijuana to anyone who can produce a physician's recommendation. 'We support (medical marijuana) wholeheartedly, but Proposition 215 is being severely abused,' Dumanis said. 'It's just really gotten out of hand. . . . Those of us in law enforcement have tolerated it for too long.'" The Union-Tribune noted that "Only one of the suspects arrested by federal agents – Sullivan – actually ran dispensaries. The other five men were accused of one count each of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to manufacture marijuana. They were Wayne Hudson, 42; Christopher Larkin, 34; Ross McManus, 39; and Michael Ragin, 34, all of San Diego; and Scott Wright, 40, of La Mesa. If convicted, they could face up to 40 years in prison. County prosecutors charged Sullivan and nine others: Ahmad Abdul-Jaiil, 21; Anthony Armine, 33; Aaron Ballenger, 21; William Burd, 29; Stephen Harding, 37; Christopher Jessie, 22; Jason Kaufmann, 30; Raphael Mijares, 35; and Daniel Stansfield, 30, all of San Diego. Those defendants face charges of selling marijuana and possession for sale, with penalties ranging up to four years in state prison."
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