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Calif's 3rd-largest city new medi-pot battleground
By MARCUS WOHLSEN
The Associated PressSaturday, December 18, 2010; 3:21 PM
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- As marijuana goes mainstream in communities across California, the state's third-largest city has become the next big battleground over the drug's future.
Medical marijuana retailers this fall have faced raids and stings by narcotics agents who accuse them of old-fashioned drug trafficking, even as the San Jose City Council debated regulations for pot dispensaries and voters approved a cannabis tax to fill depleted city coffers.
The crackdown highlights a stubborn legal reality that persists despite a growing sense that storefront pot shops have become a permanent part of the California landscape: the law around medical marijuana is vague, and you can still get busted.
"They're trying to make money off it, and that's ridiculous," Bob Cooke, the state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement agent overseeing the raids, said of the dispensary owners who have been targeted.
Medical marijuana advocates say the raids have undermined efforts by dispensaries to comply with the law and to act as good neighbors who have much to contribute to the city's hard hit economy.
Dispensaries shut down by law enforcement include members of the city's Medical Cannabis Collectives Coalition, a group that lobbies the City Council on behalf of dispensaries, said MC3 spokesman Paul Stewart. Dispensary owners in the group were acting in good faith and feel tricked by the raids, he said.
"We're stepping back saying, we're the ones trying to work with you to come up with sensible regulations," Stewart said. "Now you're hitting the same collectives trying to help you and will ultimately generate revenue for you?"
The crackdown highlights a stubborn legal reality that persists despite a growing sense that storefront pot shops have become a permanent part of the California landscape: the law around medical marijuana is vague, and you can still get busted.
"They're trying to make money off it, and that's ridiculous," Bob Cooke, the state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement agent overseeing the raids, said of the dispensary owners who have been targeted.
Medical marijuana advocates say the raids have undermined efforts by dispensaries to comply with the law and to act as good neighbors who have much to contribute to the city's hard hit economy.
Dispensaries shut down by law enforcement include members of the city's Medical Cannabis Collectives Coalition, a group that lobbies the City Council on behalf of dispensaries, said MC3 spokesman Paul Stewart. Dispensary owners in the group were acting in good faith and feel tricked by the raids, he said.
"We're stepping back saying, we're the ones trying to work with you to come up with sensible regulations," Stewart said. "Now you're hitting the same collectives trying to help you and will ultimately generate revenue for you?"
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