Local Lawmakers Urge Feds to Lay Off Pot Clubs

Two Bay Area legislators are calling for an immediate halt to the federal crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries in California, saying the effort is harming patients, misusing taxpayer dollars and contrary to what California voters want.

According to a release from Sen. Mark Leno's office, Leno and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, both Democrats from San Francisco, joined medical marijuana patients, dispensary operators and advocates Wednesday in their criticism of federal plans for sweeping criminal prosecutions against pot dispensaries, threatening landlords with eviction, property seizures and imprisonment.

“I urge the federal government to stand down in its massive attack on medical marijuana dispensaries, which will have devastating impacts for the state of California,” said Leno, who represents the Twin Cities in the state Legislature. “At a time when resources are precious and few, federal officials have chosen to waste time and money in an ambush that will harm countless patients who will no longer be able to safely access doctor-recommended treatments.

“Our federal dollars, especially during a down economy, would be better spent on activities and programs that save jobs and help people in need. Instead, this ill-timed and ill-conceived offensive would have detrimental impacts on our state’s economy by forcing more Californians into unemployment.”

Ammiano said national polls show support for marijuana at an all-time high and that the crackdown “defies common sense that the Department of Justice would return to the failed policies of the past."

Instead of supporting state efforts to effectively regulate medical marijuana in accordance with Proposition 215, the Obama administration seems committed to re-criminalizing it, Ammiano said.

“This destructive attack on medical marijuana patients is a waste of limited law enforcement resources and will cost the state millions in tax revenue and harm countless lives,” he said. “I urge President Obama to reconsider this bad policy decision and respect California’s right to provide medicine to its residents.”

Patients, dispensary operators and medical marijuana advocates, including representatives from Americans for Safe Access and California NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), joined Leno and Ammiano at a press conference urging the U.S. government to end its crackdown on dispensaries.

The Corte Madera Town Council is expected to consider extending its moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries at its Nov. 2 meeting. Marin Holistic Solution at the Tamal Plaza office park is the only dispensary currently operating within town limits, but there have been complaints about its proximity to Redwood High School.