MEDICAL MARIJUANA: Judge Won’t Close San Francisco Club
Superior Court Judge William Cahill turned down requests to close down the Cannabis Healing Center in San Francisco yesterday, reports the AP/Contra Costa Times reports. On Tuesday, State Attorney General Dan Lungren asked him to close the facility, saying it was merely the closed-down Cannabis Cultivator's Club "with a new name," and that it did not qualify as a primary caregiver. However, Cahill told the new center "to curb drug sales and other illegal activities within 150 feet of its premises and appear at a hearing June 4 ... to see if drug laws are being broken inside the club." Cahill said, at this point, he lacks sufficient evidence of illegal activities in the club to justify closing it. Lungren spokesperson Rob Stutzman promised "we'll give him more evidence that this is a drug house" (4/30).
San Jose Club To Close For Good
"Heavily in debt, the Santa Clara County Medical Cannabis Center will go out of business for good next week," the San Jose Mercury News reports. "Peter Baez, who along with Jesse Garcia started the center last year with the blessings of city and county officials, said it will close May 8" (4/30). "I owe $17,000 to growers, $1,200 for rent, and $15,000 in legal bills. My credit is out. I can't get any more marijuana," said Baez. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Baez's legal and financial troubles began on March 23, when Baez was arrested for selling without a doctor's recommendation and "five more felony counts." Police froze a bank account containing about $29,000. Baez laments the fact that his 270 clients will now have nowhere to go to buy marijuana. Kathleen Wells, attorney for the club, said, "I know our former patients are out there scrounging for what they can get from the black market. Is that what the government wants? What good is this law if there's no access to legal marijuana?" Deputy District Attorney Dennis Raabe "said police went out of their way to prevent the club's closure." Raabe said, "It sounds to me like they made a business decision to close. I don't think it has much to do with the pending charges against them" (Gaura, 4/30).