cannabisnews.com: Medical Pot Club Raided as DEA Leader Visits S.F. Medical Pot Club Raided as DEA Leader Visits S.F. Posted by FoM on February 13, 2002 at 07:40:27 PT By Jim Herron Zamora and Michael Pena Source: San Francisco Chronicle In a continuing crackdown, federal authorities raided a San Francisco medical marijuana club yesterday, confiscating hundreds of plants and arresting three Bay Area men who allegedly provided the drug to patients. The men included Edward Rosenthal of Oakland, the author of more than a dozen books on marijuana cultivation and a longtime columnist at High Times magazine. He turned a former Carnation dairy in West Oakland into a sophisticated pot farm, according to court documents. The Drug Enforcement Agency also raided homes in San Francisco, Oakland and Petaluma where hundreds of plants were allegedly grown. Yesterday's bust focused on the Harm Reduction Center at 52 Sixth St., which served about 200 patients a day, including many with AIDS or cancer. Under a plan developed with help from the district attorney's office, the patients were required to show proof of a doctor's referral. "They wiped us out, essentially," said David Witty, who runs the center with Richard Watts. Watts, Rosenthal and Kenneth Hayes of Petaluma were charged with cultivating more than 100 plants and maintaining a place to grow pot. If convicted, each faces up to 40 years in prison. Hayes was detained for extradition in Vancouver, Canada. The timing of the dawn bust -- 12 hours before DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson gave a speech on federal drug policy in San Francisco -- angered marijuana advocates. But the raid spotlighted the Bush administration's tougher stand on medical marijuana. "At a time when everyone is on alert for terrorism, the DEA has decided to go after chronically ill people who use marijuana," said Jeff Jones, head of Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative. After California voters approved medicinal marijuana under Proposition 215 in 1996, many local prosecutors have been reluctant to pursue medical pot clubs. The Clinton administration wanted to close the clubs but focused most criminal efforts on cocaine and heroin trafficking. That has changed since President Bush took office and the U.S Supreme Court affirmed last year that federal drug laws take precedence over Proposition 215. Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Jim Herron Zamora, Michael Pena, Chronicle Staff WritersPublished: Wednesday, February 13, 2002 Copyright: 2002 San Francisco Chronicle Page A - 23 Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmFour Arrested in Connection with Pot Cultivation http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11994.shtmlAgents Raid Calif. Medical Marijuana Club http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11993.shtmlDEA Busts Pot Club Operation; Four Arrested http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11990.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by Richard Lake on February 13, 2002 at 08:31:40 PT: More news This morning on Pacifica Radio's "Democracy Now", host Amy Goodman devoted her whole hour program to the DEA raids and protests in the Bay Area; as well as the the drug war and GWB's plan to link it to terrorism. Her guests included experts from the Drug Policy Alliance.The program will be rebroadcast on KPFK 90.7 FM, THIS MORNING at 9:00 am (pst) in Southern California, as well as on the web at: http://www.kpfk.org. Check it out. It's excellent !!!!She Who Remembers http://www.SheRemembers.org "Don't hate the media, become the media" ~Jello Biafra----------------------------Breaking news, photos, personal reports and action alerts are being compiled at:http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n238.a08.htmlWe will continue to update the above link for a while, so check back. New items are at the bottom of the webpage. Action alerts, personal reports, and more, updated frequently [ Post Comment ] Post Comment