cannabisnews.com: Feds Warn Oakland on Pot Farms

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  Feds Warn Oakland on Pot Farms

Posted by CN Staff on December 08, 2010 at 06:41:42 PT
By Josh Harkinson, Staff Writer 
Source: Mother Jones  

California -- Earlier this year, the City Council of Oakland, California, voted to issue permits for industrial-scale medical marijuana farms. Four hydroponic warehouses, each holding some 30,000 cannabis plants, are expected to yield the city between $4.8 and $7.7 million per year in tax revenues. City boosters hope the farms will help re-brand this rusting port city as a capital of all things cannabis, an "Oaksterdam" with its own brands of pot-related products and tourist destinations. But there's a hitch, California Watch reports, and it involves the federal government.
Officials from the Justice Department’s civil division and the U.S. attorney’s office in San Francisco delivered the blunt message to Oakland City Attorney John Russo, according to two officials who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to talk about the meetings."The warning is clear: These are illegal, large-scale pot growing operations, with Oakland planning to get a cut of the illicit profits," said one official. Apparently, Russo saw all of this coming. Yesterday the Bay Citizen reported that he'd declined to sign off of the city's pot farm plan and issued a memo in August raising legal concerns about it.But none of that seems to have mattered to Oakland's politicians. Medical marijuana businesses are major political donors here and enjoy widespread public support. In a telling moment this fall, Oakland's two leading mayoral candidates both showed up to the grand re-opening of weGrow, a chain based in East Oakland that aims to become the nation's first "marijuana superstore." Years ago, when Oakland first began permitting medical marijuana dispensaries—now established businesses in town—it was also a legal gray area, City Council president Jane Brunner told the Bay Citizen. Yet Brunner left the door open to the possibility that the city could still back down on the farms. "We should know what we're getting into," she said. "We shouldn't go into this blindly." Source: Mother Jones (US)Author:  Josh Harkinson, Staff WriterPublished: December 8, 2010Copyright: 2010 Foundation for National ProgressWebsite: http://motherjones.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/b5yLsLfoContact: http://drugsense.org/url/csHMmVtACannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml

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Comment #10 posted by FoM on December 09, 2010 at 19:22:00 PT

sandybeach
That happens. No problem at all. I will remove the extra post.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #9 posted by sandybeach on December 09, 2010 at 16:13:44 PT:

sorry about the double post .
Sorry about the double post .I promise I will improve and thank you for the welcome .
[ Post Comment ]




 


Comment #7 posted by FoM on December 09, 2010 at 15:45:46 PT

sandybeach
I agree with comment 5. Welcome to CNews. 
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #6 posted by sandybeach on December 09, 2010 at 15:45:16 PT:

Cannabis was a medicine in Christs time
I recently heard that it is written Christ's feet were anointed in hemp oil or cannabis oil.
This whole issue is not about what is best for humanity or the people.This illegal thing is political.Its about big money,big oil and industry wanting to monopolize energy and medicine and fiber.They know cannabis is a cure for many diseases and pharmacy doesn't make its money curing disease they make their money treating symptoms,with out disease there are no symptoms.How should we feel about not wanting to provide the industry with sick people so they can rake in the bucks and we can die of some curable disease?I say MAKE CANNABIS LEGAL SO WE CAN HELP CURE HUMANITY .
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Comment #5 posted by sandybeach on December 09, 2010 at 15:23:04 PT:

feds
I believe the feds must understand few youth will fight for crude oil any more .I think they have been fooled too long into believing they were actually fighting for their freedom but the obvious became very clear once things got under way with the pipe lines ...There are plenty of sustainable green fuels to run our cars.Hemp is the big one .we just need to be able to legally grow it with out being arrested.Medicine has become so expensive and will continue to remain expensive.The best society can hope for is to have access to a non toxic natural safe effective cure that can be easily raised and used but again it needs to be made legal.There is no reason for it to have ever been illegal in the first place.the feds need to know we can keep cutting down trees and tolerate the nasty oil spills that are killing off the food chain,or we can start growing hemp for fiber and fuel 
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on December 08, 2010 at 15:18:19 PT

Tea Pot Party: MMJ Advocates Look to Conservatives
URL: http://www.kens5.com/home/The-Tea-Pot-party-Medical-marijuana-supporters-look-to-conservatives-111537359.html
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #3 posted by FoM on December 08, 2010 at 14:04:51 PT

CNBC: Marijuana USA Tonight at 9 PM

URL: http://ori.cnbc.com/id/39617671
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on December 08, 2010 at 11:07:27 PT

should be interesting
the local politicians will fight like cornered animals for $4-7 million! I predict even Oakland law enforcement will fight the feds on this - no way the feds can make up $7 million per year.
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Comment #1 posted by runruff on December 08, 2010 at 07:57:26 PT

And John said to Jesus....
...you must increase while I must deminish!The US Attorney's office ain't no Jesus Christ and they do not feel like diminishing while the MMJ trade increases and they know that is exactly what the writing on the wall is saying!I believe Jesus would prefer to allow people to use cannabis rather than lock them up for it but then his job did not depend on what I grow in my garden!
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