As Carson medical marijuana criminal defense attorneys, we were disappointed to see yet another raid on medical marijuana dispensaries by southern California law enforcement. The LA Weekly reported March 24 that the LAPD searched two dispensaries in Los Angeles March 23. Police said Medco Organics in Hollywood was operating too close to a school, but gave no reason for the raid on The Relief Co. in mid-city. According to the Associated Press, the raids resulted in the arrests of Stas Dolinsky, Rinaldo Cruzado and Noah Kleinman, all on suspicion of illegally selling marijuana. Officers seized one gun in the raids, along with unspecified amounts of pot and cash.
The raids come after the city and county's top prosecutors made it clear that they do not approve of legal medical marijuana sales. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich and county District Attorney Steve Cooley have said most medical marijuana dispensaries in the county are illegal because they are operating for a profit. This is against state law. Trutanich announced in mid-February that authorities would pursue cases against 21 dispensaries for various violations, including being a public nuisance and incorrect labeling. The Los Angeles City Council has also put strict limitations on how many and where the dispensaries may be. Dispensary owners and medical marijuana supporters say they are obeying state law and working to obey newer city ordinances, but are being unfairly targeted by politicians who dislike the legalization of medical marijuana.
We suspect that they're right. As Santa Ana medical marijuana criminal defense lawyers, we have noticed that the offenses behind the original search warrants are small offenses such as being a "public nuisance," which give police wide discretion. The raid on Medco Organics cites the dispensary for being too close to a school. If true, this violates a law that took effect nine days before the raid and is already the subject of a lawsuit seeking to overturn it. It's not difficult to believe that this is an attempt to harass dispensaries into shutting down. This may be politically advantageous for city councilmembers, Trutanich and Cooley, but it has life-altering consequences for those who end up arrested and charged with serious drug crimes. Not only could dispensary owners lose their small businesses and everything they've invested, but these three defendants now face years or decades in prison for "selling drugs."
Howard Law, P.C. aggressively defends people facing criminal charges despite following all of California's medical marijuana laws. We believe that if our clients have followed all of the state's medical marijuana laws in good faith, police and prosecutors should be expected to do the same. If you are accused of illegally possessing or selling marijuana despite having all of your licensing in order, our Ontario medical marijuana criminal defense lawyers can often get the charges dropped or dismissed. If you're accused of overstepping some part of the law, such as selling to a patient without a prescription, we may be able to show that it was an honest mistake, not an end-run around state law. Medical marijuana is an evolving field of California law, and not every issue is settled. That means you're not necessarily guilty just because law enforcement thinks you are.
If you're accused of illegally possessing, selling, growing or distributing medical marijuana, you should call Howard Law, P.C. for help. To set up a free, confidential evaluation of your case, please contact us through our site or call us toll-free at 1-800-872-5925 today.
