Oakland Medical Marijuana Operation Shut Down

An Oakland man was arrested recently after authorities accused him of running illegal marijuana farms in Sacramento and Sutter County. Federal authorities report to have confiscated thousands of plants.

The 33-year-old man has been released on a $150,000 property bond, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento. Authorities also arrested eleven other people that they believe were involved in various aspects of the growing and the processing of that marijuana.

Our Los Angeles medical marijuana attorneys understand that federal and state laws may be foggy as the two compete to regulate the industry. Until there is are unified laws to regulate the farmers of the medical marijuana industry, arrests and unjust shutdowns are going to happen. It is your duty as an operator, a farmer and as a user to fight for your rights in the medical marijuana industry. If you’re facing a crime involving marijuana, contact an experienced attorney immediately.

The dispensary’s owner quietly left Oakland shortly after local and federal law enforcement pressure the city to give up on its plans to license his four industrial pot farms. Oakland ended up withdrawing the ordinance.

The 33-year-old entrepreneur was previously on the radar of local authorities in Oakland. He reportedly already converted a number of large warehouses into medical pot production centers. Authorities report that he even hired some unionized workers for these operations. His operations didn’t make it too far though, after he experienced thefts, financial problems and constant pressure from federal authorities, his facility went under.

Descriptions of the massive marijuana-growing efforts at a former tomato farm in Rio Oso in Sutter County and at a former wholesale commercial florist in Sacramento were described in a criminal complaint that was filed this week in U.S. District Court in Sacramento.

Undercover federal drug agents report that surveillance flyovers confirmed their suspicion of pot plants. Sutter County sheriff’s deputies reported seeing more than 7,000 plants growing in a greenhouse the size of a football field. According to court documents, the owners of the farm told deputies that they expected the operation would earn nearly $25 million each year from six harvests.

“He was very ambitious,” said Jeff Wilcox, an Oakland developer who, like the Oakland farmer, was competing for a marijuana cultivation license before the ordinance was withdrawn. “Most people don’t operate at that scale.”

Those who are advocates for the legalization of medical marijuana dispensaries in the area argue that this medicinal plant is a safe and effective way to treat the symptoms of cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, pain, glaucoma, epilepsy, and a number of other conditions and should be made available to deserving patients.

Opponents of medical marijuana argue that it is far too dangerous to use, lacks FDA-approval, and that various legal drugs make marijuana use unnecessary. They go on to claim that marijuana is addictive, leads to harder drug use, interferes with fertility, impairs driving ability, and injures the lungs, immune system, and brain. They don’t see the legalization of medical marijuana as a health treatment, but as a front for recreational use.

Back in 1972, the U.S. Congress put marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act because they considered it to have “no accepted medical use.” Today, 16 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have legalized the medical use of marijuana. Still, the legal industry faces a number of obstacles from both state and federal officials.

The CANNABIS LAW GROUP is a law firm dedicated to the rights of medical marijuana patients, collectives and growers and has built a reputation for high-powered, aggressive legal representation of the medical marijuana industry in Southern California. Call 949-375-4734 for a confidential consultation to discuss your rights.

Additional Resources:

Pot farmer busted in California, Gamut News
Pot-growing advocate arrested in Northern California, by Larry Gordon, LA Now
More Blog Entries:

Glendale City Council Forces Outright Ban on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in City Limits, Marijuana Lawyer Blog, June 28, 2011

Retirement Community Says NO to Medical Marijuana in Los Angeles and their Communities, Marijuana Lawyer Blog, June 24, 2011

New Bill to Hold Down Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Los Angeles, Marijuana Lawyer Blog, June 16, 2011