Shop Providing Medical Marijuana in North Hollywood Shut Down by City Officials

The Los Angeles city attorney’s office recently obtained a court order to shut down operations at a medical marijuana dispensary in North Hollywood. Under the shutdown, the owner of the company was ordered to pay more than $35,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs earlier this week, according to the Studio City Patch.

During the eviction process, the owners of shop Starbudz Inc. were carried off the premises in the NoHo Arts District. Sheriff’s deputies cleared the area for the Los Angeles police to come in and seize the remaining property. The police officers confiscated 3.5 kilograms of marijuana, 37 plants and food items. Officers also took a 3-foot long iguana into custody.

Our Orange County medical marijuana attorneys would like to point out that this eviction action was the result of a number of alleged community complaints. No data has been released regarding these complaints. The city reportedly collected a significant amount of evidence through undercover marijuana purchases that were made at that location as well. The city also collected evidence after raiding the building through a search warrant executed by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Frank Mateljan of the city attorney’s office says that the city attorney’s notified the shop owners and the property owner back in January of “narcotics violations at the property.”

The shop neglected to file a Notice of Intent to Register under the city’s “temporary urgency” ordinance, a temporary law governing medical marijuana sales.

Back in March, the city attorney’s office filed an unlawful detainer action against the owners of this shop. The detainer was filed in an attempt to evict the shop and for the owners to forfeit the lease because the property owner had reportedly failed to take action to evict the shop.

A summary judgment was granted by the court in favor of the city back on June 17th. Through this judgment, the company owner was ordered by the court to pay $35,290 to the city for attorneys’ fees and costs. Two days later, the county Sheriff’s Department handed Starbudz and the property owner, Vineland Sunshine Properties, with a notice of lockout. The order was enforced and carried out that Wednesday.

Medical marijuana clinics in Hollywood are currently required to be staffed with the same type of expert medical doctors that you would find at any other healthcare practice. The only difference is that these health specialists deal specifically with evaluating patients who are suffering from symptoms that can be treated with the use of medical marijuana. Researchers have found that the drug is able to treat more than 100 different illnesses, diseases and chronic symptoms. All of these conditions have been approved by the state to be treated with the use of medical marijuana. If doctors believe that a patient can benefit from this treatment, they are then prescribed the drug and presented with a medical marijuana card.

According to the Medical Marijuana Program, there have been more than 55,000 medical marijuana cards issued in the state of California since 2004.

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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.

More Blog Entries:

Targeting Medical Marijuana Industry Only Hurts Patients who rely on the Treatment, Marijuana Lawyer Blog, July 14, 2011

Government Officials Meet to Straighten Out Medical Marijuana Regulations, Marijuana Lawyer Blog, July 11, 2011

Business Owners of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Los Angeles Not Treated Fairly, Marijuana Lawyer Blog, July 5, 2011