Garden Grove Marijuana Lawyers Dismayed by Police Announcement

Garden Grove marijuana lawyers were disappointed to hear of a request filed by city officials, asking for help from federal authorities to shut down marijuana dispensaries.

In fact, police officers are appealing to the same authorities who raided Costa Mesa marijuana dispensaries earlier this year, asking them to do the same here.

Considering that the vast majority of marijuana dispensaries and collectives work hard to operate above board and according to the strict laws set forth by the states and municipalities, it’s disheartening that local officials would set their sites on attacking legitimate businesses that do so much to help ailing patients.

Here’s what we know of the situation, as reported by The Orange County Register:

The police chief addressed Garden Grove’s City Council, informing them that his officers had been in contact with federal authorities and that an agreement was made for those authorities to come to the city, likely to conduct raids.

The chief said there had been complaints from both council members and residents about what they considered to be the large number of dispensaries peppered throughout the city. A Neighborhood Association vice president asked if it would be the city’s “new reality” to have a dispensary on every street corner. She and others stated that there were 73 Garden Grove marijuana dispensaries, while a councilman even went so far as to say that the pot clinics were becoming “a nightmare.” The mayor added that “no one” wants them in the city.

First of all, the actual number of marijuana dispensaries in Garden Grove is closer to 60. Secondly – a nightmare? Really? Thirdly, if no one wanted them there, they wouldn’t exist. The fact of the matter is that the provide a legitimate, valuable and LEGAL service to everyone from cancer patients to migraine sufferers.

Of course, it doesn’t help that a number of other dispensaries across the state have been targeted, forcing patients to seek other locations in areas that have not cracked down. So what is the answer for those municipalities? Here’s what the answer is not: To banish all marijuana dispensaries and collectives. You know what happens when you do that? It goes underground. It means that illegitimate drug dealers will profit from the sale of this much-needed – and natural – medicine. And when illegitimate drug dealers are allowed to proliferate, property crimes and violent crimes have a tendency to spike.

Garden Grove’s police chief said the department has two, part-time employees who monitor the marijuana dispensaries in town.

Previously, the city had registered Garden Grove marijuana dispensaries. But they stopped doing that earlier this year, after the federal crackdown began to get in full swing. There was a concern that by registering these businesses, the city would be seen as condoning actions that were contrary to federal law. State law allows the use of medicinal marijuana. The federal government does not.