Pot dispensaries closing under threat of feds

Medical marijuana in San Francisco may be going up in smoke.

In late December, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sent letters to landlords of buildings that housed medical cannabis dispensaries in the city, telling them they face the loss of their property and possibly prison if the businesses stay open.

Now, less than two months later, seven of the city's 28 dispensaries have closed or are on the verge of closing, according to medical marijuana supporters and activists. They fear more will follow.

"It's like a dagger in the heart," said Wayne Justmann, a medical marijuana advocate. "We're barely holding on right now."

Dispensary owners are being guarded about the closures, as they are fearful that speaking publicly will draw attention to their individual businesses and put them at greater risk.

So far, the Mason Street Dispensary in the Tenderloin district has closed completely. One of the city's older dispensaries, 194 Church St. - which last year city supervisors tried to name as a historic site - no longer sells marijuana but is still open for people to use the space to get high.

One of the best known dispensaries, the San Francisco Patients' Cooperative on Divisadero Street, will shut its doors at the end of the month after nearly 20 years, according to the Rev. Randi Webster, one of the cooperative's founders.

The owner of the building was "severely frightened" by the DEA letter, and the cooperative founders and the landlord had agreed years ago to part ways in the event of a situation like this, Webster said.

Activists will not disclose the locations of other dispensaries that have or may soon shut their doors.

San Francisco is the birthplace of the medical marijuana movement. The first major club opened in the city in 1994 and the number peaked at 43 in 2005, just before the city passed first-of-their kind regulations for the dispensaries.

All are supposed to possess city permits by March 1, though so far only one - a delivery service - has complied, according to the city's Department of Public Health.

The DEA sent letters to about 50 landlords in 14 Northern California counties, said Casey McEnry, spokeswoman for the agency.

In the letter sent to San Francisco dispensaries, DEA Special Agent in Charge Javier Pena wrote that the agency "has determined there is a marijuana dispensary operating on the property. This is a violation of federal law." Pena goes on to threaten landlords with the seizure of the property and other assets and up to 20 years in prison.

The notices are the first step in this new effort to shut down dispensaries, said McEnry, who described them as "courtesy letters" to landlords who might not know such a business exists on their property. Federal agents have for years been raiding dispensaries but had yet to go after landlords.
Pot dispensaries closing under threat of feds

I'm just amazed at the waste of money on this issue. Going after the landlords assets is just a way to balance the cost of their stupidity. Seized property is turning into a buisiness of its own.......just do a google search once.

Have a good one!:jointsmile:

I can't believe that the state's actually allowing them to do this..so much for we the people?

Hopefully this madness ends..It's hard to swallow that they're forcing people who are most vulnerable to turn to drug dealers on the streets to get marijuana from, rather than a controlled and safe environment..And the state, which it was voted in doesn't even step in, but co-operate rather with the federal government in raiding and arresting shop owners...

Like the one I read about the DEA agents having to get medical marijuana recommendations to get into that one guy's store to get evidence..this is utterly ridiculous...good grief.

Yes, you'd really like to think the DEA has more important things to do but apparently not.

You know what's really changed my mind about this is going to the doctors office to get my mmj rec and seeing what kind of people were there trying to do the same. Ill never forget that one lady trying to get information for her grandmothers chemo tx and it made me realize so many things about mj and this day and age.

It's INSANE and it needs to change!

Just wait until they get their funding for the year in. Literally the next day they will sweep through northern california, they already have targeted x number, and have already decided who they are hitting. In the mean time they will continue to spy and gather "evidence" in hopes that they can link some of the clubs to other crimes.

The DEA is evil.

man i wish they can see the light, but maybee if they close down the shops we can fight more for the outright full legalization of cannabis and stop with the ok its only for people with pain while I support medical marijuana I WANNA GET HIGH 2. Medical dank costs the same as street prices thats crazy plus were giving money to the government who HATES Cannabis there not even happy with the money they get they want POWER. i say fuck um we grow our own whether or not they say its ok it our lives we make the rules + its free better than u could get at a dispensary (if you grow it right) OVERGROW THE WORLD

We need to get pot legal, asap!

It is really rediculous how the DEA is treating these dispenceries. It is just stupid that they can not let the medical marijuana be and just the dispenceries supply their patiants. It really saddens me that marijuana can be accepted to the natural wonderful herb that it is. If only everyone could just let all the tokers be and mind their own buisness. I really hope that at least in the next 10 years medical marijuana can be openly be accepted by all the states without having to worry about the horrible evil DEA which apparantly by the sounds of it does not care about the many patiants that need marijuana for help and also dont care how many people they throw in jail and how much money they waste trying to get rid of something that is not dangerous to people....