Posted on 10/29/2001 10:11:34 PM PST by LloydofDSS
STAFF OF W. HOLLYWOOD MEDICAL MARIJUANA CLINIC PROTEST DEA RAID Operators of a medical marijuana clinic raided by federal agents blasted the action Friday as a "death sentence" for people who use the facility. Drug Enforcement Administration agents searched the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center Thursday afternoon, seizing computers, financial documents, 400 marijuana plants and medical records of some 3,000 current and former patients, said Scott Imler, resident of the resource center. "This action is effectively a death sentence for patients all across Los Angeles County," Imler said. "Our immediate concerns are our 960 patients who have no place else to go for marijuana." The center, which has been open since 1996, provides marijuana to patients suffering from AIDS, epilepsy, glaucoma, cancer and other serious illnesses, he said. To receive the marijuana, patients must be referred by their physicians and undergo a screening process. The raid is the latest in an ongoing battle between states and federal courts over the medical use of marijuana. Eight states including California have passed legislation allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes only. In May, the Supreme Court upheld a 1970 law that says marijuana has no medical benefits. That ruling was cited in the search warrant, which allowed officers to look for evidence of the manufacture of marijuana and the possession of the drug with intent to distribute. "It is a felony violation of federal law to cultivate, distribute or possess with intent to distribute marijuana," said U.S. Attorney John S. Gordon in a written statement. At a press conference on Friday, Imler was joined by members of the West Hollywood City Council and a representative of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who both expressed support for the resource center. "Our city is going to stand with our residents and this club," said Councilman John Duran, who also provides legal representation for the center. "These people will be forced once again into the streets to deal with drug dealers." Sheriff's Capt. Lynda Castro said she was disappointed when she heard about the raid because the department has worked hard over the past five years to be understanding and sensitive to the issue. "This is going to hurt a significant population in this community," she said. "I respect them for doing it, for operating a significant service. To turn around and have them targeted is a hard pill to swallow." Marlene Rasnick, who suffers from ovarian cancer, urged her fellow patients to protest the federal government's action against the center. "Medical marijuana made it possible for me to sit in my garden and enjoy my friends," she said. "If the federal government wants to say life is over, I don't accept that."
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