DEA Raids Medical Marijuana Club in Tempe, Accuses Owners of Running Illegal Dispensary

Phoenix New Times:  “the DEA has gone after a . . . medical marijuana club in Tempe.  Agents began showing up at the AZ Go Green Co-Op at 426 East Southern Avenue around 8 a.m., according to a news report by Channel 10 (KSAZ-TV). The owners’ of the club, says the report, are Rachael Beeder and James Chaney.  A doctor at the clinic, James Eisenberg, left a note on the door saying he’ll be out till October 1st.”

See “Jailed Medical Marijuana Clinic Worker Speaks Out.”  “FOX 10’s cameras were the only ones there when the DEA raided a medical marijuana clinic in Tempe. In another exclusive, the woman that ran the Arizona Go Green Compassion Club talks to us from behind bars.”

For more about whether an Arizona cannabis club is legal under Arizona’s medical marijuana laws see “Are Arizona Cannabis Clubs Legal Under Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Laws?

By |2019-06-14T08:25:41-07:00September 30th, 2011|Cannabis Clubs, Federal Dispensary Attacks, Marijuana Crimes, Stories & Articles, Video|Comments Off on DEA Raids Medical Marijuana Club in Tempe, Accuses Owners of Running Illegal Dispensary

Rhode Island Governor Scraps Medical Marijuana Plan

Reuters:  “State-run medical marijuana dispensaries will not be coming to Rhode Island after Governor Lincoln Chafee scrapped the plan for fear it was illegal under federal law.  Chafee, who had earlier vowed support for the measure, said he decided the state’s planned dispensaries could violate superseding federal law and become a target of federal law enforcement efforts.”

This is probably the tactic Arizona Governor Jan Brewer will take to prevent medical marijuana dispensaries in Arizona after her Arizona vs. United States lawsuit gets dismissed by the federal court.

By |2012-05-12T14:43:12-07:00September 30th, 2011|Federal Dispensary Attacks, Stories & Articles|Comments Off on Rhode Island Governor Scraps Medical Marijuana Plan

Cottonwood Woman Claims She was Fired over Medical Marijuana

Verde Independent:  Esther Shapiro a “registered nurse, formerly employed by a private Cottonwood hospice, has filed a letter of demand over her alleged firing after she disclosed she was a card-carrying medical marijuana patient. Her attorney believes the matter could be the first-ever Arizona case challenging discrimination against a card member”

By |2017-02-12T07:38:02-07:00September 30th, 2011|Stories & Articles|Comments Off on Cottonwood Woman Claims She was Fired over Medical Marijuana

Medical Marijuana and Guns Don’t Mix, Warns ATF in Letter; Federal Law Prohibits Pot Users From Owning or Buying Firearms

Phoenix New Times:  “The U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau, the same agency that lets drug cartel members buy guns, is warning firearms dealers not to sell to medical marijuana users.  In an open letter to the nation’s licensed firearms sellers, the ATF reminds dealers that federal law prohibits any user of a controlled substance from possessing or buying guns.  A standard form filled out by gun buyers asks if the buyer is a ‘user of’ or ‘addicted’ to any controlled substance — checking ‘yes’ effectively cancels the sale.”

By |2015-04-06T18:52:31-07:00September 29th, 2011|Federal Dispensary Attacks, Stories & Articles|Comments Off on Medical Marijuana and Guns Don’t Mix, Warns ATF in Letter; Federal Law Prohibits Pot Users From Owning or Buying Firearms

Scottsdale Revisiting Its Medical Marijuana Rules

Arizona Republic:  “Scottsdale is updating its rules on medical marijuana despite a halt of the statewide regulatory process.  As Arizona continues to grapple with the legality of its voter-approved law, Scottsdale has suggested changes to its ordinance governing marijuana dispensaries and other uses, including smaller ‘caregiver cultivation’ operations.”

By |2012-08-18T10:09:34-07:00September 20th, 2011|Stories & Articles, Zoning|Comments Off on Scottsdale Revisiting Its Medical Marijuana Rules

Protecting Prop 203 – What Will It Take?

Recently I wrote that if you are in the MMJ field, you are also, by default, in politics, for nothing is more political than medical marijuana. Whether you a true believer in cannabis or entered the industry just to make a buck, you have a vested interest in helping to protect the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act against the attacks that are sure to come in 2012.

In a multi-part series over the next few weeks I will describe the challenges facing Arizona’s MMJ movement, offer a list of achievable goals, and suggest proactive steps community members can take, either individually or in groups, in order to reach those goals. Our success depends upon our efforts.

[Note] Although many know me as an insurance agent providing coverage for compassion clubs and grows, in a former life I worked ten years for an elected official. My political experience also includes advising local and state candidates and non-profit lobbying.  From these experiences I learned that even underdogs can win – but only if they are in the game.

Doug Banfelder is a commercial insurance specialist with Premier Southwest Insurance Group, ranked a Top-Twentyfive Brokerage by Phoenix Business Journal in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
www.PremierDispensaryInsurance.com

By |2012-01-14T16:51:51-07:00September 18th, 2011|Miscellaneous|Comments Off on Protecting Prop 203 – What Will It Take?

Marijuana Club’s Attorney Says Move to Shut Them Down Flouts Will of Arizona Voters

East Valley Tribune: The state cannot try to shut down medical marijuana clubs because Gov. Jan Brewer is ignoring the will of voters, an attorney for one of the clubs is arguing.  Michael Walz said he is not conceding that the clubs, where dues-paying members can get free marijuana, are operating outside the scope of the medical marijuana law approved by voters last year. Walz and lawyers representing other clubs believe their operations fit within an exception.”

By |2011-09-15T08:16:36-07:00September 15th, 2011|Stories & Articles|Comments Off on Marijuana Club’s Attorney Says Move to Shut Them Down Flouts Will of Arizona Voters

New Data Shows Arizona Medical Marijuana Thriving

Cheeba:  “The Arizona medical marijuana field is booming. On August 29th – after an unusual month-long wait – the Arizona Department of Health Services released new statistics on medical marijuana applications. The department had been releasing reports bi-weekly or earlier since April 20th, but has now decided to make reports available monthly.

By |2017-10-07T09:54:51-07:00September 8th, 2011|Stories & Articles|Comments Off on New Data Shows Arizona Medical Marijuana Thriving

The ACLU and the DOJ Form a Medical Marijuana Alliance

Reason.com:  “The American Civil Liberties Union has strongly criticized the Justice Department’s mixed signals on medical marijuana, which some governors have cited in blocking plans to license and regulate dispensaries. But the ACLU and the Justice Department see eye to eye on the subject of Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s lawsuit asking a federal judge to decide whether her state’s medical marijuana law is pre-empted by the Controlled Substances Act.”

By |2011-09-08T07:54:58-07:00September 8th, 2011|Stories & Articles|Comments Off on The ACLU and the DOJ Form a Medical Marijuana Alliance

In the MMJ Biz? Congratulations, you’re in Politics, too!

Medical Marijuana is a remarkable mashup of public policy, hardball politics and popular culture. These characteristics make it rewarding, challenging, sometimes scary and oftentimes frustrating – and it will be so for the foreseeable future.

Those close to the issue, either as patients or businesspeople, know very well how political it all is.  We have seen that what the ballot box giveth, elected officials gone rogue can quickly take away.  Clearly, anti-Prop 203 leaders Carolyn Short, Edward Gogek, et al won’t rest until the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act is undone, with many observers expecting a repeal effort aimed at the November 2012 ballot.

And yet… the clinics are open, patients and caregivers are getting cards, and many of the businesses that sprang up (or adapted) to serve the envisioned dispensaries hang on, determined to outlast prohibitionists’ efforts to create doubt among the public via governmental meddling and slanted media coverage.

So what should be our response?  The answer is simple, but not easy.  What’s needed is a proactive grassroots strategy: registering voters, lobbying State and local elected officials, targeted, well-crafted public relations campaigns, and more, all with the goal of moving public acceptance well beyond original Prop 203 levels.  It can be done.

By |2012-01-14T16:53:02-07:00September 5th, 2011|Miscellaneous|Comments Off on In the MMJ Biz? Congratulations, you’re in Politics, too!

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio Says Medical Marijuana Patients Arrested with Pot Will Not Get Their Pot Back After They are Released

ABC15.com:  “If you’re a card-carrying marijuana user and arrested by Maricopa County deputies for any criminal violation, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has a message: you won’t be getting your product back after jail release.”

By |2017-02-12T07:38:02-07:00September 1st, 2011|Stories & Articles|Comments Off on Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio Says Medical Marijuana Patients Arrested with Pot Will Not Get Their Pot Back After They are Released

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Thumbs Its Nose at Arizona Voters & Prohibits Medical Marijuana Dispensaries on County Land

From the elected elites think they know what is best for the ignorant voters department:  Arizona Republic:  “The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday changed county zoning rules to disallow medical-marijuana dispensaries or cultivation sites on county land unless marijuana becomes a federally approved drug.”

By |2011-09-01T07:16:21-07:00September 1st, 2011|Zoning|Comments Off on Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Thumbs Its Nose at Arizona Voters & Prohibits Medical Marijuana Dispensaries on County Land
Go to Top