Feds Quietly Shut Down Marin Pot Club
Categories: Marijuana, Marijuana in the News
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| Another one bites the dust |
U.S. Attorney for Northern California Melinda Haag had sent letters to the Marin Alliance For Medical Marijuana, ordering the club to close or face some serious penalties, including asset forfeiture and prison time.
The club left the following message on its website:
"We are very sorry to announce that we have shut our doors until we can resolve certain legal issues. The battle is not over, but we must await further court action that will allow us to reopen, hopefully within a month or two. It's our intention to stay in touch with our member community and keep everyone abreast of the latest developments. Our phone number will remain in operation with message updates and this web site will continue to inform on a regular basis."Last month, federal prosecutors began forfeiture proceedings against the 600-square-foot Fairfax storefront, despite the fact that the dispensary's landlord was attempting to evict the pot club before the feds could get to it.
Marin Alliance is California's oldest dispensary, operating since 1996. The dispensary's operator, Lynette Shaw, has not been accused of breaking any state or local laws; In fact, she has gotten only support from the town of Fairfax, including a resolution from the City Council and Mayor defending her dispensary.
However, media outlets are reporting that Shaw is no longer responding to the press, and has severed her ties with the Marin Alliance -- for now.
The Marin pot club is the latest casualty in the federal government's crackdown against marijuana dispensaries operating within 1,000 feet of schools or parks. Since October, three clubs in San Francisco closed and one in Oakland has relocated.
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