Patients Create Marijuana Collective

[Cozmo]

With medical marijuana dispensaries in the Coachella Valley facing ongoing legal challenges, patients in the area have decided to create a collective they say will comply with California state law and provide medical marijuana to those who need it.

"The goal here is safe and affordable," said Palm Desert resident Jon Newland, a board member of the new collective that signed up patients at a meeting last week at the Cathedral City Public Library.

"We want to create a nice relationship between cities and patients and law enforcement."

Newland said the group - called the Desert Co-op for now - will not open a dispensary, although it may seek some kind of office or meeting space in the area.

As of last week, about 30 patients had filled out applications to join the co-op, which is already providing marijuana to some of its new members, Newland said.

"(The collective) is a good source at a reasonable price, and you still get quality," said Desert Hot Springs resident Don Keagle, who has relied on "contacts" for the medical marijuana he uses for gout and depression.

Collective members projected they will charge about $200-$300 per ounce for medical marijuana. The CannaHelp dispensary in Palm Desert charges about $300-$600, owner Stacy Hochanadel said.

The collective has formed as some Coachella Valley cities intensify efforts to close down the few dispensaries in the area.

Six cities - Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, Palm Desert and Palm Springs - have moratoriums on the licensing of dispensaries in force.

Earlier this month, Desert Hot Springs also obtained an injunction against Organic Solutions of the Desert, a dispensary on Palm Drive, forcing owner Jim Camper to close shop permanently.

Palm Desert followed suit April 20, filing a request for an injunction against CannaHelp. The dispensary on El Paseo remains open pending a hearing set for October.

Desert Co-op members hope to sidestep the legality issue by limiting membership to 50 patients and possibly becoming a nonprofit. California's medical marijuana laws prohibit sale of the drug for "excessive profits."

"By not having any profit we're hoping to make (area officials) happy," said patient Lee Scharf of Rancho Mirage. "We're following the law; theoretically you should be helping us get our medicine."

The catch, Riverside County Sheriff's Capt. Steve Thetford said, is that while state law allows collectives, it "doesn't define what that means or how that is supposed to take place."

A co-op could still be "a shell for illegal activity," Thetford said.

And marijuana use is still illegal under federal law, said Sarah Pullen, spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

"Typically we focus our resources on large-scale producers and distributors," Pullen said. "That doesn't mean we haven't targeted smaller distributions. The magic number (to avoid prosecution) is still zero."


Newshawk: CoZmO - 420Magazine.com
Source: The Desert Sun (CA)
Author: K Kaufmann
Contact: k.Kaufmann@thedesertsun.com
Copyright: 2007 The Desert Sun
Website: thedesertsun.com | Palm Springs

[Janjaweed]

"Sarah Pullen, spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration"

hey jack-boots, when the people stand up and make a law and you dont stop and abide by it... your now the criminal element.

[Hunny Glo]

Originally Posted by CoZmO

.

"We want to create a nice relationship between cities and patients and law enforcement."

Newland said the group - called the Desert Co-op for now - will not open a dispensary, although it may seek some kind of office or meeting space in the area.

The collective has formed as some Coachella Valley cities intensify efforts to close down the few dispensaries in the area.

"By not having any profit we're hoping to make (area officials) happy," said patient Lee Scharf of Rancho Mirage. "We're following the law; theoretically you should be helping us get our medicine."

The catch, Riverside County Sheriff's Capt. Steve Thetford said, is that while state law allows collectives, it "doesn't define what that means or how that is supposed to take place."

A co-op could still be "a shell for illegal activity," Thetford said.

And marijuana use is still illegal under federal law, said Sarah Pullen, spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

"Typically we focus our resources on large-scale producers and distributors," Pullen said. "That doesn't mean we haven't targeted smaller distributions. The magic number (to avoid prosecution) is still zero."

Newshawk: CoZmO - 420Magazine.com
Source: The Desert Sun (CA)
Author: K Kaufmann
Contact: k.Kaufmann@thedesertsun.com
Copyright: 2007 The Desert Sun
Website: thedesertsun.com | Palm Springs

I really hope this collective works out for the patients who have been cut off from legal local access to their medicine and instead abandoned by their city in favor of bowing down to federal pressure. I'd be looking to expose & replace every single city council member from each of those cities with new moratoriums by voting them out of office next elections and bombarding their offices with emails, letters and phone calls on how their actions are not supported by their voters...

Thanks for sharing and again exposing the level of narrow-mindedness ever present in LEO and in local government who's influenced by the ever so convincing DEA.

I think it's been very clear all along, they're always looking for a catch and that no matter how sick you are, they have a zero tolerance for any un"taxed" drug. The FDA and the DEA would rather if you had been an unfortunate person who had died from taking, "Vioxx" or some other drug they approved of through federally funded testing. This translates that for whatever reason a person consumes pot they are criminal in the US.