Suspects In Medical Marijuana Raid Released From Jail

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Two women arrested Thursday when local authorities raided a Eugene medical marijuana resource center were released from the Lane County Jail several hours later without being required to post bail.

Chelsea Nicole Hopkins, 25, and Jill Marie Tanner, 32, face felony charges of delivering marijuana in connection with their work at The Greener Side at 1601 Oak St.

State pretrial services officials ordered Tanner's release, while Hopkins was freed from jail for "capacity based" reasons, according to jail records.

Hopkins and Tanner are expected to appear in Lane County Circuit Court at a later date. Their attorney, Brian Michaels of Eugene, said Thursday that he believes police "jumped the gun" in busting The Greener Side.

Detectives with Lane County's Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team on Thursday took Hopkins and Tanner into custody while serving search warrants at The Greener Side – a state-registered nonprofit business that opened several months ago – and a home off River Road.

Police allege that pot was illegally being sold from the business. While medical marijuana use is legal in Oregon, its sale is not.

During searches of the two properties, detectives seized several pounds of processed marijuana, packaged pot and hashish and food products believed to contain marijuana derivatives, along with business records and evidence of money laundering, officials said.

Hopkins, in a recent appearance on a local public-access television show, said The Greener Side was established to connect state-licensed medical marijuana patients to growers. Hopkins has served as an outreach committee member for the state's Advisory Committee on Medical Marijuana. She and her husband, Joseph, previously operated a medical marijuana resource center in Ashland, according to a 2011 article that appeared in the Ashland Daily Tidings newspaper.

Thursday's raid in Eugene was done in conjunction with a similar operation carried out by a drug team in Southern Oregon. Detectives there arrested four people and served eight warrants in connection with four Jackson County outlets that allegedly sold marijuana from storefronts. Authorities said they suspect some of the people involved with the Jackson County businesses are familiar with those affiliated with The Greener Side.

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News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: registerguard.com
Author: Jack Moran
Contact: Contact us | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon
Website: Suspects in medical marijuana raid released from jail | Local News | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon
 
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