MarinAlliance

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Hello,

This is the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana (MAMM), a dispensary currently located in Fairfax, California. As the oldest, legally licensed dispensary operating in the U.S., we feel a certain betrayal by the Obama administration. We fully understand that we are not the only dispensary under the gun right now and sympathize with all those who are experiencing harassment by overzealous government agencies. That said, we would like to give a first-hand account of our situation.

Over the past two weeks, our owner, Lynnette Shaw has been interviewed by numerous media outlets, from CBS and FOX Business News to NPR and the LA Times. Media interest in us was based on our size (small), our age (15 years) and the fact that we are currently fighting the battle for the medicinal use of marijuana on two fronts. On March 1, 2011, MAMM was the first licensed dispensary to receive an IRS determination disallowing our business tax deductions. We have filed taxes since 1997 and our books are transparent, as required by our permit. Though the IRS has advised us for years on ways to save money on MAMM's business taxes, it has reversed itself in an attempt to close our doors.

Concurrently, MAMM's landlord has received a letter from Melinda Haag, the San Francisco-based U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California warning him that his property may be seized and he may be prosecuted if the Marin Alliance does not halt dispensing medical marijuana from his property within 45 days. Our landlord is in his seventies, which would make any jail time a death sentence.

We are likely the most regulated dispensary in the entire country. The city of Fairfax has required us to meet 84 distinct conditions in order for us to fulfill patients’ rights to legal access to medications of proven benefit. We are well regarded in our community, we pay our taxes, and local law enforcement believes we have contributed to a reduction in illegal activities within our city limits.

We see our defenses against the IRS and DOJ as high profile test cases and believe the future of patient access to medicinal marijuana across the nation lies in the balance. If you would like more information, please visit https://www.cbcmarin.com to learn how you can help.

Thanks so much and our best to everyone involved in this fight.
 
Thank you, Julie, we will update on new developments. And thanks very much Jacob, for your post and support. We appreciate that.


:thanks:
 
For those interested, a little more background:

We've been to the Supreme Court once already. The Marin Alliance invested every penny for the last ten years in our legal defense. Our attorneys have done the heavy lifting — we spent $400 K preparing a secret weapon — our Supreme-Court-ready case with its huge body of evidence, shows the irrefutable proof, clearly explained and cross-referenced, that the Schedule I status of medical marijuana is irrational, unfair, unscientific, unjustified, and unconstitutional.

As a defendant, we have the right to enter all evidence and any argument to explain our actions. Our repeated requests for a "rational basis review" in the Federal civil lawsuit launched in 1998 (by President Clinton) stopped the Federal court procedures against the Marin Alliance.

They knew, as they know now, that there is no logical or rational reason that medical cannabis should be a Schedule I substance. We appealed for ten years, never getting our review. It ended up as a stalemate, and our doors remained open as a result.

Now we're preparing once again to return to the Supreme Court. We've got a great legal team, all we need is to keep them paid. But its worth it because we feel this threat has the potential to eliminate EVERY licensed dispensary in this country. With a lot of public and political support calling for a Constitutional Rational Basis Review, this could be our doorway to overturn Schedule I for marijuana.
 
Everyone should copy and paste the above link to every social media network and forum that you have!!! Thank you to Marin Alliance for being so proactive in patient and state rights!!! Every dispensary in California should donate...Imagine how powerful "we" could all be with the money put all together to fight this....
 
Thanks, all, for the words of encouragement. :thanks:

As an update, we were at the press conference that was set to coincide with Obama's visit to San Francisco yesterday. There was a fair press turnout, from KGO and KTVU to the Sacramento Bee and the AP. State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano referred to the US Attorney actions as "thuggery" and is asking for a meeting with the Department of Justice. "We want to meet with the Department of Justice, the Attorney General and the Governor because if I do come up with legislation to provide statewide regulations to address their concerns we need to know what they are thinking."

Flanked by Fairfax mayor Larry Bragman, Lynnette Shaw, director of the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana, called for Obama to issue an executive order stopping the California enforcement actions.

Matt Cohen, owner of the Mendocino County Northstone Organics medical marijuana farm, also appeared. His premises was raided by U.S. drug agents this month, even though his plants are tagged and monitored by the local sheriff under a county-supervised medical marijuana compliance program.

Steve DeAngelo of Oakland medical cannabis club Harborside Health Center commented, "They have gone after the Marin Alliance, Northstone Organics and Harborside. These organizations are 100 percent compliant," he said. "They (federal authorities) should either learn how to aim or learn how to tell the truth."

There was much solidarity in the room and perhaps the main message was that the Government should step back and let the states regulate medicinal marijuana in ways that would satisfy patients' rights and the concerns of local municipalities.

The battle continues.
 
Thank you for the update. I posted a news article about the press conference, and the press conference video as well. I'm hoping it will somehow help in your battle.

I'm rooting for you 420% :cheer:
 
Where's the link to the video and article you speak of Jacob? ;)

Sending my love and positive energy to Lynette and all involved with Marin Alliance.

Keep up the fight, we outnumber them 420,000 to 1, stay focused and determined, we're almost there!
:Namaste:
 
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