From: alanb@sonic.net   
      
   Update on SF raids: The US Attorney's office announced indictments for   
   19 individuals on charges of growing and transporting at least 1000   
   marijuana plants over a 4 year period. 3 are for conspiracy to possess   
   ecstasy, 2 for conspiracy of money laundering. It seems that the main   
   thrust of the raid was on what they consider the shield of medical   
   marijuana for a non-medical marijuana operation. We have no information   
   to know whether this is true or not, but in any case, there are 2 fewer   
   dispensaries open to serve patients, the raid was intimidating to   
   state-legal patients, and the numbers of plants we've heard described as   
   being impossibly large seems possibly within reason for a large medical   
   dispensing enterprise.   
      
   ASA is  having a press conference starting at noon at SF City Hall. The   
   SF City Attorney's office will be there to say they support medical   
   marijuana dispensaries still post-Raich, and that the vast majority of   
   allegations of dispensaries opening after the moratorium were, in fact,   
   invalid. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi will be speaking, and commenting on   
   hs efforts to license dispensaries, and expressing concern that local   
   officials were out of the loop on this. The SF District Attorney's   
   office will also be present to assure SF that they support SF patients,   
   caregivers, and dispensaries.   
      
   ASA continues to be concerned that SFPD was present at a raid on a   
   medical marijuana facility, that the timing post-Raich is not   
   coincidental in terms of the intimidation factor, and that we continue   
   to support all patients, caregivers, and doctors. That said, those that   
   are caregiving for patients cannot put patients at risk by engaging in   
   illegal drug activity, if that proves to be true. We're still waiting to   
   gather more information before doing any media releases, and we assume   
   that all defendants are innocent until proven otherwise, in a process   
   that allows all evidence to be presented.   
      
   Hilary McQuie   
   for Americans for Safe Access   
      
   Democratic Space Media   
   510-333-8554   
   hilary@riseup.net   
      
      
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