Nation’s leading medical cannabis facility facing closure for being too large
After finally finding an effective medicine, the locations that provide such healing are under threat by President Obama, his DEA and his U.S. Attorneys.
Before discovering California’s premier medical cannabis dispensary, Harborside Health Center, Jason David was losing hope for his young son Jayden suffers from Dravet Syndrome, a rare and severe form of epilepsy.
In his first five years, Jayden had a seizure every day, rode in an ambulance 45 times and tried 22 different medications. Nothing helped.
As a last resort, Jason consulted Harborside management, who worked with their patient-vendors to develop a non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis product for Jayden.
Since he began taking the medication, Jayden has experienced his first seizure-free day and is functioning better while enjoying a greater quality of life.
But Jason now fears that if the federal government shuts down Harborside, he won’t be able to get this specialized, effective, vital medicine for his son.
On July 10, 2012, Harborside’s two locations received property forfeiture notices from U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag.
This federal action flies in the face of promises made by Haag to exclusively target dispensaries less than 1,000 feet from schools. Neither Harborside location is close to a school or out of compliance with any state laws or local ordinances.
Harborside has always maintained strict adherence to state law and local ordinances, and is widely considered the nation’s model medical cannabis dispensary. The complaints do not even allege any wrongdoing.
Instead, Haag, referring to Harborside’s 108,000+ patients, insists that “the larger the operation, the greater the likelihood that there will be abuse of the state’s medical marijuana laws.”
In a letter to U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, Harborside’s attorney Henry Wykowski has invited Haag to visit and tour the facility, so that she can be assured of its complete compliance.
“The closure of Harborside would have an especially destructive effect on our most medically challenged patients, like Jayden David, who need pure and specialized cannabis medicines unavailable at other dispensaries,” says Harborside co-founder and executive director, Steve DeAngelo. “They are less able to negotiate the dangers of the illegal marketplace, and cannot risk using untested cannabis from unregulated sources. I am not so concerned about what will happen to me if Harborside’s property is seized, but I stay up at night worrying about Jayden and other patients like him.”
https://www.harborsidehealthcenter.com/
The federal attacks on the medical cannabis community keep coming.
This latest attack comes on the heels of other raids, audits, and other intimidation around the state.
Protest Planned
Can you please join us on Monday, July 23, to tell President Obama to stop attacking California’s medical cannabis patients, cultivators, and providers when he visits the Fox Theater in downtown Oakland?
Harborside Health Center (HHC), Americans For Safe Access (ASA), and others are calling for a peaceful protest to let the President know we want him to stop the federal attack!
Mark your calendar for MONDAY, JULY 23, right now, at 3:30 pm!
We will be sending more details soon – including ways to shuttle in patients from outside the area.
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PLEASE SIGN UP HERE FOR MORE ACTION ALERTS:
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