Medical Marijuana Advocates In South Bay Claim Harassment
SAN JOSE (CBS/KCBS) -- Supporters of medical marijuana in Santa Clara County said they are being harassed by law enforcement, which has conducted several raids on local pot clubs.
So far, a county special enforcement team has raided at least three pot clubs in the San Jose area, targeting problem clubs operating for profit illegally.
But marijuana supporters told the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors this week that they are being victimized by overzealous officers.
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
"If a collective is operating improperly, than regulations should call for appropriate procedures, but not an intimidating raid," said one advocate.
Daniel Hovland with the Silicon Valley Chapter of Americans for Safe Access said he has been surprised by the raids.
"We were hoping that we could have a peaceful arrangement, and yet, to start raiding us and arresting us, it was definitely quite a shock," Hovland said.
Outgoing Supervisor Don Gage they could call in the county sheriff to talk about the raids, but so far, he hasn't heard of any problems with those operations.
San Jose Councilman Sam Liccardo said the number of pot clubs in San Jose has mushroomed over the past year to more than 80.
"The reason why so many cities and counties are struggling with the problem of how to regulate marijuana dispensaries is because the federal government has really advocated the responsibility here," he said.
Liccardo is calling for the feds to push marijuana out of neighborhoods and into pharmacies, where it can be regulated by trained medical professionals.
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