Police Continue Raids At Vallejo Pot Dispensaries

By Bay City News Service

          Vallejo police continued a crackdown on unregulated marijuana
dispensaries Wednesday night with the arrest of the operator of the Better
Health Group.
          Jorge Luis Espinoza, 24, of San Rafael, was arrested for
possession for sales of marijuana, sales of marijuana and opening or
maintaining an unlawful place, Lt. Ken Weaver said. He was booked into the
Solano County jail.
          Detectives with a search warrant found 400 marijuana plants in
various stages of growth and 340 food items containing marijuana in violation
of the Sherman Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, Weaver said.
          The food included cakes, brownies, cookies, lollypops, drinks, and
a powder drink mix. There also were oils and lotions, Weaver said.
           Detectives also seized 30 pounds of processed marijuana and more
than an ounce of hashish, Weaver said.
          Weaver said police will suggest the Solano County District
Attorney's Office also consider filing a cultivation of marijuana charge
against Espinoza.
          The raid at the dispensary in the 3600 block of Sonoma Boulevard
followed a five-month investigation.
          Weaver said there are 20 or more marijuana storefronts operating
unlawfully in Vallejo.
          On Feb. 21, Vallejo police and federal Drug Enforcement
Administration agents served three search warrants on marijuana dispensaries
in the 1300 block of Napa Street and the 600 block of Marin Street in Vallejo
and in the 200 block of Marina Village Way in Benicia.
          Narcotics agents removed 200 marijuana plants from a sophisticated
grow at the Napa Street location, Weaver said.
          In 2007 a fire started at the Napa Street location, Weaver said.
As a precaution, a Vallejo building inspector was at the Napa Street
location, Weaver said.  The inspector noticed several violations and tagged
the residence for unpermitted additions, Weaver said.
          Agents found 588 marijuana plants and a handgun at the Marin
Street location, Weaver said. The building inspector also noticed several
violations and tagged the building for unpermitted additions.
          Matthew Shotwell, 31, was arrested and booked into the Solano
County jail for unauthorized cultivation of marijuana, possession for sales
of marijuana and opening or maintaining an unlawful place, Weaver said.
          Weaver said Vallejo does not issue business licenses to the
dispensaries.
          "It's a zoning license violation. State law says you can't sell
marijuana and the federal government says 'no'," Weaver said.
          There is no cap on the number of marijuana dispensaries in
Vallejo, some of which have been operating since 2008, Weaver said.
          "We got complaints from citizens, the business community and
increased calls for service," Weaver said of the dispensaries. "We're
compiling information and we're taking a more aggressive approach," he said.
          Under the 1996 California Compassionate Use Act, patients and
their primary caregivers are protected from criminal prosecution under state
law for personal possession and cultivation of marijuana for medical reasons
but not for distribution or sale to others.
          The law was expanded in 2004 to authorize patient "cooperatives"
or "collectives" to grow, distribute and, or sell medical marijuana on a
non-profit basis to their members.
          Designated primary caregivers who consistently attend to their
patients' needs and collective members may charge for their labor and
services in providing marijuana.
          The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or
NORML, says hundreds of medical cannabis dispensaries, coops, and collectives
are operating in California.
          Many are operating in accordance with local and state laws, but
selling any marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and the Drug
Enforcement Administration has conducted scores of raids against them, NORML
says on its website.