Garden Grove Officials Ask Feds to Raid Medical Marijuana Shops
It seems that some people may not be getting the point of medical marijuana and the places that dispense it. The clue is in the title, with the word “medical”. So when the mayor of Garden Grove, William Dalton, says that “Nobody here wants any of them,” he’s clearly not understanding or hearing his constituents who DO want the medical marijuana dispensaries.
Today it was reported in the Orange County Register that the Garden Grove police officials have asked federal authorities to raid the medical marijuana dispensaries in their city, like they did for Costa Mesa earlier this year. Speaking to the City Council last night, Police Chief Kevin Raney made it sound like a threat: “They will be coming to Garden Grove in the future.”
Raney’s comment was in response to both council members and residents who complained during the meeting about the “proliferation” of the dispensaries in the city. It does seem like using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut, especially when there was only five or eight dispensaries in the city two years ago. Raney has now said that there are around 60.
So, instead of letting these shops “proliferate”, why was the city allowing the dispensaries to open in the first place? Surely they could have come up with a city ordinance that capped how many dispensaries that could operate within city limits?
In fact, this is the biggest problem with medical marijuana, besides the fact that medical marijuana is legal in California but illegal in the eyes of federal law. California has not come up with any guidelines or recommendations about how cities or counties should deal with the dispensaries, leaving lawmakers, law enforcement and councils at a loss. Instead of being proactive, they seem to let the problem grow until they have to take drastic measures, like Garden Grove’s federal raid plan.
Costa Mesa is now facing a number of lawsuits with several dispensaries, and Garden Grove shouldn’t be surprised if they find they are also served if the raid happens.
Raney declined to discuss the specifics of the city’s request to the DEA, which does beg the question if there’s actually a plan besides just to raid the dispensaries and hope they go away.
Until they cure cancer and other serious and life-threatening illnesses, medical marijuana is not going to go away. The government and state lawmakers should start looking forward at solving this problem instead of sticking their heads in the sand.
What do you think Garden Grove should do? Are you a resident? Are you unhappy with the number of “pot shops” in the city? What is the danger of medical marijuana, in your opinion? Or do you support the legality of medical marijuana in California? Perhaps you, or someone you know, has used it to relieve the pain and suffering of cancer? Please let us know your comments below.
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