Via OC Register
Erika Ritchie
LAKE FOREST – Orange County NORML and OC Americans for Safe Access plan to protest at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting against the city’s recent partnership with the U.S. Attorney General’s Office and a crackdown on eight medical-marijuana dispensaries in a strip mall on Raymond Way.
Many local residents and patients and supporters of the dispensaries are upset that the Lake Forest City Council and City Attorney Scott Smith called the federal government for assistance after not prevailing in state court, said Kandice Hawes, executive director of Orange County NORML.
The rally, expected to draw more than 200 people, is planned for 6 p.m. in front of the council chambers at 25550 Commercentre Drive. At 7 p.m., protesters will join the council meeting and speak during public comment, Hawes said. Several of the collectives at 26402 Raymond Way are expected to participate, she said.
“We’re expecting a huge turnout from patients all across the county and beyond,” Hawes said. “Everyone needs to stand up for this because our rights are being trampled on.”
The protest follows Friday’s efforts by Raymond Way building owner Yousef Ibrahim to order the eight dispensaries in his building to shut down following federal seizure of his bank account. Ibrahim, who found out about the seizure from an article in The Orange County Register, issued a three-day abatement notice to avoid federal prosecution, said his attorney, Garfield Logan.
“He doesn’t want to fight the federal government,” Logan said.
Federal agents Saturday delivered asset-forfeiture summonses to some of the dispensaries, including the Independent Collective of Orange County and Cannabis Permanente, said attorney Damian Nassiri, who had defended them in their efforts to fight closure by the city of Lake Forest.
According to Logan, five of the eight dispensaries closed Tuesday morning. The others are expected to close by early afternoon, he said.
“They’ve been very cooperative,” Logan said.
The dispensaries – Lake Forest Patients Group at Suite 201, Pharmers’ Choice at 202, Cannabis Permanente at 203, Evergreen Holistic at 206, Cooperative 207 at 207, Florentina Organic at 208, Independent Collective of Orange County at 209 and The Health Collective at 210 – were targeted Oct. 7 by the U.S. attorney general after efforts by the city to remove them continued to be tied up in legal battles.
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