It has been estimated that as many as 800 such facilities are presently operating in L.A. County.

"The vast, vast, vast majority – about 100 percent – of dispensaries in Los Angeles County and the city are operating illegally," Cooley told the Los Angeles Times. "The time is right to deal with this problem."

Cooley publicly announced his intent hours after attending a conference sponsored by the California Narcotics Officers Association (CNOA) entitled "Eradication of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County."

In a September 2009 white paper published by the CNOA, it alleged that cannabis "has never (been) proven to be medically beneficial and, in fact, is much more likely to harm one's health."

The paper further alleged, "[O]nly about two percent of those using crude marijuana for medicine are critically ill. ... (Medicinal) marijuana is being abused by people who have no serious medical condition and simply like to be intoxicated."

District Attorney Cooley also threatened to target physicians who he believes to be inappropriately issuing recommendations to patients.

Cooley said that medicinal cannabis "collectives," which he defined as operations where the members "must raise their own marijuana and can only recoup their costs," would not be targeted.

NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre criticized D.A. Cooley and the CNOA's actions. "Neither D.A Cooley nor the CNOA possess any expertise in either tax matters or making medical diagnoses," he said. "Rather than driving these operations underground, law enforcement would be better served working with the patient community to enact guidelines that promote public safety and regulated patient access."

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500 or Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org.