Medical marijuana dispensaries in northern California and elsewhere throughout the state remain open despite Monday’s Supreme Court ruling stating there exists no medical exemption for the manufacture and distribution of marijuana under federal law.
According to yesterday’s San Francisco Examiner, medical marijuana proprietors “reacted with a shrug … and said they plan to continue holding regular hours until someone tells them otherwise.” The Oakland Cannabis Buyer’s Cooperative – which was the sole defendant in the Supreme Court case – also remains open as a patient resource center, but no longer distributes medicinal marijuana.
California NORML Executive Director Dale Gieringer said it would be a “serious mistake” for the federal government to try and close the state’s medical marijuana dispensaries. “The clubs provide a valuable service to their members and their communities,” he said. “Not only do they provide countless thousands of patients with relief from otherwise intractable illnesses, but they also promote public safety by taking the marijuana traffic out of the hands of street dealers.”
Rather than cracking down on dispensaries, “the government would be better advised to change its policy,” he said. “The federal government lacks the manpower, competence and moral authority to prevent the medical use of marijuana.”
For more information, please contact either Dale Gieringer, California NORML Executive Director, at (415) 563-5858, or Keith Stroup, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500.
