Posted on September 4th, 2008 by Cali CannabisA recent article in the Wall Street Journal reveals the primary reason why California Attorney General Jerry Brown decided to issue super confusing and extremely vague laws regarding the operation of cannabis clubs. Brown is still trying to distance himself from his late 1970’s nickname of ‘Governor Moonbeam’, as he plans on running for Governor in 2010 with a “tough on crime” platform.
More from the Wall Street Journal, including quotes from cannabis activists and defenders:
Mr. Brown’s guidelines say medical-marijuana dispensaries — which operate in a legal gray area — should operate as small nonprofits. The guidelines instruct state law-enforcement officials that “excessive amounts of marijuana” and “excessive amounts of cash” may indicate a dispensary is operating unlawfully. “There’s no blank check to sell marijuana in California,” Mr. Brown said in an interview, adding that he believes many marijuana sellers are “shadowy enterprises.”
* * * * *While medical-marijuana advocates don’t like the prospect of tightened restrictions, some said the new guidelines should help them to comply with the law. “It reduces the subjectivity of law enforcement,” said Joe Elford, who is chief counsel with the marijuana-advocacy group Americans for Safe Access. He said the majority of marijuana clubs in the state are small operations that already comply with the guidelines.
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Allison Margolin, a criminal defense attorney who represents marijuana dispensaries, said the new guidelines don’t explain the difference between for-profit and non-profit organizations. “Law enforcement will use this vagueness to continue to prosecute people,” she said.
