Police Raid Long Beach Medical Marijuana Collective
Long Beach police raided a downtown medical marijuana provider Tuesday, hours before the City Council was scheduled to hear a report on enforcement of a 4-month-old ban on dispensaries.
The raid by narcotics detectives on THC Downtown, 301 Atlantic Ave., resulted in the arrest of three employees and two security guards, said LBPD Lt. Michael Pennino. The suspects names weren't immediately available.
According to Pennino, the suspects would be charged with misdemeanor violations of the city's prohibition on medical marijuana collectives that didn't pass a short-lived permit process.
The council in 2010 voted to allow collectives that were selected through a lottery and met rigorous regulatory requirements, but THC wasn't one of them.
In February, the council banned all collectives, but gave 18 permitted ones a six-month reprieve pending a state Supreme Court ruling over California's medical marijuana laws.
Residents complained about criminal activity related to the 2-month-old THC Downtown dispensary, leading to the police action, Pennino said.
Several residents interviewed Tuesday didn't wish to be named, but spoke of marijuana customers urinating and defecating on sidewalks and porches.
On Monday, neighbors said a dead, stabbed cat was found on a doorstep.
- Read the entire article at Contra Costa Times.
