Wednesday, April 04, 2012
(photo: Elijah Wallechinsky)
Federal agents on Monday continued the Obama administration’s crackdown on medical marijuana operations in California, raiding four Oaksterdam University sites in downtown Oakland, as well as the home of the institution's founder, Richard Lee.
Lee was detained but not arrested. Agents did arrest two protesters outside the Oaksterdam sites as plants and other materials were carried away. The armed raiders, including some who wore masks, represented the Internal Revenue Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Founded in November 2007, Oaksterdam offers a colorful variety of classes including Indoor Horticulture; Cooking with Aunt Sandy! Cannabis Infused Sweet & Savory Recipes; and Federal Vs State Law.
Besides the University building itself, law enforcement agents raided the Oaksterdam Museum, the Oaksterdam gift shop, and a dispensary.
The Obama administration has forced dozens of dispensaries to close or relocate and threatened to seize the properties of landlords that rent to dispensaries near schools and parks.
Some Oakland officials criticized the sweep. “We have a serious gun violence problem in Oakland,” Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan told the Oakland Tribune. “If there are extra law enforcement resources available, they should be focused on fighting illegal guns and gun violence.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky
To Learn More:
Feds Raid Oaksterdam University, Founder's Home (by Matthai Kuruvila, San Francisco Chronicle)
Feds Raid Oakland Medical Marijuana Sites (by Matthew Artz, Paul Thissen and Harry Harris, Oakland Tribune)
Feds Raid Oaksterdam University (by Phillip Smith, StopTheDrugWar.org)
Obama Escalates Attack on Legal Marijuana (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)
More Californians Voted for Marijuana than for Republican Candidates (by David Wallechinsky, AllGov)
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