Advocates Rally In San Jose Against Pot Raid Arrests
SAN JOSE (KCBS) - Medical marijuana advocates rallied in San Jose, in response to a recent sting operation that resulted in charges against 22 individuals.
Supporters chanted "drop the charges now" as they gathered on the steps of Santa Clara County Superior Court Thursday afternoon.
KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:
"Operation Up in Smoke" was executed October 1 and 7 by multiple agencies, and coordinated by a Santa Clara County special enforcement team. The bust netted 25 lbs of marijuana, 9 firearms, and 223 plants.
Thursday's demonstration was a carefully choreographed event, with a press release issued beforehand.
"We demand that the Santa Clara County District Attorney immediately drop the charges," wrote Lauren Vazquez, Director of the Silicon Valley chapter of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the country's leading medical marijuana advocacy organization. "In a democratic society, we develop laws that protect our sickest people, not that leave them susceptible to police harassment and criminal prosecution."
With over 50,000 active members in all 50 states, ASA promoted itself as "the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research."
"I'm hoping that this all will be dismissed," declared one man who admitted to being charged in the sting.
He faced criminal charges of transporting and attempting to sell marijuana. Outside the courthouse, he maintained that he worked for a legitimate cooperative.
"We've been incorporated by the Secretary of State. We pay taxes."
He questioned law enforcement tactics, which he claimed included an undercover officer producing a seemingly legitimate medical marijuana card. He likened it to entrapment.
The Santa Clara Police Department defended the raids. In a written statement, Chief Stephen Lodge claimed that, "Those arrested have perverted the important role of a caregiver for seriously ill patients for their own financial gain."
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