Lawyers for U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag appeared in court Tuesday in an effort to shut down a medical marijuana collective in Oakland, California, despite federal guidance discouraging U.S. prosecutors from going after state-legal cannabis operations.
“There was quite a bit of head-scratching,” Tamar Todd, director of marijuana law and policy for the Drug Policy Alliance, told The Huffington Post of Tuesday’s hearing, which she attended. “The Department of Justice has repeatedly said to back off these cases. Why pick this fight?”
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Despite the legal proceedings, Harborside executive director Steve DeAngelo has been able to keep both his Oakland storefront and his sibling operation in San Jose running. His clientele includes several children who suffer from severe forms of epilepsy, whose families say cannabis tinctures are the only treatment that has helped them.
DeAngelo said he will continue to fight Haag’s actions. “Harborside has zero intention of closing our doors,” he told HuffPost. “We will never abandon our patients. We expect to be here long after Melinda Haag has left office.”
