Feds Arrest Petaluma Man for Marijuana |
Posted by FoM on February 21, 2002 at 07:22:31 PT By Lois Pearlman, Argus-Courier Staff Source: Argus-Courier A Petaluma man who was acquitted last year in Sonoma County court on charges of growing marijuana for sale was arrested Feb. 12 in Canada as part of a DEA crackdown on a San Francisco medical marijuana club. Kenneth Hayes of Petaluma was one of four people associated with the Sixth Street Harm Reduction Clinic in San Francisco who was arrested and jailed in a case that federal Drug Enforcement Administration officials say was linked to marijuana trafficking between the U.S. and Canada. The other three were HRC director Richard Watts, Oakland marijuana expert Ed Rosenthal, and James Halloran of Oakland who grows marijuana for medical use. Hayes was released by a Canadian judge without bail and could face extradition by U.S. authorities. He is scheduled to appearing court Feb. 27. At the same time Hayes was being arrested in Canada, federal officials found over 600 marijuana plants growing indoors on a property King owns in the Liberty Valley and 178 plants on a parcel he rents in Petaluma, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office, Matt Jacobs. Hayes was charged with one count of maintaining a place for cultivating or manufacturing marijuana and two counts of cultivating or manufacturing marijuana. Last year he was acquitted of charges that he was growing marijuana for sale in Petaluma. Hayes said his operations provided marijuana for over 1,000 patients at the Harm Reduction Clinic, which legally dispenses pot to patients who have approval under California law. But the Sonoma County deputy district attorney who prosecuted him in the case, Carla Clayes, said her office discovered that Hayes had several thousand dollars in bank accounts, but could not use the evidence because it was too late in the case. Clayes said Hayes paints himself as a martyr to the medical marijuana cause, but he appears to be profiting from his marijuana growing. Sonoma County medical marijuana advocate Doc Knapp said following the arrests last week he fielded calls from dozens local medical marijuana patients who feared that they might be in danger. Sonoma County has hundreds of medical marijuana users who are sanctioned under state law and five medical marijuana clubs that legally dispense the drug. Local medical marijuana advocates say it is significant that the arrests occurred the same day that DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson was speaking at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, assuring locals that medical marijuana busts were a low priority for the federal government. President George W. Bush has recently announced that he will step up the war against drugs. While medical use of marijuana with a doctor's approval is legal under California law, all marijuana use is illegal under federal law. Source: Petaluma Argus-Courier (CA) Related Articles & Web Sites: DEA Raids Medical Marijuana Club Federal War Against The Sick Pot Club Crackdown Continues 3 Nabbed in Pot Bust Post Bail Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
Post Comment | |