Federal Marijuana Raids Hit Los Angeles

I'm up in San Francisco right now, but I just got a call from Heathervescent and it seems there is a big protest going on right now in front of the WeHo city hall. This CBS story seems to back it up. In case you missed it, the DEA raided and shut down 90% of the dispensaries in the LA area yesterday. Anyway, just wanted to give you guys that heads up via heather.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Advocates for medical marijuana will demonstrate outside West Hollywood City Hall in response to Drug Enforcement Administration raids that shut down 11 outlets around Los Angeles County.

Federal authorities do not recognize the California law -- approved by voters in 1996 as Proposition 215 -- that allows some people to grow and smoke the weed.

"The DEA continues to say that they are not going after patients," said Steph Sherer, executive director of Oakland-based Americans for Safe Access. "But every time they raid a medical cannabis dispensary, hundreds of the most seriously ill lose their access to medicine."

In West Hollywood, agents in bulletproof vests, sunglasses, gloves and face masks piled out of the stores — four of which were on Santa Monica Boulevard — with boxes and black trash bags full of seized evidence while protesters booed and shouted, "State's rights!" and "DEA go away!" among other slogans.

At the Farmacy, agents loaded three cars with bags as amateur documentary filmmakers and medical marijuana users pushed against police tape. The raid and protest clogged traffic, and motorists honked their horns to show support for the demonstrators.

In all, Pullen said, agents seized well over 100 boxes of evidence and continued their work past 10 p.m.