65A - RPT - REGARDING MEDICAL MARIJUANA INITIATIVE

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consistent relationship demanded by the statute is mere fiction if it can be achieved between an individual and a business that functions like a narcotic retail store. ADVERSE SECONDARY EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES AND SIMILIARLY OPERATING COOPERATIVES Of great concern are the adverse secondary effects of these dispensaries and storefront cooperatives. They are many. Besides flouting federal law by selling a prohibited Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, marijuana dispensaries attract or cause numerous ancillary social problems as byproducts of their operation. The most glaring of these are other criminal acts. ANCILLARY CRIMES A. ARMED ROBBERIES AND MURDERS Throughout California, many violent crimes have been committed that can be traced to the proliferation of marijuana dispensaries. These include armed robberies and murders. For example, as far back as 2002, two home occupants were shot in Willits, California in the course of a home- invasion robbery targeting medical marijuana. 32 And, a series of four armed robberies of a marijuana dispensary in Santa Barbara, California occurred through August 10, 2006, in which thirty dollars and fifteen baggies filled with marijuana on display were taken by force and removed from the premises in the latest holdup. The owner said he failed to report the first three robberies because "medical marijuana is such a controversial issue." 33 On February 25, 2004, in Mendocino County two masked thugs committed a home invasion robbery to steal medical marijuana. They held a knife to a 65-year-old man's throat, and though he fought back, managed to get away with large amounts of marijuana. They were soon caught, and one of the men received a sentence of six years in state prison. 34 And, on August 19, 2005, 18-year-old Demarco Lowrey was "shot in the stomach" and "bled to death" during a gunfight with the business owner when he and his friends attempted a takeover robbery of a storefront marijuana business in the City of San Leandro, California. The owner fought back with the hooded home invaders, and a gun battle ensued. Demarco Lowery was hit by gunfire and "dumped outside the emergency entrance of Children's Hospital Oakland" after the shootout.35 He did not survive.36 Near Hayward, California, on September 2, 2005, upon leaving a marijuana dispensary, a patron of the CCA Cannabis Club had a gun put to his head as he was relieved of over $250 worth of pot. Three weeks later, another break-in occurred at the Garden of Eden Cannabis Club in September of 2005.37 Another known marijuana-dispensary-related murder occurred on November 19, 2005. Approximately six gun- and bat-wielding burglars broke into Les Crane's home in Laytonville, California while yelling, "This is a raid." Les Crane, who owned two storefront marijuana businesses, was at home and shot to death. He received gunshot wounds to his head, arm, and abdomen. 38 Another man present at the time was beaten with a baseball bat. The murderers left the home after taking an unknown sum of U.S. currency and a stash of processed marijuana.39 Then, on January 9, 2007, marijuana plant cultivator Rex Farrance was shot once in the chest and killed in his own home after four masked intruders broke in and demanded money. When the homeowner ran to fetch a firearm, he was shot dead. The robbers escaped with a small amount of © 2009 California Police Chiefs Assn. 8 All Rights Reserved 65A-69