Five pot shops in San Francisco have closed, and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency is sniffing out the ones that remain, according to reports.
A DEA agent requested information on 12 of the city's remaining 21 licensed medical marijuana dispensaries, according to The San Francisco Examiner. City officials have complied with the request.
It's unclear what's going to come of this. Similar requests were sent in the fall to five other city-licensed pot clubs, which all closed soon after, following receipt of letters from U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, who warned landlords that their properties could be seized and they could spend 40 years in jail unless the dispensaries were shut down and evicted.
The DEA requested business licenses, health permits, ownership information and yearly inspection forms, the newspaper reported. All of this information is available publicly.
Since Oct. 7, when the four United States Attorneys for California announced a coordinated, statewide crackdown, hundreds of dispensaries have closed. Dispensaries are supposed to pay state sales taxes; in San Francisco, they also pay local sales taxes, the newspaper reported.
DEA agents did not comment.
San Francisco has licensed medical marijuana dispensaries since 2005.
DEA Sniffing SF's Legal Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
The DEA is sniffing out medical marijuana dispensaries in San Francisco.
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