Pot Clubs Protest Police Harassment

Hopefully you're all stocked up on pot, because it just got harder to find in San Jose.

A slew of pot clubs have closed, following aggressive stings by the county's "special enforcement team" in recent weeks. With their access to medicine effectively eliminated, patents have been left to fend for themselves. Stores and delivery operations alike have been targeted.

City officials claim that they have nothing to do with the raids, and that the crackdown is the result of a county-wide action. The Mayor and City Council have said that they are unable to stop the raids from happening.

A representative from the enforcement team defended the actions, saying that minors were obtaining pot. She did not offer any evidence that they were obtaining it via dispensaries.

There have also been claims that the dispensaries are selling the pot for profit, rather than as a non-profit, as state law requires.

Complicating the issue is the patchwork of laws governing cannabis dispensaries. Without a clear mandate from local, state, and elected leaders, there is ambiguity over exactly what constitutes a legal operation.

Recently, about 80% of San Jose voters approved a measure to tax cannabis, even though the city does not permit dispensaries. That prohibition is up for discussion next month.

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