Pubdate: Fri, 07 Jul 2006 Source: North County Times (Escondido, CA) Copyright: 2006 North County Times Contact: http://www.nctimes.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1080 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) Note: Gives LTE priority to North San Diego County and Southwest Riverside County residents COUNTY, DEA RAID MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES Drug enforcement, San Diego County sheriff's deputies and San Diego police officers raided a number of medical marijuana dispensaries across the county, including a location that had just opened recently in Solana Beach, district attorney's officials said Thursday. Deputy District Attorney Damon Mosler said Thursday afternoon that law enforcement officials arrested 10 people, but none in North County, on charges including possessing marijuana with intent to sell, and selling marijuana. Mosler said no raids were conducted on "Legal Ease," a North County dispensary the city of San Marcos plans to shut down. California voters approved the "Compassionate Use Act" a decade ago, which allows seriously ill people to grow and use marijuana to ease their pain. However, the federal government still considers all marijuana use to be illegal and without medicinal value ---- though it recognizes the medicinal benefit of synthetically-created tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in grown marijuana. Mosler said the county was helping federal agents conduct the raids because the dispensaries were selling marijuana to almost anyone who wanted it, rather than legitimate patients. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek