Pubdate: Tue, 27 Apr 2010
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Page: AA6
Copyright: 2010 Los Angeles Times
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/bc7El3Yo
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Author: Patrick J. McDonnell
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/dispensaries
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis - Medicinal - U.S.)

NORCO TAKES AIM AT ROLLING POT JOINT

A Court Injunction Is Sought Against the Collective-on-Wheels 
Marijuana Dispensary

Riverside County businessman Stewart Hauptman's latest venture gives 
new meaning to the term "recreational drugs": selling medical 
marijuana from a souped-up RV parked outside a Norco clinic.

He refurbished the motor home, installing display cases, several 
seats and other amenities. The Lakeview Collective-on-Wheels operated 
from a lot outside a clinic where people were being evaluated for 
medical marijuana use.

"That way, when patients come out of the clinic, they are able to get 
the medicine right away," said Hauptman, a 
videographer-turned-cannabis-entrepreneur.

But the city of 27,000, which bans the distribution of marijuana, 
went to court last week seeking an injunction to shut down Hauptman's 
business, which has been cited several times since it opened in October.

"We'll take whatever proper legal action is needed to get them to 
cease," said John Harper, an attorney representing the city.

Hauptman and his wife, Helen, said they are being persecuted for 
trying to provide a humanitarian service. Most of their clients are 
elderly, many confined to wheelchairs and using walkers, they said.

"These are not young kids who go out and get stoned; this is not 
about that," Hauptman said. "These are older people, some dying from cancer."

But Norco officials say the couple's portrayal of their clientele 
does not match police observations.

"We've seen people, generally speaking, between the ages of 18 and 25 
who appear to be in good health lined up outside there to buy 
marijuana," Harper said.

A landmark 1996 voter initiative legalized marijuana for medical use 
in California, but the question of whether cities are legally 
entitled to ban distribution is pending before state appeals courts. 
Medical marijuana advocates say state law allows cities to regulate 
the trade but not ban it. Officials from Norco and other cities say 
local governments may outlaw dispensaries.

A hearing on whether to permanently shut down the Hauptmans' business 
is scheduled for June 1 in Riverside County Superior Court.

The Hauptmans said their business is legal -- and essential. It 
features marijuana-laced brownies, cookies, pretzels and other items 
that cost about $10 a serving. Marijuana sells for about $450 an 
ounce. But official pressure has forced the mobile cannabis store to 
shut down for now, the couple said.

The Hauptmans are now delivering marijuana to clients' homes, but not 
with the RV.

"We're using a truck," Helen Hauptman said. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake