Swerdlow, Chabot Now Head to Civil Court RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Did Lanny Swerdlow push Paul Chabot? That question has already been the subject of a criminal trial, and it's now the issue at the heart of a civil lawsuit between Swerdlow and Chabot. Chabot, an anti-drug activist and recent candidate for the Assembly, accused Swerdlow of shoving him in October 2007 at a meeting in Rancho Cucamonga of the Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition, which was co-founded by Chabot. [continues 649 words]
RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A medical-marijuana activist accused of shoving an anti-drug activist at a meeting last year was found not guilty of battery Wednesday by a jury in West Valley Superior Court. Paul Chabot, co-founder of the Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition, accused Palm Springs resident Lanny Swerdlow, 62, of shoving him after Chabot denied Swerdlow entry to an October coalition meeting. Swerdlow has maintained that he did not shove Chabot. Swerdlow testified during his trial this week that he side-stepped Chabot before entering the meeting at the James L. Brulte Senior Center in Rancho Cucamonga, which was billed as a public event. [continues 146 words]
A key defense witness in the battery case against a high-profile marijuana activist was arrested Friday on three felony charges related to an outdoor marijuana crop at his Temecula home. Martin Victor, 56, was released from custody Saturday after posting bail and testified Monday in West Valley Superior Court on behalf of Palm Springs resident Lanny Swerdlow. Swerdlow is facing battery charges for allegedly shoving an anti-drug activist at a meeting last year for the Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition. [continues 636 words]
Insists Battery Claim Unfounded RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A medical-marijuana advocate facing battery charges for allegedly shoving an anti-drug activist refused a plea offer from prosecutors Friday that would have reduced his charge to an infraction. Palm Springs resident Lanny Swerdlow, 62, was arrested on suspicion of battery in October after he and several other marijuana activists were ejected from a Rancho Cucamonga meeting of the Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition. Swerdlow says the meeting was advertised as a public event. [continues 245 words]
RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A medical-marijuana advocate facing battery charges for allegedly shoving an anti-drug activist refused a plea offer from prosecutors Friday that would have reduced his charge to an infraction. Palm Springs resident Lanny Swerdlow, 62, was arrested on suspicion of battery in October after he and several other marijuana activists were ejected from a Rancho Cucamonga meeting of the Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition. Swerdlow says the meeting was advertised as a public event. But Paul Chabot, the event's guest speaker and husband of the coalition's president, denied entry to Swerdlow after Swerdlow was recognized as a marijuana activist, Swerdlow said. [continues 217 words]
Claremont Council Flip-Flops on Issue CLAREMONT - An ordinance banning medical-marijuana dispensaries from operating in the city was passed by the City Council this week. The law does not limit the ability of medical-marijuana users to cultivate and use the drug in the city. Nor does it disallow medical-marijuana users from setting up "collectives" to share and distribute the drug if such an operation conforms with state law, said City Attorney Sonia Carvalho. Tuesday's council vote in support of the measure was 4-1, with Mayor Ellen Taylor opposed. [continues 104 words]
3 On Claremont Council To Oppose Dispensary CLAREMONT - The City Council appears poised to reject an ordinance tonight that would allow one heavily regulated medical-marijuana dispensary to open in the city. The council approved the idea in concept in July by a 3-2 vote, but one of the council members who supported the idea now says she intends to vote against it. Councilwoman Linda Elderkin said she changed her mind after the state Supreme Court ruled in January that employers can fire workers for testing positive to marijuana use even if the employee is taking the drug for medical reasons. [continues 461 words]
Judge Rules Against Med Dispensary CLAREMONT - The city has won its lawsuit against former medical marijuana dispensary operator Darrell Kruse, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled this week. Kruse now is permanently barred from operating a dispensary unless specifically permitted by the city, and he also is responsible for paying the city for its "costs of suit," Judge Dan T. Oki ruled Tuesday. In September 2006, Kruse opened a dispensary without first obtaining a business license from the city. The business was closed in February after a temporary restraining order was issued by Oki. [continues 414 words]
RANCHO CUCAMONGA - When Lanny Swerdlow decided to attend a meeting in October of the Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition, he intended to hear the group's message and pass out fliers in support of medical marijuana. Instead, the activist ended up in the back of a San Bernardino County sheriff's squad car, arrested for allegedly assaulting a guest speaker who denied him entry to the public event. On Wednesday Swerdlow pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge. Swerdlow insists he did not push the speaker, Paul Chabot, and was denied entry and subsequently arrested because of his stance on medical marijuana. [continues 438 words]
Setting up a grow house on the scale of the ones found recently in the Inland Valley requires expertise not only in the distinct growing patterns of marijuana, but also in lighting techniques, irrigation, electrical wiring and temperature control. Equipment needed for a full grow house can be purchased for $50,000 to $100,000, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Greg Garland, chief of the department's narcotics bureau. Much of it can be bought at hydroponics stores, which sell equipment for growing plants indoors. [continues 930 words]
Conflicting Laws Lead to Arrests, Confusion California voters passed Proposition 215 - permitting the medical use of marijuana - more than a decade ago. In some parts of the state, use of the drug is readily accepted by local governments and police departments, with dispensaries and doctors specializing in marijuana openly advertising their businesses. Such is not the case in the Inland Empire, where medical-marijuana users, dispensers and growers generally face hostile local governments and police departments. In San Bernardino County, sheriff's deputies are instructed to arrest medical-marijuana users for possession even if they produce a state-sanctioned ID card proving their status as a medical user. [continues 1769 words]
When authorities began finding marijuana grow houses in Southern California this year, they were shocked by their sophistication and by the complex Asian crime syndicates believed responsible for their establishment. But after months of examining their history and movement, investigators say the appearance of the crime syndicates in the region was practically inevitable. An organization similar to the purported network of marijuana grow houses established by Asian criminal organizations in the Inland Valley was first discovered nearly a decade ago in British Columbia, authorities say. A combination of factors fueled its move south: Canadian police focused more attention on its activity, and competing Canadian gangs began to set up their own grow houses, saturating the market. [continues 1633 words]
CLAREMONT - The city's moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries was extended one full year Tuesday night by the City Council. The Council decided at a meeting in July to allow one dispensary to open in the city, and city staff is now working to draft a permanent ordinance. The moratorium against dispensaries was scheduled to expire later this month. It was extended to allow the city more time to craft regulations. City staff hopes to present the ordinance to the Council in February or March next year, according to a city timeline. [end]
Group Seeks to Keep Out Medical Dispensaries RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A newly formed organization opposed to medical- marijuana dispensaries is urging local governments to prohibit the businesses. The Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition fears dispensaries will attract crime and increase illicit marijuana use by people who do not need the drug for medical reasons. "It will bring criminal activity, blight," said Brenda Chabot, the Rancho Cucamonga-based group's executive director. "Political leaders should have enough courage to say they don't want these in their communities." [continues 549 words]
Council Not Softening After Dispensary Vote CLAREMONT - Despite its vote last week to welcome a medical-marijuana dispensary to town, the City Council has shown no willingness to back down from its lawsuit against former dispensary operator Darrell Kruse. The paradoxical situation puts council members in the odd position of denouncing Kruse's activity that led to the lawsuit - namely, opening last year without permission - while in the same breath acknowledging that he could one day be welcomed as the operator of the city's planned dispensary. [continues 617 words]
CLAREMONT - In the 10 months since Darrell Kruse opened his dispensary here, the city has become an unlikely battleground in the state's legally uncertain medical-marijuana program. Kruse, who opened his dispensary last September without city permission or a business license, was fought by the city and forced by court order to shut down. Since its initial battle with Kruse and despite the current moratorium prohibiting dispensaries, the City Council has appeared to soften its stance against medical marijuana. During its most recent discussion in May, several council members made comments in favor of dispensaries. [continues 633 words]
Patients and Employees Protest CORONA - The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raided and closed down a medical-marijuana dispensary here as protesters rallied outside Tuesday morning. Federal agents served search warrants at about 6 a.m. at the Healing Nations Collective dispensary, at the owner's Corona house, and at a Norco storage locker in his name, said DEA spokeswoman Sarah Pullen. Ronald Naulls was arrested at 6:10 a.m. on suspicion of marijuana distribution and conspiracy to distribute marijuana, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Stacy said. Both are federal charges. [continues 569 words]
Claremont City Politicians Talk to Dispensary Hopeful CLAREMONT - Several members of the City Council have met quietly with a marijuana activist who hopes to open a dispensary in the city. David Kasakove, a Claremont native who has operated two dispensaries in Northern California, outlined his vision for a Claremont marijuana dispensary during individual meetings Friday with three council members. The city has a moratorium in place that prohibits dispensaries, but the council is set to revisit the issue in early July. If the council allows dispensaries to operate in the city, Kasakove hopes that officials will take his bid seriously. [continues 508 words]
CLAREMONT - Burglars stole nine marijuana plants after breaking into the city's medical marijuana dispensary, police discovered Friday morning. Police responded at about 7:45 a.m. to Claremont All-Natural Nutrition Aids Buyers Information Services in the 600 block of S. Indian Hill Boulevard, after a city official driving past the location saw that a window had been broken. Darrell Kruse, the owner of the dispensary, said the plants taken - nine of his 13 "mother" plants - were of no monetary value because they had not yet matured, rendering the smokable part of the plant useless. [continues 412 words]
