LAKE COUNTY -- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted medical marijuana dispensary raids across the Bay Area Wednesday, according to Director of Cal NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) Dale Gieringer. One of the dispensaries was Holistic Solutions in Clearlake owned by Hidden Valley Lake resident Ken Estes, 50, whose additional dispensaries in San Mateo and Richmond and grow sites in Oakland, San Leandro and Humboldt County were also raided. He said Friday he plans to either "reopen or relocate" the facilities, which are now shut down. [continues 293 words]
Did you know that your financial aid can be delayed or denied for drug charges? Question 35 of the FAFSA asked about whether or not you have been convicted of these types of charges. The Higher Education Act Provision of 1998 is to blame. An article by Michael A. Fletcher of the Washington Post on Nov. 10, 2001 states that over 21,000 people with drug convictions have been denied financial aid in the first two years of the provision. The HEA Provision of 1998 clearly states, "A student who has been convicted of any offense under any Federal or State law involving the possession or sale of a controlled substance shall not be eligible to receive any grant, loan, or work assistance under this title during the period beginning on the date of such conviction and ending after the interval specified in the following table..." [continues 276 words]
