Where will it end? In March, a U.S. attorney told KQED that the federal crackdown on pot dispensaries would focus on establishments near places that children gather: schools, parks and playgrounds.
But Harborside Health Center's facilities in Oakland and San Jose don't fall into that category. So when federal authorities announced on Wednesday that they filed court papers to seize the company's assets, they gave the impression that any dispensary may be fair game.
And in a press release Melinda Haag, US Attorney for Northern California, said as much: "I now find the need to consider actions regarding marijuana superstores such as Harborside. The larger the operation, the greater the likelihood that there will be abuse of the state’s medical marijuana laws, and marijuana in the hands of individuals who do not have a demonstrated medical need."
Harborside is one of the largest -- some say the largest dispensary in the world. And while medical marijuana is legal under state law, but it still breaks federal law. So federal agents can strike whatever pot dispensary they want, and the new move suggests none is safe.
Harborside's management remains defiant. KQED's Caitlin Esch attended a press conference there this morning.