Activists are cheering the newfound political muscle of legal medical marijuana, after a major police raid last week resulted in a massive protest and political pressure, then the release of a canna-business operator with no criminal charges and $0 bail.
Major California medical cannabis company Care By Design has resumed oil-making operations in Santa Rosa this week, after a disgruntled employee sparked a massive, 100-officer raid of their commercial extraction operation in Santa Rosa on Wednesday.
Police initially arrested Care By Design’s operator Dennis Hunter on charges of running a meth lab-type operation, with bail set at $5 million. But the raid on the prominent, professional, well-connected Care By Design generated an unexpected backlash for police.
The following day: hundreds gathered at the Sonoma County courthouse for a large protest; a letter-writing campaign bombarded local officials; a veteran local political lobbyist stepped in; and city officials began tamping down on the dispute.
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