Marijuana Movement Plans 420 Day of Action Friday

By Dennis Romero Wed., Apr. 18 2012 at 2:18 PM

April 20, a.k.a. 420, is the stoner's holiday -- almost as big as Cinco de Mayo in L.A.

But this time around, marijuana decriminalization activists want you to turn it into "a day of action," a time to voice displeasure with the Obama administration's crackdown on dispensaries in California.

Dale Sky Jones, who runs the recently busted Oaksterdam University in Oakland, told reporters today:

It's a traditional day of celebration for the cannabis community ... It's a day of protest this year ... Contact the Obama administration ... in protest of these midguided policies ... Please let Obama know about how you feel about these midguided policies.

Oaksterdam is encouraging those who value the legality of medical marijuana in California to use its website to contact the White House on Friday.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and IRS agents raided Oaksterdam April 2 in a move many saw as symbolic: Its owner, Richard Lee, was behind California's nearly successful ballot initiative that would have legalized pot full-on, medical or not.

Lee indicated during a conference call with reporters today that the raid was about taxes:

It's ironic we're the ones who've been saying regulate and tax cannabis, and now they want to hit us with more than normal taxes ... They want to have their cake and eat it to.

Dale Sky Jones / Facebook

He's stepping away from Oaksterdam, which sold medical pot and trained dispensary owners and workers in the ways of cannabis cultivation and retailing. Jones is taking over under a new corporation, she said.

Its L.A. campus was shuttered in 2010 as a result of the economy, Jones told the Weekly.

Meanwhile, Neil Franklin, director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), said of Obama:

He's out of touch with his own campaign pledges ... how he got into office in the first place. Remember the fact that President Obama handily won ... after pledging to back off of frederal attack ... As a cop these medical decisions should be left up to doctors and their patients, not law enforcement and the DEA.

Are you in? It happens Friday.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

Tags:

420, cannabis, DEA, dispensaries, marijuana, Oaksterdam, Obama

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Wivi-marie Czarnecki

i don't now way but it can help lot of people too get healthy. its only a plant. ho can save life. it no one who had died in this world. I am sick and i have something in my brain. that i need dopamine. and i have tried cannabis, in tea. and it helped me. i was ok 48 our. free from pain.so i hope that people can take care of them self. and no more cannabis wore. Let it be free so there will bee no more harder drugs. but i cant call it drugs. it a plant a nature medicine. why should god made a plant there its not good for us. if a animal like it its ok. The cats and animals loves it.And they don't eat dangerous things...some thing to think about. its not the plant who destroy the world it the war on it. and the drug dealer don't have any job. the first thing is bear and cigarettes.that's ligel who destroy lot of peoples life. the life's i hate drugs. and i will have a healthy life, But i cant understand why something is helping sick people. iligel..that only one who wins on that is the drug dealer. they earn lot of money and prey something on it so the young people becomes dependent. it had never happened if it had been legal. then the police had had more time for other things..to grasp the real criminals. so this is a big day for all over the world people who do not understand should read the medical marijuana.com So you understand that it is a great medicine. which may help people with various diseases. People do not understand before you become so ill that life is over. The fine-just lots of medisiner that has a lot of dangerous side effecct where you die from them.

Tique Vercher

i need the location to participate

Mr Friendly

article writer probably too high and forgot to include the location... ;-P

Brandt Hardin

Marijuana is the safest drug with actual benefits for theuser as opposed to alcohol which is dangerous, causes addiction, birth defects,and affects literally every organ in the body. Groups are organizing all over the country to speak their minds onreforming pot laws. I drew up a very coolposter featuring Uncle Willie Nelson and The Teapot Party for the cause whichyou can check out on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot... Drop in and let me know what you think!