Pubdate: Sat, 31 May 2008 Source: Palo Alto Daily News (CA) Copyright: 2008 Palo Alto Daily News Contact: http://www.paloaltodailynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/965 Author: Alan Fackler Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California) PENINSULA'S LAST CANNABIS CLUB GETS RAIDED Federal agents, in conjunction with the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force, have shut down the Peninsula's last remaining cannabis club, where they confiscated drugs and paperwork, according to police. Agents raided Holistic Solutions, located at 216 2nd St., at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. Federal agents shut down three other local medical marijuana dispensaries in August. This week's raid has left medical marijuana advocates in an uproar. Some believe the operation was part of a trio of morning raids in San Mateo, Clearlake and Richmond that specifically targeted Ken Estes, who reportedly owns several medical marijuana facilities throughout California. Estes was not available Friday for comment. "The federal government is frustrated by the effective implementation of state law in California, and they're trying to undermine it," said Kris Hermes of Americans for Safe Access, a group that promotes the use of legalized medical marijuana. "I would certainly suspect that they were targeting Estes and his facilities." San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force Officer Mark Wyss refused comment on whether the raids were linked, stating only that the case is still under investigation. The raid illustrates the conflicts that many cannabis clubs face. California's Compassionate Use Act, passed in 1996, allows the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes with a doctor's approval, but marijuana is still illegal under federal laws. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom