Green Cross Collective on Niles Street was one of 48 dispensaries that have been raided since October 1. Last week law enforcement officials shut down six dispensaries, shutting them down.
“They came in – they took everything in the safe, they took everything on display,” Dave Obasi, president of Green Cross Collective, said.
As a result of the six shops being raided, eight people were arrested, over $6,000 was confiscated, and a large amount of marijuana products were seized.
“They opened the door they came in call of duty style with assault rifles and jackets like they were going to war,” Obasi said.
Obasi said he was told by city officials all the shops being raided were due to code enforcement violations. He was not concerned about his shop being shut down.
“They are going and finding any and all reasons to be able to shut them down,” he said.
Green Cross alone has over a thousand patients on file.
“We’ve been in the city for 5 years and now they’re coming after us?”
In an interview with Bakersfield City Attorney Richard Iger from September, he said they are working to shut all dispensaries down – and that enforcement will become easier in 2019 – one year after the state stops issuing permits.
“We already had an existing ban on medical marijuana dispensaries going back to 2019,” Iger said. “So this is actually just a continuation of the long existing ban of marijuana activities in Bakersfield.”
According to Bakersfield Police, 48 marijuana dispensaries – medical or otherwise – have been shut down since October 1.
“If they had regulated, we wouldn’t have all these issues it would just be safe access and those people that need it can get it,” Obasi said.
Obasi says his plans to for the future are to eventually reopen.
Richard Iger said medical marijuana dispensaries are in violation of a section of the city’s municipal code.
