Case Results:
The case of Med-West Distributors, a legally operating medical cannabis extraction company, continues to capture the attention of national media following raids and seizure of assets by the San Diego joint narcotics task force. Marijuana business raids have been on the rise despite a movement toward regulation of these businesses by the state of California.
Med-West owner James Slatic was the subject of a recent article in Rolling Stone magazine, which also includes an interview with Med-West’s attorney, Jessica McElfresh.
“It’s kind of a heartbreaker,” she said. “He worked incredibly hard to comply with a complicated, evolving law.”
The company, which provides cannabis oil and other products to numerous California dispensaries, was raided twice in 2016, with approximately $1.4 million in assets taken from the company’s bank accounts and safe. Med-West and Slatic are properly licensed and in compliance with California medical marijuana regulations.
Additionally, the personal assets of the owner’s wife and daughters were frozen despite them having no connection to the business, and no one in the family being arrested nearly a year after the first raid. Their personal assets remain subject to civil asset forfeiture under allegations by the San Diego prosecutor’s office that they are “tainted by criminal conduct.”
Despite reforms and new regulations designed to provide a better legal framework for medical marijuana businesses — and now the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in California — the landscape remains challenging for entrepreneurs who want to run lawful businesses.
McElfresh Law offers qualified and experienced representation for marijuana businesses throughout the state who want to obtain licenses and permits, and to understand how to comply with complex laws and rules. We have helped numerous medical marijuana businesses through the process to become established in San Diego.
Additionally, McElfresh Law provides criminal defense representation for business owners, patients, and caregivers charged with marijuana crimes.
Contact McElfresh Law today at (858) 756-7107 to discuss your marijuana-related legal needs with a skilled California medical marijuana lawyer.
California marijuana laws change frequently. For updated information, see the following pages: Medicinal Uses of Marijuana and Recreational Marijuana Business
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