Politics & Government

City Granted Injunction Against Marijuana Co-op

Greenhouse Cannabis Club was ordered Friday not to distribute marijuana to more than two patients.

The city of Murrieta was granted a preliminary injunction Friday against a medical marijuana cooperative operating despite a local ban.

The order precludes distribution of medical marijuana to two or more persons at Greenhouse Cannabis Club, said Murrieta City Attorney Jeff Morris, reached by phone Friday. It also allows the city to conduct reasonable inspections to determine whether the club—at 26151 Jefferson Ave., Suite A—is following the order.

"That means in total," Morris said, regarding the number of patients.

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Granted by Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Vineyard, the injunction comes after the same judge turned down the city's earlier request for a restraining order to shut down Greenhouse Cannabis Club because the request was "too broad."

Morris said the judge would not have granted the injunction Friday if he didn't believe the city would ultimately win its right to enforce its ban on marijuana dispensaries.

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"The judge has viewed the evidence supplied, he listened...and determined there was a likelihood that the city would prevail," Morris said.

That is why the preliminary injunction was granted, Morris said, to stop the distribution of marijuana until the city wins a permanent injunction.

Eric McNeil, director of Greenhouse Cannabis Club, could not immediately be reached for comment Friday. Nor could his attorney, Richard Ackerman.

Following the hearing Friday, Ackerman told The Calfornian his interpretation of the judge's order.

"It doesn't talk about the number of employees or club members, it talks about (serving) one person at a time," Ackerman told The Californian. "So I'm advising (them) to schedule one appointment at a time."

Morris said the point was being missed.

"This was supposed to stop the distribution, but they feel the order still allows them to...we disagree," Morris said. "They are already ignoring the order, so we plan to go back to court and seek a contempt of court order."

With the three-day weekend, he said that could take a few days.


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