By Benjie Cooper
IG: @nuglifenews
YouTube: Lucid’s Vlog
Police raided an unlicensed dispensary operating in the downtown area of Pasadena, California last week, seizing pounds of cannabis and arresting three employees.
On Wednesday, officers from the Pasadena Police Department executed a search warrant at the Golden State Collective on North Mentor Avenue.
Authorities seized more than 28 pounds of cannabis during the raid and arrested 27-year-old Ivett Lopez, 27-year-old Natalie Ontiveros, and 34-year old Matthew Marker on suspicion of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell.
Despite a prior ban on marijuana businesses in the city, Golden State has continued to operate right next-door to the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce.
In June, Pasadena residents voted to pass Measure CC, an initiative to repeal a 2005 zoning ordinance that prohibited marijuana businesses in the city, though no licenses have been distributed as of yet. Under Measure CC, any dispensaries that have been operating before its passage are not eligible for a license.
Measure CC permits six retailers, four cultivation sites, and four testing laboratories which will be bound to state regulations concerning distance separation requirements. Licenses are expected to come with fees amounting to around $24,000 apiece.
In June, voters also passed Measure DD, a companion tax measure which was required to pass for Measure CC to take effect.
