Glew & Kim Wins for Medical Marijuana Collective in Lake Elsinore

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif., Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After a lengthy court battle, the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Two ruled against the city of Lake Elsinore in its efforts to prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries within its boundaries.

In December of 2009, the City Council members of Lake Elsinore voted to ban medical marijuana operations in the city, which included the collective called R Side Medical among other names, owned by Luis "Carlos" Stahl and his son Eric. Because the state law conflicts with the federal law on the legality of marijuana, the constitutionality of such bans are being challenged across California. Many lawyers, such as the Stahls' attorney, Christopher M. Glew of the Law Offices of Glew & Kim, contend that the ban presents a serious legal quandary that may eventually reach the Supreme Court.

The Stahls' collective operated under a city-issued business license in Lake Elsinore, and Carlos Stahl insists that his license did not prohibit him from distributing marijuana to its members. In March, after a four-month investigation, the city formally disagreed, serving search warrants and arresting three people, including Carlos Stahl's wife, Carol Stahl.

"The Stahls had been a victim of police harassment for months, which showed blatant bias against the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes," explains Glew. "We are happy that the Court of Appeal saw the legality of our case and ruled in favor of our client, the Stahls. This is a victory for not just the Stahls, but for the people who depend on these dispensaries for relief from illnesses."

The Stahls will waste no time in reopening their business at its most recent location on Casino Drive, yet will be required to strictly follow all city codes, according to Lake Elsinore Code Enforcement Manager Robin Chipman.

Christopher M. Glew is a graduate of Kent State University and Whittier Law School, where he made the Dean's list and the Trials Advocacy Honors Board, and also studied at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. Mr. Glew began focusing on drug and marijuana-related offenses in 2002 and has a strong background of advocacy for the re-classification of marijuana and other schedule I substances that have empirically demonstrated therapeutic applications.

The Law Offices of Glew & Kim, P.C. is a criminal defense law firm specializing in marijuana law serving the counties of central and southern California, including Orange County, where the firm is based in the city of Santa Ana. The firm is dedicated to the reform of marijuana laws through organizations such as the Marijuana Policy Project, NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), and Americans for Safe Access.

For more information about Mr. Glew and the Law Offices of Glew & Kim or to arrange a consultation, please call 866-648-0004 or visit their website: http://www.GlewKimLaw.com.

Contact:

Jennifer St. James
Either/Or Media.
949/305/3223

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SOURCE The Law Offices of Glew & Kim