Desperate Parent Pleas to Keep Harborside Health Center Open

OAKLAND, Calif., July 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Before discovering California's premier medical cannabis dispensary, Harborside Health Center, Jason David was losing hope for his young son Jayden suffers from Dravet Syndrome, a rare and severe form of epilepsy. In his first five years, Jayden had a seizure every day, rode in an ambulance 45 times and tried 22 different medications. Nothing helped.

As a last resort, Jason consulted Harborside management, who worked with their patient-vendors to develop a non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis product for Jayden. Since he began taking the medication, Jayden has experienced his first seizure-free day and is functioning better while enjoying a greater quality of life. But Jason now fears that if the federal government shuts down Harborside, he won't be able to get this specialized, effective, vital medicine for his son.

On July 10, 2012, Harborside's two locations received property forfeiture notices from U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag. This federal action flies in the face of promises made by Haag to exclusively target dispensaries less than 1,000 feet from schools. Neither Harborside location is close to a school or out of compliance with any state laws or local ordinances.

Harborside has always maintained strict adherence to state law and local ordinances, and is widely considered the nation's model medical cannabis dispensary. The complaints do not even allege any wrongdoing. Instead, Haag, referring to Harborside's 108,000+ patients, insists that "the larger the operation, the greater the likelihood that there will be abuse of the state's medical marijuana laws."

In a letter to U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, Harborside's attorney Henry Wykowski has invited Haag to visit and tour the facility, so that she can be assured of its complete compliance.

"The closure of Harborside would have an especially destructive effect on our most medically challenged patients, like Jayden David, who need pure and specialized cannabis medicines unavailable at other dispensaries," says Harborside co-founder and executive director, Steve DeAngelo. "They are less able to negotiate the dangers of the illegal marketplace, and cannot risk using untested cannabis from unregulated sources. I am not so concerned about what will happen to me if Harborside's property is seized, but I stay up at night worrying about Jayden and other patients like him."

http://www.harborsidehealthcenter.com/ 

SOURCE Harborside Health Center