Upcoming Court Dates

­­Federal defendants need support from the community! Please consider attending any of the upcoming court dates o­f medical­ ma­rijuana patien­ts, caregivers, and doctors from the list below. For more in­formation on what you can do to help, see our Guide to Organizing Court Support. ­

You can also refer to listings of federal medical marijuana cases compiled by ASA and MedicalMarijuanaofAmerica.com.

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June 29, 2009 at 1:30pm -- Nature's Medicinal Defendants Status Hearing

On May 1, 2007, the DEA raided Nature’s Medicinal Collective in Oildale, CA, with the help of Kern County Sheriffs and Bakersfield Police.  Officers confiscated medicine and property, warning the dispensing collective not to reopen.  They decided to reopen despite the threat and, as the culmination of an 18-month investigation, the same law enforcement agencies raided the dispensing collective again on July 17, 2007.  In addition to confiscating medicine and property, officers arrested 8 patients, including owner David Chavez, on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana.  Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood took credit for the shutdown.

The status hearing for the seven Nature's Medicinal defendants will take place in front of Judge Ishii at the U.S. District Court on 2500 Tulare Street in Fresno, CA 93721.

July 27, 2009 at 8am --  Preliminary Hearing for Steele Smith

On November 1, 2007, the DEA raided the home of Steele Smith, operator of C-3 Collective in Garden Grove, and seized around 350 marijuana plants.  At the same time, DEA agents raided C-3 Collective and the home of Alexander Valentine, where agents seized over 1,000 marijuana plants in various stages of growth.  DEA agents arrested Steele Smith, his wife Theresa Smith, Alexander Valentine and Dennis Lalonde, all of whom face charges of conspiring to manufacture at least 1,000 marijuana plants.

The preliminary hearing for the C-3 Collective defendants is currently scheduled for July 27, 2009, at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building in Santa Ana, CA.

August 5, 2009 -- Ken Hayes Sentencing

Ken Hayes was arrested in Feb 2002, after the DEA raided the Harm Reduction Center in San Francisco.  Hayes faced the charge of conspiring to grow more than 1,000 marijuana plants, but was in Canada at the time of his indictment and remained out of the country until late 2008.  On April 29, 2009, Hayes pled guilty to maintaining a building where marijuana was distributed and filing a false tax return.

Hayes' sentencing will take place in front of Judge Bryer in the San Francisco Federal Building located at 450 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco, CA. 

September 11, 2009 at 11am -- Winslow & Abraham Norton Pre-Trial Conference

On October 30, 2007, the DEA raided Compassionate Collective of Alameda County (CCAC) in Hayward, CA, as well as the homes of operators Winslow and Abraham Norton.  Officers arrested both men and charged them with conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilos of marijuana, as well as several related money-laundering offenses.  CCAC had a permit from Alameda County, authorized to operate by the Board of Supervisors.  In February of 2009, both the Nortons' father and the manager of the dispensary, Brian Everett, were indicted in this case. 

The pre-trial conference will take place in the Oakland Federal Building at 1301 Clay Street in Oakland, CA with Judge Jensen.  All defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15-20 years.

October 13, 2009 -- Pre-Trial Hearing for Ronnie Naulls

On July 17, 2007, the DEA raided Healing Nations and the home of operator Ronnie Naulls.  Officers seized his property, personal accounts, and the collective’s assets.  Naulls was arrested and federally charged with distribution of medical cannabis.  Officers also alerted county child protective services, who took Naulls’ three little girls, ages 1, 3, and 5, and charged his wife with felony child endangerment.  After a grueling 5 weeks, the girls were returned to their parents by the state judge.  Mrs. Naulls was forced to plead guilty to felony child endangerment or face trial because of the presence of medicine in the home, and is currently serving her probation. 

The pre-trial hearing for Ronnie Naulls will take place in front of Judge Stephen Larsen in the U.S. District Court located at 3470 Twelfth Street in Riverside, CA 92501.