MARIJUANA CLUBS DEFY U.S. ORDER TO CLOSE

SAN FRANCISCO - Seeking a showdown with the federal government, the
founders of three medical marijuana clubs in this area have defied orders
to shut down, hoping to place their fate in the hands of a jury.

U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer ordered six Northern California
clubs closed on May 13 as part of a civil case brought by the Department of
Justice, which accused the clubs of distributing marijuana in violation of
federal law.

Three outlets closed voluntarily. But clubs in Oakland, San Francisco and
Marin County have remained open since the ruling, purposely inviting
contempt-of-court charges, the clubs' owners said. Such charges would allow
the owners to demand a federal jury trial in California, where voters in
1996 approved a ballot issue legalizing marijuana for medical use.

"I'd trust a jury of Californians more than federal bureaucrats in
Washington," said one of the owners, Jeffrey Jones, who directs a marijuana
outlet in Oakland. Jones invited print and television reporters on Thursday
to watch him sell marijuana to customers in an overt challenge to the
federal government.

The San Francisco club, founded by Dennis Peron, who was a co-author of the
1996 ballot issue, also defied the federal court order, selling cartons of
marijuana to its 8,000 members throughout last week.

After the 1996 vote, at least 20 clubs sprang up around the state for the
declared purpose of distributing marijuana to help people fight the
debilitating effects of cancer, AIDS and other illnesses.

Critics say the law did not cover mass distribution of the drug. Possession
of marijuana still violates federal law, which takes precedence over state
statutes.

Michael Yamaguchi, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of
California, has described the federal government's civil suit as
representing a "measured approach" against California marijuana clubs.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on how the agency would
respond to the defiance by the clubs, but did not rule out bringing
separate criminal drug indictments against the club owners.

Checked-by: Richard Lake