DEA RAIDS LAKE COUNTY SITE USED BY S.F. CANNABIS CLUB

Agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency descended on rural Lake County
property used by San Francisco's Cannabis Healing Center and seized 250
marijuana plants and several pounds of processed pot, officials said.

Dozens of DEA agents and local law enforcement officers served a search
warrant Friday at the residence, referred to as "The Farm," as part of an
ongoing drug investigation, said agency spokeswoman Joycelyn Barnes,
without elaborating.

However, Barnes confirmed that the raid was not connected to the federal
investigation of the San Francisco Cannabis Cultivators Club, headed by
Dennis Peron, or this week's federal court ruling ordering the closure of
the club.

The club has continued operations as the Cannabis Healing Center under the
direction of new director Hazel Rodgers.

Four people were at the house during the raid, but Peron was not present,
Barnes said. There were no arrests.

However, if the investigation turns up illegal activity, charges could be
brought against Peron and others for unlawful cultivation, manufacturing
and possession, Barnes said.

Peron said the 20-acre "farm," consisting of a 6-bedroom home and two small
cottages, was property leased by the Cannabis Healing Center for its
patients.

"It's our little oasis for sick and dying people," he said. "Its gardens
are wheelchair accessible, and we have a little pond."

Peron said he wasn't surprised by the 8 a.m. raid by about 20 agents, but
was incensed that authorities had been "heavy-handed." He said they had
intimidated patients with "combat gear, camouflage, blackface, the works."

Despite the raid, the club will continue with its operations and its
resolve, he said.

©1998 San Francisco Examiner Page A 2