THE LATEST MARIJUANA DISPENSARY: SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL

It's already easier to find a medical marijuana club than a
McDonald's in San Francisco, but activists have their sights set on
opening one more dispensary -- however briefly -- at one of The
City's most famous buildings: City Hall.

In a high-profile nose-thumbing of federal drug enforcement
officials, activists will hand out medical marijuana to a group of
sick patients on the steps of City Hall at noon today. The bold
protest is a response to the Drug Enforcement Agency raid on Dec. 20
of the home of Catherine and Steve Smith, who run HopeNet, a
well-known medical marijuana club in the South of Market area. Agents
nearly raided HopeNet as well, but turned away after a group of
protesters surrounded their cars.

"Basically, the giveaway is a response to the raid -- to show that
city officials and community is behind us," said Catherine Smith, who
runs the club with her husband. "We want the DEA to stay out of the
medical marijuana business."

So far, Smith said neither she nor her husband have been charged with
any crime, even though DEA agents carted off more than 120 pot plants
from their house.

The protest follows a ceremony, where representatives from Mayor
Gavin Newsom's office, Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi and Chris Daly, and
other politicians hand out certificates of appreciation to the Smiths
for their medical marijuana work.

"HopeNet has been one of the most generous in giving away medical
marijuana to low-income patients," said Hilary McQuie, a spokeswoman
for medical marijuana rights group Americans for Safe Access.

The protest is modeled on a similar one in 2002 at the Santa Cruz
City Hall. It followed the raid of Women's Alliance for Medical
Marijuana, a medical marijuana club in Santa Cruz.