ROBBERS FIND POT OF GOLD

With the federal government and gun-toting robbers after him, medical
marijuana club owner Jason Beck has a tricky problem: He needs a nice,
safe place to keep his pot.

For the second time in six months, the easygoing Beck was robbed at
gunpoint late Thursday night, after a pair of masked, armed men kicked
in the front door of his Russia Avenue home in the Excelsior District
as he relaxed on the couch.

One of the robbers pushed Beck face down into his couch and jammed a
gray handgun into the back of his head, asking him, "Where's the money
and weed?" The other marched straight into the master bedroom, where
he found $16,000 worth of marijuana, two gold chains, keys to Beck's
pot club and a $1,500 Versace suit, according to police.

Beck, the owner of the Harm Reduction Center on Haight Street, was
also robbed in his shop at gunpoint in December during a blackout that
knocked out the power across The City. During that robbery, he was
pistol-whipped five times. "I've been through it before. It's a
blessing that I didn't get hurt and they didn't get all the weed," he
said. "There was definitely a silver lining."

He said his second experience on the wrong side of a gun highlighted
the vulnerability owners of medical marijuana dispensaries face in a
world where the product they sell is illegal under federal law but
allowed for its medicinal purposes in California.

"We're at war with the feds and at war with the people trying to rob
us," Beck said. "At the same time, the police are in a tough position
because they can't really do much for us."

Beck said he was hesitant to keep his supply of pot at his shop, which
could be raided by federal agents at any time. On the other hand, he
no longer feels safe keeping it at home.

"I would love to keep all my weed here [at the Harm Reduction Center],
but I can't," he said. "I need to find a neutral, secure off-site location."