A raid Oct. 12 on a Phoenix cannabis club is raising hackles on both sides of the medical marijuana fence and has sparked a media-borne spat between state Attorney General Tom Horne and Allan Sobol, the operator of the busted for-profit 2811 Club.
In dueling news releases, Horne and Sobol flung a few phrases at each other, seemingly in the heat of the moment.
"The Phoenix Police Department, under orders from the Arizona Attorney General, conducted a raid of the 2811 Club today," the club said in a news release Wednesday, adding that the club is operating within the guidelines of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act.
"2811 Club lied," reads the link to a Horne news release claiming no involvement in the raid. Then the attorney general - a consistent foe of medical marijuana in Arizona - reminds the media that he holds no sway with the Phoenix police and is merely awaiting a judges decision on legality of the clubs.
Phoenix police burst into the medical marijuana club on Wednesday, trashing the place to some degree according to a 2811 Club news release, and confiscating electronics and a small amount of marijuana. The club reopened Thursday, despite the raid.
Sobol did not respond to an email and telephone call seeking comment. He had planned to open cannabis clubs in Tucson before Christmas. I have my doubts.
