LOS ANGELES, Calif. /Send2Press Newswire/ — President Obama promised medical marijuana patients that their cannabis collectives would be protected as long as they followed state law. That should have included another caveat too because it seems raids on cannabis dispensaries have not stopped. Beverly Hills Green Cross’ Craig X Rubin, is the creator of the on-line marijuana school, Craig X Academy, a school teaching people around the globe how to profit from California’s recent “Green Rush,” the move of thousands of people participating in the new medical marijuana economy of the Golden State. Rubin says, “Obama’s wishes are not being obeyed. The government is targeting cannabis collective owners who are speaking out against the government.”
Not since the Gold Rush have people moved from all over the world to California to make money. Rubin, a pastor, actor and father of seven, created the school to teach people legal ways to make money from the cannabis industry. In his course he interviews famous attorneys, such as Bruce Margolin, and industry leaders who are making hundreds of thousands of dollars on a monthly basis – legally – with ancillary business to the medical marijuana industry. The Web site Profitfrompot.com is a lead-in page to his Academy, a marketing tool, but this tool has led to some problems for Mr. Rubin with the Los Angeles City government. The City is using his legal business, a serious business school for people wishing to profit in a sagging economy, as evidence or reasoning behind taking away his church’s operating permit.
Link: http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2005/05-0872-S547_MISC_08-05-09.pdf .
From the link above it can be seen that the city is using Mr. Rubin’s completely legal on-line education business as justification for shutting down his also completely legal church that supplies medical marijuana to needy patients. The articles and Web site which would be considered hearsay in a court of law were added to the city’s record without a citation as to where they came from and they are not put into any sort of context. It is not clear what Rubin’s legal business school has to do with his church, the Beverly Hills Green Cross, providing medical cannabis. Rubin received a judge’s permission to open, prior to his opening the church.
On the City’s Web site you can see Rubin’s promises from the Profit from Pot Web site, “This secret includes thousands of legal ways to make money in the burgeoning cannabis industry.” The City’s Web site states, “according to the DEA, the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times, marijuana dispensaries are one of the fastest growing segments of Southern California’s economy; all this economic stimulation at time when most are screaming about a recession. Why not learn the secret today from an expert who knows? Craig X Rubin runs the Beverly Hills Green Cross, popular medical marijuana collective in Southern California, and in Showtime’s Weeds played the owner of the medical marijuana club. After graduating from UCLA Rubin owned a chain of hemp stores, so he is intimately familiar and qualified to speak to making money in the cannabis industry. Currently, he is a guest lecturer at Oaksterdam University and frequent speaker at hemp rallies.”
Richard Castaldo, who was paralyzed in the shooting at Columbine High School ten years ago, is a member of Rubin’s church, The Beverly Hills Green Cross (2370 Robertson Blvd.), and volunteers at the medical marijuana clinic. Castaldo testified before the land use committee that attempting to shut down Rubin’s church over a land use regulation would be a grave hardship on him, “Prior to all these cannabis shops opening I was paying $85 for an eighth ounce of medicine; now I pay $45.”
The city claims not to have done an economic evaluation regarding the closing of Rubin’s place. Rubin currently can be seen preaching every Sunday at the Family Church in Pasadena. He runs his collective as a church, too, since his first house of worship was forced to close after the DEA allegedly threatened the owner of property where it was located with seizure of the property. Rubin says, “The economic impact would be horrible. My wife and I were forced into a short sale of our home when our first temple was closed. Our cars were repossessed. The house we are renting now was just foreclosed on and this is our family’s main source of support as we start the school. Plus, I really reach people with the Word here.”
Pastor Rubin recently ran for mayor of Los Angeles because he thought it was a good job and he was qualified. Two of his main goals as mayor were recently accomplished. For the LAPD Rubin promised to end the Federal Consent Decree and to get rid of Chief of Police Bratton. Although he didn’t win the election he did win some political enemies as he railed against the mayor for his adulterous affairs. Rubin doesn’t want to be a thorn in the city’s side – in fact, he just wants to be able to preach and provide true healing to people – but he is not going to be silent when he feels the city and or officials are wrong.
Rubin was recently seen on ABC television speaking out for Patrick Duff, leader of the “Royal Temple of Zion,” another religious organization not affiliated with Rubin but providing a similar service to the public. “Outside the church where Patrick’s members were arrested, LAPD officers explained that churches were for preaching not healing.” Rubin quipped, “I bet Pat Robertson, Benny Hin and Billy Gram would disagree.”
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8beLMboDbE .
According to KFSN in Fresno, a California judge did not issue an “emergency restraining order” as requested by City Attorneys against a medical marijuana dispensary. It is also the first to be sued by city attorneys over land use regulations. The judge said, “The dispensary did not appear to pose an immediate threat to public safety.”
William Logan, representing the dispensary’s owner, said “The dispensary is not violation of any law. He is completely in compliance with state law and is not doing anything wrong.”
Patrick Duff, founder of Royal Temple of Zion, stated, “The church is the proper place for healing and we are in compliance with all state and federal laws.” Duff says, “Under RLUIPA (Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act) the government must first show that there is a compelling interesting before shutting down a church.” Marijuana laws are not generally applied in California the State since the State has made the exception for medical use. “Will they make an exception for a church that provides medical marijuana in accordance with state law? We’ll have to wait and see if a church should be a place for healing, or not in the United States of America.”
All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. This story was issued by and is copr. © 2009 Send2Press®, a service of Neotrope®.
TAGS: pastor craig rubin medical marijuana clubs
News Source: Beverly Hills Green Cross