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Pot club must close, judge says
City wins order that will shut Buddy's by July 7

by Daniel DeBolt

A judge has granted the city's request for a temporary injunction to shut down Buddy's Cannabis Patient Collective on Bayshore Parkway, which must now close by 5 p.m. July 7.

"It is a very sad day for the sick and ill in Mountain View," said Matt Lucero, a former corporate attorney who opened the medical marijuana dispensary in April.

The injunction issued Tuesday, June 15, by Superior Court Judge Joseph Huber is temporary as the city is also seeking a permanent injunction through more lengthy court proceedings. Lucero has said he is willing to take the fight all the way to the state Supreme Court, and he says it is important to continue pressing the case forward.

For now, Lucero said he plans to move the operation to a "bigger and better" undisclosed San Jose location.

There is no other dispensary within a 20-mile radius of the current location of Buddy's, which has gained over 1,000 members after a little over two months of operation, he said.

Mountain View placed a moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries in March in order to prevent unregulated dispensaries from opening. The City Council is considering regulations that would allow dispensaries like Buddy's to open, possibly sometime next year.

Lucero said he plans to reopen Buddy's in Mountain View "as soon as possible," hopefully in the same location.

Judge Huber denied the city's request for an injunction against the landlord, which could have resulted in fines against the landlord of $1,000 a day.

E-mail Daniel DeBolt at ddebolt@mv-voice.com