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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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US: Charges brought against three from CannaHelp
K Kaufmann The Desert Sun
Tuesday 09 Jan 2007 A medical marijuana dispensary in Palm Desert may be grossing more than $1.6 million a year, earning large profits for its owner and two managers, according to charges made public Monday by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. As reported on thedesertsun.com, Stacy Hochanadel, owner of the CannaHelp dispensary in Palm Desert, and James Campbell and John Bednar, managers at the dispensary, have been charged with three felony counts each on suspicion of possession, sale and transportation of marijuana and "keeping a place to sell controlled substances." The three turned themselves in Monday at the Riverside County Jail in Indio, where their bails were set at $50,000 each. They are scheduled to appear in court this morning. Under California state law, medical use of marijuana is allowed for patients with a doctor's letter of recommendation but the drug cannot be sold for profit. Federal law bans all use, cultivation or sale of the drug. Hochanadel's wife, Shana, said in a phone interview the family's income is "nothing near" the amounts claimed. She and Hochanadel have three daughters. "It's not true because I am the one who he gives the money to so I can pay our bills," Shana Hochanadel said in a phone interview Monday. "We're living in a rundown home and if we had all this money our bills would be paid and our house would be fixed." The dispensary at 73-350 El Paseo remains open, staffed by employees and volunteers. The warrant for Hochanadel's arrest details the findings of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation of CannaHelp's business operations and profits following a search and seizure raid on Dec. 1. The warrant signed by sheriff's Investigator Robert Garcia claims: Hochanadel said the business, which operates with a city-issued business license, grossed about $1.6 million in its first year of operation, from October 2005 to October 2006. Expected profits for 2006 are $1.7 million. The business grosses about $40,000 a week, half of which goes toward expenses, including buying medical marijuana, paying employees and paying taxes. The remaining $20,000 is split between Hochanadel, Campbell and Bednar, with Hochanadel getting half and the two mangers getting 25 percent a piece. Records for the week of Nov. 3-9 show Hochanadel received more than $10,000 in pay, while Campbell and Bednar received more than $5,000 each. All staff members are paid in cash. Hochanadel said he puts $8,000 a week back into the business to keep prices low for patients, but the available records do not show this. Employees at the dispensary said they are paid $350 to $400 a week. The dispensary purchases marijuana from patients and vendors, and sells it at a markup of 20 to 90 percent.
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