The Santa Barbara Independent, 21 Mar 2013 – Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Closed; Patients Left with Few Options At this point, it is hard to imagine, but just a handful of years ago, Santa Barbara had more medical marijuana storefronts than it did Starbucks coffeehouses. Now, after a perfect storm of local government regulation and high-profile arrests – coupled with multiple rounds of federal raids on South Coast dispensaries and threats of property seizures – this county has gone the way of so many others in California: It is now a cannabis club free zone. Whether you love them, hate them, or simply need one for help with a serious medical condition, the fact remains that there are no longer any legal dispensaries operating in Santa Barbara.

The Santa Barbara Independent, 30 Sep 2010 – Grant Money To Help Pay For Crackdown On Cultivators In less than two years, the amount of marijuana seized in Santa Barbara County during raids of both indoor and outdoor illegal grow operations has increased nearly 350 percent, according to Sheriff’s Department data. With the majority of those busts coming during the summer months, when funding for such sweeps and arrests comes from the multi-agency CAMP (Campaign Against Marijuana Planting) program, the Sheriff’s Department recently applied for and, as of this week, received a state grant earmarked specifically to help find, raid, arrest, and prosecute illegal marijuana growers for the rest of the year.