Popular Venice-area dispensary owner’s attorney has called a bail of $520,000 set for Jeff Joseph not correct. He added that the prosecution is politically motivated and disputes the D. A.'s claim that state law bans sales.

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley had warned about four months ago that dispensaries are not allowed to sell medical marijuana and state law bans it. He zeroed in on Organica, a popular Venice-area outlet, as one possible target.

On Monday, Cooley finally took on Organica.

Organica’s owner Jeff Joseph was charged with 24 felonies that selling, transporting, selling, and possessing marijuana and a bail of $520,000, was set by a court commissioner which was more than five times the amount his lawyer requested. Joseph however pleaded not guilty.

Attorney Eric Shevin called the bail outrageous and said, “The prosecution was politically driven in response to community pressure to shut down hundreds of dispensaries that have spread throughout Los Angeles. So they use a very high-profile individual, unfortunately in this case, Mr. Joseph, to basically stand up for everybody."

Head of the district attorney's major narcotics division, Joseph Esposito, said that Organica was not alnone there were many more and we would be dealing with them.