A La Jolla man who operated a medical marijuana shop named the Purple Bud Room in Pacific Beach has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for illegally cultivating 300 marijuana plants.
John Thomas Sullivan, 39, is also awaiting sentencing on Sept. 11 in San Diego Superior Court for violating state law, and may get a consecutive term with his federal sentence, according to court records.
Sullivan has been in custody since May 10.
The U.S. Attorney’s office argued that Sullivan personally profited from the sale and cultivation of marijuana plants under the guise it was for medical use only.
California voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996. The law allowed for ailing people to possess small amounts of marijuana with a doctor’s recommendations, but this clashes with federal law, which does not allow possession of marijuana for any reason.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Crowley asked U.S. District Court Judge Larry Burns to impose the five-year sentence, and Sullivan’s attorney sought a lower term. Burns ordered Sullivan to pay a $100 penalty assessment fee but did not impose a fine. Attorneys gave little argument before the Aug. 27 sentencing.
Sullivan owned and operated the Purple Bud Room on Garnet Avenue and Tender Holistic Care Dispensary on Cass Street, but both closed down after federal agents raided the establishments in July 2006. Court records say police seized $9,000 in cash and 15 pounds of marijuana in Sullivan’s residence on La Jolla Boulevard.
Five similar businesses in Ocean Beach were also closed after the raids.
Sullivan pleaded guilty to a federal charge of manufacturing 300 marijuana plants. He also pleaded guilty in state court to possession of marijuana for sale and making a false insurance claim for loss of property to his insurance company. Sullivan claimed his car was stolen, but it was secretly hidden in a storage shed, according to a prosecutor.
The District Attorney’s Office agreed to ask for not more than five years in state court if he got five years in federal court, but a Superior Court judge might give Sullivan more time.
Other people involved with the shops have also been sentenced, but Sullivan’s sentence is the longest.