The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation President Arrested

The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation President Arrested
Posted March 10, 2011 2:14PM PST
The president of The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation (THCF) in Portland, Oregon, was arrested on charges of failure to pay personal income taxes in 2008 and 2009, according to Oregon Attorney General John Kroger.

Paul Stanford is scheduled for arraignment on March 21 in Marion County Circuit Court, the Oregon Department of Justice said in a statement Tuesday. A department spokesman declined further comment until after the arraignment.


The arrest on Monday follows an investigation by the state justice department's Charitable Activities Section and Criminal Justice Division. Last year, the Internal Revenue Service revoked THCF's status as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity.

According to its website, THCF was founded by Stanford in 1999. THCF also has an affiliated political committee, Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp, which was founded in 1990 to promote a legislative model called the Cannabis Tax Act.


THCF claims to be "the nation's premiere physician's clinic helping patients obtain their state's permit to legally possess, use and grow medical marijuana." THCF says it has helped more than 150,000 patients "get legal" in Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Colorado, Michigan, Montana and Nevada.

A spokesman at THCF told The MJ Business Update that it charges $180 for a visit to a clinic, or $120 for patients on welfare. He declined to comment on Stanford's arrest. Stanford could not be immediately reached for comment.

Sources: Press Release, IRS

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