Investigators target pot clinic

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigators said this week they are keeping an eye on a Montrose medical marijuana clinic they suspect is dispensing pot.

Glendale has a moratorium on such facilities.

Arthur Setyan, medical director of Montrose Medical Group, denied the claim, saying the office only gives out recommendations for the drug.

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FOR THE RECORD: The La Cañada Valley Sun has learned that the quotes and information attributed to Arthur Setyan in an article published April 7, 2011 (“Investigators target pot clinic”) were actually made by someone else who wrongly identified himself as Setyan.

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“The county’s being overzealous, because there is no medical marijuana on site. It’s a standard doctor’s office,” Setyan said Wednesday.

But Lt. Angela Shepherd of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station told La Cañada Flintridge City Council members Monday that narcotics deputies are monitoring the facility, located above a dentist’s office at 3909 Ocean View Blvd.

“In order to close them down, we need to do a thorough investigation of the location to make sure they are not within the law,” explained Shepherd.

Montrose Medical Group is described on its Twitter page as a medical marijuana collective and advertises marijuana and cannabis edibles on Facebook and Twitter. A review posted to legalmarijuanadispensary.com reads, “their bud is awesome.”

A clerk at the location, who declined to give her name, said the office dispenses prescription cannabis through a secure vending machine.

Setyan, speaking by telephone, said the clerk was mistaken. The office only provides referrals for obtaining cannabis from other sites, he said.

He also said that vending machines at the office do not contain pot. Instead, they dispense other drugs, such as Viagra, the hair-loss drug Propecia and various antibiotics, all of which must be prescribed by a doctor before purchase.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated from an earlier version.