The world’s largest medical marijuana dispensary may stay open while the city of Oakland fights a U.S. government effort to shut it down.

A demonstration via social media was called to denounce the government’s action and as many as 10,000 people showed up in the street to protest. Within minutes a large cloud appeared over the group and shortly after, none of the participants could tell the press why they were there.

When the smoke cleared, Hobart Dinklemeyer (Not his real name) spoke of his work with the ‘Social Anxiety Research Institute’ (SARI) and how important medical marijuana was. He said that “There are thousands of people being ‘Un-Friended’ in the United States every day. They shouldn’t have to fear a sudden ‘Un-Friending’ and need the calming distraction marijuana provides. Let’s help them.”

But there is ‘friction’ between federal and local authorities over cannabis. Federal authorities, pressing their case stressed the fact that, for example if marijuana were legal in the nation’s capital, no work would ever get done.

The Centers for Disease Control has also stepped into the fray.

They cite a study of a severe outbreak of ‘The Munchies’ centered in the Oakland area as shelves in supermarkets have been emptied of ‘Double Stuff Oreos’ and almost any flavor of Ben and Jerry’s. “Of course it’s an economic boost but it also raises the specter of an obesity outbreak as well. When the munchies include no-fat yogurt and seaweed squares, we’ll just back off.”

They added “Seriously, cannabis is a complicated substance. We’re still in the ‘testing’ phase, so don’t bug us. Um, do you have any papers?”

The judge’s ruling called the question of Oakland’s legal standing in the case “a matter of significant public interest and besides, the stuff is clean; they don’t load the bags with stems and twigs.”

The city expects to collect $1.4 million in medical-pot sales tax revenue this year and, as a bonus, receives a free ‘nickel bag’ for each city employee if they promise to use it ‘off duty.’

A representative for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Haight District of San Francisco called the flap about the innocuous weed “very uncool.”

In a related story, most of the undercover agents who had infiltrated the medical marijuana group put in for transfers to the northern California district of Big Sur.