University was born. The university offered its first classes to 22 students in November, 2007. They were taught horticulture, cooking, extracts, legal issues, and successful law enforcement encounters, plus politics and history, from top minds in the cannabis movement, including Jeff Jones, Chris Conrad, Attorney Lawrence Lichter, Dennis Peron, and Lee himself. Oaksterdam University would become "ground zero" of the international cannabis reform movement. Demand for classes grew quickly and waiting lists were months-long. Dale Sky Jones joined Oaksterdam's staff as science instructor in February, 2008, and was determined to add satellite schools across the country, starting with the first in Los Angeles, a second in Ann Arbor, Mich. and a third in Sebastopol, Calif. By November, 2009, two years after the school's inception, the Oakland campus at 1600 Broadway was renovated to meet demand. The new 30,000-square-foot school included multiple classrooms, an auditorium, a hands-on grow lab, a theater, and a 10,000-square-foot basement nursery full of cannabis plants. In 2009, the City of Oakland Marijuana Tax Measure F passed, making Oakland, California the first city in the country to assess a tax on medical cannabis clubs and dispensaries. Oaksterdam welcomed thousands of students from around the world, contributing to revitalization of the neighborhood. In addition to educating students, Oaksterdam University leaders were activists in the legalization movement, beginning with California Proposition 19 in 2010. Lee spent $1.3 million, including profits from OU, to get the initiative on the ballot. While Prop 19 failed, the campaign became a blueprint for the cannabis legalization movement in California and subsequent states. OU faculty helped write California's Proposition 215 Medical Marijuana Initiative (1996); 1996 California Senate Bill 420, also known as the Compassionate Care Act; 2016 California Proposition 64; and multiple state ballot initiatives. Faculty continue to advise on the legislation and regulation of cannabis by local, state, and international governments and agencies. Raid On April 2, 2012, Oaksterdam University was raided by the IRS, accompanied by the DEA and US Marshals Service. The raid additionally targeted Coffeeshop Blue Sky and the Oaksterdam museum, both affiliated with Oaksterdam University. A number of the university's assets were seized, including plants, records, computers, and bank accounts. Due to the city of Oakland's support of the university, the Oakland Police Department was not informed of the raid. Subsequently, on the same day, there was a shooting in a nearby school, and the Oakland Police Dept. wasn't