Richard Lee stepping down from Oaksterdam University

Richard Lee, the founder of Oaksterdam University, said he would step aside from the school days after federal agents raided it, according to the BBC.

Oaksterdam offers training courses on growing and dispensing medical marijuana. Lee said he was stepping aside out of concern that he could face serious federal drug charges, according to the BBC.

Lee campaigned for the legalization of marijuana, even raising $1.5 million to try and pass Proposition 19 which would have legalized pot in 2010.

Lee said he will continue he advocacy work, but will stop running the education center, letting others take over, according to the BBC. Some classes have been held at the school since the raid, and courses include horticulture, business and the legal side of a marijuana dispensary.

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Federal penalties for growing marijuana increase proportionally with the number of plants, Lee said, pointing out that more than 60,000 can warrant the death penalty, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Lee said he did not know how many plants were seized in the raids on Monday when Drug Enforcement Administration agents, Internal Revenue Service agents and US Marshals swooped on the school, but thought "they can add up to 13 years."

"I think the nationwide coverage of the raid shows that there is a story here that a lot of people would like to see and like to hear about," Lee said, stating that he would now focus on a book and a television series. He noted that Oaksterdam had already trained 15,000 marijuana experts and activists.

"We are getting very close to a tipping point on this issue," he said, according to The LA Times.

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