DEA Medical Marijuana Bust; Obama Lies About Ending The Raids

Tchort

Tchort

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A massive DEA operation featuring dozens of heavily armed agents and at least four helicopters ended with the arrests of five people in California's Lake County last week. According to California NORML, the arrests are believed to be the first since the Obama administration announced it would not target medical marijuana providers in states where it is legal unless they violated both state and federal law.

The DEA seized 154 marijuana plants from Upper Lake resident Tom Carter, and arrested him, former UMCC dispensary operator Scott Feil and his wife, Steven Swanson, and Brett Bassignani. Carter is a registered medical marijuana patient and provider, and his wife, Jamie Ceridono, told the Lake County News he was growing for several patients and his grow was legal under state law.

The genesis of the bust appears to lie with an alleged May deal between a DEA informant and Bassignani to purchase marijuana. According to documents filed by Carter's federal defenders late last week, the informant claimed to have arranged to buy marijuana from Carter and to have left a voicemail message for Carter to set up the deal. That same informant allegedly made a deal to buy marijuana from Bassignani.

In the document, the federal defenders said prosecutors made no claim that Carter ever heard the phone message the informant allegedly left, and they set out no evidence linking Carter and the informant.

"All the complaint says is that another individual, Mr. Bassignani, called the informant, claimed he worked for 'Carter Construction,' and arranged a marijuana deal," Carter's defense attorneys wrote. "The deal later took place, and the only other reference to Mr. Carter is the conclusory claim that the informant 'had agreed on the price with Carter.' No context, no specifics, and no other information is provided in the complaint which indicates that Mr. Carter in fact talked to the informant, arranged a marijuana deal, and indicated that he (Carter) was knowingly involved in a marijuana transaction."

Moving that the two felony counts of marijuana trafficking against Carter be dismissed, the attorneys added: "This complaint is sadly deficient with regard to whether Mr. Carter has done anything to indicate that he conspired to break the law. It should be dismissed accordingly."

It is unclear why Feil and his wife were arrested. They are neighbors of Carter and his wife.

Carter and Feil are being held in Oakland, where they are set to have initial detention hearings this week. Federal prosecutors have asked that Carter be held pending trial "on the basis of flight risk and danger to the community."

Carter is a long-time resident of Upper Lake, prominent construction contractor, and community benefactor.

"California already has enough federal marijuana criminals," said CANORML coordinator Dale Gieringer, "It's time for concrete changes in federal law."

While the Obama administration has announced it would not go after law-abiding medical marijuana providers, the DEA has conducted at least two raids against providers in San Francisco and Los Angeles, although there have been no arrests in those cases. The administration has not announced any changes in federal laws or regulations around medical marijuana, and Bush appointees continue to serve in the DEA and the US Attorney's Office of Northern California, which is prosecuting the case.
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StopTheDrugWar.org

Drug War Chronicle

08/28/2009

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/599/first_DEA_medical_marijuana_arrests_under_Obama
 
what do you expect from a Kenyan, anti american, muslim president? Change alright....he's the same self serving liar as the rest of em.
 
dozens of swat police and 4 helicopters to capture 5 nonviolent marijuana growers

thank god the streets are safer now
 
This just proves that he was lying his ass off about everything to everyone in order to get into office. I almost voted for him too, I'm glad to say that I didn't.

I had nothing against Obama, but that fucker keeps on giving me reasons to dislike him.
 
Unfortunately I'm not all that surprised by any of this. When Obama said he would put an end to these raids I took it with a grain of salt.
 
Federal prosecutors have asked that Carter be held pending trial "on the basis of flight risk and danger to the community."
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Murder, rape, child molestation, armed robbery, assault- people charged for these crimes often have access to bail.

Clearly, this man, who is ill and provides medicine to other ill people, is a far greater threat to society than your average killer or rapist.

Rolling Stone did an article awhile back that had a lot of information concerning former drug czar General McCaffrey, and his Marijuana obsession. A firm believer in the Gateway Drug theory, a prohibitionist zealot who doesn't believe marijuana has any legitimate medical applications. His legacy consists of pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into those, "This is Mary. She can't talk to you right now because shes stoned. She doesn't do much of anything anymore, since she started smoking marijuana." commercials, and using Federal resources to target medical marijuana dispensaries and patients whenever possible.

There are several iconic photographs of black clothed, riot gear + bullet proof vest wearing, M-16 toting DEA agents swarming the homes of elderly cancer patients, and one in particular of a woman with a severe degenerative bone disease handcuffed to her wheelchair.
 
What great news! With the DEA putting that much time, money, and effort into busting harmless stoners, maybe I'll have an easier time peddling dime bags of black tar at the local elementary school. Then again, since that never really happens, I'd go as far as to say nothing the DEA does is good. Obama's detestable lying aside, I'd be just as pissed to hear of any form of success by those cock slaves.
 
Tchort said:
There are several iconic photographs of black clothed, riot gear + bullet proof vest wearing, M-16 toting DEA agents swarming the homes of elderly cancer patients, and one in particular of a woman with a severe degenerative bone disease handcuffed to her wheelchair.
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God Bless America.
 
From what I got out of the article, Obama did not go against what he said about ending the raids for medical marijuana. From reading the article, I sounds like they were buying bulk marijuana, for non medicinal use, which is still illegal in California. I still think its bullshit and think marijuana should be legal, but it doesn't sound like Obama is going against what he originally said. I think the DEA is much more to blame for this then he is. I'd be surprised if he even knew this operation was taking place in the first place. Its not like the president knows about all DEA busts.
 
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