Feds declare "War on MMJ Dispensaries" a "core priority"

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Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
Messages
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I don't know a whole bunch about state sovereignty or the ability for a state's citizens to vote for laws which supercede federal law but this latest memo is another slap in the face to those who trusted Obama's hollow words about leaving medical MJ alone.

from http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2011/03/feds_threaten_marijuana_dispensaries_nationwide.php

In a little-publicized memo, the U.S. federal government has indicated that the gloves are off regarding medical marijuana dispensaries, "regardless of state laws."

Previous memos had indicated a loosening of federal prosecutions of medical marijuana; however the new memo states very clearly that the feds consider all dispensaries illegal under federal law and that their prosecution is a "core priority" of federal agents, according to the Cannabis Therapy Institute (CTI).

The "Haag Memo" [PDF], written on February 1, 2011 from U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag (Northern District of California) to Oakland City Attorney John A. Russo, was a response to an Oakland City Council request for guidance regarding medical marijuana and federal law. The memo was written with consultation and approval from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, according to CTI.

The Haag Memo clarifies the Ogden Memo, which was written by former Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden on October 19, 2009 for the Department of Justice.

The Ogden Memo seemed to indicate that the new Obama Administration would restrict federal prosecution of medical marijuana providers in states where medicinal cannabis is legal.

This was heralded by many as giving the green light to pursue medical marijuana businesses, as long as they complied with state laws.

According to CTI, the Haag Memo clears up that misconception with some very unambiguous statements.

"The memo says clearly that the feds will not look the other way on medical marijuana," CTI said in a press release. "The 'Haag Memo' states very clearly that the feds will continue to investigate, arrest and prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries in every state 'regardless of state laws.' "

In addition, the memo calls the prosecution of medical marijuana dispensaries a "core priority" for the feds.

Medical marijuana commercial activity is still considered by the DOJ to be "a violation of federal law regardless of state laws permitting such activities," according to the memo, CTI said.

The memo may be the cause of the recent increase in federal raids and medical marijuana dispensaries, according to CTI. Only four days after the Haag Memo was issued, the DEA raided four dispensaries in California. Just this week, the DEA raided more dispensaries in California and Montana. Agents seized the assets and bank accounts of several dispensaries.

"Maybe this will wake people up who think that it can't happen here," said Kathleen Chippi of the Colorado-based Patient and Caregiver Rights Litigation Project, which is trying to raise money to file lawsuits to uphold the constitutional right of Coloradans to cannabis medicine.

Many legal observers agree that Colorado has the best chance of fighting the feds in court because it is the only state whose medical marijuana law is actually in the state Constitution.
 
How difficult is it to leave this decision up to the states? If logic was used in government, this would be the easiest and most logical solution. Unfortunately, the USA is apparently completely controlled by corporations...
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/us/20cannabis.html

WTF happened. Does Obama have a nutsack, or what? Oh, right, he's gearing up for his 2012 re-election campaign, and does not want to advocate any controversial issues. Meanwhile, state's rights are being mutilated by an overzealous and ethically erroneous federal executive government. Further, those useless money-sucking cancer patients can go to the streets to get their weed, and hopefully some cop will get a chance to meet their quota by slapping a felony on their laundry list of problems (/sarcasm).

The only reason why I am angry, is because I honestly thought that in the next few years, unjust laws that persecute people that wish to lawfully help patients get the medication they need by following state law would inevitably become more lax, to the point that marijuana can be accessible to any adult. But, no. It's back to the horrible ol' Bush years, where its time to feel hopeless and powerless to stand up for how you legally can medicate yourself. :|
 
^obamas nutsack is glued to the illuminati's forehead. :D

i bet tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption decreased significantly due to legal MJ...and some money got shoveled into the DEA's funds, so theyre now obligated to be assholes to the people that pay their salaries.
 
Wow am I going to get shit for this post...
I don't think the thread title, the article, or peoples' conclusions could really be more misleading.
Marijuana is still illegal federally. Until Obama changes that, the law is there.

Oakland's DA wouldn't give "final word" on the legality of Oakland's huuge medicalMJ farms/industry, so now they've contacted an attorney from Northern california...who simply stated the feds' policy (hyperbolically I may add- but that's expected in politics).

I really hope nobody believes the feds "core priority" is MMJ dispensaries (by "fed", I guess the implication was just the federal gov?). Better stated as "oakland law defies federal law, people want someone to say "it's okay", another person said 'no' and stated federal policy, which is, well, the same as before".
/was expecting to hear about some raids, or at least a DEA spokesperson talking shit. The DEA just went and stopped an execution this week because of the expiration date/manufacture of the lethal drug, if MMJ dispensaries were "a core priority" we'd have a ton of "MMJ farm bust" threads...
 
Sanger is right, states may of approved MMJ or even MJ in general, but as long as it's a controlled substance the feds can do what they see fit. I think that's a shame really because the states legislature has it's ear much closer to the people than the federal legislature. This is basically the feds telling it's country 'of the people, for the people, and by the people' what it can, and can't do.
 
Thanks Mora and Sanger for clearing up my initial question. It's been a long time since I've taken a social studies class and didn't recall if states could use a democratic process to pass laws contrary to federal law. If I understand correctly, what you both are saying is "until the federal government says MMJ is legal, MMJ dispensaries, even if approved through consensus by a state's citizens or legislators, are still against the law and can be treated as criminal enterprises."
 
That's correct, but I meant more than that.

First I'll say I'm not too sharp on state v fed laws/sovereignty/whatever, but that's not really what I was referring to. I meant that the situation was, since the beginning, "federally a 'no', but some states say yes". People have gotten in trouble many times before from federal sentences, so that will continue til there's a change. There hasn't been a change, so it continues - but that doesn't equal the article's title. I mean, I guess it does IF you take the US attorney's word, which was nothing more than stating policy.
It's been illegal federally, still is. They can bust mmj facilities now the same as before, but there's no real 'change', there's just an author who titled an article reallly suggestively to mislead readers. It's actually pretty sad to see the pro-MMJ side using some of the same propaganda tools :/
It's illegal federally but NOT in any way, shape or form a "core priority". We'd be seeing huuuuuge busts if they really cared.
This is an article about Oakland wanting *someone* to step in to "clarify" the legality of MMJ. They(MMJ-industry) could not get Oakland's DA to sign anything clarifying legality (he was caught in a tough spot - he can't say it's illegal while it's one of the MMJ capitals of the US, but simultaneously couldn't write them clarification that states they're "in the clear"). I read that about them/the DA maybe a month-ish ago. Now there's just a formal reply from a US attorney stating the fed's policy, which would've likely read the same, word-for-word, had they asked for this clarification from this attorney a year ago. Federal policy has not/is not to "crack down on MMJ", so words describing this like "feds declare" "war" "core priority" are pretty biased/misleading.

The federal gov/DEA should clarify this, although in reality that's not happening until it HAS to happen.
(I understand they've clarified their "official stance", but in practice they aren't enforcing it as they would, say, a meth-ring. So they're playing both sides of the line, just like Oakland actually, only both sides are off-center yknow? I think states having individual approvals is a clumsy, bad step for a country policy-wise, but at the same time MMJ is the 1st real step to decrim other stuff/every thing.)
 
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If we see a heavy increase, definitely. I just don't see 2 out the 4 MMJ's in LA being searched, with only 1 person arrested out of those 2, as anything that backs the "core priority" idea. Just using typing that term is getting annoying - even if it were their core-priority, I'd imagine they would not want to be boasting about that, given the public-opinion on MMJ. That line was from a random US attorney repeating their standard, stated policy, not some declaration from the DEA. It was a response to people in Oakland looking for permission to grow federally, which obviously wasn't gonna happen.
 
FDA: Setting the standards for scientifically-based substance information and dispensation recommendations.

DEA: Setting the rules by which we consume our substances. Ostensibly bound to scientific scrutiny (it has an ear to the FDA).

THC: Proven by the FDA to possess some medical benefit.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

FDA: "Cannabis is safe, we have tested it thoroughly. It is beneficial to many medical ailments."

DEA: "Obama said to stop persecuting state-wide medical marijuanica laws, but we'd be damned if this new memo say otherwise..."

THC: "I bring you peace. In the absence of peace I bring you turmoil leading to peace. I will heal your hurts, turn anger into kindness and not inhibit the Universal Force in any way."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

FDA: "We have said our piece for now. Cannabis has some medical use."

DEA: "We will not abide by lawlessness."

THC: "I am a chemical, not a moral choice."
 
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