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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: Marijuana Policy Project |
Medical Marijuana Raid Raises Questions About Obama Policy
Patients, Advocates Wonder Whether DEA Is Conducting Business as Usual Despite Change Announced by Attorney General Holder
WASHINGTON - March 26 - Wednesday's Drug Enforcement Administration raid on Emmalyn's California Cannabis Clinic, a licensed medical marijuana collective in San Francisco, has raised serious questions among medical marijuana supporters about implementation of the new policy announced by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder last week. According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Emmalyn's had obtained a temporary city permit and was actively working with the city to meet all the requirements for a permanent license.
On March 18, Holder told reporters that the DEA would only raid medical marijuana providers if it found violations of both state and federal laws.
"It is disturbing that, despite the DEA's vague claims about violations of state and federal laws, they apparently made no effort to contact the local authorities who monitor and license medical marijuana providers," said Marijuana Policy Project California policy director Aaron Smith. "For an agency that for eight years said it couldn't care less about state law to suddenly justify raids as an effort to uphold state law simply doesn't pass the smell test."
"Because so little information has been released thus far, we have more questions than answers," added Aaron Houston, MPP director of government relations. "But with an actual shooting war along our Mexican border, not to mention federal law enforcement there being so overwhelmed that traffickers coming through the border with up to 500 pounds of marijuana are let go, it's very hard to believe that this is the best use of DEA resources, especially in a city with an active program to license and regulate medical marijuana providers."
4 Comments so far
Show Allwhy? I'll tell you why. the money. let's make a list of the people who make money because cannabis is a controlled substance. I'll name a few. Add to it if you want.
1.drug companies
2.dea goons
3.lawyers=politicians
....................................!
greed is not a victimless crime
You forget the largest, most insideous group- the criminal syndicates that are able to then corrupt entire nations with their economic power.
Change Agent, Not
by LevShalom
Joshua was ill. He hadn’t been able to keep anything down for two days now. Even the camomile tea he drank half an hour earlier was threatening to spew from his mouth. Joshua looked in the mirror. His face was gaunt. His eyes bloodshot. He needed to get to a hospital but it was on the other side of town and at this hour buses only ran once an hour. Joshua looked at the clock over the kitchen sink. It was 9:35 pm. If he hurried, he could maybe make it to the bus stop.
Grabbing a coat, he threw it over his shoulders as he pushed open the door to the street. The wind off San Francisco Bay was cold, lonely and unsmiling. Joshua thrust his arms into the coat sleeves and knotting the collar in his fist, trundled down to the bus stop.
At the corner, under a street lamp, Joshua shivered as he awaited the bus. A police car was slowly approaching and stopped at the corner. An officer got out of the car, his hand resting casually on the holster of his pistol.
“You sick or something young fellow?” the cop asked gruffly.
Joshua nodded his head. Blowing into his hands.
The cop’s voice changed abruptly into a bark. “ Put your hands down. Right now. Put em down.”
Joshua slowly lowered his hands.
The officer reached for a flashlight and shined it in Joshua’s face.”
“What are you high on, punk?” he demanded.
Joshua simply shook his head.
“I asked you a question. You don’t want to answer me, maybe you want to answer a judge in the morning after a night in the basement.”
Joshua knew he did not want to go to jail. He needed medical help, not incarceration.”
“I ate some bad fish for dinner and I think I’ve got food poisoning,” Joshua said, proud that he could think of a plausible explanation for his condition, considering he was frightened half to death by the cop. “I’m waiting for the bus to get to San Francisco General. Do you think you could take me there?” At that moment, Joshua’s stomach clenched and Joshua bent double.
“Hell no. You think I’m a taxi service.? The bus will be here soon. Just behave yourself until then,” the officer said retreating back to his cruiser.
With the patrol car gone, a person stepped out of the shadows. Joshua was surprised by his sudden appearance.
“Sorry I frightened you,” the stranger said. “I was hanging back a ways. I had my cell phone open and ready to take a picture if that cop got rough with you.”
“Thanks, Joshua” mumbled.
“Food poisoning, huh?” the stranger asked.
Joshua shook his head. “It isn’t food poisoning. I just had the first dose of chemo two days ago and I’ve been upside down ever since.”
“Didn’t the doctors give you anything for the nausea?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t help.”
“Well, dang. Here take some of this,” the stranger said reaching into his shirt pocket and retrieving a pipe that he filled with bud.
Joshua was hesitant.
“Go ahead. It’s just pot. It will settle your stomach.”
Joshua took the pipe and sucked greedily. He could feel its healing warmth go straight to his stomach. He coughed and handed the pipe back to the stranger.
“Thanks. I can feel it helping. I think I’ll go back home.”
“Listen, ask your physician to write you a prescription for medical marijuana and you’ll be legally allowed to smoke.”
“I’ll think about it. Thanks again.”
Three days later, Joshua walked up to Emmalyn’s California Cannabis Clinic in San Francisco, prescription in hand.
The door was padlocked following a raid by the out-of-control Drug Enforcement Agency. Someone had written a note and taped it to the store window. “How long? How long before we see change, Mr. President?”
The whole "War on Drugs" and the DEA is immoral and a monster waste of Taxpayer dollars !!!!!
Thousands of Americans in Prison at a cost of $55K EACH ?????
Its all a racket a business and supports thousands of evil people who pry into the private habits of people who only wish to enjoy their rights in the pursuit of happiness.