Changes in Policy Inevitable
February 5th, 2009 by Silvio
Although the Department of Justice and the DEA are very aware (or at least should be) of the change in policy regarding MMJ raids with federal resources under the new government, the harassment continues.
One raid in South Lake Tahoe on January 22 and four simultaneous raids in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, seem to indicate that President Obama’s pledge to end federal interference with state medical marijuana laws are still being ignored by some government branches.
To quote White House Spokesman Nick Shapiro:
The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws, and as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind.
The sheer number of raids under the Bush administration went through the roof, and it seems this is one last uproar of his die-hard followers. A number of organizations like Americans for Safe Access (ASA) are already on the case. And as it seems, the issue won’t be swept under rug. There is dialog, and it’s being taken seriously.
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New President, Same Old DEA Raids
January 27th, 2009 by Perry
The DEA raided a dispensary on Jan. 22, the first such act by federal law enforcement since Obama’s inauguration earlier this week.
The raid flies in the face of campaign promises made by Obama, who said he would rein in this type of behavior from federal agencies. Holistic Solutions is was the name of the dispensary, and while cash and marijuana were seized, no arrests were made.
Senator Obama said in an August 2007 statement:
I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users. It’s not a good use of our resources.
I’m not quite sure if kicking down the doors of an unoccupied, state-sanctioned medical facility is the biggest waste of federal tax dollars (see: Bridge to Nowhere), but it has to be up there.
According to a statement on the Americans for Safe Access Web site, the raid is just one of more than 100 in California in the last two years (roughly two per week for those without a calculator). No surprise, since CA has received an overwhelming share of federal scrutiny for its pioneering of federally-outlawed efforts at medical marijuana.
New Mexico, which recently adopted a MMJ card program, was threatened by the DEA for its plan, according to the same release.
San Joaquin Valley Calls for Federal Help to Fight Meth
December 17th, 2008 by Perry
Merced County District Attorney Larry Morse II and Police Chief Russ Thomas met with DEA officials recently to discuss a $500,000 coordination effort. The program is aimed at addressing the increasing methamphetamine trade in the valley, calling it a North Valley High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).
Officials said the money would mostly go towards equipment and funding overtime for officers involved in assisting with eradication efforts.
The program’s supporters cited Vice President-elect Joseph Biden as one of its more famous supporters, as similar programs have been created to target meth nationwide. Merced county officials reported last year that it found 52 clandestine labs.
Heroin’s Low Cost Creating Buyer’s Market
October 28th, 2008 by Perry
The low cost of the drug and its growing availability in the Northeastern region of the country, is making heroin the new meth of the 2000s, according to Drug Enforcement Administration officials.
A bag of heroin costs less than a pack of cigarettes, and that’s one of the main reasons more local teenagers are trying the narcotic.
What’s more, the reputation of heroin is becoming more and more acceptable among an increasingly younger crowd, boosting the drug’s appeal. One of the problems is the growing misconception that the drug is less dangerous when snorted than injected, which is not true according to DEA sources.
Part of the problem, which the DEA fails to acknowledge, is that the DEA is a huge part of the problem. If they didn’t lie to America’s youth and tell them how dangerous marijuana is, after kids tried it and found out the lie; they are more likely to want to see what else people have been lying to them about.
DEA Continues to Violate State’s Rights
October 13th, 2008 by Perry
Despite the state’s top prosecutor Attorney General Jerry Brown’s specific instructions to obey local and state, (not federal guidelines regarding medical marijuana laws,) several local law enforcement agencies participated in federal raids of several southern Californian dispensaries.
I would like to thank Brown personally for his efforts, but he really needs to put a leash on those pesky pigs or do something else that’s slightly more effective.
Those dispensaries that were raided are listed below:
Patients Protest LA Dispensary Raids
January 29th, 2007 by Alex
With the LA dispensary raids still fresh in memory, I was able to locate a photoset of the protests that followed.
Medical marijuana patients brought signs and pill bottles to the downtown Federal Building on Monday, January 22nd. Even West Hollywood officials, where the majority of the raids took place, were disappointed that the DEA chose to execute search warrants instead of contact them directly.
More than 500 people demonstrated outside the federal building and later walked to the City Hall to thank the mayor for his support of patients rights so far. Let’s hope the protest has a lasting effect and will discourage the DEA from making a repeat visit anytime soon.
Two more pics after the jump.
Aftermath: Los Angeles DEA Dispensary Raids
January 22nd, 2007 by Alex
As many people in the Los Angeles are aware, the DEA raided 11 Los Angeles dispensaries on Wednesday, January 17th. Despite these co-operatives being legal in California under the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, they are not legal under federal law. This creates a see-saw of struggles between co-ops to stay open and the DEA to shut them down.
How exactly the DEA chooses it’s victims is still a mystery. Maybe they go after dispensaries with too large a client base, maybe they infiltrate all dispensaries and raid the ones they believe are breaking the law. We just don’t know. An anonymous patient who walked into a dispensary during the raids had this to say:
I went by H.I.P Sherman Oaks. They buzzed me in and I was greeted by a federal agent. He was in FULL GEAR, freaking mask and everything. He told me I could turn around and leave or come in and join them, what do think I did.This sucks…
After talking with one of the raided dispensaries, I learned that the DEA has Ok’d them to continue selling medical marijuana. The catch is that they can’t sell hash, pipes or pieces. Looks like the DEA believes just the plant is good enough and all the extras like edibles, hash and others aren’t part of the deal.
Dispensaries are now taking steps to increase their safety measures. In Van Nuys, one co-op has beefed up security with 2 full-time armed guards. Other effects of the raids are increased marijuana pricing across the board. Premium is now going for up to $85 an 1/8th while regs are hovering around the $60 – $65 mark. This is going to make it much harder for patients to afford their medicine.
Overall, these raids have delivered a serious blow to the Los Angeles medical marijuana community. I expect it will take at least a few months for everything to return to normal. In the meantime, let’s hope that attitudes and laws continue to progress so that this doesn’t happen again.
Read on to see more pictures from the DEA raids…
DEA: 2006 – A Year in Pictures
January 3rd, 2007 by Tim
“Not for Hide & Go Seek.”
“That tickles!”
With the New Year already upon us, plenty of organizations are looking back to the year of 2006. One of those organizations (that we especially like to keep tabs on) is the DEA.
They have just released ‘The Year in Pictures 2006‘ and it gives some pretty interesting views into the many different areas of drug trafficking.
From Tickle-Me-Elmo’s to homemade submarines, the DEA encounters strange happenings on a consistent basis.
[via Crime Sift]
