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DEA Says it Has a Policy of Not Arresting Medical Marijuana Patients

Months ago, Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers (D-MI) sent a pointed inquiry to the DEA demanding an accounting of the costs and methodology behind the federal raids against medical marijuana dispensaries in California. DEA’s response (pdf) recently became available and contains some interesting information, including this:

DEA does not investigate or target individual "patients" who use cannabis, but instead the Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) involved in marijuana trafficking.

Again, the agency does not target individual users who are
engaged in "simple possession" of the drug - even though they too are violating federal law and entitled to no immunity.

It’s not really news that DEA avoids arresting patients, but it’s remarkable to see it in writing. This serves to remind us that DEA in fact bears no legal obligation whatsoever to enforce federal marijuana laws in states that have approved medical use. The organization’s enforcement priorities with regards to medical marijuana are shaped by politics, not a sense of legal obligation, thus patients have been quietly left off the battlefield in recognition of the obscene PR fiasco that would result if they were visibly targeted. Keep this in mind if Obama’s pledge to end medical marijuana raids is met with resistance from anyone who claims that "federal law must be enforced."

DEA’s concession also helps to illuminate the complete incoherence of any argument that state-level marijuana reforms are rendered impotent in the face of incongruous federal drug laws. Such reforms have enormous practical value by dramatically reducing the threat of arrest and conviction under state laws, which have always been the only real threat facing individual users.

This acknowledgment should end debate over the importance of state-level marijuana reform.

Drug War Issues Medical Marijuana

Dea and Medical marijuana

If logic and science had any place in Dea thinking the problem of clinics being raided would have never begun.The DEA is a bunch of mindless drones who have known for a long time that what they do is pointless.It's a paycheck and nothing else.No one with an iota of intelligence knows it's like the treadmill in the hamster cage.The faster you run,the more tired you get but you never get anywhere.Einstein called what they do the definition of insanity.

99% of marijuana arrests are carried out by.....

.....the state and local police, according to the F B I.

How about Charlie Lynch AND the patients waiting for his meds?

By far, it has been the DEA -- along with a small # of non-law-abiding disloyal local leo -- who've been raiding and pillaging CA dispensaries. Though some local police have helped to make "do not" cross lines; and a few CA leo have helped DEATH steal actual medicine, it has been DEATH behind the majority of the raids (with rumors and photos that Blackwater is also involved).

I wonder the percentage of California dispensaries that were targeted and attacked were initially target by the DEA?

Doesn't arrest patients?

Hmmmmmm . . . tell that to Charles Lynch, the owner of SLO Cannabis Compassionate Care Clinic who is awaiting sentencing in Federal Court. He is also a medical cannabis patient.

Charlie wasn't arrested for personal use.

What happened to Charlie is disgusting, but it doesn't disprove my point.

Is Keith Nelson aware

After reading most of the response submitted by Keith B. Nelson, I am in awe over the plethora of information and the omission of one important fact; The Compassionate Investigational New Drug program, was created under the Federal Government to provide "medical marijuana" for United States Citizens. I'm just confused by this fact that the Federal Government has a right to "medical marijuana", while the individual State Government has none.

"Medical marijuana patients still without adequate protection"
"Each month, the federal authorities send four patients a tin canister filled with 300 pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes. The marijuana is grown at the University of Mississippi" http://www.mpp.org/states/mississippi/

what obama pledge?

Where and when did Sen. Obama pledge to stop dispensary raids? I know only that he told Granite staters for medical use, and Patients Out of Time, that he thought arresting PATIENTS was "a poor use of resources." As far as I know, he dodged the question about DEA raids on clinics, suppliers, etc.

DEA

Thanks for protecting me. I feel much safer now.

Obama and the Raids

1. In response to a question from Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana on Aug. 21, 2007, Obama said, “I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana [patients]…it’s not a good use of our resources”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUze-oYsswI

2. Taken directly from the SF Chronicle (article below):

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/12/MNKK10FD53.D...

In response to recent questions from The Chronicle about medical marijuana, Obama's campaign - the only one of the three contenders to reply - endorsed a hands-off federal policy.

"Voters and legislators in the states - from California to Nevada to Maine - have decided to provide their residents suffering from chronic diseases and serious illnesses like AIDS and cancer with medical marijuana to relieve their pain and suffering," said campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt.

"Obama supports the rights of states and local governments to make this choice - though he believes medical marijuana should be subject to (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) regulation like other drugs," LaBolt said.

He said the FDA should consider how marijuana is regulated under federal law, while leaving states free to chart their own course.

Obama would end DEA raids LaBolt also said Obama would end U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raids on medical marijuana suppliers in states with their own laws. [END OF SF CHRONICLE]

Drug Task Forces

While it may be technically true the DEA does not go after individual users. I would be interested to know how much support the DEA supplies to local law enforcement in terms of funding and personnel for the purpose of going after individual users.

The LEO in Long Beach

There is an LEO officer based out of Long Beach who has been on a vigilante mission for several months on a quest to knock down dispensaries. I will not post a name or any other reference to this man... but he has been showing up, raiding these dispensaries... and blatantly telling the employees and owners of these establishments that HE is in charge of 90% of all raids in California. THis man has the sole power to ignore and invade a medical establishment,and chooses the violent way out, by smashing the windows and doors. On more than one occasion, employees of dispensaries have tried to let him (and his cronies) in the door without smashing things... but they continue to point assualt rifles at them while yelling "get the fuck on the ground." At a medical establishment? WTF?

He has currently knocked off...

Long Beach (2 dispensaries)
Marina Del Rey (Organica)
Vallejo (too many to count)
1 for sure in Reseda
1 for sure in San Juan Capistrano
1 in Orange (Nature's Wellness)

whether or not he is responisble for more, I am not sure of. However... this man is making it a personal vendetta against the MMJ community.

He must be stopped...and several co-ops has received his information.

Like i said... Co-ops know about this guy, and are on the watch. I hope he gets what he deserves

Organica

Wow, I heard through the grapevine Organica was going to be raided, somehow the info gets there well in advance, and it still happens.

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