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DEA Raids Three LA Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #766)
Politics & Advocacy

DEA agents raided three Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensaries Wednesday afternoon, according to a preliminary report from Americans for Safe Access California director Don Duncan. More details were not forthcoming by press time.

According to Duncan, the DEA struck LA Wonderland on West Pico Boulevard, the Downtown Collective on South Hill St. near downtown, and the Iron Works in Venice.

The federal government has unleashed the DEA on dispensaries under both the Bush and the Obama administrations, although there was a respite between 2009 and late 2011, when the Justice Department had a policy of generally leaving them alone. But that policy shifted again in 2011, and both the DEA and federal prosecutors have been busy going after dispensaries since then. One Southern California dispensary operator, Aaron Sandusky, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison just this Monday.

The policy has not been limited to California. While hundreds of California dispensaries have been forced out of business by raids, asset forfeiture threats and/or prosecutions, so have dozens of dispensaries in Colorado, and a series of statewide raids in Montana in the spring of 2011 virtually wiped out that state's dispensary scene.

The LA DEA raids come as the city grapples over what to do about dispensaries. An effort by the city council to shut them all down was blocked by popular opposition. Now, the council, and perhaps city voters, will have to consider two different municipal initiatives, one of which would limit the number of dispensaries in the city to about 100, the other of which would allow most existing dispensaries to stay open.

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

mrcrzy (not verified)

LEGALIZE , LEGALIZE, LEGALIZE, LEGALIZE, LEGALIZE, LEGALIZE, LEGALIZE, LEGALIZE, LEGALIZE

Decriminalization does not take you from the prying eyes of U.S. States Attorneys now does it.. and .. seems like California's want to make a point about going after all the big distributors and then where are the patients going to get their Meds on the street corners illegally just like before?

Thu, 01/10/2013 - 2:57pm Permalink
mmj lets go (not verified)

So I guess fical cliff didn't cut the DEA's budgets in mindless MMJ raids, huh ?! Two states with legalization and this l! I cant believe Obama is wasting taxpayers money ! I cant believe city officials ! They're acting like Kings and Queens of their land! It's our land! Last time i check this was a democracy. We voted! And still they say its in our best interest to ban collectives. Why? But its ok to grow for yourself. What if my landlord told me he would evict me if i do. What should I do? Move, Buy a house? Easy for you to say. And the big conundrum! Where do I get this plant in the first place? If there is no clubs anywhere where do i get clones or seeds to grow? Oh yes the MMJ fairy! Crazy huh?Also, its not a cactus it will not just grow! Its real hard to grow anything! Not just mmj.. They should stop and forget about egos. This will happen sooner or later, why not get over it! Tax and Regulate it! So much money can be raised for school, parks, give it to the kids!. Guaranteed when this gets done, none of that will go to them. It will go to corporate bull and other mubo- jumbo. We will all look back and say Shoooot! We should've voted for that 10% mmj tax measure that would have gone to schools and kids..That would've been smart, huh? DUUUHHH Stop being stupid! Get with it!
Fri, 01/11/2013 - 4:53am Permalink
Hugh Yonn (not verified)

Over a 3-year period, marijuana was the top cash crop in the state of North Carolina. Tobacco, more than $100 million behind. Cotton is third on the list.

Marijuana is the top crop in 12 states and ranks among the top three in 30 states.

It does not take a banker to see that this is a great business.

Law enforcement needs to re-direct its focus on crime...to those that are REAL crimes.
 
I was in Federal Prison for 5 years for a marijuana offense. No, it was not for simple possession. I was arrested aboard a Lockheed PV2 in Marianna, Florida...charged and convicted for conspiracy to import and distribute 12,000 pounds of marijuana.
 
As my years in prison rolled by, what I did see were armed bank robbers, coming and going...while I still sat there for marijuana. Most of the bank robbers only spent 17 to 24 months. But, I and my fellow 'drug offenders,'...we stayed for YEARS.
 
I wrote about the escapades that led to my incarceration. I admit, I had a great time. No one was injured, no one was killed, firearms were not involved...there were no victims.
 
We were Americans...doing what Americans do best...living free.
 
Truly, it is time for this lunacy to end...it never should have begun.
 
My book: Shoulda Robbed a Bank
 
Tales of adventure in the marijuana trade...
 
I would be honored by your review.

 

Fri, 01/11/2013 - 8:49am Permalink
crystalinamcphee (not verified)

They should shut down every single one. The marijuana smoked today is not the same marijuana the Natives smoked and not the same marijuana they had decades ago. This marijuana is harmful. No it does not kill you directly but you can die as a result. I lost 2 cousins because they were stupid driving under the influence. My friend died losing his coordination and falling down 2 flights of stairs. People say we can make a lot of money off of marijuana but does the money mean more than peoples lives. They show our kids documentaries and statistics based on those who approve of marijuana being legalized. They say alcohol is worse but what is the difference with someone driving tipsy and driving high both being impaired and crashing into vehicles killing an innocent person. I think the only place someone should be able to get their "legal marijuana" is a doctors office.

Sun, 01/27/2013 - 8:41pm Permalink
Mike B (not verified)

In reply to by crystalinamcphee (not verified)

If that is your argument, it would be better suited as to why we should make alcohol illegal. Plus, I have never heard of anyone dying from marijuana poisoning.

Wed, 03/06/2013 - 4:24pm Permalink
Straight Talk (not verified)

I think the drug companies are behind this, they are out of the loop on their huge racket they have with 800% mark up on "legal drugs" take Vicodin for example, it rots your liver while giving a few hours relief and is the most prescribed drug ever, they are making a fortune off this stuff, and others like it, and you want to talk about accidental overdose due to the "legal" drugs? remember Michael Jackson? and about another hundred movie stars and musicians? which not one has been killed by Marijuana, and I bet they used that from time to time as well.  Any idiot can smoke up a storm and then get behind the wheel, its not just the weed it was the persons choice to drive impaired.  It is sad indeed but if you examine the stats there is probably much less drug related deaths due to the evil smoke.  This is still the stigmata left over from the 50's campaign to smear marijuana, due you remember an old 50's movie called Refer Madness?  Strong weed has been around for centuries, take Thailand, Jamaica, Africa, India, Istanbul, Northern Europe, South America, China, Hashish in the Middle East,  Weed is everywhere, when it started in the US back in the forties they simply had weaker strains, but believe me in other parts of the world it was just as strong as it is today.  This mind set of the USA being the only place on earth is foolish, these other countries have thousands not hundreds of years of weed history.  We barely have 50 years of weed strain variety.  In the Middle East they have 5000 years of proven Hashish cultivation, not to mention Opium.  Just 1 and I mean 1 drop of Hash, and you will be high for 12 straight hours.  So do the math, theres a whole world out there and all continents do weed, end of story.  

Fri, 03/22/2013 - 4:20pm Permalink

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