Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy
Putting some law enforcement muscle behind this month's words of warning from federal prosecutors that a new crackdown on medical marijuana distribution was getting underway, DEA agents late last week raided a model regulated medical marijuana grow in Northern California, a medical marijuana dispensary in Southern California, and a medical marijuana grow in Colorado.
But the operation raided Thursday, Northstone Organics in Mendocino County, has been touted as a model medical marijuana grow. It holds a Mendocino County sheriff's permit to grow the 99 pot plants seized and destroyed by the feds, pays an estimated $8,500 annually in fees to remain compliant, and has even had sheriff's deputies testify favorably about it in a state court case where Northstone drivers delivering medicine to patients were arrested in Sonoma County.
Northstone Organics founder and owner Matt Cohen told the Ukiah Daily News Friday that heavily-armed agents raided his home and property early Thursday morning, destroying plants and hauling off evidence, but not charging him with a crime.
"They destroyed our home and eradicated everything," Cohen said. "They came in, guns blazing. They calmed down and were pleasant at the end, but they came in with machine guns."
Cohen said the smash and grab raiders included six DEA agents, a state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement agent, and a Mendocino County sheriff's deputy, "who didn't know what he was walking into here."
Northstone is a strict cooperative, growing the plants it distributes to members in the area, as well as in San Francisco and Los Angeles. It is fully compliant with California's medical marijuana laws.
"If we're not legal, nobody's legal," Cohen said. "We actually are a legitimate not-for-profit corporation. We worked with the county to get where we are, and there are illegal growers all around us. We fell under what the US Justice Department said was the threshold for prosecution."
The message the feds are sending? "Go back underground, I guess; make our community a less safe place to be," Cohen said.
The Northstone Organics raid was "shameful and despicable," said Dale Gieringer of Cal NORML, which reported the raid as it was still going on Thursday morning. "The DEA is doing nothing but encouraging lawlessness and disobedience to the law, said Gieringer."This is a victory for the Mexican cartels."
A day earlier and several hundred miles to the south, DEA agents and Pomona police raided the Green Cross USA dispensary, seizing marijuana, marijuana edibles, and records. But unlike the Northstone Organics raid, the raid on Green Cross appears to have been instigated by local authorities, who called in the feds to help.
Pomona Police Capt. Paul Capraro told the Daily Bulletin that the dispensary owner and landlord had received threat letters from the US Attorney's office. The letters said "if they didn't close down they would be subject to criminal prosecution, civil prosecution, and property seizure," he said.
Pomona banned dispensaries with a March 2008 ordinance, and had cited the dispensary in March for operating without a business permit. The owner, Jeffrey Maul, was convicted of operating without a business license, but is appealing that conviction.
The joint city-DEA action sends a message to other dispensaries in Pomona, Capraro said. "Our message is simple, that dispensaries are not lawful businesses in Pomona."
But it's not just a local case, said DEA spokeswoman Sarah Pullen. "We seized contraband, but also gathered evidence for the ongoing investigation," she said, adding that arrests could be forthcoming and that the city and the DEA had worked together for months on the case.
Meanwhile, in Colorado, what originated as a local law enforcement raid against a medical marijuana grower who contracted to grow as part of a larger grow at Cherry Top Farms in Denver morphed during the day into a joint local-state-federal raid replete with carloads of DEA agents and US Attorney representatives.
"We are 100% compliant" with state medical marijuana laws, a Cherry Top Farms manager told Westword after the raid. "But when the feds walk in, they can do whatever the hell they want." Local police had issues with the contract grower who was the original target of the raid, the manager said. "They came to take care of him, but when they got here, they were unable to turn a blind eye, and they did a lot of damage," he complained.
When the first officers showed up late Thursday morning, "it was the Denver Police Department, and then it was the state Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division. Then there were the feds. When they got here, they decided they needed a search warrant for us, too," the manager explained. "They lined us all up and questioned us and took our phones and [state mandated ID] badges. Then they gave some of the option to leave, after they handed over their IDs. But a few of chose to stay, and we were forced to wait in a two-parking space area, probably 10 feet by 10 feet, from 11:00am to 11:00pm. They did let us go to the bathroom, but you definitely had to ask permission to take a piss."
The raiders cleaned out Cherry Top, the manager said. "They took all of our live plants, all of our medicine, all of our extracts, and all of our baked goods," plus at least one more thing. "We have these cute t-shirts, little tank-top titty shirts, and one of the female officers put one on and was dancing around. I said to one of the agents at the door, 'I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but that doesn't seem to be very professional.' And he said, 'It's been a long day. We're just trying to have some fun.'"
The t-shirt has vanished, the manager said. "It's not here. She took it."
After last week's threats from prosecutors in Sacramento, it now appears that the feds are backing up those threats with actions. The medical marijuana wars are heating up again.
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
Medical Marijuana
My message to Laura Duffy would be thus:
The United States pharmaceutical industry is not about providing medicine to the sick, it is a pervasive, for-profit industry that continually kills people.
Medical marijuana hasn't killed anyone, just made the very sick, better. Marijuana doesn't destroy anyone's life, the Draconian and illegitimate laws against marijuana that destroys lives.
I ask you to STOP IT NOW!
I am thoroughly sick and tired of being sick and tired, but sicker and tireder of the government's attacks against the use of a simple plant that alleviates so many medical problems and just so happens to be safer and cheaper than the drugs the big pharmaceutical companies are churning out that killed over 300,000 people last year, alone, and that was properly prescribed and used drugs!!!
Sincerely,
California Medical Marijuana Patient
"The California marijuana industry is not about providing medicine to the sick," claimed Laura Duffy, the San Diego-based US Attorney at the October 8 Sacramento press conference. "It's a pervasive, for-profit industry that violates federal law."
"We're just trying to have some fun.'"
Stop having it at the expense of good people who haven't done anything to anybody. If you don't understand what I'm saying, get an 8 year old to explain. People who use alcohol have utterly no right to harass other people for using cannabis. It's not complicated! And that's only one of the unacceptable flaws with the war on marijuana users and other illegal drug users.
Bet these jokers go to church. But Jesus HATED hypocrisy. "Generation of vipers" parading around in church like they're real Christians while they wantonly persecute cannabis users in a modern day Inquisition. And making a solid contribution to bankrupting the country while they're at it.
Medical Marijuana Hypocrisy
Man created booze, GOD created Marijuana........In GOD WE TRUST!! Its an herbal plant people!!
If cannibis purchase were legal there would be no state debt, no national deficit etc. Make it available to those over 18 like tobacco, tax it like they do liquor and cigarettes and wipe out this nations financial problems. Some of us would have a job and the mexican cartel would be SOL. Thats my opinion and I'm certainly entitled to it.
In reply to Medical Marijuana Hypocrisy by Ariana Abbott (not verified)
Oops!
That should have been cannabis. :(
Suppressing the will of the voters is worthy of civil war...
They had better be careful. The real message being sent is that we can't hold a democratic referendum, have it approved by a majority of voters and then implemented after working hard to win these voter-created laws. So the message from the Feds is 'go ahead and do things through legal channels, but in the end we think we own your sorry asses and will laugh at any rights you think you have'. Who's going to kick this bitch off? George Washington would be finding them, neutralizing them and burning their houses. That includes any Vichy style police collaborators that aren't protecting the will of the voters. The last time we had to win our liberty from oppressors was also over a plant...tea.
Medical Marijuana Raids.
Man created booze…..God created Marijuana. In GOD we trust.
If cannabis were legalized we’d have no national debt. Make it available to those 18 and over and tax it like they do liquor and cigarettes. Effectively wiping out this nations national deficit.
That’s my opinion and I am certainly entitled to it.
"If we're not legal, nobody's
"If we're not legal, nobody's legal," Cohen said.
So here we have it, the feds are shutting down the whole thing. This is a disgrace that the federal government is destroying a legitimate industry, and sending it back underground. CRIME WILL SKYROCKET when this industry is totally underground and FAR MORE difficult to keep track of. These moron feds stealing t-shirts from easy targets will undoubtedly change the landscape to criminal elements with guns and make their jobs far more difficult in the future they are creating. This whole thing is so illogical and makes no sense.
Here is my theory: Attorney General Eric Holder along with the Obama administration are using this medical marijuana crackdown and the recent Iranian foiled terrorist attack, as cover for their Fast and Furious involvement. Obama, Holder, Clinton, the DEA and the ATF are likely to be exposed as drug dealers and gun runners; and even worse, these people might be directly responsible for arming deadly armies that could attack Americans. So Obama/Holder seriously need to change the landscape by making these agencies credible by actually cleaning up crime, instead of creating it. And they can do this with quick and easy targets -- the medical marijuana industry. The public might buy it. I would bet that if Obama addresses the nation about marijuana after this, he will sound a lot like Ronald Reagan.
And the medical marijuana people are soft targets with tons of assets. So the feds are stealing this property to deal with the ever growing national debt, instead of waiting for taxes to trickle in. Obama/Holder might even escalate this Iran thing into a seriousness enough of an issue to start a war with Iran to hide their alleged major drug and weapons crimes.
This might be far worse than any of us realize. These creeps may be starting a major war to hide their crimes and the coming economic collapse of the dollar and the US economy. So it might make sense that these people are doing a pirated slash and grab before martial law is declared; because they know deep down that the economy is toast anyway. Now this would justify their actions, IMO.
In reply to "If we're not legal, nobody's by Anon (not verified)
..."These creeps may be
..."These creeps may be starting a major war to hide their crimes and the coming economic collapse of the dollar and the US economy. .." When our dollar has been devalued worldwide, then no country will refinance our EXPLODING debt... The U. S. government WILL run out of DEA resources. Just a lot of grief between now and then.
The dollar WILL collapse. As will our "Government" and alleged "Leaders". Just sayin'
CA Dispensary Owner
(ALL CAPS only highlight KEY POINTS)
Hey Everyone,
I currently run a CA dispensary in Sacramento and the County has been fining us all anywhere from $500-$1500 a DAY for operating without a business license. Now the CITY has already approved 5 dispensaries (including one that is owned by MONTEL WILLIAMS) along with approving an ordinance and yet even when the CITY gave the COUNTY their ordinance blueprints, OUR county representatives decided to ignore it and fine us everyday we are open and REFUSED us the right to even apply for a BUSINESS LICENSE.
What needs to CHANGE is the DOCTORS who are prescribing these patients after a 10 MIN evaluation. WHO is in CHARGE of these Doctors (AMA, Board of Pharmacy)? Either way we need to put a stop to them making us look like criminals. 2/3's of OUR patients have CHRONIC illnesses who have been taking Vicodin and other pain killers for 5-20 years and all they do is treat the symptoms. They ARE FED UP with taking PILLS and tired of all these drugs prescribed to us when what has worked for centuries is marijuana. We have TESTING LABS that test our products the exact same way CSI would, and there has been true merit to Cannabiniods (CBD). WE need to EDUCATE everyone on the truth behind the Marijuana research that our own GOVT and Pharmaceutical Corps have blocked for 60 YEARS and have demonized it into a SCHEDULE 1 NARCOTIC. Are we saying Marijuana is as bad as METH, Cocaine, Heroin? NO- it is not because people my parents age (50-60) smoked it when they were growing up and I would say that the majority still do but at the same time hold state, county and many other Important HIGH PAYING careers. None of them do HARD drugs, NONE of them Condone marijuana but being that over the years they have seen the side effects of all the other drugs out there especially the pharmaceuticals pills that marijuana has done the least amount of damage to our bodies over time BY FAR. Now there are COUNTY workers who happen to work in the DRUG and REHABILITATION Dept. have claimed that NOT ONE person is in there for marijuana but mainly either two reasons: Alcohol or Prescription drugs.
THIS WHOLE PUSH BY THE FEDS IS A SCARE TACTIC BECAUSE THEY ARE WATCHING THEIR SALES IN PHARMACEUTICALS DROP AND ARE SCARED PEOPLE WILL KNOW THE TRUTH BEHIND WHY MARIJUANA IS A NATURAL LIVING PLANT THAT HAS BEEN ON EARTH BEFORE WE WERE AND HAS BEEN USED FOR OVER 2,000 YEARS IN MANY CULTURES AROUND THE WORLD.
CALIFORNIA NEEDS TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE, I AM JUST GLAD THERE ARE MORE GOOD PEOPLE THAN BAD IN THIS STATE AND THERE ARE PLANS IN THE MAKING TO HELP US ALL ACHIEVE A COMMON GOAL (TO STRENGTHEN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND KEEPING THE FEDS OUT OF OUR POCKETS AND END THE PATRIOT ACT IMMEDIATELY)
THE FEDS ARE NOW LOOKING TO PROSECUTE NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES PUBLISHERS WHICH I BELIEVE IS OUR 1ST AMENDMENT, THEY HAVE PREVENTED US FROM OWNING A GUN IF WE HAVE A MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD WHICH I BELIEVE IS OUR 2ND AMENDMENT AND OUR 5TH IS BROKEN EVERYDAY.
HOW MUCH MORE DO THEY REALLY THINK WE WILL PUT UP WITH?
WISH US LUCK HERE IN CALI
In reply to CA Dispensary Owner by Anonymous215 (not verified)
Actually, Cocaine, meth, and
Actually, Cocaine, meth, and opium are schedule II drugs. So, the feds consider them to have "some" medical value...Schedule II drugs may be available with a prescription by a physician, but not all pharmacies may carry them. These drugs require more stringent records and storage procedures than drugs in Schedules III and IV.
Schedule I is considered NO MEDICAL value what so ever. Pharmacies do not sell Schedule I drugs, and they are not available with a prescription by physician. Lumped in with LSD and Heroin.
Really? Tell that to a cancer patient who's only relief from pain is Marijuana. Plenty of studies (from other countries of course) that show amazing medical properties.
GOOD LUCK CALI, the nation needs to open their eyes!
i hope it will motivate people to legalize it once and for all
hi cali .
you are having great time cali . dont be mad at me , but i think dea should block your mm operation .
then weed would be legal on next election . im from NYC and weed here sucks like NYPD . boom .
DEA also raiding state-legal medical grows in Oregon
Fwiw, California and Colorado aren't the only states which have seen federal enforcement actions against state-legal operations in the past week. Three raids have been carried out on patient gardens in Oregon over the past three weeks - here are links to news articles for more info:
DEA rips out more pot plants (Medford, OR Mail-Tribune, Oct. 15, 2011)
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111015/NEWS/110150315
Federal agents raid third marijuana garden (KTVL-TV, Medford, OR, Oct. 14, 2011)
http://www.ktvl.com/articles/marijuana-1202136-ore-agents.html
Federal marijuana raids rankle state lawmakers (AP / Eugene, OR Register-Guard, Oct. 15, 2011)
http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/27028534-41/marijuana-medical-federal-oregon-law.html.csp
WAR ON FREEDOM AND PROPERTY OWNERSHIP
THE UNITES STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN USURPED BY THE BANKING CARTELS OF EUROPE AND THE WALL STREET OLOGARCHY WICH IN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS IS IN FACT THE NEW WORLD ORDER WE ALL KEEP HEARING ABOUT.
EVERYTHING NOW DAYS HAS A PATENT OR A GOVERNMENT APPROVAL SOMEWHERE IN THE MIX.
THIS IS ALL PAID FOR WITH MASSIVE KICKBACKS VIA UNION DUES AND THIS LEADS TO THE RIGGED ELECTIONS TO EVERY HIGH OFFICE IN WICH SO CALLED LAWS AND MANDATES AND OTHER ILLEGAL ACTIONS CAN BE IMPLEMENTED.
THE MAIN ELEMENT OF WAGING THIS WAR ON PERSONAL FREEDOMS AND PROPERTY OWNERSHIP IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE ALPHABET SOUP OF AGENCIES THAT REGULATE OUR SOCIETY TO DEATH AND NOW BANKRUPTCEY.
THE ENFORCEMENT FROM THE LIKES OF THE ADA, FDA ,THE IRS, DEA, THE ATF AND THE UNITED STATES MARSHALS SERVICE AND OTHER STATE POLICE WICH HAVE BEEN MILITARIZED TO THE POINT OF US NOW HAVING ARMED AND QUARTERED ARMIES OF MILITARY TROOPS IN ALL OUR CITIES AND TOWNS AND COUNTIES.
THE LAWS WE VOTE TO CHANGE ARE NEVER CHANGED JUST TWISTED TO THE POINT WHERE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN TAKE MORE OF OUR MONEY AND TAKE THE REMAINING POWERS AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE.
THE WAR ON DRUGS IS A WAR ON FREEDOM AND PROPERTY AND OF STORY AND THE SOONER WE REALIZE THIS THE SOONER WE CAN GO TO THE THROAT OF THE MATTER AND CHOKE IT TO DEATH WITH A REVOLUTION AND THAT IS WHAT IT IS GOING TO TAKE.
ANOTHER BLOODY CIVIL WAR IS COMING AND WE CANNOT STOP IT FROM HAPPENING THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN AND THE ECONOMY IS BROKEN AS WELL WITH NO REASONABLE METHODS OR LAWS TO PROTECT US FROM THEM WE ARE LEFT TO FIGHT THE ONLY WAY THESE TYRANTS AND BANKING CARTELS AND POLICE THUGS UNDERSTAND AND THAT IS AT THE END OF GUNS BARREL.
GROW YOUR OWN, FREE YOUR MIND ,FREE THE PLANET!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana vs IRS DOJ
Hi, this is the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana. Over the past two weeks, our owner, Lynnette Shaw has been interviewed by numerous media outlets, from CBS and FOX Business News to NPR and the LA Times. We're currently fighting the battle for the medicinal use of marijuana on two fronts. On March 1, 2011, MAMM was the first licensed dispensary to receive an IRS determination disallowing our business tax deductions. We have filed taxes since 1997 and our books are transparent, as required by our permit. Though the IRS has advised us for years on ways to save money on MAMM's business taxes, it now intends to force us to close our doors.
At the same time, MAMM's landlord has received a letter from Melinda Haag, the San Francisco-based U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California warning him that his property may be seized and he may be prosecuted if the Marin Alliance does not halt the dispensing of medical marijuana on his property within 45 days. Our landlord is in his seventies, which would make any jail time a death sentence.
We see our defenses against the IRS and DOJ as high profile test cases and believe the future of patient access to medicinal marijuana across the nation lies in the balance. If you would like more information, please visit cbcmarin.com to learn how you can help.
Thanks so much.
Keeping Marijuana Illegal & Protecting Terrorists
Congratulations to the DEA for protecting the income of Terrorists so they can make money and buy guns from the profits...
DOPE FOR GUNS
Voters
Even more reason to vote for RON PAUL 2012
occupy!!!
its time to bring the real criminals to justice jobs are in decline and they ignore the will of the people putting more people out of work its time to put an end to this prison empire every arrest equals a failure if a teacher keeps failing its students its time to replace the teacher join your occupy
dea
the sad reality in all of this is that, and dealers will tell you, the very same people who make up the DEA raid teams some of them take drugs, sell drugs, smoke pot illegally and think they are above the law. If they can raid our medicine, then how about giving us some rights to out these scumbag cops who break the law unconscionably. I have twice in the past year been given plants to sell from fellow friends who are cops from raids they did. Need i say more.
Know your enemy
If you want to protect your rights, you must learn the proper way to fight the government. First you must know who is against you. Most of you believe the enemy is right wing Republicans. You are completely wrong. I am a right wing Republican and I am for freedom, I am for legalizing everything, as are most of my friends. I'm tired of seeing this huge waste of tax dollars and waste of lives of people convicted of felonies. The US incarcerates more people than Russia and China combined ( and combined they have three times our population). Most of our incarceration can be directly or indirectly tied to the war on drugs. In politics, follow the money and follow the votes. What group of people would least like to see drugs legalized? People in law enforcement and corrections. They will lose their jobs if drugs are legal. And, since most government workers are in labor unions now, the labor unions don't want to see drugs legalized either, they will lose alot of members and a lot of money. Now, when labor unions say jump, who jumps? The Democrats and President Obama. That is why President Obama lied to you in 2008 when he said that he would not come after you if states had laws approving drugs. Maybe he did not knowingly lie then, but once in office, his buddies the labor unions put so much heat on him that he had to go against his word. I know most of you blame Republicans because of Reagan. He was from a long ago era, most people of that era did not use drugs ( but booze was A OK!). Besides, as my old liberal democrat college professor would say, "Libertarians are just anarchist Republicans!" Remember, your biggest enemies now are government employee labor unions, and their staunch allies, the Democrats ( although they are attacking you very quietly and under the radar, that is Obama's modus operandi). To fight the government, you must form groups like the NRA, then the politicians will listen to you, especially if you can form a group with more members and more money than the labor unions. If every pot smoker joined up and just donated $10, you would be a force to be reckoned with.
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