This is interesting/disturbing:
Kern Sheriffâs deputies and agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency were searching a medical marijuana store in east Bakersfield Wednesday afternoon.
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Calls to the sheriffâs department were not immediately returned. A spokesman from the DEA said that agency was there only to assist. The spokesman said the sheriffâs department was the lead agency in the case.
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Sheriff Donny Youngblood said his office will not interfere with the operation of non-profit medical co-operatives run by patients for patients. But, he said, dispensaries that sell marijuana for a profit should be expected to be treated like other drug dealers. [KGET]
DEA explained that they're "only there to assist," but that doesnât eliminate the possibility of federal charges down the road. This isnât the first time DEA has "assisted" local law enforcement during a dispensary raid. I just spoke with Caren Woodson at Americans for Safe Access and they're waiting to learn more about the situation.
I'll update as details emerge.
Update: ASA just informed me that this appears to be a DEA raid being assisted by local authorities, rather than the other way around.
Update 2: Turns out it really was a state raid, based on a state warrant. ASA got some mixed messages from the PR dept. at DEA.
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