Here We Go!

[vta]

I've been noticing that every State that is trying to regulate MMJ is getting threatening letters from FED attorneys.

Ricky Martin shares his take on the situation.


Saber Rattling: Feds try to make name with threats
Posted by Mickey Martin

Monkey see- monkey do. It seems to be that one US Attorney decided to write a letter that said, “We will vigorously enforce the controlled substances act against providers of medical marijuana,” and got their name in the paper. Then another narcissistic bastard decides he wants his name in the paper too and writes another letter. Here comes monkey 3, doing the bidding of the evildoers with a pen and a stamp. And another, and another….one dumb motherfucker after another decides that they too want to see their name in a Google search and we get what we have here….a clusterfuck of bad information based on failed policies, by people who choose to not take reality, science, or human dignity into consderation; but blindly attempt to rattle their sabers in an attempt to thwart a growing movement. The only thing I hope is that some of the opportunist losers we see in the business these days (I am looking at you Dhar Mann) will take this bullshit seriously and go back to their day jobs. One can always hope. Below are some of the more recent bullshit comments made by US Attorneys whose real goal is not to stop medical marijuana, but to get their name in the paper and pat themselves on the back for being such an asshole. Way to go:

Let us start with Northern CA US Attorney Melinda Haag:

“As the Department has stated on many occasions, Congress has determined that marijuana is a controlled substance,” wrote Melinda Haag, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, on Feb. 1 in response to a clarification request from the Oakland city attorney. “Congress placed marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and, as such, growing, distributing, and possessing marijuana in any capacity, other than as part of a federally authorized research program, is a violation of federal law regardless of state laws permitting such activities.“

First of Ms. Haag, it is unconscionable to fall back on the failed policies of our Nation’s congress that were created in a time of intollerance, championed by Nixon (the crook), and kept in place because Congress is too full of pussies and freaks to ever make a sound decision based on fact and science where drugs are concerned because they fear they will be barbecued by the opposition for their support of TRUTH, SCIENCE, and REALITY. So for you to simply follow orders like the person pushing Jews into the furnace is unacceptable. You know what is right and YOU have the power to prosecute or not prosecute these cases based on what you know to be right. I do not know how you wannabe Judges sleep at night while you “vigorously enforce” what you and the rest of the world know to be lies and falsehoods about medical cannabis. It is a damn shame, and I hope the people in your life sit you down and have an intervention. Your goals and aspirations for career advancement have clouded your judgement and that is too bad because you seem like a nice enough person. So take a breather, think it out and do your part to stop the madness. Making statements like this just further fan the flames of intolerance and injustice and I do not think that is your objective.

Then come these assholes from Washington State wanting to put their name in the hat and get some undeserved attention….they wrote a letter to the Governor there that has made her veto a bill that would have helped regulate the industry there. US Attorneys Jenny Durkan and Michael Ormsby have chosen to also get some attention for their ignorance and willingness to be puppets for these failures. Here is what their stupid statement said:

“Growing, distributing and possessing marijuana in any capacity, other than as part of a federally authorized research program, is a violation of federal law regardless of state laws permitting such activities,” Ormsby and Durkan wrote. “State employees who conducted activities mandated by the Washington legislative proposals would not be immune from liability under the Controlled Substance Act.”

What the assholes do not mention is the October 19th, 2009 memo that clearly States resources will not be wasted on those in “clear and unambiguous compliance with State law.” So the USDOJ continues to send out threats that counteract their own memo and create mass confusion in an effort to stifle progress in the movement. Why? Because it helps their career. Nothing more…nothing less. These people do not actually believe cannabis is bad, or that it is not helpful as a medicine. What they believe is that if they get their name in the paper enough that someone will notice them and give them that next big promotion. It is spineless and cowardly and these people should be checked for a pulse. Real human beings with any sense of dignity would know that they are enforcing bad policy and would not want their name anywhere near it. But the almighty dollar drives peoples motivations and makes them forget what morals are.

And then there is Colorado, as “top federal prosecutor” John Walsh decided to throw his hat in the ring and make some news so that when his kids google his name they can find out what an asshole their dad is. Way to go:

“The Department of Justice remains firmly committed to enforcing the federal law and the Controlled Substances Act in all states,” Walsh wrote. “Thus, if the provisions of H.B. 1043 are enacted and become law, the Department will continue to carefully consider all appropriate civil and criminal legal remedies to prevent manufacture and distribution of marijuana and other associated violations.”

You notice all of these losers seem to fall back on the “Law.” They never mention that the law is bullshit, or that it is not based in truth or reality. Just that the law is the law and they will throw good people in jail regardless of morals and ethics just because our Governing system has failed us and has made laws that are out of sync with the TRUTH. Go fuck yourself, Walsh….you are just another brainless retard that follows the marching orders of a failed policy and has no conscious.

And then there is the jack-ass US Attorney for Montana, Michael W. Cotter, another mindless loser that wants to see his name in the paper for making idle threats against patients and providers. How do you sleep at night, Mike? It is a damn shame. Here is his weak ass statement:

The U.S. Justice Department will prosecute individuals and organizations involved in the business of any illegal drug, including marijuana used for medical purposes permitted under state law.

“The prosecution of individuals and organizations involved in the trade of any illegal drugs and the disruption of drug trafficking organizations is a core priority of the department.”

Real tough guy shit there…..Another Lemur running off of the cliff of life in order to make a name for himself. You, sir are a troll…..

And then there was Rhode Island……US Attorney Peter Neronha had one of his schleps hand deliver a letter to the Rhode Isalnd Governor spewing more bullshit rhetoric based in lies and deceit:

“The Act, the registration scheme it purports to authorize, and the
anticipated operation of the three centers appear to permit large-scale
marijuana cultivation and distribution,” Neronha wrote.

“Accordingly, the Department of Justice could consider civil and criminal
legal remedies against those individuals and entities who set up marijuana
growing facilities and dispensaries, as such actions are in violation of
federal law.”

This asshole saw the attention his colleagues were getting and just had to throw his hat in the ring. I mean, he could not even wait for the postman to deliver it. He needed to make headlines immediately. Another blowhard trying to make a name by threatening the sick and dying. Awesome job, Peter. How does it feel to have your head so far up the ass of Uncle Sam? Do you even give a shit that the laws you are threatening to enforce are a clear violation of a person’s right to health and happiness? Does your saber rattling make you feel tough and powerful? Do you go home at the end of the day and tell your wife what a big badass you are because you threatened the Governor and got the entire program that was voted on by the good people of Rhode Island put on hold? You are a loser, Neronha….

So it’s obviously a pants-off dance off and these assholes are all in….come on down, Arizona! You are the next contestant on my US Attorney is Full of Shit. US Attorney Dennis Burke penned a letter tho ADHS director Will Humble in an effort to also get a piece of the name in the paper action. His full-of-shit letter adds to the fire of threatening and insincere bullshit statements that do nothing more than attempt to stifle States Rights and trample our democratic process. Burke had this to say:

“The public should understand, however, that even clear and unambiguous compliance with the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act does not render possession or distribution of marijuana lawful under federal statute,” Burke wrote to Will Humble

“This compliance with Arizona laws and regulations does not provide a safe harbor, nor immunity from federal prosecution,” Burke wrote.

What it does provide is you with a moment in the press to build that name recognition in an effort to get noticed and maybe appointed a Cabinet position or Judgeship some day. Go fuck yourself.

So here we are. State after State being threatened by US Attorneys that have chosen to do the Devi’s bidding for them. Wonderful. This is what our broken Government is choosing to do in its free time? This is the courageous bullshit they have coming out of Washington these days? Did I miss something? Every major medical association has called for rescheduling. Scientific research clearly shows the efficacy of cannabis as a medicine. Hundreds of thousands of patients use cannabis safely every day with very little incident of harm. And you assholes want to threaten everyone why? Get a life you fucking losers and quit trying to make a name by grabbing a quick headline with your bullshit rhetoric and idle threats. You want us…come and get us. We are right fucking here. Most of us are in the phonebook, jackasses. We will be waiting for the fight. And when we win the fight and you are marched through the town square as the enemy of the people and agent of aggression, just now you were warned. Knock it off or go down in history as the assholes who were just following orders and locking up good people, ruining lives and ignoring the truth in order to get a promotion. Nothing in life is worth marching to the orders of a cruel and heartless Government policy. You will forever be branded as a Pontius Pilate with the blood of your neighbors and fellow man on your hands, you sick fucks, It is never too late to change your ways….As you suck down your booze-laden beverage with your asshole buddies at your favorite pub tonight, think about it…

 

[canned abyss1]

Maybe a mass letter writing / email / phone campaign needs to happen. We all need to tell Eric Holder to make a new statement letting us know where we all stand and if it is the same as it was back in October 2009 then he needs to reign in his lackees.

Here is a link to the USDOJ http://www.justice.gov/contact-us.html

Thank you for visiting the Department's "Contact Us" page. On behalf of the Attorney General, the Department of Justice would like to thank you for your many messages on law enforcement issues and activities and other matters of special interest to many groups across the nation. The Attorney General appreciates the fact that so many citizens have taken the time to express their views and thoughts on these important matters.
By Mail

Correspondence to the Department, including the Attorney General, may be sent to:
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
By Phone

Department of Justice Main Switchboard - 202-514-2000

Office of the Attorney General Public Comment Line - 202-353-1555

To call component officials, see the Directory of Department Officials


By E-Mail

E-mails to the Department of Justice, including the Attorney General, may be sent to AskDOJ@usdoj.gov. E-mails will be forwarded to the responsible Department of Justice component for appropriate handling.

Please note:
Before sending e-mail, please read our Privacy Policy for details about how we handle personal information.
E-mail accounts are not available for service of official, case-related or legal documents and is not monitored for such submissions or for other time-sensitive communications.
E-mails with attachments will be deleted as a precaution as they may contain viruses.
Please include your mailing address in the event that the Department replies via United States Postal Service.

If you know the specific organization or official you wish to contact, please indicate such in your message or check the Component Contact Information Page to contact them directly.

In some instances, however, the volume of e-mail traffic on a particular issue is such that we cannot respond to each message individually. We would like you to know, however, that all incoming messages are forwarded to the appropriate organization within the Department of Justice and you can be assured that your voices and views are being heard.



Report Violations of Civil Rights
or Civil Liberties

This civil rights/liberties complaint line could be useful, if there is a mass influx of complaints about how these people are using their position to intimidate the citizens and violate their civil liberties http://www.justice.gov/oig/FOIA/hotline2.htm

Individuals who believe that a Department of Justice employee or contractor has violated their civil rights or civil liberties may contact the OIG by mail:
Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Complaints
Office of the Inspector General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Room 4706
Washington, D.C. 20530

E-mail: inspector.general@usdoj.gov

Online: Reporting Form

Hotline: (800) 869-4499 (contact information in English and Spanish)

or Hotline Fax: (202) 616-9898

Additional information concerning the OIG’s jurisdiction, the confidentiality of complaints, and how to report allegations of retaliation is available at: http://www.justice.gov/oig/FOIA/hotline_plus.htm

 

[vta]

Obama’s War on Cannabusiness continues with US Attorney medical marijuana threat letters

By "Radical" Russ Belville

(Phoenix NewTimes) Federal agents may bust anyone participating in a “large” pot-growing operation, despite Arizona’s voter-approved medical marijuana law, says Arizona U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke in a letter to the state.

In a recent letter to Will Humble, the director of the state Department of Health Services, Burke reiterates that the feds will look the other way when truly sick people use marijuana — but that the patients’ suppliers might be inviting trouble.

Burke compounds the schizophrenic stance by stating that federal law “may be vigorously enforced against those individuals and entities who operate large marijuana production facilities. Individuals and organizations — including property owners, landlords and financiers” face legal problems including seizure of their property and other assets.

Problem is, Burke gives no definition of “large.”

From coast (Washington) to coast (Rhode Island), President Obama’s US Attorneys are sending out these threatening letters to squash all attempts at providing safe regulated access to cannabis for medically qualified individuals under state law. The DEA has conducted raids in California, Washington, Nevada, Montana, and Michigan. The IRS is investigating the largest, most successful, best run medical cannabis dispensaries in California

(Is anyone still convinced that Mr. Obama is a friend to medical cannabis? Are there still some “just you wait ’til second term!” true believers out there?)

President Obama said he would not waste scarce federal resources going after sick people and their caregivers.

Obama’s Justice Department said it would not target providers in “clear and unambiguous compliance” with state law.

Raids in Spokane might be slip through that “unambiguous” loophole, as Washington’s law does not specifically authorize dispensaries. Threatening letters to Oakland regarding “megagrow” facilities might address the fact that authorization for such facilities isn’t “clear” under California law.

However, Mr. Obama reveals the true intention is to stifle the development of any viable legal cannabis distribution industry. By sending threat letters to Rhode Island and Arizona, states that have created clear and unambiguous laws for medical cannabis providers to follow, it is obvious that Mr. Obama isn’t opposed to medical cannabis, per se, but terribly opposed to medical cannabusiness.

Politicians (and Mr. Obama is the consummate politician) realize the argument over medical marijuana is over. Polls have consistently shown for over a decade now that there is at least 2-to-1 support for medical marijuana across the country and 3-to-1 support on the coasts. Mr. Obama made a point in his campaign to refer to his mother’s battle with cancer and the dysfunctional US health care system. So he must reiterate that the feds are looking the other way in the cases of sick grandmas smoking a doob to relieve nausea from chemo.

But where would Sasha and Malia’s grandma get that cannabis? From a well-run, safe, secure, adults-only facility that verifies medical cards and IDs, provides a gamut of strain and preparation choices that are inspected and tested, and complies with state law? No, that’s exactly the kind of places Mr. Obama’s US Attorneys are threatening to prosecute.

Instead, grandma has to troll Craigslist, alt-weeklies, or visit activist meetings, hope she can find a kind grower, hope that he grows a strain that works for her, and hope this guy will provide clean safe medicine reliably and consistently. She has to hope the guy doesn’t offer “an ounce a month for $300″ deal that she has to take because she has no other choice. She has to hope she has a way to get to this guy’s house because she’s not too sure she should let him know where she lives. If she needs a tincture or edible preparation she has to know how to make that for herself if she can’t find a grower who can.

Is this the change grandma can believe in?

The opposition to “large” cannabusiness is understandable if you can put aside your compassion for grandma and think like a prohibitionist who believes marijuana is a deadly dangerous Schedule I drug that leads to cocaine, meth, heroin, and the end of Western Civilization. If “large” cannabiz establishes itself, people will become accustomed to safe, secure, well-run businesses that deliver consistent, reliable, tested cannabis products. They’ll appreciate the way these places revitalize sagging economies, provide jobs, and contribute taxes to budget-starved localities. They’ll realize all the scaremongering by the government about what would happen if marijuana was legal, even for sick people, was hysterical propaganda. They’ll begin to wonder why we don’t just legalize cannabis for everyone, create more jobs, raise more revenue, and use these established businesses as the distribution points. Most concerning for a politician, these cannabusinesses will form PACs and start delivering support and financing to pro-legalization candidates in primary elections.

You just know Barack Obama and the $19.5 million in campaign cash from the health care industry he raised in 2008 can’t have that!

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

I've been noticing that every State that is trying to regulate MMJ is getting threatening letters from FED attorneys.

Ricky Martin shares his take on the situation.


Saber Rattling: Feds try to make name with threats
Posted by Mickey Martin

Monkey see- monkey do. It seems to be that one US Attorney decided to write a letter that said, “We will vigorously enforce the controlled substances act against providers of medical marijuana,” and got their name in the paper. Then another narcissistic bastard decides he wants his name in the paper too and writes another letter. Here comes monkey 3, doing the bidding of the evildoers with a pen and a stamp. And another, and another….one dumb motherfucker after another decides that they too want to see their name in a Google search and we get what we have here….a clusterfuck of bad information based on failed policies, by people who choose to not take reality, science, or human dignity into consderation; but blindly attempt to rattle their sabers in an attempt to thwart a growing movement. The only thing I hope is that some of the opportunist losers we see in the business these days (I am looking at you Dhar Mann) will take this bullshit seriously and go back to their day jobs. One can always hope. Below are some of the more recent bullshit comments made by US Attorneys whose real goal is not to stop medical marijuana, but to get their name in the paper and pat themselves on the back for being such an asshole. Way to go:

they are only provoking us to push harder,and grow more. the fact that the price of pot is dropping so much is proving that we are winning, and they are freaked the fuck out. this is just another death curdle for the drug warriors.

 

[Marathanman]

I'd be thankful its not bush still in power.

 

[vta]

I'd be thankful its not bush still in power.

There were fewer raids under Bush. Obummer is a lair....period. Not only that but a two faced liar that has failed at just about everything.

(Americans for Safe Access) It would appear that raids by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in medical marijuana states have declined since President Obama’s Justice Department issued its infamous memorandum in October 2009. But, in fact, raids have continued at an alarming pace. For example, in the 16 months since the Obama Administration’s policy change, the DEA has conducted at least 43 raids in California, Colorado, Michigan and Nevada. That’s nearly 3 raids per month on average. Although arrests were not made at all of the raids, President Obama’s Justice Department has seen fit to indict and prosecute at least 24 patients and providers in connection with those federal actions. Can this really be the result of a new federal enforcement policy?

 

[vta]

Jacob Sullum from Reason on Obama’s drug war escalations

By "Radical" Russ Belville

Here is another pin in the bedraggled balloon of hope that Barack Obama would de-escalate the war on drugs:

The total amount of marijuana seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration nearly doubled from 1,539 metric tons in fiscal 2008 to 2,980 metric tons last year.

The numbers were disclosed as part of the DEA’s budget request for fiscal 2011.

To recap: The guy who called the war on drugs “an utter failure” and supported marijuana decriminalization when he was running for the Senate, and who promised to call off the DEA’s medical marijuana raids when he was running for president, has sought an increase in funding for that utter failure, ridiculed the very notion of marijuana decriminalization, presided over a doubling in marijuana seizures, nominated a hard-line Bush administration holdover to head the DEA, and continued to let the DEA raid medical marijuana dispensaries and grow operations without regard to whether they are following state law, despite a written Justice Department policy to the contrary.

 

[zen_trikester]

Nice piece VTA. Great job.

 

[mean mr.mustard]

So the government is nicely saying "We gave you enough rope. Thanks for all the fish!"?

That seems like a big middle finger that anyone can see.

 

[Noobian]

Cannabis needs to be removed from schedule 1 period point blank. Until that happens the Feds can and will rattle as many sabers as they like. Until the federal law is changed or cannabis is rescheduled, every single American that has anything to do with cannabis is potentially under threat of arrest, imprisonment, etc. Stop sitting there thinking because you have some kind of medical state card that the Feds are gonna give a flying shit about you or it. Amending the federal law making cannabis schedule 1 is the only thing that can make us all free.

 

[vta]

Obama Administration Steps Up Its Rhetoric In Medical Marijuana States
By: Paul Armentano, NORML Click For Links!!!

The Obama administration’s position on medical marijuana, circa 2009 (via the Ogden memo to all United States attorneys):

“The prosecution of significant traffickers of illegal drugs, including marijuana, and the disruption of illegal drug manufacturing and trafficking networks continues to be a core priority in the Department’s efforts against narcotics and dangerous drugs, and the Department’s investigative and prosecutorial resources should be directed towards these objectives. As a general matter, pursuit of these priorities should not focus federal resources in your States on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana.”

The Obama administration’s position on medical marijuana, circa 2011 (via the May 2, 2011 letter sent from the office of the United States Attorney, District of Arizona, to the Arizona Department of Health Services re: the implementation of the voter-approved Medical Marijuana Program):

“The United States Attorneys Office … will vigorously prosecute individuals and organizations that participate in the unlawful manufacturing, distribution and marketing activity involving marijuana, even if such activities are permitted under state law.”

A lot can change in two years — including the administration’s attitude toward the state-authorized use and distribution of cannabis for medical purposes.

In April, NORML blogged about the U.S. Department of Justice, particularly U.S. Attorneys Jenny Durkan of Seattle and Michael Ormsby of Spokane, threatening “civil and criminal legal remedies” (read: sanctions) against Washington state citizens, including state employees, who assist with or engage in the production or distribution of medical cannabis, “even if such activities are permitted under state law.” The U.S. Attorneys’ threats came in response to an inquiry from Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Democrat, who most likely was seeking ‘political cover’ so that she could publicly ‘justify’ her veto of legislation (SB 5073) that sought to license and regulate the dispensing of medical cannabis to qualified persons, and would have enacted additional legal protections for patients who voluntarily participated in a statewide registry. The threats worked; Gov. Gregoire cited them in her veto statement Friday.

In fact, the threats worked so well, that in recent days U.S. Attorneys in other states with active medical marijuana programs have begun issuing similar menacing statements.

Last week in Colorado, where state regulators have licensed over 800 state-licensed medical cannabis dispensaries, U.S. Attorney John Walsh sent a letter to the state’s Attorney General alleging that the federal Justice Department will “vigorously” prosecute individuals or organizations engaged in “unlawful manufacturing and distribution activity involving marijuana, even if such activities are permitted under state law.” A spokesman for Walsh’s office adds, “In the eye of the federal government, there’s only one type of marijuana. And marijuana is a Schedule I controlled [federally prohibited] substance.”

Arizona U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke fired off a similarly worded letter this week to Will Humble, the director of the state Department of Health Services, which is overseeing the implementation of Proposition 203. Under the law, which was approved by voters last fall and was enacted on April 15, the state must register qualified patients who have a doctor’s recommendation for cannabis and also license dispensaries to provide it to them. However, according to Burke, said dispensaries that are compliant with the state’s law will “not [be] protect[ed] from [federal] criminal prosecution, asset forfeiture, and other civil penalties.”

Finally, in Rhode Island, Gov. Lincoln Chafee announced this week that he is suspending the state’s nascent medical marijuana distribution program, set to begin this June. In March, the representatives from the Rhode Island Department of Health selected three applicants to operate the state’s first-ever, government licensed medical cannabis dispensaries. (The dispensaries program was initially approved by lawmakers in 2009, but the winning applicants were not decided upon until two years later.) Predictably, Chafee’s abrupt change of heart came after receiving a hand-delivered letter from U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha Friday threatening to prosecute civilly and/or criminally those involved in the dispensary program.

So what’s the impetus for the Obama administration’s sudden decision to play rhetorical hard ball? NORML Outreach Coordinator and podcaster Russ Belville speculates:

“Mr. Obama’s … true intention is to stifle the development of any viable legal cannabis distribution industry. By sending threat letters to Rhode Island and Arizona, states that have created clear and unambiguous laws for medical cannabis providers to follow, it is obvious that Mr. Obama isn’t opposed to medical cannabis, per se, but terribly opposed to medical cannabusiness.

Belville adds: “If (medical cannabusiness) establish (themselves), people will become accustomed to safe, secure, well-run businesses that deliver consistent, reliable, tested cannabis products. They’ll appreciate the way these places revitalize sagging economies, provide jobs, and contribute taxes to budget-starved localities. They’ll realize all the scaremongering by the government about what would happen if marijuana was legal, even for sick people, was hysterical propaganda. [And] they’ll begin to wonder why we don’t just legalize cannabis for everyone, create more jobs, raise more revenue, and use these established businesses as the distribution points.”

Click for Full Story and Links

 

[ddrew]

There were fewer raids under Bush. Obummer is a lair....period. Not only that but a two faced liar that has failed at just about everything.

VTA, I have to ask, If not Obama again in 2012, then who?
And lets try to limit it to people who have a realistic chance of winning.(which would exclude Ron Paul)
As disappointed as I've been with Obama, I just can't believe it would have been better with McCain and Palin.
Huckabee?
Romney?
Pawlenty?
Palin?
Trump?
If you take Obama out, then who goes in?
Who out of the people that we all know it will end up being, is going to be a better friend to MMJ/MJ?

 

[vta]

VTA, I have to ask, If not Obama again in 2012, then who?
And lets try to limit it to people who have a realistic chance of winning.(which would exclude Ron Paul)
As disappointed as I've been with Obama, I just can't believe it would have been better with McCain and Palin.
Huckabee?
Romney?
Pawlenty?
Palin?
Trump?
If you take Obama out, then who goes in?
Who out of the people that we all know it will end up being, is going to be a better friend to MMJ/MJ?

I have said that I will vote for anyone that supports legalization...that said if it turns out Johnson or Paul are not on the ticket...then who knows. I highly doubt I would vote for Obama again...he has proven his worthlessness to me.

 

[ddrew]

I have said that I will vote for anyone that supports legalization...that said if it turns out Johnson or Paul are not on the ticket...then who knows. I highly doubt I would vote for Obama again...he has proven his worthlessness to me.

I'm right there with you on that, I would definitely vote for anyone who supports legalization, as it is the most important issue to me.
But in the very likely event that neither of the people you suggested are able to secure the nomination, what are we to do?

I just have the feeling that we are not going to have much choice but to vote for Obama again(the devil we know) and hope for more from him in his second term.

 

[AGBeer]

The thing that kills me is the uncertainty throughout all of this with ANY new candidate that will be looking for A SECOND TERM. Right now, it seems that the hardline stance on this failed war on drugs is what is (prospectively) helping keep these politicians in the good graces of those with $$$ and power that helped get them into office in the first place. Remember the first days of Obamas presidency? The days where he was spending buku bucks on his special interest groups? (Cutting the fat or pork spending was the buzz phrase then)

Like I said, the uncertainty of all of this is what kills me... I have a hard(er) time believing a first term politician on ANYTHING they promise. As they have that second term carrot dangling in their face. (Our classic example now) Its a crap shoot with a BHO second term as we dont know if his successor will pull the same shit (say one thing and do the opposite) or if he gets in for a second term and says 'Fuckit - what have I got to lose now?'

Decisions decisions... I will agree that it is tough to relearn to trust the pet snake that just bit you after owning it for all of these years.

 

[Corpsey]

maybe we just need to really CHANGE it up and go with someone who will fuck up everything so bad they won't be able to even worry about Cannabis. i cant see one of these people ever being for it.

Palin? uck, but she could really fuck shit up.

i just feel so disgusted with politriks, whats a man to do?

 

[vta]

What's Up With Obama's Approach To MMJ?

By Steven Wishnia
Source: AlterNet

medical USA -- In October 2009, the Justice Department declared that prosecuting medical-marijuana users and caregivers who clearly comply with state laws was not a wise use of its resources.

That declaration has dominated public perception of President Barack Obama's policy on the issue-minimal progress, but is a welcome improvement on his predecessors.

In reality, however, the Obama administration has attacked medical-marijuana providers on several fronts. Since January 2010, it has staged more than 90 raids on dispensaries and growers, according to figures collected by the patient-advocacy group Americans for Safe Access.

That represents a pace double the Bush administration's, says ASA spokesperson Kris Hermes. The administration has also threatened state officials with prosecution if they participate in licensing or regulating medical marijuana. The Internal Revenue Service has expanded auditing dispensaries for tax evasion, on the grounds that drug-trafficking enterprises cannot legally claim business-expense deductions.

In April, ASA gave Obama an F for his policy on medical marijuana. He's "no better than Bush," says Hermes.

Allen St. Pierre of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws calls that stance "hyperbolic." "The previous ten presidents did nothing," he says. Obama has "taken the federal hand off the scale a wee bit."'

Most notably, the Veterans Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have revised regulations to acknowledge the use of medical marijuana.

For example, although federal zero-tolerance laws prohibit illegal-drug users from living in public housing or receiving rent subsidies such as Section 8, HUD has given local housing authorities in states that allow medical marijuana the discretion to not evict users.

Still, St. Pierre worries that the combination of raids and IRS harassment is seriously endangering medical marijuana. An unfavorable court decision regarding the IRS audits "could end medical cannabis," he warns. "They're going the Al Capone route."

The VA is the bright spot, says Michael Krawitz of Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access. Although it still forbids its doctors from recommending marijuana, and possession is illegal on VA property, last year it changed its regulations so that medical-marijuana use is no longer an automatic violation of "pain contracts"-agreements patients sign in which they state that they're not going to abuse their prescription painkillers.

In practice, Krawitz says, some VA doctors still refuse to accept medical-cannabis use, but "the feedback I've gotten from veterans, especially Vietnam-era veterans, is that it's the first time the VA did something because it's the right thing to do. Vets really appreciate that."

Overall, he says, "I'm just completely baffled by what the administration is doing. They're using the DEA and the IRS, but they're trying to look like they're not going after medical marijuana."

Raids Keep Coming

Meanwhile, federal raids on dispensaries continue. On March 14, on the eve of the Montana Senate's vote to repeal the state's medical-marijuana law, federal agencies raided 26 growers and dispensaries there. Hermes calls that "intimidation, with specific intent to undermine a state law." On April 28, DEA agents raided more than five dispensaries in Spokane, Washington.

The Spokane raids came three weeks after Michael C. Ormsby, federal prosecutor for eastern Washington, had sent letters to the landlords of more than 40 dispensaries in the area, warning them that their property could be forfeited if they continued to rent to drug traffickers.

"Nearly half have reported that they have evicted their tenants to comply with federal law," says Ormsby spokesperson Tom Rice.

The touchstone here is a memorandum that Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden sent to federal prosecutors in October 2009. In it, he told them that they "should not focus federal resources in your states on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana." Prosecuting cancer patients and their caregivers, he added, "is unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources."

However, a February 2011 letter from U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, federal prosecutor for the Bay Area and Northern California, to Oakland City Attorney John Russo significantly narrowed that policy. While the "Ogden Memorandum" says the federal government will not prosecute individual patients, she wrote, "we will enforce the [law] vigorously against individuals and organizations that participate in unlawful manufacturing and distribution activity regarding marijuana, even if such activity is permitted under state law."

The Ogden memo does not grant dispensaries anything remotely resembling immunity, Rice emphasizes. He points to clauses that state that "prosecution of commercial enterprises that unlawfully market and sell marijuana for profit continues to be an enforcement priority of the department" and "claims of compliance with state or local law may mask operations inconsistent with the terms, purposes, and conditions of those laws."

Did the department consider whether Spokane dispensaries were in compliance with state law before authorizing the raids? "No," Rice replies. One dispensary, he says, "was across the street from a grade school."

St. Pierre is not shocked by the raids. Many growers push the limits, he explains. "The regrettable thing about the medical-cannabis industry is that it's often acting in violation of state law," he says. "50,000 plants is crossing that Rubicon."

One thing that provoked the backlash in Montana, he adds, is that some dispensary owners were "charismatic." "Charismatic" in this context sounds like a euphemism for the kind of evangelistic stoner who believes that because they're doing Jah's work, providing the herb for the healing of the nations, they don't have to worry about following the finicky feinschmeckery of bureaucratic details-and that making money is doing well by doing good.

Bill Panzer, a veteran Oakland defense lawyer, voices similar sentiments. Twenty-five years ago, he says, his clients were mostly pot smugglers "who knew they were taking a risk. Now, I'm representing people who think everything they're doing is completely legal. They're in for a rude awakening."

California law is so murky, he says, that 98 percent of the state's thousand-odd dispensaries might be illegal. The only form that would be definitely legal, he adds, would be "a true socialist collective" in which all cultivated herb was divided equally among the members. Instead, he says, lots of people are setting up co-ops and "acting like sellers." The Obama administration has also continued Bush-era prosecutions of medical-marijuana providers. On May 2, Californians Dr. Mollie Fry and Dale Schafer turned themselves in to begin serving five-year federal mandatory-minimum sentences. Fry, a breast-cancer survivor, and Schafer, a hemophiliac, were raided in 2001. In 2007, they were convicted of manufacturing and conspiracy charges for growing more than 100 plants over several years. "The Obama administration vigorously fought an appeal of their sentence," says ASA.

In any case, the federal Controlled Substances Act maintains that marijuana has no valid medical use, and thus any distribution of it in the guise of "medicine" constitutes criminal sale of a controlled substance. In the last few months, federal prosecutors have sent letters reiterating that to governors and other officials in several states, including California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Rhode Island, and Washington. The letters threatened that any official involvement in licensing or regulating medical marijuana would expose state employees to prosecution.

"We maintain the authority to enforce the CSA against individuals and organizations that participate in unlawful manufacturing and distribution activity involving marijuana, even if such activity is permitted under state law," the Colorado letter, dated April 26, stated. "It is well settled that a State cannot authorize violations of federal law."

On April 14, the two federal prosecutors in Washington state warned Gov. Christine Gregoire that if the state licensed medical-marijuana cultivation and distribution, government employees who worked with such a system could be prosecuted, and state property forfeited.

On April 29, Gregoire vetoed most of a bill to regulate medical-cannabis sales and production. The provisions she rejected included state licensing of dispensaries and a state register of patients. She said she feared state workers would be subject to arrest, and she urged the federal government to move marijuana to Schedule II under the Controlled Substances Act.

IRS

The IRS first went after dispensaries during the Bush administration, but it has greatly expanded such efforts under Obama.

More than two dozen dispensaries are now being audited, according to Henry Wykowski, a former Justice Department tax prosecutor now in private practice in San Francisco. Most are in California, he says, including the massive Harborside facility in Oakland and a smaller one in Marin County; at least one is in Colorado. Allen St. Pierre says he expects the probes to expand to Rhode Island, Maine, Montana, and New Mexico.

The law involved is Section 280E of the federal tax code, which prohibits drug-trafficking enterprises from claiming business expenses as deductions. "The government has brought 280E cases for years," says Panzer, but "as far as saying, 'hey, we can use this to go after dispensaries,' it started with Obama."

"I think the IRS didn't know what to do, because of the conflict between federal law and state law," says Wykowski. "When it became clear that there weren't going to be wholesale prosecutions, they decided it was OK to audit."

However, the one case to reach the courts so far yielded highly favorable results for medical marijuana. In 2007, the IRS assessed a defunct San Francisco dispensary called CHAMP--Californians Helping Alleviate Medical Problems--for $426,000 in back taxes and penalties on $2 million in sales. A three-lawyer team that included Panzer and Wykowski got the bill reduced to less than $5,000. The IRS refused to negotiate-which is highly unusual in tax cases, says Wykowski-and lost in court.

The IRS argued that because CHAMP sold marijuana illegally, those sales should count as "an expanding drop of ink in a glass of water" to disqualify deductions, Panzer explains. But because the dispensary also provided social services, including counseling, nursing, housing assistance, and massage; hosted support groups for AIDS patients and others; and put on social events, the judge agreed that 90 percent of its rent was deductible.

Paradoxically, the judge also let CHAMP deduct the wholesale cost of the medical pot it sold. This is a principle called "cost of goods" that dates back to Prohibition, Wykowski explains. The issue is complex, but basically, he says, there is legal authority that people cannot be forced to incriminate themselves in order to pay taxes. The '70s Harlem heroin dealer Nicky Barnes used to file tax returns anonymously, and "the right to selectively assert Fifth Amendment privilege has been recognized by the courts."

It would be self-incriminatory for a taxpayer to report their occupation as "marijuana grower," Wykowski adds. Disallowing the cost-of-goods deduction "would have made it impossible for any dispensary to remain in business." Still, with the IRS continuing to audit dispensaries under Section 280E, that makes lawyers in the field fear a bad precedent. Other dispensaries may not have as strong a case, keep good records, or have the financial and legal resources to defend themselves.

"We are concerned that someone who doesn't know what they're doing will take a bad case to court and lose, and jeopardize everyone else in the industry," Wykowski says." The conflicts between federal and state law and between tax and criminal law also create a massive record-keeping dilemma for dispensaries. If they keep accurate and complete records, they can prove that they're acting like a legitimate business, a legitimate medical-services provider-but they're potentially handing the federal government a cut-and-paste indictment.

"The same records that can help you in state court can screw you over in federal court," says Panzer. If the amount of cannabis a dispensary grows, buys, or distributes is tallied cumulatively over several years, it can be large enough to trigger a five- or ten-year mandatory-minimum sentence.

Rescheduling

The overriding fact is that the Controlled Substances Act, enacted in 1970, puts marijuana in Schedule I, saying it has "a high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision." Thus, the law does not recognize "medical use" as a valid defense to charges of possession, sale, or cultivation. As far as federal law is concerned, medical-marijuana users are the equivalent of junkies, no matter how sick they are, and the dispensaries and growers that supply them are little different from crack dealers and meth-lab operators.

This rule is tied into a host of other laws intended to prohibit money-laundering and the like. Medical-marijuana users in public housing and landlords who rent to dispensaries run afoul of laws intended to close crackhouses.

The obvious solution, at least to those in the medical-marijuana movement, would be for the federal government to move marijuana out of Schedule I and into the realm of legitimate prescription drugs. Even moving it to Schedule II would gain it that status, although under controls as strict as those for OxyContin or medical cocaine. Marinol, the synthetic THC that is the prime legal cannabinoid drug, is in Schedule III, along with codeine.

That is not likely to happen soon. The Drug Enforcement Administration has jurisdiction over scheduling. In 2002, a coalition including NORML, ASA, and Virginia cannabis-policy expert Jon Gettman filed a petition to reschedule marijuana for medical use. It "has been languishing without a response from the DEA for nearly nine years," says an angry Dale Gieringer of California NORML. "They're sitting on our petition."

The DEA, he says, has also "blocked efforts to establish a legal medical marijuana research garden," which would provide the scientific background needed to obtain Food and Drug Administration approval.

"If the federal government would stop fighting the rescheduling process, we could have a resolution," says St. Pierre. "They're not choosing to lead."

The DEA, headed by Bush holdover Michelle Leonhart, remains resistant. Its official stance, the lead item in "DEA Position on Marijuana," a 54-page booklet issued in July 2010, is that medical marijuana is a "fallacy," that "smoked marijuana is not medicine," and there is "no sound scientific evidence that smoked marijuana can be used safely and effectively as medicine."

It blames "organizers of the 'medical' marijuana movement" for failing to ensure that "the product meets the standards of modern medicine?. [There is] no safety regulation, no way to measure its effectiveness (beyond anecdotal stories), and no insurance coverage." It calls the entire idea that marijuana has medical use "false-trickery [sic] used by those promoting wholesale legalization."

"I don't think that's happening any time soon," a DEA spokesperson who refused to give his name said of rescheduling. "I don't see any movement on that. The science hasn't borne it out."

Steven Wishnia is a New York-based journalist and musician. The author of Exit 25 Utopia and The Cannabis Companion, he has won two New York City Independent Press Association awards for his coverage of housing issues.

 

[stonedwarrior]

Paul Heyman 4 Prez.

 

[SpasticGramps]

I'd be thankful its not bush still in power.

Obama makes Bush look like a school boy when it comes to being a tyrant. Bush was a brutish thug. Obama will make you love him while he steals from your pocket and then stabs you in the back while he serves his Wall Street Masters. He's much more Machiavellian, intelligent, and shrude. He's an excellent liar and politician. The crowning achievement of American Fascism.

 

[mofeta]

Cannabis needs to be removed from schedule 1 period point blank. Until that happens the Feds can and will rattle as many sabers as they like. Until the federal law is changed or cannabis is rescheduled, every single American that has anything to do with cannabis is potentially under threat of arrest, imprisonment, etc. Stop sitting there thinking because you have some kind of medical state card that the Feds are gonna give a flying shit about you or it. Amending the federal law making cannabis schedule 1 is the only thing that can make us all free.

This is so true. After the Raich decision, the only pathway to free the weed is federal legislation, or rescheduling by HHS/DEA. Legislation is preferable, because rescheduling is not permanent. Rescheduling to allow use by a liberty-loving administration could easily be reversed by the next.

When it comes to legislation to fix this mess, Congress couldn't find better advice than that of the brilliant Cato Institute in their publication "Cato Handbook for Policymakers, 7th Edition (2009)"

Repeal the CSA!