Cal Elected Officials Blast Federal Attacks

[DoobieDuck]

This from ASAs blog ......DD

California State, Local Elected Officials Blast Federal Attacks on Medical Marijuana

October 31st, 2011
Posted by Kris Hermes

"Earlier this month, in response to federal attacks by California’s U.S. Attorneys, several local and state officials spoke out against the aggressive interference in their medical marijuana laws. State Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Assembly member Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) held a press conference with patients and advocacy groups, including Americans for Safe Access. The message was clear: the federal government must “stand down.”
On October 19th, Senator Leno stated the following:

I urge the federal government to stand down in its massive attack on medical marijuana dispensaries, which will have devastating impacts for the state of California. At a time when resources are precious and few, federal officials have chosen to waste time and money in an ambush that will harm countless patients who will no longer be able to safely access doctor-prescribed treatments. Our federal dollars, especially during a down economy, would be better spent on activities and programs that save jobs and help people in need. Instead, this ill-timed offensive would have no positive impacts on our state and would only force more Californians into unemployment.
​

Assembly member Ammiano also declared that:

Instead of supporting state efforts to effectively regulate medical marijuana in accordance with Prop 215, the Obama administration seems committed to re-criminalizing it. This destructive attack on medical marijuana patients is a waste of limited law enforcement resources and will cost the state millions in tax revenue and harm countless lives. I urge President Obama to reconsider this bad policy decision and respect California’s right to provide medicine to its residents.
​

In a separate statement, State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) also blasted the decision to shut down licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in the city:

Medical marijuana dispensaries are helping our economy, creating jobs, and most importantly, providing a necessary service for suffering patients. There are real issues and real problems that the US Attorney’s Office should be focused on rather than using their limited resources to prosecute legitimate businesses or newspapers. Like S-Comm, our law enforcement agencies – both state and local – should not assist in this unnecessary action. Shutting down state-authorized dispensaries will cost California billions of dollars and unfairly harm thousands of lives.
​

Most recently, California Attorney General Kamala Harris spoke out against the recent federal crackdown:

Californians overwhelmingly support the compassionate use of medical marijuana for the ill. … While there are definite ambiguities in state law that must be resolved either by the state legislature or the courts, an overly broad federal enforcement campaign will make it more difficult for legitimate patients to access physician-recommended medicine in California. I urge the federal authorities in the state to adhere to the United States Department of Justice’s stated policy and focus their enforcement efforts on ‘significant traffickers of illegal drugs.
​

Even local officials are speaking up. Mendocino County Supervisor John McCowen called the federal raid on a medical marijuana collective licensed by the county, “outrageous.” Supervisor McCowen said in a written statement, “if the federal government truly wants to protect public safety,” it should change its strategy of:

[R]aiding medical marijuana growers who are doing everything they can to operate in full compliance with state and local law.
​

Perhaps the feds should take heed, lest more officials from across the state speak up in defense of patients and state law."

 

[TB Gardens]

Absurd what is goin on right now

 

[Tony Aroma]

This is definitely a good thing that needed to be done. But it will amount to nothing. The Justice Department and DEA don't answer to these people. Nor to the people of California. Nor to anyone as far as I can tell. They don't care what millions of CA voters think, so why should they worry about what a few CA politicians think. I bet those US Attorneys are just wishing they could issue the following response:

You're not the boss of me!

If the folks in CA really want to make an impression, they need to prevent this shit before it happens. Why wasn't the sheriff in Mendicino protecting legal growers from the DEA? Or anywhere else a raid has taken place? Isn't it the local LEO's job to enforce state law and protect state citizens? If the DEA are breaking state law and violating citizens' rights, they need to be dealt with by the local police as any other criminal thugs would be. I think a showdown between local police and the DEA would make a great point that is much more difficult to ignore than a few written condemnations.

 

[aligee]

This is definitely a good thing that needed to be done. But it will amount to nothing. The Justice Department and DEA don't answer to these people. Nor to the people of California. Nor to anyone as far as I can tell. They don't care what millions of CA voters think, so why should they worry about what a few CA politicians think. I bet those US Attorneys are just wishing they could issue the following response:

You're not the boss of me!

If the folks in CA really want to make an impression, they need to prevent this shit before it happens. Why wasn't the sheriff in Mendicino protecting legal growers from the DEA? Or anywhere else a raid has taken place? Isn't it the local LEO's job to enforce state law and protect state citizens? If the DEA are breaking state law and violating citizens' rights, they need to be dealt with by the local police as any other criminal thugs would be. I think a showdown between local police and the DEA would make a great point that is much more difficult to ignore than a few written condemnations.

Very well put i would love to see the local sheriff vs. feds but we already know who would win like you said they answer to no one...

 

[Maj.PotHead]

{Cal Elected Officials Blast Federal Attacks }
well it's about fricken time guess someone wants to be re elected

feds should stay the F out of the MMJ scene

 

[Tony Aroma]

The more I think about, the more I think, "why not?" It's not too late. Identify those DEA agents involved in the raids and arrest them for violations of CA law, like armed robbery, breaking and entering, trespassing, whatever. And since those would be state and not federal charges, they of course would not be able to mention federal law or their jobs as DEA agents in state court. Seems fair and just to me.

 

[jd4083]

Not to be a Federal government apologist here, as they are fucking everything up -- but has anybody considered that one of the major reasons why these things keep happening could be the fact that MMJ is a fucking sham and sick people are going without while dispo owners are padding their pockets with the profits? Could it be that, just maybe, we as a community need to step up and effect some grass roots change in our own camp so that the "rest of the country" might actually take us seriously? If I hadn't grown up in this subculture and was on the outside looking in, I would have already written the MMJ "movement" off a decade ago simply because of the people who are representing our side in public...

sorry to sound like a broken record, but I just can't believe anybody can take MMJ seriously anymore, and I think that is a large part of the problem here...

 

[jd4083]

The more I think about, the more I think, "why not?" It's not too late. Identify those DEA agents involved in the raids and arrest them for violations of CA law, like armed robbery, breaking and entering, trespassing, whatever. And since those would be state and not federal charges, they of course would not be able to mention federal law or their jobs as DEA agents in state court. Seems fair and just to me.

Seriously? Dude, they are federal agents, federal law supercedes state law, how do we not all know this by now? What you're talking about is, all due respect, the definition of a pipe dream.

 

[Grass Lands]

Not to be a Federal government apologist here, as they are fucking everything up -- but has anybody considered that one of the major reasons why these things keep happening could be the fact that MMJ is a fucking sham and sick people are going without while dispo owners are padding their pockets with the profits? Could it be that, just maybe, we as a community need to step up and effect some grass roots change in our own camp so that the "rest of the country" might actually take us seriously? If I hadn't grown up in this subculture and was on the outside looking in, I would have already written the MMJ "movement" off a decade ago simply because of the people who are representing our side in public...

sorry to sound like a broken record, but I just can't believe anybody can take MMJ seriously anymore, and I think that is a large part of the problem here...

Give this man a Cigar, er blunt...

JD you are not a broken record, its the folks that continue to spout great things about the dispo's being the god sends of the mmj world...when in fact if they would open their eyes they would see the truth...and I always say the truth will set you free...

on a closing note I applaud you for being real...

Keep it real brother

GL

 

[THE PABLOS]

Had to renew my card a couple weeks ago. Went to the doctors office...was taken into a separate room...where upon...I talked to the doctor himself on Skype for 2 minutes....paid the receptionist $45 and received a new card.

It's hard to take this movement/industry serious. An in house cleaning for the benefit of the movement is needed.

 

[daheadies]

Had to renew my card a couple weeks ago. Went to the doctors office...was taken into a separate room...where upon...I talked to the doctor himself on Skype for 2 minutes....paid the receptionist $45 and received a new card.

It's hard to take this movement/industry serious. An in house cleaning for the benefit of the movement is needed.

Its not patients/ users fault that doctors have ruined any integrity for the medical industry that ever existed.

 

[jd4083]

Its not patients/ users fault that doctors have ruined any integrity for the medical industry that ever existed.

Without the patients/users giving these doctors their money, that issue would not exist. Let's give credit where credit is due; nobody, least of all the vast majority of "patients," is without blame here.

 

[philcollins]

whats wrong with making money?...the doc's make money, pharm companies make money...liqour stores...gun stores...they make money...why cant ganja folks make money?...its all taxed..the gov. is now gettin a peice of the profit....i saw dr. oz on tv crying about how he was disgusted at how people were making money off medical marijuana...fuck him..as he gets in his turbo mercedes...prolly paid for by pfizer

 

[Tactical Farmer]

Seriously? Dude, they are federal agents, federal law supercedes state law, how do we not all know this by now? What you're talking about is, all due respect, the definition of a pipe dream.

The powers that be have flipped it around some time ago. Federal powers were to be limited to the the small area around DC.

They do want people to think they do have ultimate power, but truthfully the DONT..

The "long arm of the law" came from this unconstitutional power grab.

If this country were a Constitutional Republic "like it was setup to be" these things would NOT be happening.

This is NOT a Democracy, etc....

The law that is the Constitution supersedes both state & fed law.

Heck most of there "law" is really just social rules by the consent of the governed, the "color of law".

States rights are higher than fed IMO & the county sheriffs should stop fed activity in the states counties.

BUT we all know they do whatever they want regardless of the law, whats right or wrong or against the peoples wishes.

Get prepared the World Revolution is starting.

 

[Tactical Farmer]

whats wrong with making money?...prolly paid for by pfizer

You got it man.. Big corporations & further more the FEW people that own the Big corporations run the world.

We the people will get lost in the fog if we try to make sense of problems like this.

Its as simple as the owners of the big corporations control the money, power, media, & they dont want people to have it.

few reasons are,

1. it opens minds & eyes to the invisible chains, the fake reality they created "matrix".

2. good mj is medicine & cures problems.

3. they make alot of money controlling bad mj thats sprayed with toxins.

4. etc

5. etc

 

[rives]

whats wrong with making money?...the doc's make money, pharm companies make money...liqour stores...gun stores...they make money...why cant ganja folks make money?...its all taxed..the gov. is now gettin a peice of the profit....i saw dr. oz on tv crying about how he was disgusted at how people were making money off medical marijuana...fuck him..as he gets in his turbo mercedes...prolly paid for by pfizer

Um, perhaps what is wrong with it is that, at least in California, the sale of mmj was set up to be non-profit by definition. It's the wrong paradigm - you cannot successfully change the entire premise on which the industry was founded simply because you think that it should be profit-based. The whole mmj scene has been hijacked and now everyone is surprised that there is an adverse reaction to the hijacking.

No, there is nothing wrong with capitalism. It just doesn't happen to be what was voted into existence in this case, and in fact was specifically excluded. If you want profits, change the paradigm. If you want recreational mj, change the paradigm.

 

[jd4083]

The powers that be have flipped it around some time ago. Federal powers were to be limited to the the small area around DC.

They do want people to think they do have ultimate power, but truthfully the DONT..

The "long arm of the law" came from this unconstitutional power grab.

If this country were a Constitutional Republic "like it was setup to be" these things would NOT be happening.

This is NOT a Democracy, etc....

The law that is the Constitution supersedes both state & fed law.

Heck most of there "law" is really just social rules by the consent of the governed, the "color of law".

States rights are higher than fed IMO & the county sheriffs should stop fed activity in the states counties.

BUT we all know they do whatever they want regardless of the law, whats right or wrong or against the peoples wishes.

Get prepared the World Revolution is starting.

Right, it's not a democracy -- it's a democratic republic, which is similar but by no means identical.

I mean no disrespect, but judging by this post and the way it rambles on about very little at all, your grasp of politics and law is shaky at best. Can you perhaps elaborate a bit more on your position?

 

[jd4083]

Um, perhaps what is wrong with it is that, at least in California, the sale of mmj was set up to be non-profit by definition. It's the wrong paradigm - you cannot successfully change the entire premise on which the industry was founded simply because you think that it should be profit-based. The whole mmj scene has been hijacked and now everyone is surprised that there is an adverse reaction to the hijacking.

No, there is nothing wrong with capitalism. It just doesn't happen to be what was voted into existence in this case, and in fact was specifically excluded. If you want profits, change the paradigm. If you want recreational mj, change the paradigm.

Bingo. Right on the money.

A horse painted with black and white stripes isnt a Zebra. I'd have a better analogy if I wasn't so god damned high right now.

 

[Zen Master]

Um, perhaps what is wrong with it is that, at least in California, the sale of mmj was set up to be non-profit by definition.

see this is what kinda irks me about the whole "fuck these greedy dispensaries!" type comments...

Non profit does NOT mean no money, no salary, none of that. Well established non profit's usually rake in TONS of money.

Last time I checked, the CEO of Red Cross (a non profit) has an annual salary of over $600,000.

are you sitting there telling me that THAT is okay, however if a dispensary owner who is risking federal time (yeaaarrrssss) in the pen wants to make 250k a year its blasphemy? (whens the last time a bust netted millions upon millions in undisclosed disp income?)

The people that harp about how "mmj is medicine and should be given away to sick people" have absolutely no clue how much money is needed to even bring that much volume to market, much less to have it be "pharmaceutical grade cannabis".

hiring employees, it costs money, retaining lawyers for years just because some jackass code enforcement officer puts a cease and desist order on your door, it costs money.

you want really cheap MMJ? it needs to be completely revamped on the legality issue.

speaking of Red Cross....
did you know that Red Cross only puts ~.07 out of every dollar towards actual benefits for others? Not their salaries and expenditures? They keep 93% of "donations" and "contributions" for their own benefit.

if you wanna blast dispensary owners for offering a service that millions of people are utilizing, my suggestion is to grow your own on a massive scale and then go be Kris Kringle and give it all away. Just watch out for the feds, the local rogue LEO, rippers etc etc etc.....

the people that dislike the "greedy dispensaries that are supposed to be non profit" need to quit hating on people doing what you aren't, can't or wont.

 

[Harry Gypsna]

Nothing wrong with a salary, but why not compare the salaries to what the local veggie grower makes.