Jacob Bell
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Federal drug agents and local law enforcement officers on Tuesday conducted a series of raids in Metro Detroit, but details remain sketchy.
According to reports, The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Tuesday launched an orgy of raids in Metro Detroit, including two medical marijuana dispensaries, a strip club, a restaurant and the home of prominent businessman Romel Casab, who also owns the long-shuttered Packard Plant.
April 13, The Detroit News: "The search warrants were sealed in federal court in Detroit and the DEA declined to comment beyond confirming the raids. It was unclear whether agents were targeting the medical marijuana industry or investigating other alleged crimes."
Caregivers of America medical marijuana facilities in Walled Lake and Novi, Bayside Sports Grille in Walled Lake and Coliseum Bar & Grill strip club on 8 Mile in Detroit were among the targets of the raids, according to The News.
Reports show the Walled Lake sports bar and Detroit strip club are owned by businessman Johni Semma, whose home overlooking Walled Lake also was raided by agents.
The raids, which appear to be the largest police action since voters approved the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act in 2008, appear to contradict President Barack Obama's administration saying it will not pursue medical marijuana growers who abide by state laws.
April 13, The Detroit Free Press: "Few details were released by the DEA on Tuesday. The agency would not say whether the raids were connected or what the raids were about."
Cultivation, possession and distribution of marijuana – even for medicinal reasons – remains illegal under federal law.
Michigan's medical marijuana law, approved by more than 60 percent of voters in 2008, has garnered criticism from law enforcement, as well as advocates of medical marijuana, for being too vague.
Matthew Abel, a Detroit-area attorney who specializes in medical marijuana defense cases, repeatedly has talked to media about the law's flaws.
Two of the biggest grey areas in the law are how a person can obtain seeds to grow medical marijuana and whether dispensaries are illegal. The law does not address either issue.
"I get calls everyday from people asking me 'can I just buy (the seeds) through the mail? What's going to happen?,'" Abel said in April 2009. "Until we have some court cases that have resolved some of these things I can't give people a definitive answer."
That "definitive answer" still hasn't come, and who knows when it will, as courts and lawyers are bombarded with lawsuits and questions regarding medical marijuana's place in society.
Numerous cities in Michigan have enacted moratoriums – or temporary laws – involving medical marijuana, compassion clubs and dispensaries.
According to the most recent statistics from the state health department, 111,451 original and renewal medical marijuana applications have been received since April 2009 and nearly 64,000 patients are enrolled in the state's medical marijuana program.
News Hawk- Jacob Husky 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mlive.com
Author: Michael Wayland
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Michigan Live LLC
Website: Feds raid marijuana clinics, businesses, homes in Metro Detroit, but details remain sketchy
According to reports, The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Tuesday launched an orgy of raids in Metro Detroit, including two medical marijuana dispensaries, a strip club, a restaurant and the home of prominent businessman Romel Casab, who also owns the long-shuttered Packard Plant.
April 13, The Detroit News: "The search warrants were sealed in federal court in Detroit and the DEA declined to comment beyond confirming the raids. It was unclear whether agents were targeting the medical marijuana industry or investigating other alleged crimes."
Caregivers of America medical marijuana facilities in Walled Lake and Novi, Bayside Sports Grille in Walled Lake and Coliseum Bar & Grill strip club on 8 Mile in Detroit were among the targets of the raids, according to The News.
Reports show the Walled Lake sports bar and Detroit strip club are owned by businessman Johni Semma, whose home overlooking Walled Lake also was raided by agents.
The raids, which appear to be the largest police action since voters approved the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act in 2008, appear to contradict President Barack Obama's administration saying it will not pursue medical marijuana growers who abide by state laws.
April 13, The Detroit Free Press: "Few details were released by the DEA on Tuesday. The agency would not say whether the raids were connected or what the raids were about."
Cultivation, possession and distribution of marijuana – even for medicinal reasons – remains illegal under federal law.
Michigan's medical marijuana law, approved by more than 60 percent of voters in 2008, has garnered criticism from law enforcement, as well as advocates of medical marijuana, for being too vague.
Matthew Abel, a Detroit-area attorney who specializes in medical marijuana defense cases, repeatedly has talked to media about the law's flaws.
Two of the biggest grey areas in the law are how a person can obtain seeds to grow medical marijuana and whether dispensaries are illegal. The law does not address either issue.
"I get calls everyday from people asking me 'can I just buy (the seeds) through the mail? What's going to happen?,'" Abel said in April 2009. "Until we have some court cases that have resolved some of these things I can't give people a definitive answer."
That "definitive answer" still hasn't come, and who knows when it will, as courts and lawyers are bombarded with lawsuits and questions regarding medical marijuana's place in society.
Numerous cities in Michigan have enacted moratoriums – or temporary laws – involving medical marijuana, compassion clubs and dispensaries.
According to the most recent statistics from the state health department, 111,451 original and renewal medical marijuana applications have been received since April 2009 and nearly 64,000 patients are enrolled in the state's medical marijuana program.
News Hawk- Jacob Husky 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mlive.com
Author: Michael Wayland
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Michigan Live LLC
Website: Feds raid marijuana clinics, businesses, homes in Metro Detroit, but details remain sketchy
