Feds Say Medical Marijuana is as Illegal as Ever

[Jacob Bell]

Today, a news release from the Cannabis Therapy Institute brought to light a February memo from the U.S. Department of Justice. It clarifies that regardless of 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."

"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."

CTC says it thinks the memo could explain the recent increase in federal raids at dispensaries in California and Montana, where dozens were arrested, and the assets and bank accounts of the owners seized.

"Maybe this will wake people up who think that it can't happen here," says Kathleen Chippi of the Colorado-based Patient and Caregiver Rights Litigation Project. (See more on her efforts here and here.)

The memo came in response to a query from Oakland city attorney John A. Russo regarding a local company's plan to build an industrial-scale medical marijuana warehouse, an operation Haag said the DOJ is "concerned" about.

"Accordingly, the Department is carefully considering civil and criminal legal remedies regarding those who seek to set up industrial marijuana growing warehouses in Oakland pursuant to licenses issued by the city of Oakland, individuals who elect to operate 'industrial cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facilities' will be doing so in violation of federal law," Haag wrote, continuing with strong words for those who assist dispensary owners. "Others who knowingly facilitate the actions of the licensees, including property owners, landlords, and financiers should also know that their conduct violates federal law.

"Potential actions the Department is considering include injunctive actions to prevent cultivation and distribution of marijuana and other associated violations of the CSA; civil fines; criminal prosecution; and the forfeiture of any property used to facilitate a violation of the CSA. As the Attorney General has repeatedly stated, the Department of Justice remains fully committed to enforcing the CSA in all states."

See the entire memo here; see the original Holder memo here.


News Hawk- Jacob Husky 420 MAGAZINE
Source: csindy.com
Author: Bryce Crawford
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: The Colorado Springs Independent
Website: Feds say medical marijuana is as illegal as ever

 

[Bonehead]

Never ask for permission, you beg for forgiveness.

 

[doctorK]

I hope someone trues the methods of French Resistance on these scumbags! This shows that the dangerous philosophies of "radical pragmatism", shared by both Marxists and Nazis, are well and alive in contemporary America when it comes to the government's anti-cannabis crusades!! The extremists currently in charge of the DEA will stop at nothing to derail the medicinal cannabis program and the Will of Voters who voted for it. I wish I could see the day when the senseless and shameful witch-hunts against citizens over a natural medicinal plant cannabis finally end, and they will! I predicted a long time ago that anti-cannabis repression will lead to increased hard drug and alcohol abuse because they are not "easily" detected in random drug screens, especially when it comes to the "window" of their detection. All these so-called "random drug screens" unfairly target the users of the safest substance of them all — cannabis! Doesn't thus explain why the teenagers "mess" with hard drugs, such as cocaine or mess, in many cases just to avoid the detection of having used cannabis — and some fools think that THIS is going to help the nation's drug and alcohol problem? This will go on until some effective, "safe-substance use" educational program is put in place, just like with the "safe-sex" education before. Repression alone will never work, no matter how much the believers in anti-cannabis "dogma" still believe that it will. I can't wait to see the day when these shameful and senseless witch-hunts against citizens in connection with cannabis medicinal plant will stop altogether. I stressed many times already that no system, no matter of how repressive, can survive on a series of "un-realities". Current undisguised assault by the "radical pragmatists" from the DEA on the will of the people of Montana (and now also Hollywood) demonstrate their delusional thinking their attempts in suppression science (and people's will) will be more successful than those of Inquisition, Gestapo, or KGB! I wish I could live to see these people's miserable and disgraceful failure! Everything that the DEA and its allies use to intimidate citizens (and politicians) about the remarkable cannabis plant is based on unreality: cannabis is NOT physically addictive, the so-called "gateway drug theory" is NOT scientifically valid, smoking cannabis does NOT lead to increase in the risk of lung cancer, legalization in other countries did NOT lead to increased cannabis use, and in addition it is proven that cannabis use suppresses violent behavior. Cannabis is immeasurably safer than alcohol, (and most currently used prescription drugs — do we even notice their devastating potential side effects at their TV commercials?), and be so ignorant as to say that cannabis plant does not have medicinal value is to be out of touch with "reality" altogether. Legalization of medicinal cannabis is non-partisan because all of us can get sick and be able to take advantage of its remarkable medicinal properties. Let's reject the prohibitionist fear-tactics as they have no substance to them, and legalize cannabis in all 50 States without further delay!

 

[theflymaster]

^^Wow...periods...commas...breaks in the paragraph...Looks like one giant block of words..^^

This is why I'm for some type of decriminalization first..even before MMJ. It needs to be legitimately, federally, legal to grow 5 or 10 plants/household and possess up to 2 ozs(maybe more) outside of your residence, before anything else in the pro-marijuana movement.

We need to at least get to the point where people are not getting arrested for simple possession/cultivation and then can focus on detailed medical research and standards and go from there. Just my opinion.