Community | October 06, 2011 | 117 comments

Calif. pot dispensaries told by feds to shut down

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44806723/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/calif-pot-dispensaries-to...

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KB723
By LISA LEFF
Source: AP

SAN FRANCISCO — Federal prosecutors have launched a crackdown on pot dispensaries in California, warning the stores that they must shut down in 45 days or face criminal charges and confiscation of their property even if they are operating legally under the state's 15-year-old medical marijuana law.

In an escalation of the ongoing conflict between the U.S. government and the nation's burgeoning medical marijuana industry, at least 16 pot shops or their landlords received letters this week notifying them that they are violating federal drug laws, even though medical marijuana is legal in California. The state's four U.S. attorneys are scheduled to announce a broader crackdown at a Friday news conference.

Their offices refused to confirm the closure orders. The Associated Press obtained copies of the letters that a prosecutor sent to 12 San Diego dispensaries. They state that federal law "takes precedence over state law and applies regardless of the particular uses for which a dispensary is selling and distributing marijuana."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44806723/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/calif-pot-dis...

"Free the Weed!!!!"
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117 comments // Calif. pot dispensaries told by feds to shut down

  • CitizenX
    • 0
      CitizenX  

    • The California people voted and passed the Compassionate Use Act of 1996.

      (1) The people of the State of California hereby find and declare that the purposes of the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 are as follows:
      (A) To ensure that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes where that medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person's health would benefit from the use of marijuana in the treatment of cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief.

      (B) To ensure that patients and their primary caregivers who obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes upon the recommendation of a physician are not subject to criminal prosecution or sanction.

      (C) To encourage the federal and state governments to implement a plan to provide for the safe and affordable distribution of marijuana to all patients in medical need of marijuana.

      Shutting down the voter approved legal medical marijuana dispensaries and farms in California and the 16 other states that legalized it's medical use will only give more money and power to the underground cartels and gangs. Oh the irony!

      I would laugh, but the a government depriving it's people the safe access to a safe medicine that a licensed Doctor has prescribed them is not funny in the least.

    • 8 months ago
  • freshfish
  • puterteck
  • PIANORAMA
    • 0
      PIANORAMA  

    • I know several people whose suffering is relieved with medically prescribed marijuana. Why don't they outlaw cigarettes? Or fast food? Or adultery? (I'm being facetious here - in fact I believe a law was just passed in one state outlawing abortion.) Didn't our country already prove to itself that Prohibition doesn't work and just causes more crime and social destruction than the substance it is trying to prohibit?

      C'mon now. Obama, you openly admitted that you inhaled.

    • 8 months ago
  • Crauly_Fingers
  • GeorgeJones
    • +3
      GeorgeJones  

    • No, No the republican controlled fed government wants US to believe Obama has something to do with this so you will vote for the other choice come election time.Their choice. Almost every rep. debate I have watched is pro legalization. Everyone needs to vote democratic and then hope one is smart enough to fix this country.The progressive movement seems to be starting. Pot is a huge industry that could create a shit ton of jobs nationwide and generate huge revenue. It is a far safer med than pills that treat the same ailments.We have to start writing in our own people not the ones funded buy big money.

    • 8 months ago
  • KB723
  • Conniepae
  • sugarlilly
    • +2
      sugarlilly  

    • CAUSE THEN WEED WILL GO AWAY! no you dumb fucks that run our country! it'll just be UNDERGROUND again! don't worry people, toke on. there aren't enough of "them" to really stop any thing...

    • 8 months ago
  • KB723
  • Conniepae
    • +3
      Conniepae  
    • sugarlilly:

      You are correct, it will force people back into the closets, too afraid to stand up to the wrongs. Cannabis has been around for thousands of years. Cannabis has history. Cannabis hemp facts were removed from educational material in America, enabling politicians and media to spin madness. It's time to end the madness.

      Unfortunately, I think our representatives have sold us out to another group of investors. Private prisons will benefit from incarcerating Americans for non-violent crimes in the name of war.

      I want our troops to come home, but not to fight on our own soil, in an un-just war. Destroyed from within, so a few corporations can win.

    • 8 months ago
  • Georgia_Jim
  • KB723
  • hombre76
    • +4
      hombre76  

    • those fucking cock suckers need to loose there jobs over this. This is fucking complete Bull Shit. And dont think for a second I dont see Obama's coplicity in all this. Just like having a fucking conservitive in black face continueing this fucking conservitive made war on drugs. I say we remove the whole cancer ridden batch of politicians from our nations caplital and replace them with ourselves. why do I need a representitive who can be bought by money and power when we can all be kept up to date on the current situations and legistlation needing to be passed and makes it exponetialy harder for money and power to buy off millions of people. the problem with our system is that we have lost that fundemental thing that is nessisary to a democracy and that is real representationin government and I personaly do not think sending a batch of new people in to be bought off by mountains of money is the solution to our problem here. The solution is to utilize our tech and infrastructure to enable the citizens to represent themselves with out the middle man. Yes they will still vote with their wallets but at least the money and power will be filling millions of wallets instead of just a couple hundred.

    • 8 months ago
  • KB723
  • BPGulfLeak
  • puterteck
    • 0
      puterteck  
    • hombre76:

      The liberal's/dems have nothing to do with this. It's just another right wing smoke and mirrors scam designed to confuse low info voters. Wake up smell the coffee and get involved.

    • 8 months ago
  • hombre76
    • 0
      hombre76  
    • puterteck:

      your smoke and mirrors do not fool me any more than the republicans do with theirs. this administration is completely at fault for the overzellious behavior of its DEA apointies and the DOJ's silent and sometimes not so sillent endorcment of these unwarented robberies of legitimate medical marijuana distributors by local law enforcement agencies and DEA that get to departmentaly pocet the money directly confenscated at these raids and the auction of any property stolen during these raids. Its a complete racket just like many other government agencies supported by both parties in our government. Nice try at deflecting a nonpartisan issue with partisan politics, unfortunaitly I am informed so it is a major FAIL on your part. better luck next time.

    • 8 months ago
  • puterteck
    • 0
      puterteck  
    • hombre76:

      Yeah! your language in a public forum really shows your education level/intellegence level.
      Why don't you grow up before you post in a public forum. I'd be willing to bet you are
      upset that Obama had the audacity to walk through the front door of the White House.

    • 8 months ago
  • hombre76
  • Leen61
  • KB723
  • FoosMaster
  • Leen61
  • KB723
  • Leen61
  • PIANORAMA
  • FoosMaster
    • +1
      FoosMaster  
    • PIANORAMA:

      Probably, but don't you think they would have enough under current laws to mess with you if they wanted? So, what is a name on another list? We are ALL on multiple lists now, not that I approve, but with the un-patriot act they keep their eyes on everyone now. ;(

    • 8 months ago
  • Frank29
    • +1
      Frank29  

    • Don't be fooled. This is part of what the OCW's are demonstrating about. If we took the money spent to "combat" drugs and used it to actually improve the knowledge and treatment, where would our economy be. Building prisons and relinquishing our civil and personal rights is the Republican way. After all, they do own the prisons and there is no profit unless they are filled.(By the way, they will soon be lost when the Right Wing finishes taking over the government that they hate), after all only those with means deserve "rights."

    • 8 months ago
  • dudefromtherock
  • KB723
  • remanns
  • PressCore
    • +2
      PressCore  

    • Nobama is " smart " ??? Lol. Look at the insipid clown he accepted
      as his VP. That fool can't distinuish between the T.E.A. party and the
      Occupy Wall St protesters. Hey this is the 21st century where smart is
      stupid. Both Pinochiobama/Biden are a case of dumb & dumber. The
      sheer treachery of Nobama and all his betrayal of the American people
      by his evil picks reflect his true colors, the, red, white, and black of the
      3rd Reich. The truely " smart " people will stay home rather than vote
      for the blagard a second time. I'm not a Republican, or a fan of Mitch
      McConnell, but they do have one goal I can identify with. That is to
      wave goodby to those shitbags in the white house who are a disgrace.

    • 8 months ago
  • dugdog47
    • +1
      dugdog47  

    • From what I've heard, the dispensaries were against outright legalization because they had the market cornered. Too much money tobe made. Hopefully, this is just a stumble on the road to FREE THE WEED-END THE GREED!

    • 8 months ago
  • Frosty46
  • KB723
  • bailey78
  • KB723
  • Molotov
  • KB723
  • cabinettags
  • Molotov
    • 0
      Molotov  
    • cabinettags:

      From what I've read so far, it seems that only a few are actually being targeted. Dispensaries that are within one thousand feet of a school and/or playgrounds. I'll be visiting my local dispensary today, I'll let you know what they know.

    • 8 months ago
  • cabinettags
  • Molotov
  • cabinettags
    • 0
      cabinettags  
    • Molotov:

      Thanks for passing that along molotov. Doesn't sound like they're real sure though. And seems to me that if the Feds have success with the first group they'll be more likely to take on the rest. Looks to me like there's a pretty good reason for concern here.

    • 8 months ago
  • SandyBerman
    • SandyBerman  
    • This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
  • KB723
  • noxidereus
    • +3
      noxidereus  
    • SandyBerman:

      I'll bet against your bet as well. Obama appointed Michele Leonhart to head the DEA even though she pledged to crack down on medical marijuana. Marijuana prohibition is a system of control and profit. It serves no other purpose. Given his intelligence, Obama must know this full well, yet he seem to have no problem with it at all. This is one of the reasons why I can never vote for Obama again. I do not vote for any politician who supports marijuana prohibition. I consider marijuana prohibition enforcers and their enablers to be terrorists against the people of the United States of America, and cracking down on medical patients is especially evil.

    • 8 months ago
  • FoosMaster
    • 0
      FoosMaster  
    • SandyBerman:

      I to am an optimist and believe that things are about to take a drastic change given the fact that the Left is finally getting momentum with the protests. I also feel that Obama is more Liberal than he appears to many on the issue of Medical Marijuana but he can Not expose his feelings on the issue before the election because of the risk of alienating many of the Elderly voters which he depends on.

      My hope is that the Liberals will wake up and realize what will happen if the Republicans and Tea Party get More power, it would be the End of our great nation and the takeover of the rest of our nation by the Corporations. Any Liberal who does Not vote in 2012 or votes for someone that has No chance will be responsible for what happens the same as if they voted For the Republicans. To me it is Not about trying to get the Perfect politician for my tastes elected, it is about defeating the Republican agenda!!!

    • 8 months ago
  • cabinettags
    • 0
      cabinettags  
    • SandyBerman:

      Sandy, listening to what the man said during his run for the presidency, I was expecting the prohibition to be a done deal. Considering the bad feelings resulting of some of his other initiatives I no longer think he's biding his time, in order not to appear the bad guy, and will make the change during his next term. Don't bet the farm.

    • 8 months ago
  • jubal
    • +4
      jubal  

    • We need to get some petitions going for this to let the Obama administration that its not OK with public opinion.

    • 8 months ago
  • KB723
  • Avior
  • remanns
  • FoosMaster
    • 0
      FoosMaster  

    • "The San Diego medical marijuana outlets put on notice were the same 12 that city officials sued last month for operating illegally, after activists there threatened to force an election on a zoning plan adopted to regulate the city's fast-growing medical marijuana industry, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said."

      This is a Local issue, they Asked the feds to step in. What did you think they would do, ignore their request?

      Before you go blaming Obama for being personally responsible just look at the situation. Do you think Obama should have stepped in and said "Stop"? *(Well, acually Yeah, that would be nice but not gonna happen)

    • 8 months ago
  • KB723
  • noxidereus
    • 0
      noxidereus  
    • FoosMaster:

      Obama appointed Michele Leonhart to head the DEA even though she pledged to crack down on medical marijuana. He also scoffed at the question of ending marijuana prohibition when that question was #1 on his website. Blame placed on Obama is very well placed indeed.

    • 8 months ago
  • JCJ78
    • +1
      JCJ78  
    • FoosMaster:

      Good post. I'm gonna look into this further. I don't have a beef with it if in fact the local government asked the feds for assistance. I agree that they should abstain, but that its not unreasonable to expect them not to, of it was asked for by the state, or city.

    • 8 months ago
  • FoosMaster
    • 0
      FoosMaster  
    • noxidereus:

      Yes, there are Many things that Obama has done or has not done that are troubling to me also but I do understand that the President can't do everything he would want to do in his first term and I do not fault him for thinking about being re-elected. It is a president's Second term that shows his true colors and I just hope that Obama pushes for a more Liberal stance in his second term on policies such as MM, SS, Healthcare, etc... but he will need confirmation from the People with votes to put more Liberals in office showing him what the country Truly wants and I am beginning to become more optimistic about it with all the current protests around the country and his perceived recent move towards the Left.

    • 8 months ago
  • noxidereus
    • +1
      noxidereus  
    • FoosMaster:

      I respect your opinion and want to believe that's true, but I have already seen Obama's true colors; his inner circle is entirely comprised of wall street representatives -- that is representatives of the very people being protested by #occupywallstreet. He is doing exactly what he wants. He only feigns progressive policies that he know won't pass congress. It's all just a big show. If any president sincerely wanted progressive change, he would do it in his first term. It makes no sense to harm the country by holding back for 4 years just so you can be re-elected. It's not true that Obama is a closet-progressive, but even if it were true, acting against what one thinks is right for 4 years just to be re-elected is enough to not deserve a second term.

      Don't get me started on expansion of the patriot act, extension of the bush/obama tax cuts, being hostile towards whistleblowers, assassinations of american citizens without due process et al. This shit is scary and Obama is championing it.

      He was the one pushing for cuts to Medicare and SS during the fake debt ceiling "crisis". He took universal health care off the table from the beginning in the health reform "debates" and didn't care to defend the public option (because his masters didn't want it). What we got was a give-away to the health insurance industry. Obama is doing what he does best -- playing the part of a progressive on TV and fooling liberals into voting against their own best interests just like the Republicans do to their constituents. The only reason why 2 parties exist is to divide the people so that we are not a threat. The protests are giving me hope that the people are waking up though. Although we are on the whole still a divided people -- by design.

      I would love to be proven wrong because this sucks.

    • 8 months ago
  • FoosMaster
    • 0
      FoosMaster  
    • noxidereus:

      I am a hopeless optimist and I see things slightly different but we all have our differences and that is one of the biggest weeknesses of the Liberals, we Embrace our differences while the Republicans Demand conformity. I just hope that Liberals will Unite in this next election to “Defeat the Republican Agenda!”.

    • 8 months ago
  • savroD
  • KB723
  • KB723
  • Anonmaly
  • cabinettags
    • +4
      cabinettags  
    • Image

    • Thought I'd give you a preview:

      we petition the obama administration to:
      Confirm that cannabis regulation is a STATES RIGHTS issue, per the Constitution. B. Frank's HR 2306 should be passed!

      The U.S. Constitution MANDATES that any powers not SPECIFICALLY designated to the federal level are STATES' RIGHTS issues. Hemp and its flower cannabis should be regulated by STATES to undo the conflicting laws that merely 3 corrupt men, out to line their pockets, created in the 1930's.

      Cannabis regulation, born via Harry Anslinger, has never been handled according to law/good faith. His 1937 M.J. Tax Act was declared UNCONSTITUTIONAL in 1969 in the Timothy Leary case--his response the "Controlled Substances Act of 1970." Both the DEA and HHS have PROVEN to not act in good faith. They have placed MARINOL (synthezized thc) on Sched 3, implying it's safe and of medicinal use, while placing CANNABIS, THE NATURAL PLANT FROM WHICH THC is extracted, on stricter Schedule 1.

      PASS HR 2306 NOW!
      Created: Sep 24, 2011
      Issues: Agriculture, Economy, Human Rights
      Learn about Petition Thresholds
      Signatures needed by October 24, 2011 to reach goal of 5,000
      4,251
      Total signatures on this petition
      749
      Add Your Name
      Sign this Petition
      A whitehouse.gov account is required to sign Petitions.

      Creating a duplicate or similar petition will make it harder for you to get an official response. Instead, sign and help promote the one that has already been created.

    • 8 months ago
  • KB723
  • squarethecircle
    • +1
      squarethecircle  

    • Marijuana breaks down the calcification of the pineal gland and they don't want that for they'll lose their control when we all wake up...and that will be hindered as long as possible.

    • 8 months ago
  • KB723
  • cabinettags
    • +4
      cabinettags  

    • Thanks Voyager, I didn't know there was one. I've visited the White House website and came up with the following URL. Cannabis use is a STATES RIGHTS issue. I'm going to sign the thing now, and use all visitors to do the same. Remember when Obama first asked American Citizens to tell what they thought in an online forum? Remember what the #1 question was? Remember how we were shunned?

      DING!!! round 2

      https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/confirm-cannabis-regulation-states-rights-issue-constitution-b-franks-hr-2306-should-be-passed/TVVJpWHm

    • 8 months ago
  • KB723
  • jim_b
  • KB723
  • squarethecircle
  • KB723
  • Leen61
  • KB723
  • Leen61
    • +3
      Leen61  
    • KB723:

      That's what sucks, KB! If people want to grow medical marijuana, let them! Obama is continuing to take his hard line stance against medical marijuana.

    • 8 months ago
  • KB723
  • Leen61
  • KB723
  • VoyagerFilms
    • +1
      VoyagerFilms  

    • Sign the petition on the White House website - make it an issue and let OUR government know where 'We the People' stand! It's simple. President Obama isn't there to tell us how to live our lives - like the Repub idiots, he's there to do his job - for us! Sign the petition!

    • 8 months ago
  • KB723
  • KB723
  • bailey78
  • KB723
  • JCJ78
    • +1
      JCJ78  
    • SandyBerman:

      I assume that you mean that imperatively, with an implied (you). I mean we all know you aren't gonna fuck up anyone, because that would be too rambo and shit. Tell you what, if the feds who must get fucked have an amputee fetish, we'll holla back. Till then, Ben Gay.

    • 8 months ago
  • bailey78
  • KB723
  • cabinettags
  • Incredulous
  • KB723
  • bailey78
  • bailey78
  • bailey78
  • KB723
  • bailey78
  • KB723
  • bailey78
  • KB723
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