Fucking outrageous - Feds raid medical marijuana shops, arrest owners

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080528/D90ULRNG0.html

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The owner of six Southern California medical marijuana dispensaries, including one store linked to an accident that killed a motorist and paralyzed an officer, are facing federal drug and money laundering charges.
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Federal law does not recognize the medical marijuana laws in California and 11 other states.
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When is our government going to pull its head out of its ass on this issue?

this is really sickening. sounds like retribution.

* Ambien, Viagra, and Oxycontin are the republicon drugs of choice. Support Big Pharma.

he has promised to suspend the raids on medical cannabis dispensaries.

This is the most recent article:
http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/letters/288085

We'll be lucky if the next Democratic president just calls off the DEA in California.

Frank has already said he's going for it because he has nothing to lose.

Couple that with a strong Dem majority in Congress, a progressive Democrat in the Executive, fed up cops who don't want to arrest cannabis users and 70+% public support and we're golden.

These past 8 years have been awful and we have forgotten that government can also be used for good. Things are going to change in a big way next year. Stay tuned.

But I see no evidence the Democrats are going to legalize pot.

They're trying to demagogue Bush and the GOP on Byrne grant funds, which pay for those drug task forces running around the country. Bush wants to cut them, and he's right--for once. And the Dems are trying to score political points...

So we can work to have a progressive Dem in there instead of a DINO.

It would be interesting to see the correlation between marijuana prohibitionists and gun prohibitionists, in terms of policy positions and legislative votes. DiFi comes to mind: a virulent drug warrior and gun prohibitionist. There are others.

It's the Byrne grant program, championed by Sen. Harkin among others.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3328703

The War on Drugs, Inc., is the blueprint for the Patriot Acts (this, according to George W. Bush himself), and has long-served the GOP right by enabling it to elect vast quantities of loud-mouth rightists on the cheap. The WOD is THE symbol of the hated counter-culture of the 60s and forms the basis of nearly all aspects of the culture war and informs the fervent hatred seen in the far right.

All this is well-documented. They cannot and must not give up on the WOD. (And to think, some folks consider this a marginal or back-burner issue to other "more important" concerns.)

The last thing I want to hear is some smirk: "Oh, it's all about the money"; goddam secularist Bible-quoting.

Here on DU..

I've seen a couple of top ten list type posts and ending the drug war never even gets mentioned.. It is an extremely low priority even with DUers.

The drug war has simply gone on so long now that the great majority of people have come to accept it as right and proper and simply cannot envision any other way of doing things.

"The law allows our intelligence and law enforcement officials to continue to share information. It allows them to continue to use tools against terrorists that they used against -- that they use against drug dealers and other criminals. It will improve our nation's security while we safeguard the civil liberties of our people. The legislation strengthens the Justice Department so it can better detect and disrupt terrorist threats. And the bill gives law enforcement new tools to combat threats to our citizens from international terrorists to local drug dealers."

-- President George W. Bush
March 9, 2006

I thought there was a threatened cut in funding, in addition to the excoriating harangue about pot dispensary raids being "the best use" of DEA's budget resources. Guess DEA told Henry to roll that up and smoke it. Drug War goons need to be stopped. We're rapidly approaching the "by any means necessary" point on this.

:rofl: What a friggin' joke!

When is our government going to pull its head out of its ass on this issue?

When it is no longer run by Corporations.

Only then and not before then.

Is this

"Cole also allegedly sold marijuana products to Jeremy White, who is charged with gross vehicular manslaughter in connection with a December accident. White's truck hit a car parked on a highway shoulder, killing the driver and seriously injuring a California Highway Patrol officer.

According to court documents, White admitted he was under the influence at the time and investigators found marijuana and edible marijuana products in his car."

yes we get it 'medicinal' marijuana..

"On December 19, 2007, CHP Officer Anthony Pedeferri was conducting a routine traffic stop on the shoulder of Highway 101 near Faria Beach, just north of the City of Ventura. Officer Pedeferri was speaking to driver Andreas Parra at the driver’s side window of Parra’s car when a pick-up truck drifted onto the shoulder and struck Parra’s vehicle. Parra was killed, and Pedeferri was gravely injured. He remains paralyzed.

The pick-up truck was driven by Jeremy White, who is currently being prosecuted by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The investigation revealed a large amount of marijuana and marijuana edibles in White’s vehicle. According to search warrants filed in federal court, in his post-arrest statement, White acknowledged being under the influence of marijuana when the accident took place, saying he had purchased the marijuana from a “medical marijuana” dispensary in Compton."..

" After meeting with local investigators in Ventura County, federal investigators determined that White had purchased the marijuana from THC in Compton. After a number of undercover buys at several of Grant’s dispensaries – including a $5,700, one-pound transaction facilitated by Cole – the grand jury indicted the Grants and Cole.

“This case demonstrates the harm that can occur when individuals seek to line their pockets while operating under the guise of California’s medical marijuana laws,” said United States Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien. “The dispensaries involved in this case were simply drug-dealing enterprises designed to generate profits for those who chose to ignore federal law and flout state law. The tragic accident that killed Andreas Parra and crippled CHP Officer Pedeferri can be directly linked to this disregard of the laws.”"

These three are abusing a law aimed at providing medical marijuana and somehow *they* are the victims..

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Don't like the laws? fine I get that but change them *before* you start selling the stuff ot the general public..

You know, just by toking up, by lighting up, you become a menace to society. I'm sure there are still folks out there who believe that.

to make a ton of money...

They are not victims..