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Obama lied about not arresting medical marijuana patients. His DEA thugs are raiding medical marijuana stores in Washington state.
If you are a pot smoker you probably realized that Obama has lied a number of times saying he supports medical marijuana. Two years into his presidency he is still sending his DEA thugs to arrest medical marijuana smokers, while at the same time saying he supports medical marijuana. Want to end the stupid drug war. Vote Libertarian. The Libertarian Party platform is the only political party that calls for the legalization of ALL drugs. In the next Presidential election support Ron Paul, while he may run for President as a Republican his position is 100 percent Libertarian on the drug war and he calls for legalizing ALL drugs.
Agents raid Wash. medical marijuana dispensaries By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE — Medical marijuana activists across Washington state decried federal raids on at least two dispensaries in Spokane on Thursday, saying they underscored the need for a dispensary licensing system that the governor has threatened to veto. The raids came Thursday afternoon, three weeks after the top federal prosecutor in Eastern Washington, Spokane U.S. Attorney Michael Ormsby, warned the 40 dispensaries in the area that they should close up shop or face federal enforcement actions. The raids were the latest salvo from federal authorities seeking to get a handle on marijuana shops proliferating in many of the 15 states with medical cannabis laws. Recent letters from the Justice Department to officials in several states, including Washington, Colorado, California and Montana, have warned that licensing dispensaries or marijuana grow operations would not necessarily protect them from a federal crackdown because marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to announce her final decision Friday regarding whether to veto parts of a bill passed by the Legislature that would establish such a system. The bill also would grant arrest protection to marijuana patients who agree to join a state registry. In threatening to use her veto power, the governor cited a warning from Ormsby and Seattle U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan that state employees involved in the licensing scheme could face prosecution - a prospect that one of the state's top constitutional experts described as far-fetched in a letter to the governor on Thursday. If the federal government wants to stop a state law from taking effect, it doesn't prosecute state officials who are enforcing the law; it sues the state and claims federal pre-emption, Hugh Spitzer, an associate professor at the University of Washington Law School, wrote. "In effect, Jenny's and Mike's letter to you is an example of inappropriate federal 'bullying' of our state," Spitzer wrote. About 30 activists were attending a class at the Spokane library on what to do in the event of a law enforcement raid when they learned that agents were searching the dispensaries. The activists left en masse to protest the raids, said Rachel Kurtz of the Cannabis Defense Coalition, which organized the class. "There's some irony there," she said. Rhonda Duncan, owner of a dispensary called Club Compassion, said about 10 agents entered her establishment with guns drawn and seized all the marijuana there - an amount she estimated at less than 10 ounces. They also ripped out about 14 of her personal plants; she said she takes marijuana for arthritis and other ailments. "At least they didn't get my medicated enchilada dinner," she said. "I'll be open again tomorrow. I'll be right here." Duncan said Club Compassion is a nonprofit organization. She said she expected activists to protest again on Friday. The other raided dispensary was THC Pharmacy. Tom Rice, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Spokane, confirmed that law enforcement actions were being carried out at least one dispensary. He declined to provide further information, citing the ongoing investigation. He said he did not know of any arrests being made. Washington voters passed the state's medical marijuana law in 1998. It states that authorized patients should either grow their own marijuana or designate a caregiver to grow it for them. The law is silent on the topic of dispensaries. Doug Honig, spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, said confusion over what's allowed and what's not will only get worse if the governor vetoes the bill. "Today's raids in Spokane underline the need for the governor to sign the medical marijuana reform bill passed by the Legislature," he said. "Authorized patients need safe access to their medicine, and law enforcement need clear guidance on what is allowed in terms of dispensaries."
Authorities Raid Medical Marijuana Dispensaries In Spokane, WA
The420Times Earlier this afternoon – in what Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Rice calls a “Law Enforcement Action” – the DEA raided several medical marijuana dispensaries in Spokane, Washington. Officials confirmed that the THC Pharmacy and Club Compassion were among those raided. Beyond that, all U.S. Attorney Rice would say is that selling cannabis is illegal under federal law. And that’s the bottom line, isn’t it? The DEA can raid any medical marijuana establishment at any time and hide behind federal law while completely ignoring state law and supposed directives from the Department of Justice. We’ll bring you more details on this developing story as they become available.
April 29, 2011 in City Marijuana outlets raided By Chelsea Bannach The Spokesman-Review Larry Hamilton, who has terminal cancer among a host of ailments, watched from his wheelchair in dismay Thursday as federal agents shut down THC Pharmacy, the South Hill dispensary that provided him with marijuana. Hamilton, who undergoes chemotherapy, said he suffers without medical marijuana. “It clears up the pain and it helps with the nausea,” he said. “It’s irritating. We passed a law in this state to make it legal.” THC Pharmacy, 1108 S. Perry St., was one of several dispensaries raided throughout the day across Spokane on Thursday. A small band of protesters also gathered outside, chanting “DEA go away” and “We’re patients, not criminals.” “They just walked in the door and said, ‘You’re busted, everybody sit down,’ ” said Cassandra Wright, a THC Pharmacy employee and mother of Charles Wright, who co-owns the shop with John Vivian. “They walked in with their chests all puffed up and in numbers.” She said authorities seized computers, phones, receipts, patient files, marijuana, books and the laminator. “They took everything,” said Wright, who works on the computers in the shop. “They took my personal property like I’m some kind of drug dealer.” Other shops are being targeted as well, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Rice. “I can’t say how many places,” he said. “Because of its ongoing nature, we can’t comment any further. We don’t expect to release anything more today.” However, medical marijuana advocates say agents also raided Evergreen Medical, 12004 N. Market St., Club Compassion, 1004 E. Bridgeport Ave., Human Connection, 5315 N. Market St., and Medical Herb Providers, 306 N. Freya St. The U.S. attorney’s office sent dispensary operators notices earlier this month advising them to shut down or risk federal enforcement action. Many of the approximately 40 medical marijuana dispensaries reportedly complied, but not all. Today’s action marks the latest development in an ongoing battle over medical marijuana. Washington voters overwhelmingly approved medicinal use of marijuana in 1998, but the ballot measure left open the question of how doctor-approved users can legally obtain their pot. Advocates say the state law allows for dispensaries under its “caretaker” provision, but a Spokane County Superior Court jury rejected that argument last month in the first drug-trafficking trial of its kind in Washington. Additionally, federal prosecutors note that while state law allows for medical use of marijuana, federal law still considers all marijuana possession and use illegal. Spokane police spokeswoman Jennifer DeRuwe said city officers assisted federal agents in a support role involving marijuana dispensaries. The raids came as marijuana advocates were hosting a training session for dispensary operators on how to deal with law enforcement raids. The training session, being conducted at the downtown Spokane Public Library, was interrupted by the announcement that raids were under way. Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana research and advocacy group, called on dispensary operators at the training to exercise their rights if they are raided by not consenting to searches and declining to speak to authorities without a lawyer present. “If you are growing medical marijuana, you are committing civil disobedience,” Sherer said to a room of about 40 people. “There are very real consequences.” “Our opposition is moral opposition,” she said. After the raids, a group of medical marijuana providers, users and advocates met at a Spokane law firm to discuss their plan of action. A national call to action will take place in cities across the U.S. Monday at noon, including in Spokane in front of the federal courthouse on Riverside Avenue. “This is an opportunity to show that this did not shake you,” Sherer said. She also implored advocates to organize and to meet with local, state and federal elected officials. Kris Hermes, spokesman with Americans for Safe Access, which tracks dispensary raids, said the federal government is “using the leverage of their enforcement tactics to intimidate elected officials to vote a certain way on impending medical marijuana bills,” such as the one Gregoire is expected to veto. There have been hundreds of raids in at least six states that allow medical marijuana, he said. Tom Clouse contributed to this report |