Remember last year when the United States Congress passed a bill that de-funded medical marijuana raids in states where medical marijuana is legal? And remember when the Obama Administration replaced the head of the D.E.A. because he thought she was out of touch? The Los Angeles Times stated the following when Congress de-funded medical marijuana raids late last year:
Under the provision, states where medical pot is legal would no longer need to worry about federal drug agents raiding retail operations. Agents would be prohibited from doing so.
The Obama administration has largely followed that rule since last year as a matter of policy. But the measure approved as part of the spending bill, which President Obama plans to sign this week, will codify it as a matter of law.
Pot advocates had lobbied Congress to embrace the administration’s policy, which they warned was vulnerable to revision under a less tolerant future administration.
I think anyone with a brain knew that the raids weren’t over. The Obama administration has stated more than once that the feds would back off of medical marijuana in states where it’s legal, yet every time raids follow. This time is different in that it’s been codified in federal spending, yet the raids continue. To prove that, consider the fact that federal agents raided a medical marijuana dispensary in South Lake Tahoe, California today. Per Americans for Safe Access:
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are raiding a legal medical cannabis collective in South Lake Tahoe right now. ASA is calling on medical cannabis advocates to go to Tahoe Wellness located at 3445 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South lake Tahoe, CA 96150.
We need peaceful protesters and observers to record the facts, take pictures, and shoot video. Please do not attempt to interfere with law enforcement on the scene.
It is very important to the victims of a federal raid to know that there are people outside looking out for them. We also know that law enforcement behaves better when the public is watching. Email [email protected] or call (916) 449-3975 with news about any arrests or misconduct by law enforcement.
Please share this message and help if you can!
When will the raids truly stop? What has to happen at the federal level? When Obama leaves office, will our next President actually follow through on ending the federal war on legal state medical marijuana? Enough is enough. Poll after poll shows that Americans support medical marijuana and think that the feds should back off. This week there is expected to be quite a bit of activity in Congress in regards to marijuana. Hopefully those politicians will step up and fix this mess, but I won’t hold my breath.
