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Calif. pot dispensaries told by feds to shut down

G

guest86120975

OK so I also agree with the above sentiment. I also brought up Prop 19 and I probably shouldn't have. Obama, I like him, but, it's like lately he's specifically trying to find ways to piss me off.
 

SOTF420

Humble Human, Freedom Fighter, Cannabis Lover, Bre
ICMag Donor
Veteran
This whole situation is dire, spoke to a friend today who runs a shop in the Bay area and he said they are going to heed the warning after speaking with their lawyer and at least temporarily close-up shop and see how this plays out. These are dark days indeed, so much for Obama promising to let the states decide their laws what a crock of lip service bullshit that is turning out to be. Grow your own in 2012 :canabis:
 

Mr. Bongjangles

Head Brewer
ICMag Donor
Veteran
ahhh i see..

but you realize if obama manages to shut down the dispensaries he will have done more damage than bush did in both his terms...

sooo yea on this single issue id have taken the states rights duo as opposed to "federal law trumps state law" obummer ;)

on all other issues they are pretty much all the same people..

With 20/20 hindsight from where we stand, perhaps you could make that call now. But what you're quoting is in response to the idea that Obama was the "foolish" choice so far as cannabis is concerned at the time of the election.

This current move is some real BS. I'm disgusted. But looking at all those quotes from McCain, I really can't see how he would have been the better choice. I see zero mention of respecting states rights in all those quotes, and I actually see him willing to blatantly override the will of the voters in California and other states. Hell, I give him credit for honesty, but no way can I imagine he wouldn't be pulling the same shit as Obama if not much worse and much sooner. He's really saying over and over that he doesn't believe in mmj at all, and that he thinks its illegitimate even in places where the people have voted for it.

Further, there was a time when McCain wasn't down with the typical neo-con adjenda. He sacrificed that in order to secure the nomination, and I saw no reason to believe that he wouldn't have continued the same big-government policies of George W Bush and continued pandering to that base.

I contend that had McCain been elected, the DEA would have gone hog wild on mmj, and that he wouldn't have done much to stop them. Some general notion of "states rights" being respected by McCain has no basis in reality - he only supports states rights on issues that slant in favor of the conservative base like abortion and teaching creationism in schools.
 

growclean

Grow Clean.... Go Fast!
the scheduling of drugs is such a crock of shit anyways, the people who decide aren't even doctors. How can someone who is not a doctor decide if something has medical benefits?

This isn't a good argument to make here. Doctors don't necessarily know your body better than you either. People other than doctors can DEFINETELY decide something has medical benefits or not. I quit taking some of my prescription meds, because I decided that they WERE NOT beneficial even though my doctor gave them to me, and decided on my own that MMJ helps...

All a doctor usually is nowdays is someone that likes nice cars and houses more than other people....
 

accessndx

♫All I want to do is zoom-a-zoom-zoom-zoom..
Veteran
I've said it before.....If folks didn't abuse the phrase "MEDICAL" which honestly is so loosely applied and utilized to characterize almost anything these days......you probably wouldn't be having these issues.

It took a lot of hard work to get "MEDICAL" marijuana on the books to start.....then everyone and their friggin uncle decided they've got a "condition" ranging from a bad hair day to a paper cut to justify the use.

I'm not saying there aren't folks out there that absolutely 100% benefit from the use of marijuana, and I'm all in for complete and total legalization/decriminalization.....but how long do you think a mockery could be made of the "medical" applications without there being some backlash?

Everyone saw green in them thar hills.....they started industrializing it and turning MMJ into a supermarket experience instead of a pharmacy with legitimate patients.

Unless you think the politicians are at least 4000% more stupid than we know they are, it wouldn't take much to cause this sort of negative impact on the movement.

Without a doubt, everything that's transpired has pushed MMJ back from legalization at least a decade or more.

It sucks that a few stoned and clueless apples could spoil the entire barrel.

Now I'm gonna go smoke a J in complete and total anonymity (without being on some list so the Nazi bastards that run our govt. can look at to identify the folks they wanna come after).
 
D

draco

this will get interesting... especially in late november.


politicos will do ANYTHING to get elected. my guess is that a big wad of $ showed up at obama hq all wrapped in strings.

why son, that thar's FREE SPEECH. and no, you cannot afford FREE SPEECH, as it is very expensive.

...but something happened to push this now and it would be interesting to know what it is...
 
I

IE2KS_KUSH

With 20/20 hindsight from where we stand, perhaps you could make that call now. But what you're quoting is in response to the idea that Obama was the "foolish" choice so far as cannabis is concerned at the time of the election.

Actually, I made that call during the last campaign, then. What he was quoting in all fairness was the point that not only myself, but others stated as much as well, and all the while we were flamed, told that we were racists, whatever...And now what's been done in the dark has come to light. It wasn't hindsight w/ all due respect. Maybe you recall AZ passing it's own immigration reform laws, McCain's home state, maybe you recall our current POTUS filing a law suit against AZ, stomping all over that states rights as well, just like they are going to do to CA. You can speculate and say what if all you want, but you don't know just like me. What we both know, is what has actually happened the last 4 years, and we have 8 years of Bush to compare it to, tell me who was worse? Tell me, is MMJ in CA better off today than it was then? Speculate all you want about "what if McCain would have won", but that's irrelevant, he did not so there is really no way to know what he would have done, you can only speculate. Which at the time is what I was doing w/ Obama when he was running, difference is, my speculation was spot on from the jump, and all the while, even while raids were happening people continue to throw up straw man arguments, and make bullshit excuses rather than come to terms w/ the reality that the biggest leftist in our time is in fact, A LEFTIST TO THE ENTH DEGREE. I mean I am not the least bit surprised, I should start a 900 number and learn to speak w/ a Jamaican accent or something.

Again, if you want to speculate, fine, liberals absolutely do not believe in states rights, they absolutely do not want individuals to have freedom or be self sufficient, they absolutely want more gov in your life, making your decisions, spending your money, why would you vote for someone that represents a political party that believes that at it's core and expect them to be "hands off" when it comes to enforcing existing federal law, using existing federal LEO, money, and agencies to profit from putting people in cages?

I have kind of said my piece, and I am sure this thread will be binned in no time, as are most threads like this, I appreciate what you are saying, but I couldn't disagree w/ you more, and wished that all the people that are saying, "oh well fuck Obama dah dah dah.." now, would have listened then. Oh well. I will sit back and watch the show now and start the countdown, after all we can't have any threads that ruffle anyones politics around here, as a community we have proven that we are not tolerant of any alternative points of view that may contradict our popular sheepish political beliefs.:thank you:
 

litebuzz

Member
I don't care who is president...once they are in office, they really find out what they can and can't do. Do you really think one person has that much leverage over people making billions to keep it illegal? haha...I don't think we will see it legal until the general public really gets behind and votes in a solid overwhelming majority...like alcohol prohibition.
 

BongRipkenJR.

Active member
All of you people touting the failure of prop19 to be the cause of this should shut their mouths. Prop19 was not safe nor fair. It put the money and safety in the hands of the government and in the hands of big tobacco. Anybody who thinks prop19 was our saving grace didnt read the bill and if you did you probably didnt comprehend it.
 

testymctester

Active member
Veteran
Latest news from the press conference

Latest news from the press conference

content from: http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2011/...ue-statement-on-targeting-marijuana-industry/

SACRAMENTO, Calif.October 7, 2011 – The four California-based United States Attorneys today announced coordinated enforcement actions targeting the illegal operations of the commercial marijuana industry in California.

The statewide enforcement effort is aimed at curtailing the large, for-profit marijuana industry that has developed since the passage of California's Proposition 215 in 1996. That industry has swelled to include numerous drug-trafficking enterprises that operate commercial grow operations, intricate distribution systems and hundreds of marijuana stores across the state — even though the federal Controlled Substances Act makes illegal the sale and distribution of marijuana.

While the four United States Attorneys have tailored enforcement actions to the specific problems in their own districts, the statewide enforcement efforts fall into three main categories:
· Civil forfeiture lawsuits against properties involved in drug trafficking activity, which includes, in some cases, marijuana sales in violation of local ordinances;
· Letters of warning to the owners and lienholders of properties where illegal marijuana sales are taking place; and
· Criminal cases targeting commercial marijuana activities, including arrests over the past two weeks in cases filed in federal courts in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento and Fresno.

The enforcement actions being announced today are the result of the four United States Attorneys working with federal law enforcement partners and local officials across California to combat commercial marijuana activities that are having the most significant impacts in communities.

"The actions taken today in California by our U.S. Attorneys and their law enforcement partners are consistent with the Department's commitment to enforcing existing federal laws, including the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), in all states," said Deputy Attorney General James Cole. "The department has maintained that we will not focus our investigative and prosecutorial resources on individual patients with serious illnesses like cancer or their immediate caregivers. However, U.S. Attorneys continue to have the authority to prosecute significant violations of the CSA, and related federal laws."

Benjamin B. Wagner, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California stated: "Large commercial operations cloak their moneymaking activities in the guise of helping sick people when in fact they are helping themselves. Our interest is in enforcing federal criminal law, not prosecuting seriously sick people and those who are caring for them. We are making these announcements together today so that the message is absolutely clear that commercial marijuana operations are illegal under federal law, and that we will enforce federal law."

André Birotte Jr., the United States Attorney for the Central District of California, stated:"The federal enforcement actions are aimed at commercial marijuana operations, including marijuana grows, marijuana stores and mobile delivery services - all illegal activities that generate huge profits. The marijuana industry is controlled by profiteers who distribute marijuana to generate massive and illegal profits."

Laura E. Duffy, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, commented: "The California marijuana industry is not about providing medicine to the sick. It's a pervasive for-profit industry that violates federal law. In addition to damaging our environment, this industry is creating significant negative consequences, in California and throughout the nation.

As the number one marijuana producing state in the country, California is exporting not just marijuana but all the serious repercussions that come with it, including significant public safety issues and perhaps irreparable harm to our youth."

Melinda Haag, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California, said: "Marijuana stores operating in proximity to schools, parks, and other areas where children are present send the wrong message to those in our society who are the most impressionable. In addition, the huge profits generated by these stores, and the value of their inventory, present a danger that the stores will become a magnet for crime, which jeopardizes the safety of nearby children. Although our initial efforts in the Northern District focus on only certain marijuana stores, we will almost certainly be taking action against others. None are immune from action by the federal government."

Dozens of letters have been sent over the past few days to the owners and lienholders of properties where commercial marijuana stores and grows are located. In the Southern and Eastern Districts, the owners of buildings where marijuana stores operate have received letters warning that they risk losing their property and money derived from renting the space used for marijuana sales. In the Central District, where more than 1,000 stores are currently operating, prosecutors have sent letters to property owners in selected cities where officials have requested federal assistance, and they plan to continue their enforcement actions in other cities as well. In the Northern District, owners and lienholders of marijuana stores operating near schools and other locations where children congregate have been warned that their operations are subject to enhanced penalties and that real property involved in the operations is subject to seizure and forfeiture to the United States.

In the Central District and Eastern District, prosecutors this week filed a total of seven civil forfeiture complaints against properties where landlords are knowingly allowing marijuana stores to operate. One complaint filed against a south Orange County strip mall, for example, alleges that eight of the 11 second-floor suites in the buildings are occupied by marijuana stores and that one small city has spent nearly $600,000 in legal fees in its attempt to eradicate the illegal operations.

Criminal cases recently unsealed across the state reveal marijuana operations that produce huge profits, send their money and illegal narcotics to other states, and market products to young people. In a case involving a now-closed marijuana store in the San Fernando Valley, two conspirators allegedly used encrypted smartphones to coordinate marijuana sales to places as far away as New York and estimated that they would each receive $194,000 in profits per month. In a San Diego dispensary case unsealed last week, six defendants were charged in a 77-count indictment that alleges a wide-ranging conspiracy that included numerous marijuana sales to under-aged persons.

"The DEA and our partners are committed to attacking large-scale drug trafficking organizations, including those that attempt to use state or local law to shield their illicit activities from federal law enforcement and prosecution," said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. "Congress has determined that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that its distribution and sale is a serious crime. It also provides a significant source of revenue for violent gangs and drug organizations. The DEA will not look the other way while these criminal organizations conduct their illicit schemes under the false pretense of legitimate business."

Victor S.O. Song, Chief, IRS Criminal Investigation, stated: "IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to work with our law enforcement partners and lend its financial expertise to this effort. We will continue to use the federal asset forfeiture laws to take the profits from criminal enterprises."

Across California, the federal government will continue to investigate and prosecute those whose actions not only violate federal laws, but also the state laws regarding the use of marijuana. The problems associated with the marijuana business have dramatically increased over the past two years, even in areas where local governments and citizens actively oppose these businesses.

The statewide coordinated enforcement actions were announced this morning at a press conference in Sacramento.
 

Stress_test

I'm always here when I'm not someplace else
Veteran
Years ago when I was a young man I new this old hog farmer who used to bite the nuts and tails off of baby piggies and spit em to his dogs. The dogs always ate the nuts, but left the tails layin around until the pigs found em and ate them.

One day I was sittin on a milkin stool watching him and I asked him why he didn't use a knife cause it seemed like it'd be a lot faster and cleaner.

He replied, "Cuz then I'd hafta fight with the Missus for dirtyin up her knife, and them lil pigs ain't hurt none. The bleedin will clean their cuts."

Well it seems to me that is pretty much what Obama is doing here.
Biting the nuts off of the MMJ industry in California is gonna raise a stink. Sending in the dogs to clean up the mess, but not pissing off the "important people". Things will heal after awhile of course, but it's still gonna leave a nasty taste in the mouths of Americans forever.
 

vaped

Active member
Why these sure are trying times. Michigan is doing this at a state level also. We fool our selves and lie to our children in school telling them we are the greatest country and Democracy is the best form of government. All the while we live in a dictatorship that could care less about the people.
 

HempHut

Active member
content from: http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2011/...ue-statement-on-targeting-marijuana-industry/



Melinda Haag, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California, said: "Marijuana stores operating in proximity to schools, parks, and other areas where children are present send the wrong message to those in our society who are the most impressionable. In addition, the huge profits generated by these stores, and the value of their inventory, present a danger that the stores will become a magnet for crime, which jeopardizes the safety of nearby children.

Geez, I hope they shut down any type of successful businesses in these locations that match this criteria then, since it seems that having high sales and having high value inventory is now a danger to children and the wider community. I can't imagine they will let any jewelery stores, for example, be located near anywhere children happen to frequent.

Well, if they actually believe this argument and plan on being consistent. :jerkit:
 
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