Federal Government attempts to shut down largest medical marijuana dispensary

[diesbudt]

Fed gov is doing more harm than good here.

With a majority of people believing MMJ should be legal anyway, the Fed is both at odds with the State, and it's people. Acting this way does nothing but damage the public's respect of federal authority.

Since when is the government suppossed to care for the people?

Didn't one president say "Don't ask what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country."

 

[NoStateofMind]

Marijuana is the devil. Leads to heroin overdose.

 

[Screech]

Since when is the government suppossed to care for the people?

Didn't one president say "Don't ask what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country."

Caring for the people (welfare, etc), and not choosing to screw over the people for no reason (marijuana laws), are two very different things.

edit: also, history on this: MJ was made illegal by a bunch of racists at the federal level who told people that it would make black dudes get white chicks. Seriously, that is the origin of our brilliant drug laws.

 

[unokitty]

"After spending 40-plus years trying to enforce marijuana laws, Indiana State Police Superintendent Paul Whitesell said Tuesday he'd like to see weed legalized."

Article Link


Every honest policeman will tell you, like this former MP, that any law that you can't enforce is worse than no law at all.

I understand that there are strong feelings both ways on pot. But 19 states now have legalized medical marijuana, two have legalized recreational marijuana. And the polls (1, 2 ) are pretty clear that the public does not want the Federal Government involved with marijuana enforcement.

It would seem prudent to let local governments give this a try. If a state or county or city doesn't want to legalize it, they should have that prerogative.

And I keep reading that the Federal Government wants to increase their tax revenue. Does someone need to draw them a picture?


Anyway, its time for some common sense. If the war on drugs can't keep the Indiana State Police Superintendent on their side, they can't really think that they are going to win.

And I would suggest that if all the different governmental units could work together on a planful transition that that would be best for everyone.

Uno

 

[EagleKeeper]

I'm sick of this double standard. Alcohol good, Marijuana bad. Alcohol is used irresponsibly all the time. The federal government needs to get out of the nanny business and let people decide what they want. A majority of the people in this country want the legalization of MJ. Myself included.

CA was unable to legalize it. I do not thinks that bodes well. Even in CO, local areas are blocking it.

 

[xj0hnx]

CA was unable to legalize it. I do not thinks that bodes well. Even in CO, local areas are blocking it.

The growers and other people making millions off of it are a large reason why it failed in Cali. No one wants to give up their green for the green.

 

[EagleKeeper]

The growers and other people making millions off of it are a large reason why it failed in Cali. No one wants to give up their green for the green.

Given the size of the population in CA, the number of growers and distributors is a minimal percentage. The population stated a big NO.

I suspect became smart enough to realize that they were being manipulated and put their collective foot down.

CA has a population of about 35m. If 1/5 are voters, that is 7m. Maybe 10k people are in the pot business. 1/4 of CA is consider to.be illegals. Assign that percentage to MJ potters.
So you have at most 7-8k
I can not believe one tenth of a percentage is able to influence, coerce, etc CA into changing what the polls were stating as a slam dunk.

 

[xj0hnx]

Given the size of the population in CA, the number of growers and distributors is a minimal percentage. The population stated a big NO.

I suspect became smart enough to realize that they were being manipulated and put their collective foot down.

CA has a population of about 35m. If 1/5 are voters, that is 7m. Maybe 10k people are in the pot business. 1/4 of CA is consider to.be illegals. Assign that percentage to MJ potters.
So you have at most 7-8k
I can not believe one tenth of a percentage is able to influence, coerce, etc CA into changing what the polls were stating as a slam dunk.

LOL, there's a LOT more than 10,000 people in the pot business in California.

 

[Fern]

Two thoughts:

1. The manner in which the federal govt is proceeding here suggests that they don't want to bother with simple possession (the customers). I suppose it also says something that they haven't arrested and charged the owner/managers, but I'm not sure what.

2. If you're going to sell medical pot don't be a dumbazz and it make it a HUGE operation then advertise it on a TV reality show.

Fern

 

[unokitty]

Former President favors legalization.

"All drugs were decriminalized in Portugal about 10 years ago and the use of drugs has gone down dramatically and nobody's been put in prison," he said." So I think a few places around the world is good to experiment with and also a few states in America are good to take the initiative and try something out. That's the way our country's developed over the last 200 years, is by a few states being experiment stations. On that basis, I'm in favor of it."

Uno

 

[Ns1]

BOOM, fuck you government.

Federal prosecutors are dropping their case against the Bay Area’s Harborside Health Center, a supersized medical marijuana dispensary, Oakland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan said Tuesday.

In a news release, Kaplan said she and other city officials would hold a press conference Tuesday to announce a decision by the U.S. attorney that the three-year prosecution of the Oakland dispensary is coming to an end.

Former U.S. Atty. Melinda Haag filed civil forfeiture actions against Harborside in 2012. The city of Oakland sued the federal government on behalf of the dispensary.

In August, a federal court ruled that Oakland lacked standing for its suit, but allowed Harborside to remain open until an appeal could be heard.

“As of today, Harborside Health Center is in the clear and will no longer have to worry about a looming raid,” said Kaplan’s press release.

The U.S. attorney and a lawyer who represented Oakland in the case could not be reached for immediate comment.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/...urce=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=649324

 

[GagHalfrunt]

The only reason oakland is fighting it is because of the MILLOINS of dollars the city collocts in quartly taxes.
Its a giant cash cow for the city.

Well, you could oppose it. Instead of those untold millions of income it would turn into untold millions of expenses. You're lose money instead of making money and the people would still get all the drugs they wanted anyway. Then you could lock them up and spend even more millions. WooHoo!! Prohibition didn't work the first time, it's not working this time. It's shocking that a country that went through this shit less than a century ago learned nothing.

 

[Sonikku]

Authoritarians doing what they do best.

 

[Jhhnn]

The whole thing with Harborside was a pet project of the former US Attorney for Northern California, Melinda Haag. It started long before this memo came out in 2013, which basically cut her off at the knees-

https://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/resources/3052013829132756857467.pdf

The case falls outside the new guidelines but she persisted as if they'd never been issued. US Attorneys are granted a great deal of leeway but I'm confident that the pressure to go along with the new way of doing things prompted her resignation & thus the end of the suit.

 

[OutHouse]

bold is bull

***NECRO ALERT****
yes it is. she is just playing ignorant so the feds doenst take her building and land.

I watched this show a few times and I didnt understand how the DEA had not closed that place down yet. They are pretty high profile and from what ive seen if you stay out of the lime light the DEA leaves you alone.

 

[Jhhnn]

***NECRO ALERT****
yes it is. she is just playing ignorant so the feds doenst take her building and land.

I watched this show a few times and I didnt understand how the DEA had not closed that place down yet. They are pretty high profile and from what ive seen if you stay out of the lime light the DEA leaves you alone.

A better article-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/harborside-health-center-case-dropped_us_5728d2d1e4b016f37893a9c2

Unlike a lot of other dispensaries shut down by the DEA, Harborside had the guts & the resources to hold on. Neither California nor Oakland wanted them shut down so when the Admin & Congress gave up then Harborside persevered.

California is moving rapidly towards a fully legalized & regulated cannabis market so there's little point in trying to shut down Harborside other than spite.

Up until now, legalization has occurred in low population states but legalized cannabis in our most populous state will kill prohibition entirely for a lot of reasons. The only way states can really exercise long run control is to legalize themselves.