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DEA Agents (via DEA)
Earlier this month the DEA conducted several coordinated raids of California medical marijuana dispensaries and collectives. The federal agents raided a medical marijuana farm in the northern county of Mendocino, as well as a dispensary in San Diego. They destroyed all the marijuana plants and seized the grower’s computer and cash from the property.
Problem is, these DEA raids are in direct opposition to the directive issued by President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder last year that designated raids on legal medical marijuana dispensaries to “not be a priority” for the DEA. The places raided by the DEA were not just in total compliance with state and local laws, but the raided farm was the very first to come into legal compliance with local authorities.
Greenfield had applied in the name of her collective, “Light The Way,” which opened in San Diego earlier this year. Her property had passed a preliminary inspection by the Mendo sheriff’s deputies shortly before the raid, and she had bought the sheriff’s “zip-ties” intended to designate her cannabis plants as legal.
In the days before the raid, Greenfield had seen a helicopter hovering over her property; she inquired with the sheriff, who told her the copter belonged to the DEA and wasn’t under his control.
The agents invaded her property with guns drawn, tore out the collective’s 99 plants and took Greenfield’s computer and cash.
Joy was not at home during the raid, but spoke on the phone to the DEA agent in charge. When she told he she was a legal grower under the sheriff’s program, the agent replied, “I don’t care what the sheriff says.”
So today, Firedoglake publisher Jane Hamsher joined drug policy reform organizations and a conservative group, led by the Marijuana Policy Project, in condemning the DEA’s raids.
Two ideologically diverse advocates today echoed an earlier call by a coalition of drug-policy reform groups and condemned a series of recent raids by the Drug Enforcement Administration on medical marijuana collectives that were operating legally under state law. The Tenth Amendment Center, a group that advocates on behalf of states’ rights, and Jane Hamsher, the publisher of FireDogLake.com, called on the DEA to respect duly adopted state medical marijuana laws and immediately end these raids.
The DEA is out of control. The agency and its acting administrator, Michele Leonhart, are clearly flouting a direct order from the Attorney General and the President of the United States. But Leonhart isn’t just an acting administrator – President Obama nominated her to take the job full time, but her nomination is stalled in the Senate.
Jane Hamsher singled out Leonhart in her criticism of the DEA’s raids:
“At least 73% of Americans support medical marijuana, according to recent polls, and its use has been made legal in 14 states plus the District of Columbia,” said Jane Hamsher, publisher of progressive political blog and advocacy group Firedoglake.com. “Attorney General Eric Holder was crystal clear last year when he directed officials within his department not to waste federal resources interfering with state medical marijuana laws. Yet throughout the tenure of President Obama’s administration, the DEA’s raids have continued in a manner wholly inconsistent with the spirit of that directive.
“What part of “not a priority” does Michele Leonhart not understand?”
Drug policy organizations were quick to organize against these unlawful raids. Along with the Marijuana Policy Project, groups like Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, NORML, Drug Policy Alliance, and Students for Sensible Drug Policy all joined in a petition to Obama to withdraw Leonhart’s nomination to head the DEA. It’s a smart move, and is much needed if the Obama Administration was actually serious about making senseless medical marijuana raids “not to be a priority” for federal law enforcement.
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DEA raiding in contravention of directives from the AG and President seems to fit a style of doing business where companies brag about all the available employee benefits up until the employee reads all the fine print.
I call it “what the big hand giveth, the little hand taketh back”
Or another bait and switch if you prefer
DEA runs its own operation, and I’m sure the AG wouldn’t like them to all-of-a-sudden find an eightball in the back seat ashtray of his own limo. That’s how they roll.
Getting them to obey is futile; they need to be burned to the ground, everyone cashiered, and start again with compassion as their middle name, not enforcement.
Until that happens, expect more and more rogue operations: the DEA needs to show Holder, and Obama too, who is boss here. They are.
Did you ever see that show, I think it’s called Marijuana, Inc., on CNBC? They talk to some DEA agents. They are a clueless bunch. They whine because people are growing pot in National Forests.
They are quite the renegades, and Leonhart is continuing that. But defying a direct order is problematic.
See those who use medical don’t represent the US GOVERNMENT LIES about how MJ turns you into a drooling , babbling idiot. It’s GOD’s plant, so those who oppose MJ hate God and the world he created for us.
Way to go Jane. While in the same state where don blanketshit can murder 29 miners and have steak and lobster tonight with no worry about the inside of a jail cell. . I’m watching my brother slowly die awaiting his punishment for growing 18 6″ MJ plants. Can someone plant some” Good shit” on brother don to get him locked up.
Christians my ass.
If there are no repercussion for defying a “direct order,” maybe it’s not so direct…
Fixed
Why has this insubordination not resulted in her firing, forget withdrawal of her nomination?
Can you find the actual order, though, or was it just “communicated” what Holder (and Obama) wishes? When SF went through this in 2009 with the DEA, I recall them saying, “No orders for us from DC, no sirree, now put on these handcuffs and get in the paddy wagon….”
Many,many years ago, I read an article, I think in the Atlantic, about how long it takes to turn the bureaucracy around. Sometimes 10 years or more, the article suggested.
What is Leonhart’s story? How did she get to be such a butt? And why, oh why, did Obama nominate her?
I was going to do the “flaunt/flout” grammar policing as well, good to see I’m not alone.
As to your point, Obama seems to hold accountable only those who FOX News does a story on, regardless of facts. That and Obama has a serious problem deferring to “experts” in the most naive way.
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/39463
It’s the Mexican Cartels that are growing in the forests; ANOTHER reason why Prop. 19 needs to pass. The Cartels ARE screwing up the natural environments of the forests.
But, yeah, the CNBC show was crap.
Good question. Hopefully we’ll call attention to it and make it happen.
And thanks for the edit!
If somebody told me so and so is not a priority I would take that as cover. A green light. Yeah I did it. But it’s not a priority. This shit is Obama’s doing. Its a crying shame that America’s first black president is just like the first resident. Owned.
thanks puppethead :)
Here it is: http://blogs.usdoj.gov/blog/archives/192
It is a priority for the right, and that’s something this White House never takes lightly. It wants to elect two former CEO’s to the state governorship and the US Senate. It needs to spend a bit of money, to highlight the hippy problem in California that only a stolid, conservative, ex-Hollywood or ex-Wall Street actor can fix.
Never mind about the people of California, or the proportionality of the government’s response, or the national public’s acceptance that the war on marijuana is absurd, not worth clogging the courts and enriching armed federal agencies and their private sector security and prison counterparts.
Oh, I forgot; there’s a Democrat in the White House. If that makes such political considerations absurd, and the policy, too, what’s left?
Given that the DEA is an armed federal agency, one would think problematic doesn’t quite cover it. But as usual, or by design, Mr. Obama finds no fault here.
I want to know how many innocent plants were tortured during the raids. Oh, for Gawd’s sake. What’s the point of the AG saying what policy is if the minions don’t follow his orders? Criminey.
cool, thanks!
Notably, Leonhart appears to have SIGNED the memo in her acting capacity.
So what’s her explanation for the ongoing raids?
I think what this really means is that the DEA is down to its very low priority targets, since they have apparently taken care of, for example, the massive increase in heroin production from, wait for it, Afganistan.
And in case you didn’t see the tongue firmly planted in my cheek — “/s”
The DEA is much like the IRS they make their own rules and they are unstoppable .
Interesting the even the gov agencies are “out of the control” of this president. Obama is even more of a sock puppet than Bush was.
the DEA is going after sitting ducks.
Will they sell it for the CIA? Or is the CIA only into Afghan heroin now?
When your boss is promoting you, you’re not “out of control”. At least, you’re not from his perspective.
Come on, people!
Why would any of you ever believe anything Obama says? Don’t you remember that he’s the guy who told the cadets at West Point and a worldwide audience that he was going “to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan at the end of July 2011,” only to find out that means in Obama-speak that he’ll start to think about it.
And then the arrogant asshole has the chutzpa to criticize everyone for “obsessing on next July as a withdrawal date,” as if he never said anything to anyone that could possibly be misinterpreted as a statement that he was going “to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan at the end of July 2011.”
Chew on that for awhile and then consider how he fucked over the LGBT community because they had the audacity to heckle his sorry ass when he said he was a fierce advocate for repealing DADT.
WTF do y’all think “not be a priority” means in Obama-speak?
Please don’t continue being naive with this lying sack of shit president.
Agreed! Mason
Regardless of how much smoke and mirrors, and other devious tricks and lies this Pres and his cabinet and appointees conjure up, I think deep down most folks know that if your actions do not reflect your talk, then why in the hell would anyone trust these charlatans on anything of consequence.
These cretins CANNOT be trusted!
So what happens when the Prop 19 passes? Do the good citizens of the State of California take up arms against the DEA for infringing on their rights? It’s not at all PC to say this in the least, but if there were ever a time I’d say “state’s rights” this would be it. Not in the sense of the Nixonian “Southern Strategy”, but in the sense that the good people of California have spoken and said “Keep off our Grass”.
In Obamas video to the Netroots Convention once again he asked that Progressives hold him to his word. The thing is Obama never shows up anywhere we can do just that. His appearance on the View would of been the prefect place to ask him why people are still being busted and about this Bushie he wants to head the DEA. I’m sure it is asking too much that any of the ladys at the View to have asked such a blunt question.
The Convention would of been a ideal place, but I’m sure Obama would of found some way to poo-poo those in flavor of MMJ just as he did when it was the number 1 question asked of him before the election. Too bad he missed a great chance to mend a few fences and get his feet scorched.
Rember, Lincoln is supposed to be a big favorite of Obama’s. If California won’t toe the line we might see Petraeus’ march to the Pacific.
With a big enough butt plug, they can be stopped . . . up!
He believes she’s related to the Richard of Lionhearted fame and he fiercely wants her to advocate for him so that Richard is fooled into thinking that he wants to go with him on a Crusade. But he really wants to chat him up to find Maid Marian so that he can arrange to have her kidnapped and rendered to the Tower of London to be water boarded by Vincent Price to reveal Robin Hood’s whereabouts so that he can order Task Force 373 to assassinate him and Little John to save Prince John and the rich.
It’s that finely nuanced eleventy dimensional way of strategizing that he’s so famous for, so that the dumb bastard is sure he’ll hit the water when he falls out of a boat.
Hmmnn . . . Open Water 3.
hi! i agree with your post,I am a veitnam combat veteran, Who had a top sceret cripto clearance.I worked on installing the mainframe coputer in norad defence headquatersin 1964 and 65 and was on the team that got the very first doppler radar on line in san antonio for air force one in 1965.in1966 I went to veitnam ,befor going I new of no one smoking pot.pot and opium were every where over there when I came home I saw it every where in this country,only it was mexican commercial not the good stuff from nam.when I lived around lukenbach texas a friend of mine who was a talented muscian got busted with a joint and being on probation was threatened with 11 years in prison.he brought a dea agent to my house and asked me to get them pot. I turned them down.They were bouth wearing a wire .my take or first impression was the dea agent was a slime ball!!!
with out my knowing they asked my girlfreind at the time to get them pot she offered to get them 4 ozs,driving out to lukenbach with freinds we passed david hill and the dea agent leaving, they signaled for us to pull over on the side of the road,Tammy was going to give them her 4 ozs.Because the dea agent seemed to me to be a major creep I walked over and gave them the pot and then gave tammy the $250.00dollars this happened in 84 I will finnish my convition in2013,tammy got 2and a half years probation, david hill commited suicide.I want the dea destroyed
I hope my kids don’t use marijuana, either as teenagers or as young adults, but if they do, I REALLY hope they don’t end up in jail! I hope that all parents will join in the fight to stop putting our own kids in jail over something as silly as marijuana. Yes, it dumbs a person down for a little while (about as bad as a day on the video games) and yes, it has some minor health effects (about as bad as smoking a cigarette, I suppose), but those aren’t NEARLY as bad as the effects of being locked up IN JAIL WITH THE SEXUAL PREDATORS, and loss of financial aid, etc. that comes, not from the marijuana, but from the LAW. It’s time to quit letting government officials ruin our kids’ lives over a little marijuana!
Californians: register to vote at
h t t p s://w w w .sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/ Just fill out the form and mail it in!
Other states: Google your state name and “voter registration” to find out how to register!
Isn’t it time for our own paid for California police to defend us against the Federal Government’s intervention into a healthcare issue. (It is a California Health and Safety Code statute.)
We are a Republic composed fo 50 individual states. The rights of those individual states guaranteed from interference from the Feds by the 10th Amendment includes health care.
The Feds have no more of a right to lecture us about medical marijuana than Mexican Presidente Calderon has a right to lecture us about our immigation laws.
The cops are here to protect our rights. Our rights include medical marijuana. I expect our cops to draw down on Feds who are so bold as to interfere with my rights as a citizen of California.
The US Supreme Court has found that the state police are not subject to the commands or whims of Federal enforcement. Justice McDonald of the California 4th District Court of Appeal recently wrote in County of San Diego v. San Diego NORML,, quoting the US Supreme Court, “The United States Supreme Court held the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution deprived Congress of the authority to enact that legislation, concluding that “in [New York v. United States (1992) 505 U.S. 144 we ruled] that Congress cannot compel the States to enact or enforce a federal regulatory program. Today we hold that Congress cannot circumvent that prohibition by conscripting the State’s officers directly. The Federal Government may neither issue directives requiring the States to address particular problems, nor command the States’ officers, or those of their political subdivisions, to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program.” (Printz v. United States (1997) 521 U.S. 898, at p. 935.)
The chosen job of the police in California is to protect and defend its people and their rights. If they don’t want to do it, then they should quit. They don’t get to decide what laws they will enforce and what laws they won’t – We Do. As it sits right now, the Feds have deprived California citizens of property under the color of authority, a violation of USC 1988. If they have to use a gun to defend my rights – so be it. Isn’t that why they have guns in the first place?
The Feds have no more right to raid a medical marijuana clinic in California than I do. I’ll guarantee you the police in California wouldn’t hesitate to pull, and use, a gun on me. I’m only asking for equality – if you’d shoot me for doing it why won’t you shoot a Fed? I’m the protected party here – you’re the protector – get to protecting me, that’s the job they signed up for.
tommy2@35
Selling in Texas in ’84 was felony stupidity. Were you stoned – or what?
Nevertheless, I hate hearing about anyone wasting away for 29 years (’84 – ’13).
I represented a kid who got 8 years for a traceable/non-usable quantity of coke and MJ in Kansas. They got him with the resin in a pipe and an empty vial when he squealed his tires. He was a family man, employed full-time in the concrete industry (damn hard work). The appeal went on for two years, but the day it came down they picked him up from work and he woke up in prison. He did 6 of the 8. He lost his wife, lost his kids, and ended up behind the 8 ball for 6 years of back child support.
Justice served – Hardly. They took a contributing, taxpaying, functioning member of society and turned him into a deadbeat dad, destroying his family in their wake.