Medical Marijuana Raids in San Diego
SAN DIEGO --- Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the nationwide patients' rights advocacy organization, received reports?Wednesday of several medical marijuana raids in the San Diego area by federal and local law enforcement. The raids by the San Diego Police Department (SDPD), the San Diego Sheriff's Department, with the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), occurred only a day after the San Diego City Council voted 6-1 to implement a medical marijuana task force to help the city draft local laws.
"Not only does the federal government have no place helping to enforce state and local medical marijuana laws," said ASA California Director Don Duncan. "Local officials must regulate medical marijuana and enforce those laws with civil actions, not with the barrel of a gun." According to local media, the raids were part of an ongoing investigation involving San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, a notorious opponent of medical marijuana. "It is incumbent on District Attorney Dumanis to help pass local regulations in San Diego not to aggressively undermine safe access to medical marijuana," continued Duncan.
Law enforcement was reported handcuffing and detaining several people on the scene of more than a half dozen raids. In typical fashion for such raids, medical marijuana, cash and other property has been seized. No violations have been alleged at this time. For years, safe access to medical marijuana in San Diego has been resisted by local officials, repeatedly calling on the federal government to conduct raids. In 2007 and 2008, continued federal and local raids forced the closure of more than 20 medical marijuana dispensing collectives. However, after the California Attorney General issued medical marijuana guidelines in August 2008, recognizing the legality of dispensing collectives, medical marijuana providers began operating again in San Diego.
Two weeks ago, the California Senate voted 23-15 on a resolution urging the federal government to end medical marijuana raids and to "create a comprehensive federal medical marijuana policy that ensures safe and legal access to any patient that would benefit from it." Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 14, introduced in June by State Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) seeks to keep local enforcement in the hands of local officials and calls on Congress and the President to move forward with a new federal policy on medical marijuana.
Despite a presidential campaign promise made by Barack Obama, that he will not "be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws," federal raids have continued under his Administration. "It's of utmost importance that the Obama Administration give deference to local officials to implement local and state medical marijuana laws," continued Duncan.
Further information:
Senate Joint Resolution on medical marijuana:
http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/SJR_14.pdf
ASA fact sheet on SJR 14:
http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/SJR14_Fact_Sheet.pdf
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The way it looks to me is: District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis declared Marshall Law herself and called in the Feds. She knew that she could not do anything on the local level. She so passionately hates Marijuana That she put her elected career on the line. She called up the Feds and said do this for me.
When it all comes out in the end and she is disgraced from office. Maybe then she will realize what a gross injustice she has done. That is if she is not charged with crimes of abuse of her office.
I suggest she read a new book that is out. "Marijuana Is Safer: so why are we driving people to drink?" It really will give you a new outlook on medical marijuana . If you can't afford the $10.14 for the book let me know and I'll buy it and send it to you. I've heard CA is a little cash strapped. Even more so without medical marijuana dispenseries to help with the budget shortfall that Gov. Schwatzenager was glad to see.
From what I understand reading on this the raid was not done by feds but rather local law enforcement, or am i missing something?
We are still waiting for Eric Holder to tell us what the new federal medical marijuana policy is. They announced there was one 7 months ago,and the Ways and Means committee( purse strings),asked for clarification over 2 months ago,only the vacuum of silence is heard.
And now there are four studies whose results state that smoked pot has cancer blocking attributes. Still,no testing allowed in the US.
This is just another example of the Administration going back on what was promised last year during elections ! Well, yes and no. Federal government attacking medical marijuana - something legal in California - is not new. Unfortunately, it isn't right either. However, even if two weeks ago the California Senate voted to handle itself it will be quite some time before anything is done about that decision.
Getting things done on a State or Federal level is not quick, not easy, not painless. Bureaucracy is not swift and just because California Senate voted one way it doesn't mean there will be any immediate changes. Federal government will continue to have jurisdiction until California expels them through the lengthy process. In the meantime the raids will continue because they have the authority to do so.
Even if Barack Obama did want to issue the order to pull the Federal law enforcement out of California he couldn't do it without repercussion. Doing so would mean decreased government spending, decreased government jobs , and decreased government property when they don't have payroll or seizure of assets. In effect it would actually hurt the Federal government to cease these senseless raids.
It's a machine that was in motion long before January of 2009 and it's got plenty of inertia behind it. The President is not going to get in front of that train. If you think the President has that much power then you're overestimating his duties. His number one priority is not to the People but to the thugs.
The only chance the Union has of getting more control back to individual States is the threat of voting Congressmen and Senators out of office if they do not comply and choosing Representatives that will get our independence back. And even that starts from the bottom as information is handed out to the voters to help enlighten them, not steer them.