Thursday morning, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was questioned in a House Judiciary Committee hearing about the Obama Administration's policy on medical marijuana. What he said to our Congressional representatives should be alarming not only to medical cannabis patients, but also to policy makers and the general public, because, based on all of the available information we have, it surely must be a lie.
In response to a question on Justice Department enforcement in medical marijuana states, Attorney General Holder said:
We limit our enforcement efforts to those individuals, organizations that are acting out of conformity with state law.
There is no way to characterize that statement except as false. The administration can say they respect state compassionate use laws, but the reality is a stark contrast to their words.
Ever since the Ogden memo was issued in October 2009, supposedly marking a shift in federal medical marijuana enforcement policy, the Obama Administration has engaged in escalated enforcement: conducting more than 200 paramilitary-style raids on state-compliant growers and distributors, threatening hundreds of landlords with criminal prosecution and asset forfeiture in an attempt to shut down dispensaries, and even threatening numerous public officials for trying to pass their own public health laws.
For the past 8 months, all four U.S. Attorneys in California have taken a keen interest in undermining the state's medical marijuana laws by forcing the closure of more than 300 dispensaries. It's simply not believable that all of these tax-paying businesses were operating in violation of state law. If they were, why didn't the state take part in the raids? Why didn't the state or local authorities issue arrest warrants? Why would state and local politicians stand up for businesses breaking state and local laws? In Colorado, the U.S. Attorney launched his assault by shutting down businesses within 1,000 feet of a public school -- explicitly citing only federal law. He did so publicly, and with great media fanfare. It's hard to believe Holder was unaware of this fact when he told Congress the precise opposite.
In San Francisco, five city-permitted dispensaries were forced to close over the last few months, despite full support from the Board of Supervisors and state lawmakers. Other San Francisco dispensaries have also been threatened by U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag and feel terrorized for conduct they have been engaged in for years without incident. The public and local officials alike are puzzled by this stance especially because it contradicts the Obama Administration's purported policy -- the same policy that Holder repeated to Congress.
Elected officials are speaking out
In California, lawmakers have condemned the Obama administration's raids of legal dispensaries. State Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), Assembly member Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), and Betty Yee, of the Board of Equalization, which collects more than $100 million in tax revenue from dispensaries across the state, have all made recent statements against federal raids. California Attorney General Kamala Harris wrote to all four U.S. Attorneys in December, calling the federal government "ill-equipped" to enforce state medical marijuana laws.
Wednesday, as the President visited their city on a fundraising tour, three San Francisco Supervisors penned an op-ed asking Obama to "keep the commitment he made to stop the federal government's attacks on medical cannabis." From city officials to statewide tax collectors, there is no shortage of outrage over what the Justice Department is doing to undermine local and state medical marijuana laws. Just last month, 73% of House Democrats voted against their own President's policy of raiding medical marijuana facilities.
Why does the Obama administration lie about prosecuting state-permitted medical marijuana?
The question of why President Obama is failing to keep his promise on this issue is puzzling. However, it is inconceivable that Attorney General Holder can testify to Congress that millions of dollars are being spent, and law-abiding citizens are being harmed and put at risk, and even imprisoned, all because of state law violations, when state compassionate use laws were not violated.
Eventually, the public health issues that are currently being suppressed by the federal government's medical marijuana policy will begin to boil over, and Attorney General Holder and President Obama will no longer be able to avoid addressing them. In the meantime, patients and their advocates will be working to bring that day forward, sooner rather than later.
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Scott Morgan: A Big Mistake In Obama's War on Medical Marijuana
Even though, the bought and paid for media is keeping silent on Holders misdeeds and underhanded tactics, the informed, working, economically responsible American public is becoming more and more aware of the “under the radar” tactics being used by Holder, Obama, and this administration on the unsuspecting masses.
Eric Holder is the gargoyle posted by Obama and his socialist crew to protect their nefarious deeds.
Eric Holders protection of Obama is fostering a climate which is allowing, Obama to thumb his nose at our Constitution and Bill of Rights, as Obama and his criminal left wing crew conduct their "under the radar" tactics, in order to bring America to her knees under this shill of a president.
After 3 years Americans can see that the Obama’s brand of “hope and change” translates to bigger government, less freedom for hard working, economically sound, Americans who are required to pay higher taxes in order to pay for his welfare programs for his favored groupies.
Obama continues to thumb his nose at our Constitution as he over rides congress to force his plans on the American people.
Surely, thinking Americans can see what is going on and demand that this reign of Holders ends now!
"The current law against the cultivation of Hemp can be attributed to three men, Henry J. Anslinger, Lammont DuPont, and William Randolph Hearst, who made growing hemp illegal. DuPont and Hearst were the owners of the largest chemical company and newspaper, respectively. Hearst began printing outlandish stories with headlines such as "Marijuana goads user to blood lust". He also took advantage of the country's prejudice against blacks and immigrants by printing that marijuana-crazed negroes were raping white women and by painting pictures of lazy, pot-smoking Mexicans. DuPont's banker Andrew Mellon who happened to be Secretary of the Treasury under Herbert Hoover, also had a nephew-in-law, Henry Anslinger, who had the Marijuana Tax Law of 1937 passed allowing munitions maker DuPont to supply synthetic fibers for the domestic economy without competition.
These men succeeded in a conspiracy which ultimately added to the destruction of the environment, by them producing plastic and paper where hemp could have been more beneficial. In 1991 DuPont was still the largest producer of man-made fibers, while no citizen has legally harvested a single acre of textile grade hemp in over 50 years. The standard fiber of world history, America's traditional crop, hemp, could provide our textiles, paper and be the premier source for cellulose." http://relegalize.info/hemp/history.shtml
this behavior for nearly fifty years and it seems if Uncle Sam would just start telling the truth their
credibility quotient would rise substantially. Every time I hear a government official give their anti-drug spiel, I have to laugh because everyone knows it's BS and yet they continue to conduct their audacious prevaricating, as if it was the truth. The truth will set you free Uncle Sam and spare you
the embarrassment of being seen as a liar with no respect for your constituents.
Semper Fi
The federal government has only a passing similarity with the government spoken of in our Constitution. It's shameful what we have let come to pass over the years.
The excuses have ranged from Mexican cartels growing in California's Forests to Interstate transport of MMJ to other States for Profit..
Now its those Dispensaries make profit and that against Federal Law even though State Law is clear and allows profit to pay for costs...
So its not about abiding by States laws and Guidelines at all..
We are being railroaded by the FEDS Folks..
Eric Holder is lying to us and Congress all along by design..
Playing word games when called on this crap by Congressmen this week again....
And today the Feds threats are still going strong as they have sent letters of threats to even more Dispensaries this week in Southern California..
The excuse is that money is being made illegally in these places...
Though State Law allows it to cover the costs..
So screw state law here is the norm for the DEA....
Its not about that at all...
Its about shutting down the momentum of the Cannabis Movement and access to Patients in California...
Its about supporting those Cities and Counties who have Fought against any safe access... These Local Officials have been working with the Feds as their efforts have been lost in the Courts leaving them powerless to pursue their agenda to keep Cannabis Illegal and non accessible..
So yes this has been a conspiracy all along....
And Yes Did Eric Holder is lying and playing word games.. Has all along...
Last year when this started.. It was said by the DEA that Mexican Drug Cartels were in American Forests and Growing Large Crops or that So much is grown in California and sent to other States for huge Cash Profits... What ever the excuse... They are here in Cali today and gearing up again for another wave of Shutdowns....
So as to keep in the good opinions of his legions of libertarian supporters, right?
Vote early and often for the candidate of your choice.