After working on medical cannabis issues for 10 years, I am rarely shocked by developments in our battle for truth, freedom and compassion. But the unusual public statement just released from Northern California U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag has absolutely floored me. Regarding asset forfeiture proceedings undertaken against the commercial landlord of America's largest and most well-known dispensary, Harborside Health Center in Oakland, Calif., Haag said:
This office has used its limited resources to address those marijuana dispensaries that operate close to schools, parks and playgrounds. As I have said in the past, this is a non-exclusive list of factors relevant to whether we should commence civil forfeiture actions against marijuana properties, and circumstances may require us to address other situations.I now find the need to consider actions regarding marijuana superstores such as Harborside. The larger the operation, the greater the likelihood that there will be abuse of the state's medical marijuana laws, and marijuana in the hands of individuals who do not have a demonstrated medical need.
This press release demonstrates the U.S. Attorney's contempt for needy patients, licensed doctors, and the capabilities of local officials. But apparently Haag's disrespect extends to local policing and public safety.
The statement coincides with an expose on DEA raids carried out under Haag's command in Oakland in April. According to internal emails uncovered by a citizen journalist, Oakland's police were not consulted on the action against Oaksterdam University. As a result, the understaffed force was ill-prepared to handle large demonstrations, federal agents' lack of an "exit strategy," and the daily crimes that require local police attention. Sapping the OPD's strength with a poorly planned raid may even have affected police response to the Oikos University massacre that occurred the same morning a few miles away.
As a medical cannabis advocate, I know the impact these actions have on medical cannabis patients who lose access to their medicine; that is why I get up every morning to fight this battle. But this development should wake up every American. In her statement, the U.S. Attorney questions the fitness of local and state officials to issue permits in compliance with their own laws, as well as the judgement of licensed doctors making medical recommendations for their patients.
Should a U.S. Attorney be allowed to carry out a moral crusade? Are local and state officials unable to interpret their own laws? Should cannabis enforcement come at the cost of cities' public safety?
Last month, Eric Holder testified to Congress that his policy on medical marijuana is to take action only against those "operating out of compliance with state laws." With Ms. Haag taking federal law enforcement to an extreme, by all appearances, Holder seems unable to control her if he wanted to. To uphold the administration's stated policy, there is no other choice: Haag must be removed from office.
Patients and their advocates say to Attorney General Holder: it is time to put an end to the medical cannabis crusade and replace Ms. Haag. Join us by signing our petition with the Courage Campaign telling Holder to be a man of his word and stop the raids. If you live in Northern California, tell President Obama's campaign to take control of his law enforcement officials and fire Ms. Haag -- call them and say, "I want Obama's administration to stop raiding dispensaries -- fire Melinda Haag!"
President Obama should not underestimate the power of our movement. The medical cannabis movement survived for eight years under Bush, we will survive Obama and we can certainly survive under the likes of Mitt Romney.
Follow Steph Sherer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/stephsherer
George Heymont: Living Life on Their Own Terms
Doug Dean: In Defense of President Obama's Medical Marijuana Policy
Bush, if nothing else, left the dispensaries alone...
Both major parties are totally corrupt and bow to the marijuana-prohibition-industrial-complex. The only honest, capable candidate is Governor Gary Johnson. Not only did he save New Mexico from financial disaster, he was the primary force behind the implementation of that state's medical marijuana program. He says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdpcggfIt0U
All here contact information is located on our site:
http://www.weedist.com/2012/07/norcal-medical-marijuana-enemy-1-attorney-general-melinda-haag/
Again.
Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, said at their convention that one of her first actions as President would be to order the DEA and the Justice Department to cease and desist all attempts to harass or prosecute medical marijuana clinics or other legitimate marijuana-related businesses that are operating under state laws.
Obama's been a serious disappointment. I wasn't expecting him to fix the Republicans' damage to the economy, and he'd told us he approved of the Afghan War, just not Iraq, but I'd hoped we'd elected the liberal that Candidate Obama appeared to be, and instead we got President Obama, who chickens out any time the Republicans get noisy. Medical marijuana and Gitmo Prison were two direct abrogations of his campaign promises, and he did a lousy job of ending the Iraq war, and not only failed to prosecute the Bush Administration's torture people but actively defended their policies.
I guess blaming it on Haig would at least give them an "out" should they want it.
I am afraid "Big Pharma" and Law Enforcement lobbies are behind this, and it is coming from down from the very top.
Besides, if you grow a plant, you get a pound of weed, which is way more than I'm going to smoke, like, ever, and my local dispensary has a dozen different flavors of professional-quality buds.
But many dispensaries also sell clone plants you can take home and grow yourself, if you're willing to do a bit of extra paperwork.
The President is named Obama.
Therefore, Obama is at fault for something that NEVER happened under the Bush administration.
Thank you
The price of marijuana should be capped at $50 an ounce, plus taxes. That would stop the greedy growers from B.S.ing their customers about re-legalization initiatives - screaming "it's flawed!"
It's just a plant.
Also, from what I hear, growers work pretty hard at their jobs, and as long as US DOJ and DEA are on the case, they're taking a big risk. In the meantime, you call them greedy. $50 an ounce is a mighty low cap, and you might find nobody willing to work for those prices, or you'll find a giant gray-market with higher prices for better products.
The part about some of them hampering re-legalization initiatives, I agree with you. That's just sad.
Currently the United Nations is sending members of their mercenary security force to Uruguay to undermine efforts to legalize marijuana in that country.
The only way to stop the Obama madness is to sever ties to the United Nations.
Let's be honest, folks. If we expect to move forward with legalization, we need to be careful to not abuse the present laws and keep building thinly veiled headshops instead of sedate, serious clinical providers. That is what Haag is saying. No superstore headshops with kids hanging around outside the tie-dyed painted "clinic" all day.
But if we continue to push at the limit of rules, the rules will push back.
Oh yeah that's the reason there's medical marijuana raids, and cannabis is schedule I. Couldn't have anything to do with companies that compete with cannabis and hemp "donating" campaign dollars to corrupt politicians to maintain the status quo.