Drug Policy Alliance: "Obama Administration's Medical Marijuana Policies Now Worse Than Bush"

[Better Believe It]

Press Release | 10/07/2011

Obama Administration Escalates War on Medical Marijuana Patients

US Attorneys in California Say They Will Shut Down Dispensaries, Prosecute Landlords and Seize Properties Notwithstanding State Law

Obama Administration's Medical Marijuana Policies Now Worse Than Bush and Clinton Policies


Despite the Obama Administration's promise to respect state law and leave medical marijuana patients alone, its attack on patients and providers operating legally under state law is rapidly escalating. At least 16 landlords in California this week received letters stating that they are violating federal drugs laws and that state law will not protect them. The four US Attorneys in California are holding a press conference in Sacramento today in which they are expected to announce a broad crackdown on medical marijuana.

A series of administration actions in the past month makes it clear that they are engaged in a full scale assault on medical marijuana patients' rights and their ability to access medicine and that they have reconsidered their willingness to allow states with medical marijuana laws to implement those policies without federal interference. The Treasury Dept. is forcing banks in Colorado to close accounts of medical marijuana businesses operating legally under state law. The IRS now says it will not recognize legitimate business expenses of dispensaries and is requiring owners to pay taxes required of no other businesses; the result will be closure of the most well regulated dispensaries and loss of millions of dollars in tax revenue for local governments. And the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives last week ruled that state-sanctioned medical marijuana patients cannot legally possess firearms.

"The Obama administration's latest moves strongly suggest that their medical marijuana policies are now being driven by over-zealous prosecutors and the anti-marijuana ideologues who dominated policymaking in past administrations," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. "Barack Obama is betraying promises made when he ran for president and turning his back on the sensible policies announced during his first year in office. Instead of encouraging state and local authorities to regulate medical marijuana distribution in the interests of public safety and health, his administration seems determined to re-criminalize as much as possible. It all adds up to bad policy, bad politics and bad faith."

http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2011/10/obama-administration-escalates-war-medical-marijuana-patients


-------------------------------------------



PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: October 7th, 2011

Patient Advocates Accuse Obama of Hypocritical, Aggressive Policy on Medical Marijuana
Millions of taxpayer dollars spent undermining state and local medical marijuana laws


Sacramento, CA -- The Obama Justice Department (DOJ) held a press conference in Sacramento today announcing an array of enforcement actions against medical marijuana producers and distributors as well as landlords throughout California. Patient advocates are calling President Obama's enforcement effort harmful and unnecessary, representing a stark contradiction to his pledge of disengagement in medical marijuana states. The DOJ claimed it was carrying out civil and criminal enforcement actions against medical marijuana providers and sending "warning" letters to property owners leasing to dispensary operators.

"Aggressive tactics like these are a completely inappropriate use of prosecutorial discretion by the Obama Administration," said Joe Elford, Chief Counsel with Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the country's largest medical marijuana advocacy group. "President Obama must answer for his contradictory policy on medical marijuana." On the campaign trial and in the White House, President Obama pledged that he was "not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws."

California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) said in a statement issued today that the DOJ enforcement strategy was "a waste of scarce federal resources," underscoring "the need for Congress to pass H.R. 1983, the States' Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act." H.R. 1983 would reclassify medical marijuana at the federal level and allow states to develop, implement and enforce their own laws.

This attack is the latest in a long line of federal intimidation tactics employed over the past few months by such agencies as Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). President Obama's DOJ has conducted well over 150 federal raids in at least 7 states since taking office and his U.S. Attorneys sent letters earlier this year threatening local and state officials in 10 states with criminal prosecution if they adopted proposed medical marijuana laws.

By sending threatening letters to landlords, President Obama is taking a cue from his predecessor George W. Bush, whose Justice Department sent similar letters to more than 300 property owners throughout California in 2007. Despite the seriousness of letters sent by the DOJ under Bush, no criminal or forfeiture enforcement actions were ever pursued. It's unclear if the federal government has the resources or inclination to act on these new threats in a significant way, but for the price of postage they have engaged in wholesale intimidation of the medical marijuana community.

Advocates argue that states should be allowed to enforce their own public health laws, including those concerning medical marijuana. "It is unconscionable that the federal government would override local and state laws to enforce its will over the will of the people," said ASA spokesperson Kris Hermes. "States must be allowed to enforce their own laws without harmful interference from the Obama Administration." California Attorney General Kamala Harris was apparently not warned by the DOJ about the heightened federal enforcement effort before today.

The DOJ enforcement effort comes as hundreds of demonstrations against Wall Street are continuing to occur across the country. These protests are, at least in part, questioning the federal government's allocation of limited resources. Meanwhile, President Obama has chosen to expend federal resources to crack down on medical marijuana in states that have legalized its use. "By shutting down dispensaries, the Obama Administration is not only pushing legal patients into the illicit market," continued Hermes, "it's also wasting taxpayer dollars at a time of fiscal crisis."

Further information:
Redacted example of U.S. Attorney letter to landlords of California medical marijuana dispensaries: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/US_Attorney_Landlord_Letter.pdf

http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=6846


-------------------------------------------



Federal Government Announces Escalation Of Its War On Cannabis
By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
October 7, 2011

“This is not an idle threat. … What we’re trying to do is send a message as broadly as possible. … We are serious about enforcing federal law. … We are not just talking about it, but we are doing something about it. … Prosecuting marijuana cases is a higher priority now.”
–statements of the US Attorneys for the four federal districts in California

We’ve seen this coming for some time, but today the gloves officially came off. No more memos filled with false promises; no more phony pledges to respect states rights, no more giggles. Like a caged animal backed into a corner, the federal government is snarling and spitting back. It has no other way to defend its morally bankrupt policy except through a show of strength and intimidation.

So why these stepped up efforts now? The answer ought to be self-evident. The intention of these and other recent, well-publicized threats by the Obama administration is to stifle the development of a viable legal cannabis distribution industry, even in states that have enacted legislation to allow for such an industry.

During today’s conference, all four US Attorneys affirmed that their intent is not to target individual, state-compliant medical cannabis consumers per se, but to emphasize that the Department of Justice is opposed to the regulated commerce of medical cannabis. That’s because once this industry has legitimized itself to the public and local lawmakers in California, Colorado, and elsewhere, then voters will become accustomed to safe, secure, well-run businesses that deliver consistent, reliable, tested cannabis products. They’ll appreciate the way well-regulated medical dispensaries revitalize sagging economies, provide jobs, and contribute taxes to budget-starved localities. They’ll realize all the years of scaremongering by the government about what would happen if marijuana were legal, even for sick people, was nothing but hysterical propaganda. And the voting public will eventually ask: ‘Why we don’t just legalize cannabis for everyone in a similarly responsible manner?’

Read the full article at:

http://norml.org/index.cfm

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Dragonfli]

2. Do you really think he isn't? /nt

[krabigirl]

3. It's sad when a Republican like Rohrabacher makes more sense than a Democratic president. WTF?

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. I have to wonder, how many of these US Attorneys who are doing this

are Bush appointees, whose real intent is to piss off medical marijuana recipients (and MJ users in general) so they will not support Obama in the election?

What is happening is a direct contradiction of Obama's stated policy - and his policy is technically unsupportable if a US Attorney wants to prosecute, because the law is still on the books.

So, is this Obama's fault? Is it Holder's fault? They COULD simply change the schedule for marijuana, so there would be no reason to prosecute. They could have, in that first 2 years, have legalized it. The could have replaced the Bush appointees, so those who he put in their place would be more inclined to follow his policies.

Is he a two-faced bastard, or merely incompetent?

[Dr Fate]

13. Nah- Obama is too sharp for that. He would call them out by name if they were trying to trick him.

He would be saying that he disagrees with them and would be exploring ways to counter their efforts.

I do not think he should.

I think this is one of those times where our good centrists should work with the far right to protect children, reduce demand, etc.

[RaleighNCDUer]

15. Right. He SHOULD be on the side of the pharmaceuticals agianst

people who have legitimate prescriptions for mj, to battle cancer, and MS, and glaucoma, and PTSD, and HIV, and chronic fatigue, and...

You need to get out of the dark ages.

[Mr Deltoid]

31. Medical MJ is dipping into corporate profits

All those Oxycotin addicts switching to safe medical marijuana. It is bad for drug company coffers.

[truedelphi]

50. + 1. n/t

[RainDog]

32. LOL.

I think that was a little sarcasm on the good doctor's part.

but it's good to see that you agree that Obama should not be siding with those who are part of the war on drugs.

now he should do something to indicate his position b/c, honestly, his entire administration has worked to deny the medical value of cannabis - well, they made the exception of possible pharmaceutical cos who want to grow it elsewhere...

the truth is that no one is "buying" this b.s. that it's a ratfuck.

If it is, then this is an opportunity for Obama to appeal to the 81% of Americans who believe that medical marijuana should be legal by saying that, as Holder announced, the administration does not want to go after dispensaries.

http://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/Politics/medical-marijuana-abc-news-poll-analysis/story?id=9586503

81% of Americans in favor of something is pretty amazing. How much consensus do you find on social issues usually? not this much. It's not 99%, but it's certainly part of them.

[truedelphi]

49. Thanks for once again posting some intelligent reflection on

Reality, and not the insipid spin of: but drugs are evil (unless they enhance the Big Pharmaceuticals' bottom line) and all that nonsense.

Keep up the good work.

[Dr Fate]

52. The point is that Obama likes what these conservatives are doing.

Unless you have a link showing him speaking out against it, etc.

[Bluenorthwest]

39. Why wonder? They are all Obama appointees.

In addition, it is well within the power of the President to remove any US Attorney at will, the AG then names an interim replacement until a permanent confirmation is made. POTUS has to ask no one, nor does the AG.
I'm tired of seeing people foist this 'Bush appointments' falsehood, we all have Google and can acess DOJ records. It is not a secret.

[Hippo_Tron]

58. Obama could have done as Clinton did and fired all 93 US Attorneys on January 20th, 2009

But he was way too caught up in this post-partisan nonsense.

[Better Believe It]

5. Deleted

Deleted

[indepat]

6. Demonstrating that junior must have been not-RW enough in his governance?

:patriot:

[theaocp]

7. TYT brought up the upcoming FDA approval of

pharma's cannabis derivatives as a possible reason for this nonsense. Gotta protect the markets, heya?

[Upton]

8. This isn't the only issue he's been worse than Bush..

drone attacks have more than doubled under Obama's watch. Hell, if I wanted a Republican I would have voted for one..

[Mr Deltoid]

10. Taxes too

He is more tax cut happy than even Bush.

[walerosco]

23. tell me about it

taxes rates are at the lowest level in decades and yet we are fighting 5-6 wars while spending like we won the lottery.

[Mr Deltoid]

29. With more tax cuts waiting in the wings...

[The Straight Story]

44. He did raise taxes on poor folks through SCHIP (while keeping them lower on the wealthy)

Tobacco taxes went through the roof (a bag of tobacco that was once $20 is now $65 - unless it is pipe tobacco).

Raise taxes on 'sins' though and people are ok with it.

[nomb]

11. Like you had a choice in the matter.... (*sarcasm*)

[yardwork]

42. Obama's environmental policies are worse than Bush's.

[bighart]

60. I wish it were just a doubling in this case

YEAR ATTACK(S) DEATH(S)
2004 1 5
2005 2 7
2006 2 23
2007 4 77
2008 33 313
2009 55 724
2010 118 993

[Mr Deltoid]

9. Last May our governor was ready to sign a law licensing dispensaries and growers

Obama's US attourney threatened the governor saying if she signed it into law, they would prosecute any state employees that enforced it.

Based upon that threat, the law was shelved and coops and dispensaries remain unlicensed.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/29/washington-marijuana-bill-veto_n_855765.html

"WASHINGTON -- In the wake of conflicting legal opinion, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) on Friday vetoed critical parts of a new medical marijuana bill, citing concerns that state workers could be prosecuted by federal authorities under the law.

"We cannot presume to assure protections to one group of people -- patients, providers and health care professionals -- in a way that subjects another group, Department of Health and Department of Agriculture employees to federal arrest or criminal liability," she said in prepared remarks in Olympia on Friday. "That is not acceptable to me; it is not workable.""

[Upton]

37. Yep, I live in Washington state..

and since that letter threatening federal prosecution of state employees and Gregoire's subsequent veto of the bill, the MM industry here has been thrown into disarray. Only in the major counties like King, are dispensaries still operating. Down where I live...they've now all been shutdown..

[Dr Fate]

12. Obama is merely trying to regulate. Regulation is progressive. I thought liberals liked regulations.

He is going regulate them by taking their property, shutting down their businesses and putting them in jail.

You know, Liberal stuff.

We are always saying Obama needs to regulate BP or regulate Wall Street or regulate this that or the other- well now he is regulating and all the liberals complain.

[Edweird]

16. I'll check back with you about this November 2012. We'll see if you're still so glib.

[Uncle Joe]

17. That's a patently absurd and simplistic statement

"Obama is merely trying to regulate. Regulation is progressive. I thought liberals liked regulations."

Regulation may or may not be progressive and liberals don't like regulations just for regulations' sake, anyone believing that B.S. has certainly bought into the far right propaganda message.

It comes down to questions as to whether said regulations benefit or harm the public good, are they smart or just regulations?

Are said regulations aimed at empowering the people or subjugating them to corporate supremacy?

[caseymoz]

18. I'm noticing that pot dispensaries can't operate with the regulation.

Whereby banks an oil companies are running and have been doing quite well.

So, there's a difference between liberal regulation and what you're calling the "liberal" regulation of marijuana. Do you see a contrast, there?

[Better Believe It]

19. He's become a prohibitionist.

[tama]

20. LOL! -thanks, and a hug nt

[walerosco]

26. wtf

I dont want regulations for the sake of regulations and btw not all regulations have a positive effect on society. Sometime after reading your posts I wonder if you are not already smoking something yourself

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[krabigirl]

55. Looool. :)

[madrchsod]

14. i `d say big pharma is about to patent cannabis.....

[Better Believe It]

21. Wish that was so, but no, I think the feds are moving in the opposite direction under Obama.

The right-wing will never support legalization by big Pharma.

Right-wing outfits are applauding this latest move by the Obama administration.

The ones who claim they are against "big gov" telling us how to live.

Unless the government is ordering to live according to the right-wings morals and religious beliefs.

[court jester]

33. check out US Patent #6,630,507

"Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA receptor antagonism. This new found property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and HIV dementia. Nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidoil, are particularly advantageous to use because they avoid toxicity that is encountered with psychoactive cannabinoids at high doses useful in the method of the present invention. A particular disclosed class of cannabinoids useful as neuroprotective antioxidants is formula (I) wherein the R group is independently selected from the group consisting of H, CH.sub.3, and COCH.sub.3. ##STR1##

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6630507.PN.&OS=PN/6630507&RS=PN/6630507

"The patent granted to the US Government and its uses of medical cannabis indicates that they have known for quite some time that cannabis is truly a medicinal plant.

This should be very alarming considering that the US Government has long denied the efficacy of medical marijuana as a medicine, as well as resisting the reclassification of the plant from Schedule 1 (no medical use), terrorizing/incarcerating medical patients and their family members, while at the same time successfully operating a 20+ year Federal Medical Marijuana Program..."

http://medicalcannabisinstitute.com/uncategorized/us-govt-patents-cannabis/

And there is the reason the proles are prohibited from growing an herb.

"Herb is the healing of a Nation"
Hon. Robert Nesta Marley O.M.

[kenny blankenship]

22. Heh heh heh

Suckers!

[walerosco]

24. K&R

Can you imagine the rethugs working on gun bans? but democrats are hear fighting the war on drugs which stated differently is policeing morality.

[DLine]

25. If Obama just doesn't want to be President...

Why doesn't he just say so instead of alienating every segment of his base that he can.

[Mr Deltoid]

30. I think he assumes that 'Independents' all think like Republicans

So he implements republican shit, hoping to draw the 'independents' away from the republicans?

Or something equally obtuse and senseless...

[krabigirl]

56. Yep. His advisors are completely, utterly clueless.

[blackspade]

27. K&R!!

[Liberty Belle]

34. The worst burned victim in the Cedar Fire relies on medical marijuana cream for pain relief.

He was burned over 65% of his body. The cream doesn't make you high and you don't test positive on drug tests. Many others rely on medical marijuana for relief from chemotherapy nausea and other legitimate purposes. I myself have degenerative disk pain, tried a dab of cream and felt great; I hadn't had a chance to get my own prescription yet and now I probably never will. I am furious over this travesty.

Here is California medical marijuana is a billion dollar industry and provides a lot of tax revenues to our state's dwindling coffers at a time when we've seen deep slashing of school budgets and social services.

I recently interviewed the first clinic legally licensed by the San Diego Sheriff. this business spent a lot of money to move locations and comply with state and county rigid requirements.

How is this fair to anyone?

Those who use clinics as a means to just get high are going to find marijuana illegally on the street. All this accomplishes in my view is to take away pain relief from many people who are suffering, and also take money right out of our schools and more.

Whatever happened to respecting states rights? Our state's people voted to legalize medical marijuana years ago with a ballot initiative.

So what will it take to get this changed at the federal level--either legalizing medical MJ everywhere, or at least making exceptions to honor states rights in places where the people or Legislatures have voted to allow ill people to have access to this very effective medication?

[Better Believe It]

40. "Those who use clinics as a means to just get high are going to find illegal marijuana on the street

"All this accomplishes in my view is to take away pain relief from many people who are suffering, and also take money right out of our schools and more."

Excellent point.

Thanks!

[yardwork]

43. Our country's attitude toward pain is puritanical.

Somehow, fundamentally in the U.S. a lot of people appear to believe that people who suffer pain deserve to suffer pain. Somehow, many of us have the attitude that taking something to reduce pain is a sign of weakness and immorality.

Look at the decades' long struggle to allow patients dying of cancer to take morphine. The hysteria! I remember it well. "They'll become addicts!!!!"

We treat dying animals better than we treat people in pain in this country. We really need to get to grips with this narrow way of thinking.

[ooglymoogly]

35. Repuke thuggery over Maryjane has harolded in fascism on roller skates

do you think fascist repuke thugs will ever give that up without a fight to the death? It is what keeps them loaded and easily able to fudge elections while holding the sword of Damocles over what real democrats are left; a significant number of whom are in prisons for victimless "crimes" or have felony convictions for same.


And icing on the cake, there is the added support of the criminal drug corp cartels showering them with buckets of cash to keep them in office and keep the propaganda levels at fever pitch to pretend they are elected fairly and that the Repuke criminals, (er politicians) are all legit; with plenty left over to keep the voters confused, divided and at bay.

[SHRED]

36. Heartless sonza bitches

[Le Taz Hot]

38. And another LARGE constituency lost . . .

This will go over SO WELL in California. :eyes:

[caseymoz]

41. Are supporters ready to say Obama isn't so progressive after all?

It's sad that it takes this for them to admit it when more serious violations of rights and due process told me that in February 2009.

[mitchtv]

45. last week or so I made a post about burying my opposition

to the president, and I would hold my nose and support him , at least because of DADT. with this new persecution, I take that all back I WILL NOT vote for Obama next time. I have Parkinson's and weed is very effective in relieving symptoms. Why help the repugs you say?. They will only make things worse. Maybe but right now the Admin is behaving just like pukes, and sometimes it is important to punish the scumbags in power, no matter what happens.I no longer consider myself a Dem after being one for 40+ years. The next telephone solicitation for contributions is going to get an earful.

[treestar]

46. If something is illegal, it is illegal

No point in crying about the Executive Branch enforcing it.

In fact bad laws will stay on the books if unenforced. The country passes laws for a reason.

[Bluenorthwest]

47. But then again, Obama says GLBT rights should be up to the

States, so where is the consistency? Is he in favor of State's rights or not? Just for 'those people'? Surely not on all civil rights, that much we know.
Got an answer for that? Of course not.

[Warren DeMontague]

54. That's right. And the voters in states like California have roundly supported Medical Marijuana.

FUCKING ENOUGH, ALREADY. LEGALIZE IT, REGULATE IT, TAX IT.

[krabigirl]

57. Sorry, but it is legal for medical use in my state. Screw the Fed dinosaurs.

[Hippo_Tron]

59. We don't live in a world of infinite resources

The Justice Department prosecutes a staggeringly low percentage of criminals, because it simply has neither the manpower nor the money to do everything.

When Obama was a candidate he said that he would use his discretion as President to allocate DOJ resources away from prosecuting medical marijuana and towards more important things. He also said we're the change we've been waiting for and that we need to hold his feet to the fire. I don't see any reason not to speak up when he's blatantly breaking this promise.

[Tsiyu]

48. We lost a 24-year-old Friday night

The latest of many who have OD'd on the latest form of escape: Prescription Pills. In this case, a combination of Opana and Xanax did this kid in. He stopped breathing while cruising around with his friends.

These prescription pills are DEADLY. As in DEADLY.

But they're legal.

It's perfectly fine for the Pharmco's to inundate the nation with these addictive drugs like it's all just happy candy, with absolutely zero responsibility for what happens to those who become addicted. It's just a goddamn 'nother person to profit off of - til he or she croaks from the drugs producing the profit.

(And if you own Pharmco stock, or you're a lobbyist for Pharmco, or a politician slurping up lots of Pharmco donations just turn your goddamned head away from another death caused by the products that pad your ass. Just fucking turn away....)





AS for me: I'm sick over it.

But let's raid MMJ clinics over a fucking herb. A fucking plant. That'll reduce our nation's suffering due to drugs. That'll bring this kid back. That'll give this mountain some hope....


Hell's bells, we've got money for the cruelest things.....

[truedelphi]

51. Note that the Occupy Wall Street video details

The hijacking of decent medical methods that are cheap and easy to obtain, so that the sick and those chronically in pain must instead purchase Pharmaceutical products to add to that industry's profit margins.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44p_A4gOloU





Happy Birthday, John.

[xiamiam]

53. ko..i think..nt

[meow mix]

61. i been saying this for a year.

as a single issue voter its quite the quandery for me now, votewise