Obama Administration Threatens Washington State in Battle against Legal Marijuana

[The Straight Story]

Obama Administration Threatens Washington State in Battle against Legal Marijuana

The Obama administration has joined the political debate in Washington state over the legalization of medical marijuana dispensaries, with federal prosecutors telling the governor a proposed new law could result in residents losing their property and state employees being prosecuted.

U.S. Attorneys Jenny Durkan and Michael Ormsby warned in a letter to Governor Christine Gregoire that landlords who rent to dispensaries could be forced to forfeit their properties, even if the state legalizes the operation of such businesses. In addition, Durkan and Ormsby wrote that “state employees who conducted activities mandated by the Washington legislative proposals would not be immune from liability under the Controlled Substances Act.”

Gregoire has indicated she will not sign the bill because of the federal warning.

The action by the U.S. Department of Justice, along with other tough stances it has taken, represent a remarkable turnabout by President Barack Obama, who promised after taking office to stop going after medical marijuana businesses, as President George W. Bush had done.

http://www.allgov.com/Controversies/ViewNews/Obama_Administration_Threatens_Washington_State_in_Battle_against_Legal_Marijuana_110420

[Le Taz Hot]

1. Isn't it interesting

that he's going after Washington and not California (yet). What's he going to do with legalization on the Ballot AGAIN in California (this time with a good chance of passing). Then there's SB676 (hemp legalization) which should make the general leg. sometime within the next 18 months where it's passed twice already but was vetoed by BACKWARD-THINKING REPUBLICAN Governors. We'll see what Brown does with it.

And not one MFing Bankster has gone to jail nor are there even any charges against them.

[msongs]

2. Obama - tough on pot clinics, weak on republicans. nt

[n2doc]

3. Well, he needs to raise a billion dollars for his reelection

Pot growers aren't ponying up enough! :sarcasm:

[Uncle Joe]

12. Corporate supremacy at work.

:puke:

[leftstreet]

18. +1

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Anything to draw attention away from the real criminals

Banksters, Bushsters, war criminals, those who plotted to put the nation at war for profit.

[MatthewStLouis]

10. Exactly!

Maybe we should legalize pot and then tax the daylights out of it. Most people would agree that things like Marijuana aren't exactly good for you, but as long as you're not DUI, no problem. This would free up some resources to go after the real criminals, like financial/insurance industry con men and Wall Street witch doctors.

[Kalun D]

20. Don't Forget

Oil company polluters

but hey the problem with pot is, it makes you think

they can't have people thinking because then they would wake up to how badly they are being screwed.

It also cuts into the CIA's cocaine/heroin profits.

[Le Taz Hot]

5. I'm going to kick this

because it deserves to be seen. Amazing. NOW he grows a spine.

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. a spine against the people with no money.

I guess if pot WERE legal, it would give competition to the drug smugglers who shove so much money thru the big banks.

From June 2010:

Banks Financing Mexico Gangs Admitted in Wells Fargo Deal
Wachovia, it turns out, had made a habit of helping move money for Mexican drug smugglers. Wells Fargo & Co., which bought Wachovia in 2008, has admitted in court that its unit failed to monitor and report suspected money laundering by narcotics traffickers -- including the cash used to buy four planes that shipped a total of 22 tons of cocaine.

For the past two decades, Latin American drug traffickers have gone to U.S. banks to cleanse their dirty cash, says Paul Campo, head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s financial crimes unit.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-29/banks-financing-mexico-s-drug-cartels-admitted-in-wells-fargo-s-u-s-deal.html

But, what does the US see as a problem?
Medical marijuana patients.

[piratefish08]

6. wasn't one of his first actions as President to call his jack-booted thugs off of the pot clinics?

yeah.

whatever.

[Generic Other]

7. FUCKERS have no right dictating to our state what voters mandated

The Feds do nothing for us but pollute our land with their nuke shit, pollute our waters, endanger us with their weapons of mass destruction, ruin our education system with their race to the bottom initiatives. I am sick to death of Obama and all the rest of the Feds telling our state what to do.

When the rubber meets the road, it is the state that always loses.

Obama druglords chew on this awhile: In Seattle there is not a single block of residential housing without at least one indoor grow op. Fuck you. This is a major cash crop in our state and no amount of fistpounding will change that. We already de facto legalised the weed here. Years ago.

[GodlessBiker]

8. This and online gambling appear more important to him than criminal corporatists. He has to go ...

after pleasure like some sort of fucking Puritan.

Very disheartening.

[Thunderstruck]

11. Pot and gambling...not ok...

Cocaine and gambling (documtentary "Inside Job") with your retirement savings, your home, and your job...completely cool.

[Rageneau]

13. I will not vote for Obama in 2012 because of this issue alone.

I have plenty of reasons to resist voting for Obamam in 2012, but this is the one that trumps all the others.

On this issue, it does not matter whether my not voting enables a Republican to get 'in.' Because on this issue, no Republican has a worse record than Obama has.

[frylock]

14. kick

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

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

[CanSocDem]

16. Don't Agonize- Organize!

Seriously, those of us involved in this industry should be 'fighting fire with fire'. We know the value of our product but we are allowing ourselves to be bullied by thugs pushing an inferior product.

We have all the ingredients of a global cartel... minus the most important element, the corporate mindset required to monopolize an industry. It's just not in the pot smokers nature to want to dominate.

There are corporate models available, however, that would give us some muscle when it comes to pushing our product. There are anti-marijuana interests much bigger than the president so it doesn't do us much good to bemoan his failure to help. Even though he has undoubtedly been bought off, and in the vein of 'having a beer with George Bush', he would still be the kind of guy I'd like to share a joint with....

Anyway, we should have an international headquarters with a board of directors, a legal team, R&D, and all the bells and whistles of corporate America.


.

[RainDog]

17. k&r Sad...

[Dr Fate]

19. If only Obama could take on the Coke (sp) Brothers instead of going after Cheech & Chong.

;)

[mountainlion55]

21. F##k!

Obama=Bushlite:hippie: