Shakedown From Feds Imperils Medicinal Marijuana

No criminal prosecutions are planned for former Justice Department officials accused of allowing politics to influence the hiring of prosecutors, but "The government is going to shut all of these clubs down and the government is going to prosecute anyone involved.”

Go figure.

Ethan,

Why don't you call Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, and Lois Capps and find out where they stand on this issue?

Seriously, these are the sort of issues that voters have a right to know about when they go to the polls.

We know what the Republican Gestapo (AKA US Attorney General) thinks. Shouldn't we expect our US Representatives to stand up for the people of California?

Think of all the tax revenue we could gather if pot was simply leagalized for sale...

I blame the doctors that recommend the marijuana. Had they been vigilent to only recommend to people that truly need it, the feds would not have gotten involved. I think we all know people who have a recommedation that don't need it. Once the feds preceived the law as being abused they jumped in. I feel bad for all the people that are going to lose their medicine from this but I think there is plenty of blame to go around for why the feds are getting involved starting with the doctors.

This issue is never going away...its either going to be a legal, safely distributed product...or a shady, illegally distributed product(contributing to scores of other crimes and related issues)...one way or another santa barbara is staying green.

Passing one the city's dispensaries several times a week I get a pretty good idea of what's really going on. For every middle aged person with a health problem that I see coming out of a dispensary I see four or five leave and hop in a car giggling with their friends.

This law truely is being abused much more often than it is being used.

so what if it's being abused. The clinics are employing people and paying taxes. Probably a much higher rate than most large companies in the state. There needs to be some serious legislation crafted to protect the residents of California from a backward thinking, outrageously expensive, destructive, and failed federal drug policy.

It's a sad day in Amerika when laws passed by voters are ignored by the Feds and that government agency can use draconian tactics to intimidate landlords to serve as their executioners. As for B of A and SB Bank & Trust, what a bunch of two faced chicken s..ts

Number 1, just like anything else people can abuse the system. We need to design the system for those who use it legally, not the minority who abuse it.

It's like saying that because some underage kids abuse alcohol, that all liquor stores should be shut down. Or if someone gets their hands on prescription drugs that are not for them - we're not going to close down all the pharmacies are we? Of course not, we're going to design them to work for the majority of people who use it as they should.

The statistics clearly show that since California passed prop 215 that underage people using illegally Marijuana has gone down. Funny, as the feds report that arrests for Marijuana have gone up.

I think if nothing else, that clearly shows the reality of the way it is, not the reality the feds want to make us believe.

Soon Bush will be out and his hard core style of law enforcement will be out as well. Hopefully whoever is elected next will believe in those silly things called facts, science and statistics.

I'm a proud supporter of Hortipharm and it'll be a sad day when they are forced to closed down.

Nice picture!!!

If you don't like having a federal government sticking their nose in your business, then secede from the USA. If you don't want to do that, or can't get enough votes to do so... get over it!

Where can we organize to surround the dispensaries so they can't just come in and break everything without a fight. It's too easy for them to trash our rights. How about state's rights, we voted for these medicinal marijuana dispensaries. The city is working on regulations and the Feds don't care, in fact the worst possible case for them is it is tightly regulated and it functions well. They don't want to see that. They don't want to see jobs created, taxes increase.

I am a startup, I don't smoke pot but I'll be damned if I sit idly by while these people negotiate with the owners of buildings, hoping they can trample on our rights while we don't notice.

Screw that. So where can we go to get alerts for raids so we can go there, if not I'll create a site. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired, it's time to stop bitching and take action my fellow SBers.

I meant "I have a startup" vs "I am a startup". I work long hours, but I'll still find some time as a human shield to surround dispensaries so that jackbooted thugs don't trample over our rights easily, they're going to have to work a little harder.

Leadbetter: "It's a sad day in Amerika when laws passed by voters are ignored..."
You are so right...Just like Prop 187...Just like the gay marriage vote...Majority doesn't rule: AGENDA'S and ideologues rule.

What a huge waste of taxpayer dollars. The inability of our oppressive administration to respect the laws of the state is unforgivable. The war on drugs is a sham, any reasonable person knows this, and medical marijuana provides serious relief to countless numbers of ailing patients. Just because it isn't lining the pockets of the old crony network and their big-pharma buddies, the persecution continues.

People who keep blaming those who "abuse" the system are really fooling themselves.

If a doctor wants to recommend a substance that helps someone get through their day more healthfully, then let them. That is what America is supposed to be all about. Stress is the number one cause of ALL disease and illnesses. Depression can be debilitating for some. There are plenty of ways which one can benefit from the use of this substance. I am sick and tired of fascists thinking that they know what is best for us, and that they think they can tell us how to run our lives or put is in a cage without harming someone else.

This is one of the most harmless substances on the planet. Ever since the industry exploded in this community, the problems with gang violence has increased, but they of course have NOTHING to do with each other. Problems with people using cannabis are virtually nonexistent. Expecially when compared to, say, alcohol.

sbpuppet-
i agree with you. we the people need to stand up for our rights. f**k the DEA, lets form a human shield around all the dispensaries and make them arrest all of us.

unfortunately i think sbpd will fall in line with the fascist thugs, but it would be a great day when our local police actually protects and serves the people of santa barbara who voted for these rights and who are paying their salaries.

Why are you all overlooking the fact that the federal law in terms of substances (i.e - drugs and alcohol) supercedes any state law? The DEA is just doing their job. People in CA seem to think that you can vote in a "change" to those laws/regulations (Prop 215, and SB 420) BUT YOU CAN'T!!! That is not how drug laws work in the USA. Marijuana is an ILLEGAL drug on the list for Schedule 1 controlled substances (http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/scheduling...) which is why doctors cannot PRESCRIBE it. Some doctors try to get around the law by "recommending" it, not prescribing it. That is why it is NOT carried at pharmacies. People decided to open "dispensaries" which even by the state of CA, are illegal (see link below). They should have read the CA law a little closer. You are not allowed to make a profit distributing pot to anyone, even if they are on your "primary care" list. (http://www.canorml.norml.net/prop/cbcbus...) READ THIS PAGE, it is NOT written by the government. The federal government is just enforcing the laws, state and federal.
STOP COMPLAINING AND WHINING. There is no legal way to run a dispensary and make money from it in the United States. Sorry. End of story.
As a long time resident of SB I have seen the problems that the dispensaries bring into the neighborhoods where they are located. Outside of a few people who claim to need it medically, the majority of customers I see going in and out leave, go around the corner and give some to thier friends, either right on the street or in a nearby vehicle. The City Council originally chose to do nothing about the problem until residents spoke up. The laws need to be enforced. City leaders are losing the respect of the community. Things need to change quick before even worse things begin to happen.

@ "LongtimeLocal"

We could take the time to stop and explain the 10th Amendment to you, where the federal government is limited to the powers expressly given to them by the constitution, but the effort would probably be wasted on someone (you) who claims to (but clearly doesn't) understand the drug laws in the first place. It's not just California, but 12 states that have passed these laws. Think they should be ignored, too?

Maybe YOU should read *this* page:

http://www.drugwarfacts.org/medicalm.htm...

Feel free to note that the Institute of Medicine, a *Federally-Funded* scientific organization, found that "The accumulated data indicate a potential therapeutic value for cannabinoid drugs, particularly for symptoms such as pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation."

Instead, you offer the typical rhetoric and hearsay that one might expect from a media outlet like Fox News. Congratulations, you've dumbed down the debate and alienated a large population of medical patients! Proud of yourself now?

The war on drugs is costing us far too much public revenue that could be devoted to the invasion of other countries.

Just like in Vietnam, it's these damned POT SMOKERS who are standing in the way of our plans to build a global empire!

The title of the article should be "Medicinal Marijuana Imperils community - Feds come to rescue" not "Shakedown From Feds Imperils Medicinal Marijuana"

Is that biased or what?

Are we supposed to feel sorry for the imperiled Marijuana? Don't worry theres still plenty in our back hills and coming across the border....poor baby boom granny from the 60's with a headache will just have to go back out on the streets to maintain her habit...

I always suspected loonpt was a pothead... now I know.

Wait maybe everyone in SB is smoking pot - that sure explains a lot.

You know that pot "in our back hills and coming across the border" would be eliminated entirely if marijuana were legalized and taxed. Despite the fact that marijuana is illegal federally there is still massive demand for it, and as a result of this demand there is a thriving black market. Prices are artificially high because of the high risk involved in growing or importing the substance. However if you legalize and tax, legitimate businesses will thrive because they will be able to deliver better product at lower prices. They would be able to do this by growing locally and openly.

The DEA doesn't even need to worry about their position. They could just become the de facto drug regulators. They could focus on shutting down illegal operations that don't have the permits or meet the standards to operate. The ATF does it with alcohol and tobacco, why couldn't the DEA do it for marijuana?

longtimelocal should go back in the cave and see the light.
every item in the world legal or not is abused. thats called human nature. Education is the most valuable commodity we have and if people would read why marijuana was prohibited in the first place they would start to see the big picture. When longtimelocal gets old an his doctor says he's dying from cancer and marijuana would help him. will longtime choose to live or die with less pain? get down to the basics and the answer will reveal itself.

saying doctors are to blame ? Think about it, Why would an Educated person - A Doctor - Recommend a drug that could harm his profession and practice ?
Maybe he's doing the right thing ?
Abuse- I had a Doctor prescription for (Nueromptain <spelling?) that made me lose ability to tell what day it was.This Doctor was getting a kick back for prescribing the drug. Which is now recalled. I was smart enough to stop taking this drug after a few days.
Think about who benefits from drugs ?
Who would be best to know what would help them? !- A Drug Corp. 2- A Doctor 3- Yourself 4- Government ???? I'll decide for me (#3) whats best and I'll get an educated opinion from (#2) A Doctor and by-pass a corporate entity and a politician.