Socrtease
Verified User
What positions of Johnson are insane?
"Weed Wars" clinic (Harborside) under RICO filing by CA. USDA
- Thread starter anatta
- Start date
no evidence for that claim, and not everyone can go down the street and cop weed. Harborside was well run, the fact you mention Dr's are scamming, means you're throwing them all together - any Dr can be a scammer, or get scammed. You're almost quoting the USDA's.
Dispensaries are still the best way to go. At least the user can't get arrested -the point of using a dispensary, rather then "asking ppl you meet", that is criminal, and many prefer to use MJ, but not take the chance of arrest. How many possesion charges were arrested last year? A bunch.
It''s also stopped the state of DE from opening a dispensary. Too much uncertainity.
we've had this discussion before so I'm not going to re"hash" it. How can the dispensaries know what Rx's are legit -which arent?
( to the point about weeding out the "cheaters")? an Rx is an Rx.
we just have different views on this, if dispensarys weren't under attack, other states would move towards clinics, this is a chilling effect,
PS. without medical marijuana available - what's next?- you know it Big Pharma - what this is really all about.
Cancel 2016.11
Darla
Oh sorry I just saw this Soc, let me go back to your original post with those links you put up and get back to you. I remember his wanting to abolish the IRS and the dept of education among other things. Hold on.
Cancel 2016.11
Darla
Positions I would term insane:
-Against any type of federal stimulus including the 2009 stimulus. Considering the state of our economy at the time and the repercussions of no stimulus, this is insane.
-Abolish the IRS
-Eliminate the federal minimum wage.
-Would not raise the debt ceiling. (this is not about increasing spending it's about paying the debts of the United States and if we defaulted, the effects on our and the world's economy cannot be over stated, this is insane)
-The federal government should not be involved in education. This appears to be a less clear way of stating he would abolish the dept of education. It's cooler to state you'd abolish the IRS, so he comes right out and states that. I believe he is stating the same thing about the dept of education.
Positions I have extreme disagreement with:
-"reform" Medicare. WTF does this mean? Paul Ryan type of "reform" which ends Medicare as we know it, period, regardless of what Polifact yhas to say?
-Do you support the ACA? "no, open the markets so insurers can compete across state lines and lower costs". Horseshit. The effect of this would be exactly what happened when we "opened the markets" for credit card companies. They'd all move to the state with the least/no regulations and give us the fucking of a lifetime. We know what would happen if we did this. No guess work is involved.
-Does not support AA
-Wants to extend and increase the Bush tax cuts. This actually borders on insanity. We cannot afford this, period.
-wants to privatize SS
-Wants abortion rights left up to the states.
So definitely not someone I could ever vote for.
-Against any type of federal stimulus including the 2009 stimulus. Considering the state of our economy at the time and the repercussions of no stimulus, this is insane.
-Abolish the IRS
-Eliminate the federal minimum wage.
-Would not raise the debt ceiling. (this is not about increasing spending it's about paying the debts of the United States and if we defaulted, the effects on our and the world's economy cannot be over stated, this is insane)
-The federal government should not be involved in education. This appears to be a less clear way of stating he would abolish the dept of education. It's cooler to state you'd abolish the IRS, so he comes right out and states that. I believe he is stating the same thing about the dept of education.
Positions I have extreme disagreement with:
-"reform" Medicare. WTF does this mean? Paul Ryan type of "reform" which ends Medicare as we know it, period, regardless of what Polifact yhas to say?
-Do you support the ACA? "no, open the markets so insurers can compete across state lines and lower costs". Horseshit. The effect of this would be exactly what happened when we "opened the markets" for credit card companies. They'd all move to the state with the least/no regulations and give us the fucking of a lifetime. We know what would happen if we did this. No guess work is involved.
-Does not support AA
-Wants to extend and increase the Bush tax cuts. This actually borders on insanity. We cannot afford this, period.
-wants to privatize SS
-Wants abortion rights left up to the states.
So definitely not someone I could ever vote for.
oh gee. like ending a perpetual war on terror? ending drug wars? droning the fucking planet?Cutting the size and scope of the Fed's?
Count me in, I must be INSANE
Just getting an end to the duopoly would be the very best outcome, but it isn't going to happen,Americans are too clinging to the idea that partisan politics produces results.
It's great for the politicians -locks in the grip on power. Not so great for "hope and change".
This election is NOSIE so far, i've decided to "turn off, tune out, and drop out" ( of the duoplatic mindset) -to misuse a Timothy Leary quote.
blackascoal
The Force is With Me
Lots of deal-breakers there.
I had considered it as a protest vote for his positions that I agree with .. however, it appears that there are more things that I VEHEMENTLY disagree with him with than there are those that I just agree with him on.
Thanks for that.
Althea
Althea told me...........
I'm not almost quoting...I AM quoting the USDA. Why do you think they're lying? We did indeed have this discussion, and I supplied you with the video of the dr.(s) who give just about anyone a script for weed.
Would you expect the govt. to stand back and allow everyone to be walking around on Oxy, just because they have a bogus script?
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=7281262
http://mcauleysworld.wordpress.com/...-lessons-from-montana-for-american-taxpayers/
The clinics were a major factor in Montana’s medical marijuana patient registry jumping from 842 people at the end
of 2008 to just about 20,000 at the end of June.But over the past few months, the clinics have come under criticism as being assembly lines that sees hundreds of people at a time, but at the expense of proper medical examinations
I could post lots of these. I'll reiterate: A few cheaters, are ruining it for those who really need medical marijuana.
Don't make this look like the big bad gubmint is just being mean. The floodgates were opened, and now there's a problem.
blackascoal
The Force is With Me
How is that better than the status quo?
Obama didn't cross those who believed he would bring a smarter marijuana policy because of "cheaters."
A Big Mistake In Obama's War on Medical Marijuana
For over a year now, the Obama Administration has been steadily escalating its assault on medical marijuana. What was already a mess has been getting worse from one week to the next, and each new attack revives the question of whether the feds have finally taken things too far.
If we aren't there yet, we may well be getting pretty damn close. As the Huffington Post reported last week:
SAN FRANCISCO -- An Oakland medical marijuana dispensary that has been billed as the largest pot shop on the planet has been targeted for closure by federal prosecutors in Northern California, suggesting that a crackdown on the state's medical marijuana industry remains well under way.
U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag has threatened to seize the Oakland property where Harborside Health Center has operated since 2006, as well as its sister shop in San Jose, executive director and co-founder Steve DeAngelo said Wednesday. His employees found court papers announcing asset forfeiture proceedings against Harborside's landlords taped to the doors at the two locations on Tuesday.
What makes this event stand out is Harborside's unparalleled reputation for safety, security and compliance with local laws. The decision to target them contradicts an April interview in which President Obama told Rolling Stone that enforcement efforts focused only on dispensaries that illegally sold marijuana for non-medical use.
Attorney General Eric Holder reiterated that position last month, saying, "We limit our enforcement efforts to those individuals, organizations that are acting out of conformity with state law." He added that dispensaries may also be targeted if they are too close to a school, and indeed, numerous dispensaries have been shut down for operating within 1,000 feet of a school, even in the absence of any actual problems or complaints.
Yet Harborside is not located within 1,000 feet of a school, nor has the organization ever been accused of violating state or local laws. To the contrary, the group is nationally-recognized as the leading example of a well-run, well-regulated medical marijuana provider. National news outlets routinely feature stock footage from inside the facility, where cameras have always been welcome. The group has operated like an open book from the beginning, believing that a transparent and responsible approach would lend legitimacy to the industry.
How then would the feds justify targeting a place that everyone loves? Ironically, by claiming it's too popular:
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. - U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag
This explanation not only contradicts the excuses offered by the president and attorney general, it's also about as incoherent as anything ever uttered in the long and hideous history of federal officials saying stupid things about medical marijuana. This is literally the exact opposite of the truth, in that one well-managed dispensary that consistently upholds the law eliminates the need for numerous others that might not.
This place, by its very existence, has done more to promote legal compliance in the medical marijuana industry than an army of federal law enforcement officials ever could. It has set a standard of excellence that's reverberated though the industry and reduced the exact sorts of abuses that the feds so cynically claim to be concerned about. Harborside isn't the problem, it's the solution.
That's why the Obama Administration's attack on Harborside is so terribly short-sighted. It exposes the reality that they're more afraid of the best dispensaries than the worst. It leaves Obama with no answer the next time this issue comes up, and he ought to know by now that it will. It pits the president against public opinion, even among republicans, and becomes a particular problem in the key swing state of Colorado. Heck, he's even got a fundraiser scheduled next week in Oakland, and you can bet he'd raise more money if he weren't at war with the very industry that's helped revitalize their local economy.
I have no idea whether Obama himself is as enthusiastic about destroying medical marijuana as the folks at DOJ who've been doing the actual dirty work, but the answer to that question doesn't matter. If Obama can blame Mitt Romney for what Bain Capital did while he was CEO, we can sure as hell blame Obama for what the Justice Department does when he's the president.
He told us we could expect better than this. And yet the problem isn't just that he failed to keep his word, or even that his attorney general rather blatantly lied to Congress about it, as awful as that is. The greatest disgrace in all of this is the perpetuation of a reprehensible policy that crushes the will of voters and the wisdom of legislatures, that stands between sick people and the medicine their doctors recommend, that hands control of cannabis back to cartels that kill people, and that creates a continuing war in our own communities when there could so easily be peace.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-morgan/obama-marijuana-harborside-health-center_b_1678701.html
The real reason why Obama turned on weed .. PFIZER .. America's next pot dealer.
Given the dollars at stake, it’s easy to see why your best known purveyor of pills, Big Pharma, wants in on the action. And recent developments indicate that sometime in the not-too-distant future they may be competing with your friendly neighborhood pot dealer.
Just last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration said 55 unnamed companies have been granted licenses to grow cannabis in the United States. Observers say the pharmaceutical companies need the pot farms to cultivate weed so they can produce a generic version of the THC pill Marinol, which is currently marketed by Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: WPI ), and at least one other cannabis-based pill for a wide variety of new uses
http://www.investorplace.com/2011/05/medical-marijuana-pharmaceutical-stocks-pfe-mrk-bmy/
Start from here .. Obama is a corporatist.
I'm not almost quoting...I AM quoting the USDA. Why do you think they're lying? We did indeed have this discussion, and I supplied you with the video of the dr.(s) who give just about anyone a script for weed.
Would you expect the govt. to stand back and allow everyone to be walking around on Oxy, just because they have a bogus script?
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=7281262
A Montana advocacy group is shutting down its traveling medical marijuana clinics amid criticism that the so-called cannabis caravans have added thousands of people to the state registry without conducting thorough patient screenings.
http://mcauleysworld.wordpress.com/...-lessons-from-montana-for-american-taxpayers/
The clinics were a major factor in Montana’s medical marijuana patient registry jumping from 842 people at the endof 2008 to just about 20,000 at the end of June.
But over the past few months, the clinics have come under criticism as being assembly lines that sees hundreds of people at a time, but at the expense of proper medical examinations
I could post lots of these. I'll reiterate: A few cheaters, are ruining it for those who really need medical marijuana.
Don't make this look like the big bad gubmint is just being mean. The floodgates were opened, and now there's a problem.
Vid 1 is a 3rd party business that provides FAKE documentation. I can't tell if it's a dispensary or not from the vid. Either way it wasn't raided because of "large amount" as the UDSA's claim about Harborside.
URL #2 you listed:
You're showing old data, and yes the clinics did a booming business. Montana has reformed - bullet points:
Patients
•Your existing card is still valid until it expires (unless you are on probation, in which case your card may offer no protection. The judge suggested that courts decide whether probations should be eligible on a case-by-case basis); eligible patients will be able renew under the new rules.
•The same medical conditions will continue to qualify you, but if your diagnosis is “severe chronic pain”, the new law is much more strict. The pain must be persistent and of severe intensity, and objectively proven by an X-ray or MRI, or a second physician must confirm the diagnosis after a physical exam.
•You must be a Montana resident.
•Once you have your card, if you do not choose a provider, you’ll be able to possess 12 seedlings, 4 mature flowering plants, and 1 ounce of usable marijuana. By choosing a provider, you give up your right to grow for yourself.
•Failure to notify the state of a change of address within 10 days voids your card.
•You must carry your medical marijuana card with you at all times.
•Parents wishing to register their minor children need a second doctor’s recommendation, must submit fingerprints for an FBI background check, and agree that the minor will never smoke marijuana, only use infused products.
•People under department of corrections supervision are not eligible.
•Gardens may not be combined and shared, unless you are relatives by blood or marriage.
•Drivers may be compelled via search warrant to provide a blood sample. 5ng/ml is cause for a DUI charge.
•If your drivers license is revoked for DUI, your medical marijuana card must be surrendered.
•Your out of state recommendation offers no protection
Harborside had none of these problems, the reason the Long Beach raid ( recall the video where the local cops were smashing up cameras?) was over a city permit nothing more.So yes you are parroting the same nonscense trotted out by the USDA in March of THIS year - 2012.
Couple a points - re; Harborside -the thread is really about this clinic, although wandering a bit is fine'
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/h...s-raids-epic-legal-battle/Content?oid=3289615
As such, Chretien(the landlord facing seizure) may be able to claim that she indeed believed what Harborside was doing was legal. Even though Harborside advertised that it sold medical marijuana — which is illegal under federal law — other factors are at play.
The dispensary, for example, had a lawful city permit and a state business license in a state that has decriminalized the drug. Moreover, President Obama said he would not waste scarce federal resources on medical marijuana users in states where it was legal, while US Attorney General Eric Holder has said federal prosecutors are only interested in operators violating both state and federal law. And, finally, Haag has said she was focusing her crackdown efforts on medical pot businesses within 1,000 feet of a school or park. Harborside is not close to a school or park.As a result, Chretien could contend that she believed Harborside was engaging in legal activity. "That's a reason to not be culpable," Grantland said. "You had reasonable belief that what you were doing was legal."
A civil forfeiture case can last two years or longer and become very expensive. Moreover, federal prosecutors often delay the civil case while pursuing criminal charges. As a result, it's reasonable to fear a police raid on Harborside, Grantland said. In these raids, usually conducted during pre-dawn hours, federal agents snatch up herb, cash, computers and other equipment, and might arrest Harborside's staff and owners.
Or they may not arrest anyone. "It's totally arbitrary," Grantland said.
In the past, many dispensaries have re-opened within days of a raid, only to get raided again and again. However, criminal investigations can also open up new avenues for counter-attack. "From the beginning you would think that it looks desperate, but you got to see what kind of cards [prosecutors] are holding," she said.
The federal government, for example, can slip up and accidentally sabotage its own case by making errors in the search warrant affidavit or by the improper use of confidential informants.
The collapse of a criminal case, in turn, can then take a civil forfeiture complaint down with it. "A lot of times the motivation for making an example of someone causes [prosecutors] to lose good judgment," Grantland said. "They just get cocky and do something that is ridiculous or rash, or they lie and then the lie comes back to haunt them."
Harborside officials have also made it clear that they're going to wage a zealous fight in the court of public opinion. It's unclear what effect that would have, but the popular dispensary appears to have won the preliminary round. Haag and the federal government have already been strongly criticized by state Board of Equalization member Betty Yee, Congresswoman Barbara Lee of Oakland, and Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker, who is a former federal prosecutor.
Most major news agencies ran such criticism alongside tearful testimonials from medical marijuana patients and their families. By comparison, Haag's terse statement made her effort look arbitrary and capricious, and indicated that she had no proof Harborside has violated state law
Bingo. follow the money. Just last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration said 55 unnamed companies have been granted licenses to grow cannabis in the United States. I've been looking for that piece of info( the new approved pot farms) - now we got it> Medical marijuana becomes completely illegal, Corps produce weed, turn it into pills/sprays - you go to Big Pharma, they hold perpetual patent rights, by adding a cannibinoud now and then. or change the formulation. Walgreens (i.e.) becomes your new supplier - since it's patented - no generics for years, going to be some "high" costing meds, instead off a plant.
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blackascoal
The Force is With Me
When looking at Obama's policies, it always makes sense to look for what corporations are getting out of it.
As you've said .. follow the money.
Althea
Althea told me...........
.
You aren't paying attention. I could give you pages of links to the varied scams that have cropped up since Obama took office. I'll say it one more time....many viewed Obama's position as a back door to legalization. This wasn't a dispensary. It was a fake business that gave out bogus documentation to be presented at the dispensary.
Right...old data. Post Obama isn't old data, it makes the case that his position re. marijuana was misunderstood.
Do I agree with the actions of the Feds? No.
There is, however, a reason for their overreaction. It has NOTHING to do with real medical marijuana patients.
Althea
Althea told me...........
I agree that the govt. would rather make the money, and allow the Big Pharma lobby to continue to fund campaigns.
But, they could reap billions in tax revenue with the status quo.
All that aside, if the same scammers found a way to illegally obtain the sub par pills from govt. dispensaries, do you think the govt. would sit idly by?
If the same doctors rubber stamped every patient for pills, I think they'd crack down on the doctors, as opposed to the pharmacies.
Perhaps that should be the course of action now.
[Althea;1039922].
http://blogs.justice.gov/main/archives/192(full text of Ogden Memo
October 19,2009
MEMORANDUM FOR SELECTED UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS
FROM: David W. Ogden, Deputy Attorney General
SUBJECT: Investigations and Prosecutions in States Authorizing the Medical Use of Marijuana
The Ogden Memo was ostensibly a clarification of federal policy on raiding medical marijuana dispensaries in states where such dispensaries are legal under state law. The Department, wrote Deputy Attorney General David Ogden, should expend resources only in situations where dispensary activities accompanied violence, possession of firearms, ties to criminal enterprises, or other activities not within the scope of state laws. The Justice Department simply did not have the resources to target all dispensaries, which were still in violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act.
Fairly quickly, the Administration backed away from the Ogden Memo. Throughout 2010 and 2011, the Drug Enforcement Administration continued raiding dispensaries. Last June(2011), a new memo emphasized that all dispensaries should be a top priority for the Justice Department. Just last week, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón surprisingly announced that he considered all twenty-one of the city’s dispensaries illegal, though he later recanted and declared his support for medical marijuana
http://reason.com/blog/2011/06/30/white-house-overrides-2009-mem
Obama Administration Overrides 2009 Ogden Memo, Declares Open Season on Pot Shops in States Where Medical Marijuana Is Legal
Mike Riggs | June 30, 2011
The Department of Justice sent out a memo Wednesday instructing the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and leading officials in the U.S. Attorneys Office to treat medical marijuana shops as top priorities for prosecutors and drug investigators.
"Persons who are in the business of cultivating, selling or distributing marijuana, and those who knowingly facilitate such activities, are in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, regardless of state law," the memo reads. "Consistent with resource constraints and the discretion you may exercise in your district, such persons are subject to federal enforcement action, including potential prosecution. State laws or local ordinances are not a defense to civil or criminal enforcement of federal law with respect to such conduct, including enforcement of the CSA."
The memo, authored by Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole, "clarifies" a memo released in 2009 that declared medical marijuana sales in states that have legalized it to be a low priority for law enforcement and prosecutors. The so-called "Ogden memo" first appeared to drug law reformers as evidence that President Obama was dialing back the war on drugs. The DEA and U.S. Attorneys office continued to raid and prosecute state-legal grow operations and marijuana shops after the memo was first circulated, leading reformers to conclude that Obama was lying when he said that his administration would not be doing those things.
Obama lied thru his teeth, no other way to read this. Even for partisians.
yes, exactly. they were shut down. No doubt their were others. All in compliance with the Ogden Memo to do so.
NO. OBAMA(Holder) "clarified" his positon on the Ogden memeo AFTER his election. He lied thru his teeth FOR the election.
http://blogs.justice.gov/main/archives/192(full text of Ogden Memo
October 19,2009
MEMORANDUM FOR SELECTED UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS
FROM: David W. Ogden, Deputy Attorney General
SUBJECT: Investigations and Prosecutions in States Authorizing the Medical Use of Marijuana
The Ogden Memo was ostensibly a clarification of federal policy on raiding medical marijuana dispensaries in states where such dispensaries are legal under state law. The Department, wrote Deputy Attorney General David Ogden, should expend resources only in situations where dispensary activities accompanied violence, possession of firearms, ties to criminal enterprises, or other activities not within the scope of state laws. The Justice Department simply did not have the resources to target all dispensaries, which were still in violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act.
Fairly quickly, the Administration backed away from the Ogden Memo. Throughout 2010 and 2011, the Drug Enforcement Administration continued raiding dispensaries. Last June(2011), a new memo emphasized that all dispensaries should be a top priority for the Justice Department. Just last week, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón surprisingly announced that he considered all twenty-one of the city’s dispensaries illegal, though he later recanted and declared his support for medical marijuana
http://reason.com/blog/2011/06/30/white-house-overrides-2009-mem
Obama Administration Overrides 2009 Ogden Memo, Declares Open Season on Pot Shops in States Where Medical Marijuana Is Legal
Mike Riggs | June 30, 2011
The Department of Justice sent out a memo Wednesday instructing the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and leading officials in the U.S. Attorneys Office to treat medical marijuana shops as top priorities for prosecutors and drug investigators.
"Persons who are in the business of cultivating, selling or distributing marijuana, and those who knowingly facilitate such activities, are in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, regardless of state law," the memo reads. "Consistent with resource constraints and the discretion you may exercise in your district, such persons are subject to federal enforcement action, including potential prosecution. State laws or local ordinances are not a defense to civil or criminal enforcement of federal law with respect to such conduct, including enforcement of the CSA."
The memo, authored by Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole, "clarifies" a memo released in 2009 that declared medical marijuana sales in states that have legalized it to be a low priority for law enforcement and prosecutors. The so-called "Ogden memo" first appeared to drug law reformers as evidence that President Obama was dialing back the war on drugs. The DEA and U.S. Attorneys office continued to raid and prosecute state-legal grow operations and marijuana shops after the memo was first circulated, leading reformers to conclude that Obama was lying when he said that his administration would not be doing those things.
Obama lied thru his teeth, no other way to read this. Even for partisians.
'OK I need to retract this, i'm finding Obama contemptable in many ways - but he's no different then any other politician."Obama clairifys".Period.
i can't prove he lied. way over the top on that. apologies
Althea
Althea told me...........
OK...that's a good first step.
You're quoting a blog. I'm sure I can find a blog to support my position, which isn't different than yours at the core. I just see the reasons WHY this is happening, while you choose to focus on some grand govt. conspiracy.
You redacted this segment from your own blog offering.....
.
I'm not sure what language I need to use, in order to make you understand that the Ogden memo, coupled with Obama's stated position, acted as a catalyst to increase pot production geometrically.
You simply cannot make me believe that the incidence of necessity for medical marijuana increased 100 fold overnight.
This is a kneejerk reaction, to a kneejerk reaction by the marijuana industry. As Obama stated....if you want to legalize marijuana, this isn't the way to go about it.
I apologized for saying he lied. I don't have proof.
1. so you understand there are 2 memos? The Ogden Memo -we know that"
2. the COLE MEMOJune 29, 2011
MEMORANDUM FOR UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS
FROM: James M. Cole
Deputy Attorney General
SUBJECT: Guidance Regarding the Ogden Memo in Jurisdictions
Seeking to Authorize Marijuana for Medical Use
Over the last several months some of you have requested the Department’s assistance in responding to inquiries from State and local government seeking guidance about the Department s position on enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act in jurisdictions that have under consideration, or have implemented, legislation that would sanction and regulate the commercial cultivation and distribution of marijuana for medical use. Some of these jurisdictions have considered approving the cultivation of large quantities of marijuana or broadening the regulation and taxation of the substance. You may have seen letters responding to these inquiries by several United States Attorneys. Those letters are entirely consistent with the October 2009 memorandum, issued by Deputy General Ogden to federal prosecutors in the States that have enacted laws authorizing the medical use of marijuana (the “Ogden Memo”).
The Department of Justice is committed to the enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act in all States. Congress has determined that marijuana is a dangerous drug that the illegal distribution and sale of marijuana is a serious crime that provides a significant source of revenue to large scale criminal enterprises, gangs and cartels. The Ogden Memorandum provides guidance to you in deploying resources to enforce the CSA as part of the exercise of the broad discretion you are given to address federal criminal matters within your districts.
A number of states have enacted some form of legislation relating to the medical use of marijuana. Accordingly the Ogden memo reiterated to you that prosecution of significant traffickers in illegal drugs, including marijuana, remains a core priority, but advised that it is likely not an efficient use of federal resources to focus enforcement efforts on individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses who use marijuana as part of a recommended treatment regimen consistent with applicable state law, or their caregivers. The term “caregiver” as used in the memorandum meant just that: individuals providing care to individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses, not commercial operations cultivating, selling or distributing marijuana.
The Department’s view of the efficient use of limited federal resources as articulated in the Ogden Memorandum has not changed. There has, however, been an increase in the scope of commercial cultivation, sale, distribution and use of marijuana for purported medical purposes. For example, within the past 12 months, several jurisdictions have considered or enacted legislation to authorize multiple large-scale, privately-operated industrial marijuana cultivation centers. Some of these planned facilities have revenue projections of the millions of dollars based on the plant cultivation of tens of thousands of cannabis plants.
The Odgen Memorandum was never intended to shield such activities from federal enforcement action and prosecution, even where those activities purport to comply with state law. Persons who are in the business of cultivating. selling, or distributing marijuana, and those who knowingly facilitate such activities, are in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, regardless of state law. Consistent with the resource constraints and the discretion you may exercise in your district, such persons are subject to federal enforcement action, including potential prosecution. State laws or local ordinances are not a defense to civil enforcement of federal law with respect to such conduct, including enforcement of the CSA. Those who engage in transactions involving the proceeds of such activity may also be in violation of federal money laundering statutes and other federal financing laws.
The Department of Justice is tasked with enforcement of existing federal criminal laws in all states, and enforcement of the CSA has long been and remains a core priority,
Cc: Lanny Breuer
Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division
So you see the position did change, thre was another memo. It claims that "large scale cultivations" are differebt, why/
>
So they're saying "big is bad", no other reason, further they tie in laundry of monies and other federal financing laws" -again only because of large cultivations.
OK sounds sorts logical right? But it' not . it's based on the fact that "big is bad" in ALL cases, which leads to a effective repeal of the Ogden memo
Don't agree? Look at Haag's words, this is the exact same reasoning she used, absolutely no proof, no evidence, and Harborside IS big - but from what we know is well run and documented. She has nothing criminal charged, and harborside has the backing of local officials, etc.
Harborside is fighting back - it's not easy to go up against a USDA, but they are doing so, with the backing of their landlord. The landlord is on record of supporting Harborside.
Usually the landlords want no part of a seizure (RICO), so they fold under the pressure, and the USDA doesn't even have to make a case.
Not this time. I think Harborside has a good chance of beating this (see earlier post). Anyways it's still insane - now the US gov't is setting ups CORPORATE large scale production.
So the US is now saying "we're going aftwer any dispensary we feel like it" ( even a well run one), and turning over marijuana for commercial (pharmaceutical) production.
Nice slight of hand there, cut out the dispensaries ( de facto actions), and send marijuana to Big Pharma for production.
Under the guise that "big is bad" - even when it isnt. It efects all dispensrys, I would think with Sativex coming out next year, that's the beginning of the end for medical marijuanaa
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blackascoal
The Force is With Me
I appreciate your response sister, but again, I disagree.
Pills are dangerous .. marijuana is not. That's the point. As long as the patient is an adult .. what difference does it make?
Do you need a prescription for alcohol? Alcohol is more dangerous than weed.
I don't want to buy weed from Wal-Mart.
Taxes? Must everything be corporate-owned in America?
I, as many others do, see this is nothing but a betrayal by the Obama Adminstration.
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Demonize it, prosecute it, shut it down, then grab the market
“Demonize it, prosecute it, shut it down, then grab the market.” For legalizers, Sativex is the Trojan Horse the government will use to destroy any chance that anybody besides Big Pharma will get more than a sliver of the marijuana market when all the dust settles. They point to statements by former deputy drug czar Andrea Barthwell, who denounced medical marijuana on the grounds that “any prescriptive medicine should depend on years of careful scientific scrutiny, not whims at the ballot box by individuals who lack the qualifications to make such decisions.”
In other words, what’s wrong with medical marijuana is that the federal government does not regulate it. That’s not, by definition, an unreasonable assessment. We make the same assumption when we differentiate between hospital morphine and street heroin. But a group called Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is challenging that attitude in court. The advocacy group has spent years petitioning to change marijuana's designation so that doctors can prescribe it to patients. "The federal government is making no bones about its aggressive policy to undermine medical marijuana," says ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer. "And we're prepared to take the Obama administration to court over it."
Yet agencies like the FDA—and entrepreneurs like GW Pharmaceuticals—are also right to insist that certain medical applications lurk within the chemical heart of the marijuana plant. “In the last three years alone,” writes Maia Szalavitz on her blog at Time Healthland, “cannabinoids have been found to help kill breast cancer cells, fight liver cancer, reduce inflammation, have antipsychotic effects and even potentially help stave off the development of Alzheimer's disease and reduce progression of Huntington's disease. Further, a 2011 review of the effectiveness of cannabinoids for non-cancer pain found ‘no significant adverse effects’ and ‘significant’ analgesic effects.”
It’s laudable that one department of the federal government wants to protect us from potentially harmful synthetic cannabinoids. It’s also understandable that another agency of the government wants to investigate legitimate medical applications for cannabis-based medicines. What’s confusing is the renewed fervor the Obama administration has shown for cracking down on pot-for-pain clinics in the 16 states that have legalized them. Nor is there any ready explanation for the DEA’s bad-faith declaration concerning medical marijuana, at a time when the FDA is actively testing and approving medicines based on both organic and man-made cannabis products.
http://www.thefix.com/content/president-obamas-reefer-madness8005?page=all
here's the problem with Sativex, or other meds that only use the THC and CDB cannibinol ( 2 main cannibinols) vs. the whole plant ( all the cannibinoids)
Results of a study by researchers in Italy and the UK has revealed that the five major cannabinoids in the Cannabis sativa plant are effective against different strains of MRSA. Two of the cannabinoids tested are nonpsychotropic, which means that they do not possess the mood-altering properties associated with marijuana. Furthermore, the researchers found that the cannabinoids kill bacteria in a different way to traditional antibacterial drugs, thus meaning that MRSA may not be able to develop resistance against them.
The authors write: “Although the use of cannabinoids as systemic antibacterial agents awaits rigorous clinical trials and an assessment of the extent of their inactivation by serum, their topical application to reduce skin colonization by MRSA seems promising.”
The study authors said that their findings highlight the need for further study into the antibacterial properties of cannabinoids: “this plant represents an interesting source of antibacterial agents to address the problem of multidrug resistance in MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria. This issue has enormous clinical implications, since MRSA is spreading throughout the world and, in the United States, currently accounts for more deaths each year than AIDS.”http://www.420magazine.com/forums/a...cannabinoids-kill-hospital-superbug-mrsa.html
Sativex only uses the 2 cannibinoids, we're finding "the whole plant" (all cannibinoids) have more useful medical properties then just the 2.
Big Pharam may eventually get around to adding more cannibinoids - but in the meantime WE ALREADY HAVE THE WHOLE PLANT!!
It's a capitulation to corporations, the USDA's raids are arbitrary, and seek to 'weed out' competition for the coming of medical sprays. In short the whole plant is here -other cannibinoids are showing other effective uses, but with Big Pharma they ill not be included.
It's insane. We have the whole plant - shut down the medical marijuana industry, supplant it with an inferior product, and send the profits to Big Pharma -for an inferior medicine
“Demonize it, prosecute it, shut it down, then grab the market.” For legalizers, Sativex is the Trojan Horse the government will use to destroy any chance that anybody besides Big Pharma will get more than a sliver of the marijuana market when all the dust settles. They point to statements by former deputy drug czar Andrea Barthwell, who denounced medical marijuana on the grounds that “any prescriptive medicine should depend on years of careful scientific scrutiny, not whims at the ballot box by individuals who lack the qualifications to make such decisions.”
In other words, what’s wrong with medical marijuana is that the federal government does not regulate it. That’s not, by definition, an unreasonable assessment. We make the same assumption when we differentiate between hospital morphine and street heroin. But a group called Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is challenging that attitude in court. The advocacy group has spent years petitioning to change marijuana's designation so that doctors can prescribe it to patients. "The federal government is making no bones about its aggressive policy to undermine medical marijuana," says ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer. "And we're prepared to take the Obama administration to court over it."
Yet agencies like the FDA—and entrepreneurs like GW Pharmaceuticals—are also right to insist that certain medical applications lurk within the chemical heart of the marijuana plant. “In the last three years alone,” writes Maia Szalavitz on her blog at Time Healthland, “cannabinoids have been found to help kill breast cancer cells, fight liver cancer, reduce inflammation, have antipsychotic effects and even potentially help stave off the development of Alzheimer's disease and reduce progression of Huntington's disease. Further, a 2011 review of the effectiveness of cannabinoids for non-cancer pain found ‘no significant adverse effects’ and ‘significant’ analgesic effects.”
It’s laudable that one department of the federal government wants to protect us from potentially harmful synthetic cannabinoids. It’s also understandable that another agency of the government wants to investigate legitimate medical applications for cannabis-based medicines. What’s confusing is the renewed fervor the Obama administration has shown for cracking down on pot-for-pain clinics in the 16 states that have legalized them. Nor is there any ready explanation for the DEA’s bad-faith declaration concerning medical marijuana, at a time when the FDA is actively testing and approving medicines based on both organic and man-made cannabis products.
http://www.thefix.com/content/president-obamas-reefer-madness8005?page=all
here's the problem with Sativex, or other meds that only use the THC and CDB cannibinol ( 2 main cannibinols) vs. the whole plant ( all the cannibinoids)
Results of a study by researchers in Italy and the UK has revealed that the five major cannabinoids in the Cannabis sativa plant are effective against different strains of MRSA. Two of the cannabinoids tested are nonpsychotropic, which means that they do not possess the mood-altering properties associated with marijuana. Furthermore, the researchers found that the cannabinoids kill bacteria in a different way to traditional antibacterial drugs, thus meaning that MRSA may not be able to develop resistance against them.
The authors write: “Although the use of cannabinoids as systemic antibacterial agents awaits rigorous clinical trials and an assessment of the extent of their inactivation by serum, their topical application to reduce skin colonization by MRSA seems promising.”
The study authors said that their findings highlight the need for further study into the antibacterial properties of cannabinoids: “this plant represents an interesting source of antibacterial agents to address the problem of multidrug resistance in MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria. This issue has enormous clinical implications, since MRSA is spreading throughout the world and, in the United States, currently accounts for more deaths each year than AIDS.”http://www.420magazine.com/forums/a...cannabinoids-kill-hospital-superbug-mrsa.html
Sativex only uses the 2 cannibinoids, we're finding "the whole plant" (all cannibinoids) have more useful medical properties then just the 2.
Big Pharam may eventually get around to adding more cannibinoids - but in the meantime WE ALREADY HAVE THE WHOLE PLANT!!
It's a capitulation to corporations, the USDA's raids are arbitrary, and seek to 'weed out' competition for the coming of medical sprays. In short the whole plant is here -other cannibinoids are showing other effective uses, but with Big Pharma they ill not be included.
It's insane. We have the whole plant - shut down the medical marijuana industry, supplant it with an inferior product, and send the profits to Big Pharma -for an inferior medicine