cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Outlets May Be Closed





Medical Marijuana Outlets May Be Closed
Posted by CN Staff on July 14, 2007 at 05:21:47 PT
By Dan Abendschein, Staff Writer
Source: Whittier Daily News 
California -- County medical marijuana dispensaries are at risk of being shut down since landlords received a letter from a federal agency telling them they could lose their property or face up to 20 years in prison. "Federal law allows for the seizure of assets, including real property, which have been used in conjunction with the distribution of controlled substances," states the Drug Enforcement Administration letter, which was sent out last week in Los Angeles County.
The letter also contends federal laws "take precedence" over state laws, such as Proposition 215 and SB 420, which allow for medical marijuana use. Managers from at least two collectives say they might have to close their doors. "Our landlord has asked us to shut down, so this Sunday will be our last day," said a Los Angeles-based collective manager, who asked that his name not be used. A manager at a San Fernando Valley-based collective said he was still trying to work things out with his landlord, but he had been asked to stop operating as a dispensary. "I just remodeled, and I have my life savings tied up in this place," said the manager, who also did not want his name used in print. Sarah Pullen, DEA spokeswoman, said the letters should not be viewed as a threat. "We are literally just serving notice that these property owners are violating the law," said Pullen. The DEA has not filed charges against any landowner at this point, according to Pullen. Chris Fusco of Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana advocacy group, said that landlords he had talked to were nervous but that he did not expect further action from the DEA. "It is a little frightening," he said. "But if they intended to follow through on this, they already would have." Pullen would not disclose how many property owners the DEA sent the letter to, but Fusco says the letter has gone out to at least 30 that he knows of. "It's a shame that the DEA would use techniques on medical marijuana that are normally reserved for crack houses and meth labs," said Fusco. Fusco also said many of the landowners who received the letter were not involved in running the dispensaries on their properties and that several had told him they thought the collectives were legal. In east Los Angeles County, many cities, including Pasadena, Hacienda Heights, West Covina, Monrovia, and Monterey Park have already shut down dispensaries and enacted ordinances against others opening up. The only full-time collective left is in Whittier, and it did not receive a letter, according to the managers. An Azusa pot factory busted by police two months ago has been connected to medical marijuana dispensaries all over county. The District Attorney's Office was not informed of the letters, according to spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons. Lt. Jim Whitten, of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Narcotics bureau, also said that he had not heard of the letters. The letter was not the first time that DEA took action against county dispensaries without notifying local authorities. In January, the DEA raided 11 dispensaries, detained 20 people, and seized thousands of pounds of marijuana. Despite the letter, some dispensaries are not worrying about whether they will stay open. "At this point I am less concerned about my collective than about the effect on the entire community of medical marijuana patients," said Josie, a manager at the Karma Collective in Van Nuys, who says her landlord has been "supportive" of the dispensary. Note: Feds say landlords could face 20 years.Source: Whittier Daily News (CA)Author: Dan Abendschein, Staff WriterPublished: July 14, 2007Copyright: 2007 MediaNews Group, Inc.Contact: dan.abendschein sgvn.com Website: http://www.whittierdailynews.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #23 posted by goblet on July 15, 2007 at 19:29:35 PT:
re: new mexico state-grown cannabis
"We will seize your whole state!!!! mwooohaahahaha"
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Comment #22 posted by RevRayGreen on July 15, 2007 at 18:46:23 PT
Ask him 
how the Feds will respond to the state of New Mexico
growing and providing medical marijuana to qualified patients starting Oct.1, 2007.?
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Comment #21 posted by ekim on July 15, 2007 at 18:08:49 PT
just talked to Howard ----
stuck in heavy traffic ---------will advise when more is known--he sure is dedicated to ending this failed war on the people
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Comment #20 posted by ekim on July 15, 2007 at 16:04:09 PT
looks like Howard will be in around 8:30 pm est
if anyone would like to ask about Leap Howard has been in DC visiting as many lawmakers offices as he can-- last i knew he had been to over 350.He goes to many events wearing his Leap shirts----He will be speaking at the Flint Rotary on Fri --On Mon he will be a guest at the Kalamazoo Rotary and do a hour Cable Access interview after that.Howard has rode a pair of horses across the Country from LA to NyC speaking at hundreds of cities and to thousands to call for ending the failed drug war.
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on July 15, 2007 at 13:16:20 PT
Found this article over at MAP
There's a quote from Dr. Russo.http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n845/a05.html?397Who's Afraid of Cannabidiol?I sure miss him.
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Comment #18 posted by John Tyler on July 15, 2007 at 08:26:01 PT
of course it's a threat
"Sarah Pullen, DEA spokeswoman, said the letters should not be viewed as a threat." Anytime a gov. agency sends you a letter saying they can take your property and throw you in jail, that is a threat in itself and a form of intimidation. Nobody would welcome such a letter. Their other tatics are not working so they are trying something else.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on July 15, 2007 at 06:16:40 PT
Michigan: 1 Kilogram of Marijuana a Misdemeanor 
If this is a true amount it is a good beginning I think. Thank you Governor.Excerpt: Lightening penalties for drug offenses so possessing less than 5 grams of narcotics and 1 kilogram of marijuana would be a misdemeanor and not a felony.
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on July 15, 2007 at 06:13:22 PT
D- Governor Granholm: Michigan
Six Parts of Proposal To Change Michigan Sentencing LawsAssociated Press - July 15, 2007 Governor Granholm's proposed changes to Michigan sentencing laws:Repealing 25 felonies that are rarely charged anymore: dueling, compelling a woman to marry, participating in a prize fight.Changing 142 felonies to misdemeanors, including filing false election statements, felonious driving and negligent homicide by snowmobile.Dropping the maximum penalty for 58 felonies such as selling a counterfeit state ID, voting in person and by absentee ballot, and littering infectious waste.Decreasing dollar thresholds distinguishing felony or misdemeanor property crimes - embezzlement, larceny, food stamp fraud.Lightening penalties for drug offenses so possessing less than 5 grams of narcotics and 1 kilogram of marijuana would be a misdemeanor and not a felony.Merging three grids in the sentencing guidelines resulting in less incarceration for less serious offenses.Source: Michigan Department of CorrectionsCopyright 2007 The Associated Press. http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=6790713http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Granholm
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Comment #15 posted by ekim on July 14, 2007 at 19:02:11 PT
ya Rev-- -- what about AG Jerry Brown 
all of the peices are in order-- a Gop Gov and Dem AG--just what the People have been calling for--geterdoneson--meanwhile over at C-Span and the Joe Califano interview this
morning on the Wash Journal with Pedro at the end asking about the peice that Ol Joe Canhelpbyliefano wrote about Lady Bird and with the miles of rope that was so generously 
laid at his feet, he gently was allowed to firmly snug the knot and on his way to the trap door his last line was given to the hang man as he equated his ((High Society)) with one of the most Soulful expressions of Love ever.maybe of interest to those who have been following LEAP-
Howard Wooldridge is coming to Kalamazoo Sun and Mon 
I will ask him if he would like to sit down here and take some questions from anyone. any suggestions ---- most likly be in the evening will post when i know for sure you can read his bio at www.leap.cc/ or at the leap blog http://blog.leap.cc/ or see the events www.leap.cc/events 
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Comment #14 posted by RevRayGreen on July 14, 2007 at 17:37:11 PT
So when is
Arnie going to speak ? being Gov. of California and all.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on July 14, 2007 at 12:02:39 PT
OT: Rove Memo Found in Nixon Archive 
 
 
WASHINGTON, July 14 -- Even as a 22-year-old, U.S. Republican political operative Karl Rove had a propensity for slicing and dicing the electorate, it was reported Saturday.The New York Times said it found early evidence of Rove's organizational ability tucked inside 78,000 pages of Nixon administration documents released last week by the National Archives.Within those pages is a nine-page memo written in 1973 by Rove, who would go on to become the architect of George W. Bush's rise to political power.Rove outlines for Anne Armstrong, then co-chairman of the Republican National Committee, how to strengthen the GOP by motivating students.Rove suggests having college Republican clubs show "nonpolitical films for fundraising (e.g. John Wayne flicks, 'Reefer Madness')," the latter a reference to a torrid anti-marijuana propaganda film later revived as a cult film.In a telephone interview Friday, Rove, now 56, pleaded forgetfulness. "God, this is 1973!" he said. "You work the math. I don't remember it all."Armstrong later became ambassador to Britain and then returned to Texas, where she today owns the ranch where Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter last year. Copyright 2007 by UPI  
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/82829.html
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Comment #12 posted by user123 on July 14, 2007 at 11:31:25 PT:
Really?
"We are literally just serving notice that these property owners are violating the law," said Pullen. The DEA has not filed charges against any landowner at this point, according to Pullen.......Here's how you know she's a college educated idiot - she used "Literally" That is currently the most over used non-needed word going. What's wrong? Couldn't throw in a basically, at this point in time, as we speak, bottom line, physically, at the end of the day, going forward, case in point, it is what it is.....Too bad we couldn't hear more, for I'm sure she'd eventually refer to herself as "myself" As in "myself literally has sold my soul for the sake of a paycheck, at this point in time" blah blah blah
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Comment #11 posted by BGreen on July 14, 2007 at 11:30:11 PT
The Irony of the 2 Major Stories on CNews
walters, et al. seem totally clueless as to why people would plant their gardens on public land, and then, at the very same time, they're threatening to seize property of innocent land owners for nothing more than allowing sick people to receive their medicine which is legal under California State law, enacted by a vote of it's citizens.Sarah Pullen, DEA spokeswoman, said the letters should not be viewed as a threat."We are literally just serving notice that these property owners are violating the law," said Pullen. The DEA has not filed charges against any landowner at this point, according to Pullen.Well, Ms. Pullen, you're a bald-faced liar.First, this letter can and should be viewed as a threat based solely on the historical actions of the organization with whom you're employed as a spokeswoman.Second, anyone familiar with federal forfeiture in the once-free USA knows that property is seized every single day without charges being filed against anyone or anything, seemingly in direct violation of the 4th Amendment to our Constitution.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #10 posted by Max Flowers on July 14, 2007 at 09:55:01 PT
L.A. vs. Bay
I think it's very telling that the DEA goons do this intimidation campaign in L.A. County, but have done no such thing up here in the Bay Area. The reason seems obvious to me---they know that it wouldn't work up here, and in fact would just provoke legal action or at least severe activism against them. In DEA's perception, L.A. is a far easier target due to not having nearly as cohesive a political infrastructure civil-liberties-wise as the Bay Area, and I'd have to agree. Look how quick a lot of the landlords are folding down there. I don't think that happens here. The whole thing is a fascinating study in the psychology of domination and resistance.
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Comment #9 posted by goblet on July 14, 2007 at 09:54:44 PT:
despots
Another car in the "long train of abuses and usurpations" that serve to reduce us to absolute despotic rule? 
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Comment #8 posted by potpal on July 14, 2007 at 08:08:03 PT
ot but worth a minute fyi
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-feldman/the-picture-the-gop-wants_b_56152.html Since prohibition has racist roots thought it be somewhat relevant.
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Comment #7 posted by ekim on July 14, 2007 at 07:31:11 PT
Califano Joe --- was just on C-Span
 saying its all about the children -- he says he likes a drink now and then--he side stepped the whole idea of allowing adults to make there own minds up about what they want. he re-ran the marijuana is so potent its like herion and coke-------only one caller asked him about Hollywood and their drug problems-- all other calls were to mock his --winking at drinking--and his out right double standard not letting adults make the decision to use cannabis.i tried to get in to call for the inclusion of a LEAP speaker to balance the debate. but no luck --i am begging all that would like to see change to offer a speaking event to a Leap member as to counter this bad information that is coming out about the black market and what we can do about it.all-- Joe wants is Higher Taxes on tobacco and beer--he says Nothing about regulation and taxing cannabis for adults-- only how much it is costing for all the treatment centers --which by the way need to be Way more restrictive in how they deal with the sick ones.http://blog.leap.cc/
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on July 14, 2007 at 07:30:58 PT
Wayne
I understand why you feel the way you do but retaliation is a dead end street. 
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Comment #5 posted by Wayne on July 14, 2007 at 07:10:18 PT
idea
I don't normally condone vigilante justice or anything like that. But I'm starting to think maybe the owners of these dispensaries and people who maintain cannabis plantations should start arming themselves or setting booby traps or something. It sounds to me like the Czar and the DEA are really itching to step up this War. I say to them, 'if it's War you want, then War ye shall have.' When the number of DEA casualties starts rising and the media starts revisiting the issue, then the cards will collapse. The public at large will finally realize that it just ain't worth it anymore.Again, I normally do not condone vigilante justice or even war. But in this case, it's sounding more and more appealing with each passing day.
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Comment #4 posted by charmed quark on July 14, 2007 at 07:06:47 PT
Straight talk from the DEA , yeah right
"Sarah Pullen, DEA spokeswoman, said the letters should not be viewed as a threat."What amazing doubletalk.I expect California to continue to resist the Feds on this. The real impact is on other states that are trying to come up with medical cannabis laws. Opponents have been using the California raids as an example of why state medical laws won't work. There seems to be no form of distribution that the feds won't attack. Even cooperatives like the Wo/man cooperative. So the only way patients can get the cannabis is to grow it themselves. And they still have to figure out how to acquire seeds in a way that won't get the feds on them.I still can't believe that Bush, when he was running, said that medical marijuana should be left to the states. I hope that the next administration changes the dynamics of this.
But you can't trust what they say when they are running for office. Only actions are believable in politics. 
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Comment #3 posted by NikoKun on July 14, 2007 at 07:04:23 PT
When will enough be enough?
This is getting beyond ridiculous... The DEA needs to go!
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Comment #2 posted by OverwhelmSam on July 14, 2007 at 06:54:50 PT
Abusing Authority
DEA has become the most crooked organization in the Executive Branch. Doesn't matter how much of a failure they have been in the past, they continue to shore up the drug war by lies, deciet and manipulations. To me they are the worst criminals because they do what they do under the color of law.Send this letter to your representative in Congress and ask them why the DEA is taking peoples property away for pot. We should stop coddling our murderers and rapists.
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Comment #1 posted by DjLoTi on July 14, 2007 at 05:47:54 PT
Seems like a platform for something...
The drug war is the most ridiculous things going on right now. California has been pretty much winning so far. Seems to me like the administration is going to be pushing their control and flexing their muscle really hard. Strange, but I think it's going to be a really politically complicated next year and a half as the bush legacy runs dry. 
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