cannabisnews.com: LAPD Will Continue To Help With Federal Raids LAPD Will Continue To Help With Federal Raids Posted by CN Staff on August 16, 2007 at 05:39:07 PT By Steve Hymon, Times Staff Writer Source: Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, CA -- Los Angeles police said Wednesday that they will continue to participate in federal raids on local medical marijuana dispensaries against the wishes of some members of the City Council.A continuing conflict between federal and state drug laws, they said, has created a stalemate that doesn't appear likely to soon end. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department contend that it's their job to help enforce the federal law. Council members argue that police raids, at best, send a mixed message about the city's support for the state law passed in 1996 to permit the use of marijuana for prescribed medical purposes.The discussion before the council Wednesday sparked sharp exchanges between council members and LAPD Cmdr. David R. Doan. At one point, a frustrated Councilman Bill Rosendahl told Doan, "You are the policing organization that follows the laws that we put in place. It's not for you to interpret them."Later, under more questioning, Doan refused to waver. "If it's going to be our position to say we're not going to help the [Drug Enforcement Administration], I'm not authorized to make that statement today," Doan said.The council last month placed a yearlong moratorium on permitting new dispensaries in the city while lawyers draw up an ordinance to regulate them. At the time, several members of the council reiterated their support for the state law that allows medical marijuana dispensaries to exist. On the same day the council passed the moratorium, the DEA raided 10 dispensaries in Los Angeles, with LAPD officers providing logistical support. DEA officials said the timing of the raids was a coincidence and that they were merely enforcing federal law, which continues to prohibit any sale of marijuana.As supporters of medical marijuana looked on, frequently applauding or booing during Wednesday's discussion, Doan told council members that the LAPD had a positive relationship with the DEA -- which helps with drug enforcement in the city -- and didn't want to risk damaging that relationship. It is also LAPD policy, Doan said, to provide assistance with lawful federal warrants.Doan said that it is the LAPD's view that some of the city's more than 200 dispensaries are a nuisance to their communities and that some are violating the state law that mandates they not profit on their sales.However, Doan said he did not know why the DEA targeted the dispensaries that it did last month, nor did the LAPD apparently ask before agreeing to help with the raids.DEA spokeswoman Sarah Pullen said Wednesday that the agency was not revealing the reasons it chose to raid the 10 facilities and that warrants for the searches remained under seal."The bottom line is anyone distributing marijuana is in violation of federal law," Pullen said.Both Rosendahl and Doan said that it remained unclear whether the council ultimately had the authority to tell the LAPD whether it was permitted to participate in the DEA raids. Local laws often shield police from such orders as a way to guard against political abuses. Councilwoman Janice Hahn said the LAPD didn't always follow the federal lead. Over the years, the LAPD has ignored federal immigration laws and chosen not to ask people about their immigration status as a way to build a better relationship with the community, she said."When we come back with our new regulations, I will be one of those who will ask the LAPD to rethink your policy," Hahn said. Note: Some on the council say the action undermines a state law allowing the medical marijuana sales.Complete Title: LAPD Will Continue To Help With Federal Pot Store RaidsSource: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author: Steve Hymon, Times Staff WriterPublished: August 16, 2007 Copyright: 2007 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Americans For Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccessnow.org/ LAPD Role in Marijuana-Clinic Raids Questionedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23254.shtml DEA Targets Landlords in Pot Battle http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23203.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #9 posted by Arthropod on August 17, 2007 at 16:09:05 PT Fire him... How is the acting Police chief able to retain his position when he is in open defiance of the law he supposed to uphold? I say relieve him of command and hire a police chief who will uphold the law. That should be within the jurisdiction of the city council. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on August 16, 2007 at 21:23:03 PT afterburner Thank you. That was a great article. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by afterburner on August 16, 2007 at 21:11:58 PT The Holy Land Knows Power & Blessing of Cannabis RE FoM #1Thank God for Prof. Raphael Mechoulam of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem School of Pharmacy.MY GRANDFATHER DISCOVERED THC: A HIGH TIMES reader discovers his birthright as the grandson of one of the Israeli scientists who discovered THC in 1964. 2005-07-14 http://www.hightimes.com/ht/lounge/content.php?bid=548&aid=24"A HIGH TIMES reader discovers his birthright as the grandson of one of the Israeli scientists who discovered THC in 1964. Plus: An exclusive interview with Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, the ‘head’ scientist in charge of that project." [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by whig on August 16, 2007 at 16:08:00 PT Federal officers enforce federal law Nothing in proposition 215 or SB420 violates the US constitution or laws. State officers can and must enforce state laws unless commanded to violate the US constitution or laws which forbid their doing so. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by whig on August 16, 2007 at 15:52:04 PT Another approach LA council could pass a deprioritization measure. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by whig on August 16, 2007 at 15:50:10 PT Article XX, Sec. 3, Paras. 1-2 CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 20 MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTSSEC. 3. Members of the Legislature, and all public officers and employees, executive, legislative, and judicial, except such inferior officers and employees as may be by law exempted, shall, before they enter upon the duties of their respective offices, take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation: "I, ______, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by whig on August 16, 2007 at 15:42:47 PT Constitutional oath Do LAPD officers take an oath to uphold the constitution of California? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by whig on August 16, 2007 at 14:13:08 PT Don't ask, tell. "When we come back with our new regulations, I will be one of those who will ask the LAPD to rethink your policy," Hahn said.]LA city council should command the LAPD to follow state and local law, and forbid them from acting as agents of foreign and federal powers in contravention of California law. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 16, 2007 at 12:21:07 PT News Article from eMaxHealth Cannabis May Help To Alleviate Allergic Skin DiseaseAugust 16, 2007Administering a substance found in the cannabis plant can help the body's natural protective system alleviate an allergic skin disease (allergic contact dermatitis), an international group of researchers from Germany, Israel, Italy, Switzerland and the U.S. has found.Allergic contact dermatitis is caused by reaction to something that directly contacts the skin. Many different substances (allergens) can cause allergic contact dermatitis. Usually these substances cause no trouble for most people, but if the skin is sensitive or allergic to the substance, any exposure will produce a rash, which may become very severe. Allergic contact dermatitis affects about 5 percent of men and 11percent of women in industrialized countries and is one of the leading causes for occupational diseases.An article describing the work of the international research group, led by Dr Andreas Zimmer from the University of Bonn, was published recently in the journal Science. The article deals with alleviating allergic skin disease through what is called the endocannabinoid system. Among the members of the group is Prof. Raphael Mechoulam of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem School of Pharmacy.In earlier work, Prof. Mechoulam's research group at the Hebrew University isolated two naturally occurring cannabinoid (cannabis-like) components – one from the brain, named anandamide (from the word ananda, meaning supreme joy in Sanskrit), and another from the intestines named 2-AG. These two cannabinoids, plus their receptors and various enzymes that are involved in the cannnabinoids' syntheses and degradations, comprise the endocannabinoid system. These materials have similar effects to those of the active components in hashish and marijuana, produced from the cannabis plant. Research by groups throughout the world has since shown that the endocannabinoid system is involved in many physiological processes, including the protective reaction of the mammalian body to a long list of neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.In the article in Science, the researchers detail how the endocannabinoid system serves as a major regulator of cutaneous (skin) contact hypersensitivity (CHS) in a mouse model. In this model, they showed, for example, that mice lacking cannabinoid receptors display exacerbated inflammatory skin responses to an allergen. Because the data indicate that enhanced activation of the endocannabinoid system may function to dampen the CHS response, the researchers administered cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a constituent derived from the cannabis plant, to the experimental animals. They findings showed that the THC significantly decreased the allergic reaction in comparison to untreated mice. In order to better understand the molecular mechanism that may contribute to the increased CHS in cannabinoid-receptor deficient mice, the researchers performed a series of experiments which showed that mouse skin cells produce a specific chemical (a chemokine) which is involved in the annoying disease reaction. Activation of the endocannabinoid system in the skin upon exposure to a contact allergen lowers the allergic responses through modulating the production of this chemokine. The results thus clearly show a protective role for the endocannabinoid system in contact allergy in the skin and suggest that development of cannabinoid compounds based on elements produced from the cannabis plant could enhance therapeutic treatment for humans. By The Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Aug 16 2007 http://www.emaxhealth.com/66/15018.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment