Slog
News & ArtsThursday, November 17, 2011
Drugs Feds: Pot Dispensaries Are AOK
Posted by Dominic Holden on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 2:15 PM
"Some people have said the law's confusing," U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan said. "There's nothing confusing about the illegal conduct they were doing. Everyone knows you can't sell pounds of marijuana out the back door to someone who's not sick. You can't sell OxyContin pills." [...]
One of the shops hit in the raids, the Seattle Cannabis Co-op, sold 5 pounds of marijuana to a confidential informant for $11,000 in a monitored transaction, agents said. When told that the informant wanted to sell the drugs in the Midwest, the co-op's employee recommended some lousy weed on the grounds that tokers there wouldn't know the difference.
The Obama Administration could insist that federal law makes zero accommodation for the medical use of marijuana, announce that these raids were a harbinger of what's to come, or begin targeting patients for home gardens. That's perfectly within their federal right. But instead they allege specific violations that clearly flout the state's law. They went after what appear to be major players. This looks good for pot patients (and the do-right dispensaries that take care of them). Unless we see the landscape change in the next few weeks—more raids, trumped up charges, etc.—it looks like Obama is being merciful here.
1
I'm in full support of legalization. (donated money, signed the initiatives, etc.)
But I don't understand why one would;
A) Risk your medicinal co-op by selling large amounts in clearly non-medicinal situations.
B) Try to hide your non-medicinal pot selling business under the guise of serving patients only. It only serves to attract more attention.
But I don't understand why one would;
A) Risk your medicinal co-op by selling large amounts in clearly non-medicinal situations.
B) Try to hide your non-medicinal pot selling business under the guise of serving patients only. It only serves to attract more attention.
2
Aw, I will miss Seattle Cannabis Co-Op's buxom nurse ads on Slog. There's not enough cleavage around here since Lindy flew south.
3
If you know your already in a gray area of the law you think you would be extra careful.
Thought I don't see why any of this should be the concern of the Feds. Illegal or not its not a big deal.
Thought I don't see why any of this should be the concern of the Feds. Illegal or not its not a big deal.
7
@6 and then broken down into ounces that are then broken down into grams. Who knew stoners would do math the hard way?
10
fuck that bullshit. this is nothing more than incrementalism. the next set of raids will be for some other charge that they'll pull out of their asses. maybe the irs again like in california? there is no evidence of compassion here. no evidence even of democracy, frankly. this is step x in a multi-stage attack on medical marijuana & pot in general. the drug war is in full effect w/ obama at the helm.
11
@ 1
Many dispensaries (but by no means all) arise from folks who come not from a health background but a black market (i.2. drug dealing) background and therefore they are used to taking risks as part of their business model.
Many dispensaries (but by no means all) arise from folks who come not from a health background but a black market (i.2. drug dealing) background and therefore they are used to taking risks as part of their business model.
12
"There's not enough cleavage around here since Lindy flew south."
Plenty of cleavage there - front AND back
Plenty of cleavage there - front AND back
15
Full legalization is the goal.
But in the meantime, this is way more reasonable than I'd ever expect the Feds to be. In fact, this is hugely cool. I doubt Obama, then all of the sudden he comes through with something.
But in the meantime, this is way more reasonable than I'd ever expect the Feds to be. In fact, this is hugely cool. I doubt Obama, then all of the sudden he comes through with something.
16
Yeah, but still, if they are putting people in prison for a long time for weed for any reason, fuck them.
17
@16: "Yeah, but still, if they are putting people in prison for a long time for weed for any reason, fuck them."
Pretty much. I'm not going to call them "cool" for enforcing prohibition, regardless.
Pretty much. I'm not going to call them "cool" for enforcing prohibition, regardless.
18
Think of all those taxes not being collected, and all those taxes being wasted on cops, courts, and jails.
What budget crisis?
What budget crisis?
19
I have an honest question here for you folks out west. Medical mj is NOT legal where I live (Illinois), so I don't know all the intricacies of the laws where it is. I was hoping someone could explain to me why prescribed pot isn't sold in a pharmacy like other prescribed medications, what the difference is between a dispensary and a head shop is, and why the choice of pot is left to the patient rather than the doctor. For instance, if I go to my dr now for anxiety, he decides if I get xanax or valium, not me. And if I go for pain, he decides whether to prescribe vicodin or percocet or just Motrin 800, not me. If it's medicinal, not recreational, then why isn't it controlled more by doctors and pharmacists?
I think a lot of the reason it's not legal out here is that, from what our old white-guy legislators can tell, it looks like a bunch of stoners just going to a storefront head shop with fake headaches. It's almost like the whole system was designed to look shady. Personally I think pot should be legal, but if the current claim is that it should be legally prescribed because it's medicine, why not treat it like a prescription medicine?
But the most confusing part to me is the dispensary/pharmacy thing. Why don't you go get your pot at the local drug store with all the other meds?
I think a lot of the reason it's not legal out here is that, from what our old white-guy legislators can tell, it looks like a bunch of stoners just going to a storefront head shop with fake headaches. It's almost like the whole system was designed to look shady. Personally I think pot should be legal, but if the current claim is that it should be legally prescribed because it's medicine, why not treat it like a prescription medicine?
But the most confusing part to me is the dispensary/pharmacy thing. Why don't you go get your pot at the local drug store with all the other meds?
20
@16, @17: Fair enough, but this is cool in the sense that it is progress that makes things suck significantly less than they did before.
I've been blazing for a long time, and today I'm reading that the feds are deferring to state laws that legalize weed. This is a huge thing, I'm high right now, and I'm going to savor it, and fuck any stoner who says otherwise.
And one of the reasons it's huge is that we have an implicit endorsement of legalization from the DEA. WTF? Maybe Kerlikowski, who is on record as personally supporting legalization, has been working 'em from the inside.
I've been blazing for a long time, and today I'm reading that the feds are deferring to state laws that legalize weed. This is a huge thing, I'm high right now, and I'm going to savor it, and fuck any stoner who says otherwise.
And one of the reasons it's huge is that we have an implicit endorsement of legalization from the DEA. WTF? Maybe Kerlikowski, who is on record as personally supporting legalization, has been working 'em from the inside.
21
"Obama is being merciful here."
Good lord. So the authoritarian is only putting some people in jail for selling the plant he used to smoke. Praise be to the Great Leader.
You're really going to judge his behavior on this issue based on this one string of busts? Oh, right, he's a Democrat!
Read this and tell us how "merciful" the Great Obama is being.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/opinio…
Good lord. So the authoritarian is only putting some people in jail for selling the plant he used to smoke. Praise be to the Great Leader.
You're really going to judge his behavior on this issue based on this one string of busts? Oh, right, he's a Democrat!
Read this and tell us how "merciful" the Great Obama is being.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/opinio…
22
@21: Enforcing laws that he is sworn to uphold does not makes Obama an "authoritarian". And not enforcing some of those laws because states have determined they violate civil rights actually makes him an activist.
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