The Obama Justice Department’s escalation of its assault on medical marijuana services in California are politically foolish and reckless:
Federal agents struck at the heart of California’s medical marijuana movement, raiding the nation’s first pot trade school and a popular dispensary, both run by one of the state’s most prominent and provocative activists, Richard Lee.
The raids in Oakland by the Internal Revenue Service and Drug Enforcement Administration sent a shudder through the medical cannabis trade and angered the plant’s devotees, who believe the federal government is trampling on California law and the wishes of voters who approved medical marijuana use nearly 16 years ago.
Now they are wondering what message the federal government is trying to send. President Obama promised during his 2008 campaign not to prosecute medical marijuana users who comply with state law, and Deputy Atty. Gen. David Ogden reiterated that position in a 2009 memo that many credit with helping spark the medical pot boom.
“For them to go after someone who’s as high profile as Richard Lee likely sends a message that they will go after anyone anywhere in the state over medical marijuana and that Obama’s promises are hollow,” said Joe Elford, chief counsel for the advocacy group Americans for Safe Access.
The Justice Department has been cracking down on California’s dispensaries and growers since October. But until Monday, agents had not targeted the most visible leaders, or the movement’s cradle in Oakland, where the city issues permits and taxes cannabis establishments and where Lee’s Oaksterdam University looms above Broadway with a giant college seal adorned with marijuana leaves.
Monday’s raids included Lee’s apartment, an associate’s home, the university, the dispensary and an adjoining marijuana museum, as well as a property where the dispensary formerly operated. (Lee was forced to move the business in October after the U.S. attorney sent a letter to his landlord threatening to seize the property.)
The search warrants were sealed, so it is unclear what officials retrieved. Witnesses saw agents toting out boxes of documents and bags of plant material.
At least the Feds were not wasting their time infringing on the 2nd Amendment rights of the school shooter.
There is a reason Obama can do this. California is in the bag for Obama. No matter what Obama does, he can not possibly lose California in 2012. He will not bother to campaign here or run ads. He only comes here for money.
Then he uses these medical mj raids as a bone to throw to the drug warriers. See, I won’t break your rice bowl. See, I’m tough on drugs. See, I can bust dirty hippie dope smokers and then send Michelle to San Francisco to collect millions in donations from the Marin county and Silicon Valley swells.
That’s the game. And it works exactly as long as people put up with it.
And will the left put up with Obama? A lot of them will. And the tragedy is that as hopelessly bad as Obama is … the GOP are ten times worse.
So we’re screwed either way.
But as regards the pot politics, Obama throws a bone to the drug warrors AND further establishes the supremacy of the federal government over the states. He sent federal troops into Oakland and the local liberals didn’t fight back. Instead they gave Michelle money.