Thank you for writing to me to express your concerns regarding the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) raids on medical marijuana facilities in California. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.
Federal agents recently served search warrants to ten facilities operating in Los Angeles County. Although Californians voted in 1996 to amend State law and permit patients with a doctor’s approval to grow or possess marijuana for medical use, this practice remains illegal under Federal law. Further, in a 2005 decision, Gonzales vs. Raich, the Supreme Court held that Congressional authority under the Commerce Clause includes the power to prohibit the local cultivation and use of marijuana even if State law permits such actions. In other words, those who use marijuana for medical treatment in compliance with State law may still risk investigation by the DEA.
I understand the concerns you raise about the current legal classification of marijuana and the conflicts between State and Federal laws. While I do not support the legalization of any narcotic drug for recreational use, please know that I do recognize that marijuana may have medicinal properties that could alleviate conditions such as AIDS-related wasting and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Given this, I am examining if changes to Federal law are necessary. Please know that I will certainly keep your thoughts in mind should the Senate consider medical marijuana-related issues in the future.
Once again, thank you for writing. I hope you will continue to write on matters of importance to you. Best regards.
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I wrote to Feinstein last month and she gave me a response a little like this one. She came up w/ some BS about knowing how bad drugs are for individuals and communities and how she would never consider legalizing it on a federal level. Well, I’m not voting for her ever again and will make sure everyone I know won’t either.
Though, she never mentioned anything about recognizing the “medicinal properties” of marijuana or “examining if changes to Federal law are necessary”. I’m wondering if she’s been getting a great deal of marijuana-related calls and email to cause her to change the tone of her responses.
with all due respect Sen. Feinstein, I doubt very much weather you or any member of the Supreme Court have ever smoked Marijuana, Thus I maintain that you have no idea what you are talking about. With all due respect.
FAIL.
Marijuana is not a narcotic.
From Wikipedia: In U.S. legal context, the term “narcotic” specifically refers to opium, opium derivatives, and their semi-synthetic or fully synthetic substitutes as well as cocaine and coca leaves.
Notice she didn’t give specifics as to why she doesn’t support recreation use. It’s too easy to blow holes in all the same tired defenses of the War against US Citizens.
really? that’s way better that *any* response I’ve ever received from any of my legislators.
But then again I live in GA and the rules are different here.
Well, that was a pretty gutless response.