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1. San Diego tunnel yields 17 tons of marijuana
2. DEA raids Montana caregivers again
3. Colorado lowers medical marijuana program fees
4. Transplant denied to legal medical marijuana patient
5. DEA can judge illness by sight at a distance!

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• Heather Schafer, daughter of Dr. Mollie Fry and Dale Schafer, imprisoned for five year mandatory minimum for medical marijuana

Radical Rant

• Visit with the crew of Mighty High Coup

Multiple news outlets are reporting DEA and local officials raiding over a dozen dispensaries in the Seattle-area counties of King, Thurston, and Pierce in Washington State.

The Olympian reports:

The Thurston County Narcotics Task Force served search warrants at five medicinal marijuana dispensaries Tuesday morning and shut them down, according to a police spokesman.

The News-Tribune:

Five dispensaries were targeted in Thurston County and five in Pierce County, law enforcement officials reported. So far, no arrests have been reported from the searches in Pierce and Thurston counties.

The warrants targeted locations that are suspected of not complying with state law on medical marijuana, Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.

“The places we hit are not compliant with state law so we initiated enforcement,” he said. “There are facilities and people that are in compliance with the law that we did not hit.”

KOMO reports:

Medical marijuana activist group ‘Sensible Washington’ tells KOMO News searches have been conducted so far at Seattle Cannabis Co-op, Game Collective, Tacoma Cross, Lacey Cross and Seattle Cross among others.

KOMO News asked DEA spokeswoman Jodie Underwood if agents were serving search warrants on dispensaries in other counties as well and she acknowledged agents were serving several search warrants locally.

Remember, these raids are taking place in Tacoma, which just had an election last week on this very issue of marijuana law enforcement:

(Seattle Times) Tacoma voters easily passed citywide ballot Initiative No. 1 — the measure seeking to make “marijuana or cannabis offenses … the lowest enforcement priority” of the city.

After Tuesday night’s count, 65 percent of voters favored the measure, while 35 percent cast no votes.

An Seattle, which had made marijuana law enforcement its cops’ lowest priority in 2003:

(Seattle P-I) Since Seattle voters famously made the Emerald City a bit greener by mandating that cops mellow out when it comes to marijuana possession busts, a funny thing has happened.

Nothing. Nada. Nil. No crazy hopheads running amok with “reefer madness.” No groundswell of support to legalize the drug (at least no more than usual), and no discernible protest by law enforcement that a pro-drug message effectively has been sent — or received.

“I’d say it’s had little to no effect,” said City Attorney Tom Carr, an outspoken opponent of Initiative 75, the 2003 ballot measure that directed Seattle police to make low-level pot busts their lowest priority. “And that’s good. It hasn’t been a problem. You can tell by the numbers.”

So much for the will of the people.

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Hemp Headlines

Brought to you by Cannabis Fantastic

1. DEA raids at least five dispensaries in Spokane, Washington
2. The ACLU takes up the appeal of Joseph Casias, the Wal-Mart worker fired for medical marijuana use
3. Today marks the 100-year anniversary of the nation’s first statewide pot ban in Massachusetts

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• Rockin’ Friday: Double Jack – “Free”

NORML Newsmakers

• Kevin Oliver from Washington NORML recorded live yesterday at the THC Pharmacy being raided by DEA
• Steph Sherer from Americans for Safe Access

(Reuters) – Federal agents executed search warrants at several Detroit area locations on Tuesday including a medical marijuana facility owned by a businessman who also owns a long-closed auto plant that has become a symbol of Detroit’s decline.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, state and local law enforcement agencies conducted the searches at offices in northwest suburban Detroit, Andrew Eiseman, group supervisor for the DEA in Detroit, said.

California, check.  Nevada, check.  Montana, check.  Michigan, check.  Because, apparently, our federal law enforcement officials don’t have “violent crimes and potential terrorism… to deal with” anymore.

Barack Obama, 2008: “When it comes to medical marijuana, I have more of a practical view than anything else,” the Senator explained. “My attitude is that if it’s an issue of doctors prescribing medical marijuana as a treatment for glaucoma or as a cancer treatment, I think that should be appropriate because there really is no difference between that and a doctor prescribing morphine or anything else. …

“What I’m not going to be doing is using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue simply because I want folks to be investigating violent crimes and potential terrorism. We’ve got a lot of things for our law enforcement officers to deal with.”

The Pacific Northwest has been spared most federal interference in their medical marijuana programs as Washington and Oregon had not engaged in very much open medical marijuana distribution for compensation.  But now with “farmer’s markets” and “cannabis clubs” and “storefront caregivers” proliferating in these states and Mr. Obama’s acquiescence (approval?) of Ms. Leonhart’s raids in now four medical marijuana states, can DEA raids in the Pacific Northwest be far behind?

examiner Federal agents beefed up by local law enforcement personnel raided two West Hollywood medical marijuana dispensaries on Tuesday, arresting one person.

The agents, along with Los Angeles Police Department officers and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies, raided Alternative Herbal Health Services and Zen Healing on Santa Monica Boulevard around 2:10 p.m., the Los Angeles Times reported. The two dispensaries are among four West Hollywood has allowed to operate.  Sarah Pullen of the Drug Enforcement Administration declined to tell the Times what led to the raids, what was seized or who was in custody.

The last DEA raid in West Hollywood was in 2007, The Times reported.

In 2009, The U.S. Justice Department said it would not investigate dispensaries that observe California law, even though federal law continues to bar marijuana use.

Yup, that Holder memo has a huge loophole.  It said they wouldn’t prosecute those dispensaries operating in “clear and unambiguous compliance” with state law.  Well, nothing about California’s medical marijuana is “clear and unambiguous” when it comes to storefront sales.

But it certainly goes against the interpretation many had about that memo in the context of President Obama’s responses to the question of medical marijuana raids while running for office.  He said “I’m not going to be doing is using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue simply because I want folks to be investigating violent crimes and potential terrorism. We’ve got a lot of things for our law enforcement officers to deal with.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Apparently all the violent crimes and potential terrorism have been taken care of.

We will no longer raid medical marijuana states... oh, who am I kidding?

Just another example of why we need full legalization.  A memorandum to ease up on medical marijuana is not a binding or long lasting assurance of anything.  We need to change the laws!

(Americans for Safe Access) It would appear that raids by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in medical marijuana states have declined since President Obama’s Justice Department issued its infamous memorandum in October 2009. But, in fact, raids have continued at an alarming pace. For example, in the 16 months since the Obama Administration’s policy change, the DEA has conducted at least 43 raids in California, Colorado, Michigan and Nevada. That’s nearly 3 raids per month on average. Although arrests were not made at all of the raids, President Obama’s Justice Department has seen fit to indict and prosecute at least 24 patients and providers in connection with those federal actions. Can this really be the result of a new federal enforcement policy?

Did the American people envision their tax dollars going to such harmful and unnecessary federal actions, especially after a policy was issued claiming that such actions would cease? With popular American support for medical marijuana at more than 80 percent, we think not.

It’s time for the Obama Administration to deliver on its promise to leave patients alone. The DEA must take a hands-off approach to enforcement of medical marijuana production and distribution. Any allegations of local or state law violations should be prosecuted in state court, and not in federal court (i.e. no more federal indictments). In addition, DEA agents should be refusing to assist local law enforcement in raids on patients and providers, period.

Only after the federal government stands down on this issue will states and their localities be able to effectively implement medical marijuana laws passed by the people.

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Hemp Headlines

1. Australian scientists studying pharmacological means of controlling “cannabis withdrawal”
2. Police and DEA raid dispensaries in Spokane, Washington
3. Las Vegas mayor comments on DEA raids of dispensaries in Nevada

Daily Toker Tunes

Brought to you by Eric Smokesbud

• Rockin’ Friday: Can a Bus Dream? – “Stoner Nation”

Government at Work

• John Sajo explains Oregon Measure 74 (dispensaries)
• Chris Conrad explains California Prop 19 (legalization)

Warning: the following video shows federal agents a week ago engaging in an armed raid of an incredibly dangerous retail medical marijuana shop in Las Vegas.  Pay close attention to the peril and risk faced by these brave law enforcers, protected only by goggles, flak jackets, body armor, riot shields, and automatic weapons.  Those officers could very well have suffered a paper cut collecting all that paperwork!

(8 News Now – Las Vegas) A day after five medical marijuana centers across the Las Vegas valley were raided as part of a federal investigation, some are once again back in business and call the raid nothing more than a scare tactic.

The raid conducted between the FBI, Las Vegas police and the DEA did not result in any arrests or charges at this point, which has some owners thinking the entire operation was the government throwing it’s weight around.

According to a search warrant, authorities were looking for things like marijuana plants, paraphernalia, growing products, books, records and invoices. But [the dispensary owner] says if that was indeed the case, why did agents remove items like an iPod, Playstation 3, and a Nintendo Wii, but leave items like pipes, books, financial records, and even items he says will allow him to start growing once again.

We’ve seen the same tactics in Colorado and California – smash and grabs by the federal police that never result in charges or arrests. Tactics that have been in use since the Clinton Administration, perfected in the Bush Administration, and seemingly embraced by the Obama Administration. The only purposes of the raids are intimidation and disruption of business, nothing more.

When the Mob ransacks legal businesses and intimidates their owners, it’s called “criminal harassment”. When al Qaeda does it, it’s called “terrorism”. When our government does it, it’s called “drug law enforcement”.

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Hemp Headlines

1. The 2009 FBI Uniform Crime report shows an increase of 10,000 marijuana arrests, making up 51.6% of all drug arrests
2. The 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows an increase of 10% in the rate of monthly marijuana use to 16.7 million users

Daily Toker Tunes

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• Groovin’ Thursday: The Green Brothers – “I Get Lifted”

NORML Newsmakers

• US Rep. Earl Blumenauer’s Keynote Address at the NORML National Conference in Portland, Oregon

Radical Rant

• President Obama pledges to end (publicity of) DEA raids on medical marijuan states

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Hemp Headlines

1. Colorado Lawmakers call on Obama Administration to end DEA Raids
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Cannabis Science with Dr. Mitch Earleywine

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• Would weed amplify sleep apnea? Weed tends to make people sleep harder so could this be a greater risk for apena persons?
• Comparison of Clozapine vs. Cannabis for racing thoughts please?
• Are there any studies about cannabis and ovarian cysts (as in relief of cramping and pain)?
• Interested in Cannabis’s effect on lipid levels–Cholesterol and triglycerides.
• Can someone have a severe enough reaction to cannabis that he is having ears ringing, hallucinations, and lack of balance to the point of falling down?
• Have you ever heard of marijuana being used to treat some of the symptoms of chronic Lyme Disease?
• Will a hit of Marijuana will instantly stop a Asthma Attack?
• Dr. Mitch, why does cannabis reduce my Parkinson’s symptoms as much as 90%? It’s amazing!
• Is Dr. Mitch familiar with EMDR therapy and how cannabis can enhance or diminish it’s effectiveness?
• Has there been any studies on MJ & Depression?

Cannabis Community

• Jacki Rickert discusses the progress of her namesake medical marijuana act in Wisconsin. Visit IMMLY.org to help.