Federal Prosecutors Will Go After Washington And Colorado Marijuana Distributors

[Sensitive Blake Griffin]

Federal prosecutors will crack down on recreational marijuana dispensaries and growers even in states where they are legal, U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske told a Canadian news magazine this week. The statement appears to be the first from a federal official to state explicitly that the federal government will prosecute dispensaries and producers once they are licensed in Washington and Colorado. During an interview on 20/20, President Obama told Barbara Walters only that the federal government has “bigger fish to fry” than going after recreational users, but did not address those who produce or distribute marijuana. MacLean’s reports:
Q: In the November elections, two states—Washington and Colorado—voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use. President Obama has said that the U.S. government has “bigger fish to fry” than to go after recreational users in states where it is legal. Where do things stand with regard to producers and distributors of marijuana, which is still illegal under federal law?
A: You’ll continue to see enforcement against distributors and large-scale growers as the Justice Department has outlined. They will use their limited resources on those groups and not on going after individual users.
While the questioner rightly points out that distribution and production of marijuana are illegal under federal law (as is possession), Washington and Colorado’s laws do explicitly make both production and distribution of marijuana legal under state law if the entities are licensed and follow regulations.
In states where medical marijuana is legal, federal prosecutors and Drug Enforcement Administration agents have ratcheted up crackdowns of those distributing medical marijuana in seeming compliance with state laws. And Kerlikowske’s statement suggests the federal government will take the same approach to the recreational marijuana laws, in spite of growing public support for state marijuana legalization in the wake of the November election.
Neither Attorney General Eric Holder, nor other representatives from the DOJ or DEA have spoken publicly about their planned approach, other than to issue a statement immediately following the ballot initiatives’ passage saying that enforcement of federal law “remains unchanged.”
The threat of not only shutdown, but harsh federal mandatory minimum jail sentences of ten years just for marijuana distribution — and as high as 85 years if other associated charges are lobbed on – would no doubt have a chilling effect on the recreational marijuana industry, and thwart state efforts to experiment with new approaches to achieving public health and safety goals in the wake of the failed War on Drugs. It remains to be seen, however, whether federal agents would make significant use of their prosecutorial discretion, or merely retain the right to prosecute in very limited circumstances.
The best way to eliminate this threat would be to amend the federal Controlled Substances Act, which the executive branch remains responsible for enforcing. Members of Congress proposed bills last week to regulate and tax marijuana like alcohol in those states where it is legal. Last session, other bills proposed simply exempting those states with marijuana laws from the Controlled Substances Act, and Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said he was open to decriminalizing marijuana. But given congressional inaction on absolutely everything, it will likely fall to prosecutors to decide how the law gets applied.

 

[Johnny Kilroy]

:hov:

 

[Shogun]

Democrats support Federal jurisdiction over states rights.

When it has to do with gay marriage, or healthcare, or gun control yall are

but when they override state's right in regards to something you disagree with its a big injustice

 

[john goodman]

If obama goes along with this hes dead to me

 

[Jello Biafra]

Eric Holder has always had a hard on for marijuana. Back when he was US Attorney in D.C. he wanted to up the mandatory minimums (he has always been a mandatory minimum/sentencing guidleines advocate) for marijuana offenses and seriously tried to poisit that the violence in D.C. was just as much a result of marijuana as crack. And one of the things he wanted to emphasize was that law3 enforcement should go after drugh users with as much force as they go after dealers.
The guy is just a gigantic douchebag of a human being.

If obama goes along with this hes dead to me

Obama has been talking a good game about marijuana being a low priority since he was a candidate and all the way through his first term while all along his Justice Department was going after distributors in states where weed is legal like it was the highest priority in the land.
So whether he agree siwth what Holder is doing or not he is complicit because he has done nothing to curb it.

 

[Johnny Kilroy]

Democrats support Federal jurisdiction over states rights.

When it has to do with gay marriage, or healthcare, or gun control yall are

but when they override state's right in regards to something you disagree with its a big injustice

Injustice? I don't think it fukkin matters.

Weed is 100% illegal in my state but we still blaze every day.

 

[Shogun]

Injustice? I don't think it fukkin matters.

Weed is 100% illegal in my state but we still blaze every day.

has nothing to do with whats about to kick off in this thread. You think you some kinda outlaw cuz you smoke weed?

noone's impressed breh

 

[Johnny Kilroy]

has nothing to do with whats about to kick off in this thread. You think you some kinda outlaw cuz you smoke weed?

noone's impressed breh

Who cares about being an outlaw? You sound like a straight up loser, breh. I don't smoke weed to "be cool" I smoke weed to get high.

I'm saying it doesn't matter because marijuana has been around forever and the feds could never stop it so what makes them think they're gonna stop it now without the help of local law enforcement?

It's all a joke and so are you.

 

[Jx2]

Man I love my parents...




















but I can't wait until the baby boomers and their 1950's ideologies die the fukk out fukk Cantor...

 

[Shogun]

Who cares about being an outlaw? You sound like a straight up loser, breh. I don't smoke weed to "be cool" I smoke weed to get high.

I'm saying it doesn't matter because marijuana has been around forever and the feds could never stop it so what makes them think they're gonna stop it now without the help of local law enforcement?

It's all a joke and so are you.

you really missing the point breh. the thread is focused on states rights versus federal rights. It has nothing to do with the feasibility of enforcing marijuana laws.

You the one that sounds like a loser, thinking the fact the you get high has anything at all to do with this thread. Run back to TLR little guy.

 

[Johnny Kilroy]

you really missing the point breh. the thread is focused on states rights versus federal rights. It has nothing to do with the feasibility of enforcing marijuana laws.

You the one that sounds like a loser, thinking the fact the you get high has anything at all to do with this thread. Run back to TLR little guy.

Oh I didn't realize I was talking with such an accomplished political scientist. My apologies.

But here's something that will really upset you: None of that shyt matters. :hov:

You talk about federal rights like this is actually a democracy. You're a pawn.

 

[Shogun]

Oh I didn't realize I was talking with such an accomplished political scientist. My apologies.

But here's something that will really upset you: None of that shyt matters. :hov:

You talk about federal rights like this is actually a democracy. You're a pawn.

:obamalol:

We got an armchair revolutionary folks.

 

[Type Username Here]

source?

 

[thekingsmen]

If obama goes along with this hes dead to me

He has already. Actions speak louder than words friend.

 

[Mr. Somebody]

Pro homosexual anti marijuana. This government is bizarre.