• kris
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  • Registered: 2007-08-17
  • Posts: 146

Topic: LA City Council to Vote to End DEA Raids on Medical Marijuana Provider

MEDIA ADVISORY
Americans for Safe Access
For Immediate Release: April 1, 2008

LA City Council to Vote to End DEA Raids on Medical Marijuana Providers
Zine-Hahn-Rosendahl resolution supports state bill to end medical marijuana raids

Los Angeles, CA -- The Los Angeles City Council will vote Wednesday on a resolution introduced by Council members Dennis Zine, Janice Hahn, and Bill Rosendahl calling for an end to federal interference in California's medical marijuana laws. The resolution, introduced February 27th, supports State Senate Joint Resolution 20 (Migden), which urges Congress and the President to enact legislation requiring federal law enforcement to respect state medical marijuana laws, to cease raids of medical marijuana dispensaries that are operating legally under California and local law, and to return any assets seized from medical marijuana dispensaries and collectives to the states in which they are located. Advocates have calculated that dispensaries in California contribute as much as $100 million in sales tax revenue to the general fund.

    What: Press conference to highlight vote on Zine-Hahn-Rosendahl resolution
    When: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 9:45am
    Where: 3rd Floor Media Room (Behind Council Chambers), Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Spring St.
    Why: To highlight City Council vote at 10am on resolution calling for an end to DEA interference in state law
    Who: Council members Dennis Zine, Janice Hahn, Bill Rosendahl & Lisa Sawoya, a former dispensary operator raided by the DEA

"We welcome the help and leadership of the Los Angeles City Council," said Don Duncan, California Campaign Director with Americans for Safe Access. "Local officials standing up to the DEA, and demanding an end to its harmful tactics, is exactly what is needed if we are to effectively implement California's medical marijuana law."

Ever since the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) increased its attack on California's medical marijuana law, Los Angeles has been a focus of federal attention. In 2007, the DEA raided more than thirty medical marijuana dispensaries in the Los Angeles area and sent letters to at least 200 landlords of dispensaries, threatening them with criminal prosecution and seizure of their property. At the height of DEA activity in Los Angeles, on July 25, 2007, the DEA raided several facilities the same day that the City Council was voting to establish dispensary regulations. Also on that day, Council member Zine, a Republican and former LAPD officer, sent a letter to then-DEA Administrator Karen Tandy urging her to end federal interference in local and state laws.

Since then, Mayors from Oakland, Santa Cruz and West Hollywood have sent letters to House Judiciary Chair John Conyers (D-MI) calling for Congressional hearings on the matter. Several other local governments have joined Los Angeles in condemning federal interference, including San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley. The latest public call to end federal interference comes from the state legislature, with State Senator Carole Migden's (D-San Francisco) introduction of Senate Joint Resolution 20 earlier this year. The bill cleared the Senate Health Committee last Wednesday and will be heard next by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Advocates and more than a half-dozen medical marijuana dispensary operators, who were victims of DEA interference, testified last month before the State Board of Equalization. Raided dispensary operators, like Lisa Sawoya of Los Angeles, complained that despite abiding by state law, including the required collection and payment of sales tax, the state has failed to protect these health care facilities. And, as California attempts to deal with its fiscal crisis, the combined annual investment of $100 million in sales tax revenue from the state's approximately 400 dispensaries is considerable and worthy of protection.

The DEA's most recent attack on medical marijuana providers occurred on March 20th in Los Angeles, when six facilities were raided on the same day. Dispensary operator Virgil Grant, the victim of the latest round of raids, testified last week at a City Council meeting, calling on them to help end federal interference. Grant was paying tens of thousands of dollars in sales tax to the state. "It's very difficult to comply with state law with the DEA continuing to raid legally-sanctioned dispensaries," said Grant. "It's time for the Los Angeles City Council and other local governments do their part to end DEA interference."

Further information:
Zine-Hahn-Rosendahl Resolution: http://clkrep.lacity.org/councilfiles/0 … -27-08.pdf
ASA Fact Sheet on Escalation of DEA Raids: http://safeaccessnow.org/downloads/dea_escalation.pdf
ASA Fact Sheet on Sales Tax: http://americansforsafeaccess.org/downl … _sheet.pdf
ASA Fact Sheet on Senate Joint Resolution 20: http://safeaccessnow.org/downloads/SJR_ … _Sheet.pdf

# # #

With over 30,000 active members in more than 40 states, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research. ASA works to overcome political and legal barriers by creating policies that improve access to medical cannabis for patients and researchers through legislation, education, litigation, grassroots actions, advocacy and services for patients and the caregivers.

  • Registered: 2007-09-11
  • Posts: 1,467

Re: LA City Council to Vote to End DEA Raids on Medical Marijuana Provider

nice smile

  • Registered: 2007-10-03
  • Posts: 526

Re: LA City Council to Vote to End DEA Raids on Medical Marijuana Provider

And what good is this going to do, does the city council have more power than the voters of california. Does anyone actually think the DEA cares about what the council thinks. they wont even listen to there own administrative judge or congress for that matter. Wasn't it in Raich the supreme court questioned the morality of the DEA going after MMJ. Yes I agree it is a good thing for the council to step up to the plate, but it aint gonna change the DEA's tactics, if anything they will raid twice as many next time just to show the council a go to hell attitude. Do you really think it was coincidence that the DEA was raiding on the day the council was meeting to pass an ordinace for MMJ, I think the DEA is sending their message loud and clear, dont do it or we will bust your ass. The DOJ may or may not want all these MMJ cases, with the DEA bringing them in they don't have a choice.

  • From: Los Angeles, CA
  • Registered: 2007-05-25
  • Posts: 679

Re: LA City Council to Vote to End DEA Raids on Medical Marijuana Provider

From my comments at the press conference and public comments:

Good morning. My name is Don Duncan, and I am the California Director for Americans for Safe Access, the nation’s largest organization promoting safe and legal access to marijuana for therapeutic use and research. I would like to thank City Council Members Zine, Hahn, and Rosendahl for introducing a resolution supporting California Senator Carol Migden’s Senate Joint Resolution 20, which calls on the President and United States Congress to end federal interference and intimidation in California’s medical cannabis community.

Most of California’s 200,000 legal medical marijuana patients rely on medical cannabis dispensing collectives for safe access to the medicine their doctors’ recommend to treat HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other serious illnesses. Research and the experience of cities and counties statewide show that regulating these facilities reduce crime and complaints. The City of Los Angeles is heeding the voters’ mandate to implement a plan for safe access and is moving in good faith to adopt sensible regulations to protect patients and the community.

But we now find ourselves in the middle of the longest and most widespread federal attack on medical cannabis patients and providers since voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996. In the last fifteen months, we have seen more than fifty DEA raids at medical cannabis facilities, indictments against caregivers, and a new federal tactic of intimidating law-abiding property owners with threats of prosecution and asset forfeiture unless they evict their tenants. Most of this activity has been focus on the Los Angeles area.

SJR 20 sends a strong message to Washington, DC: stop interfering in California. This is a message we hope will be heard in the halls on Congress and by US House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, who in December criticized the DEA’s tactics and promised an investigation in the course of his committee’s oversight of that agency.

Support from the City Council is a welcome and necessary part of our efforts to adopt SJR 20, and on behalf of our members and medical marijuana advocates in Los Angeles, I want to say thank you again.

dondduncan's Website

  • From: Oakland, CA
  • Registered: 2007-05-31
  • Posts: 286

Re: LA City Council to Vote to End DEA Raids on Medical Marijuana Provider

The resolution passed on a 10-1 vote, with only Council Member Greg Smith voting against it. Great work everyone!

Rebecca Saltzman's Website

  • Registered: 2007-10-03
  • Posts: 526

Re: LA City Council to Vote to End DEA Raids on Medical Marijuana Provider

wonderful, as I expected. whats next, the dea aint gonna give a sh*t, they'll probably raid you tommorrow. What we need is a national vote, if 76% of the people in all the states combined are for some version of MMJ, then why are not we spending our resources on that. We as people have the right to address congress and I think we may even have the right to demand change if we all stand together or at least attack the money that is being used to overthrow the will of the people. This is where I think we should be focusing all of our time, money, energy. What good is it doing us wasting the energy on fighting all these state issues, I think that once the feds back off, the states will all follow suit, our battle is at the federal level.

  • kris
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  • Registered: 2007-08-17
  • Posts: 146

Re: LA City Council to Vote to End DEA Raids on Medical Marijuana Provider

ASA is working at all levels (local, state and federal) to change policy around medical marijuana. As you can imagine, the federal government moves slowly, but we're making progress. We may not see a change in federal policy with this Administration, but there are signs that a Democratic President will change the priorities of the DOJ and DEA. In the meantime, every bit of support we get from local officials helps to put pressure of the federal government, and the next President, to end the unnecessary and harmful interference in state law. In a sense, it becomes embarrassing for the DEA to carry out a policy that is unfavorable to everybody but them.

While a vote like this by the state's largest city (and the country's 2nd largest city) is nothing to sneeze at, we are not naive to assume that this LA City Council Resolution will single-handedly end federal raids. However, the passage of SJR 20, and even more support from local politicians, may provide enough resistance until we can elect the next President.

It's not about investing energy in only changing federal policy, nor is it about focusing solely on local politicians. It's about looking at things holistically and taking advantage of local politics in order to move Los Angeles, California, and the country in the right direction.

  • Registered: 2007-10-03
  • Posts: 526

Re: LA City Council to Vote to End DEA Raids on Medical Marijuana Provider

I agree with your philosyphy, except to think the DEA will embarrassed. The DEA is so arrogant and they truly believe in what they do. The DEA is abit shielded from that embarrassing position, the DOJ is the one catching most of the flak. I have recently heard from a reliable source that the press conference of the Fry case has caused some unrest in the halls of the eastern district federal court building. I think it is time we band together to form a protest at the steps of that building, maybe even a STOP WASTING MONEY campaign, give us back out sales tax, we want MMJ. STATES RIGHTS. LET US TELL THE TRUTH.