DEA Ignores New Policy, Raids S.F. Dispensary
March 27th, 2009Posted by George Pappas
Raids Defy U.S. President and Attorney General, and need your response!
We never expected that the DEA would defy the public statements of both the U.S. President and the Attorney General in such an arrogant and brazen way.
And yet yesterday, the Drug Enforcement Administration raided a legal, permitted San Francisco medical cannabis dispensing collective against the will of the President and the Department of Justice… and we need you to respond RIGHT NOW!
In early February national media attention exploded around statements from a White House spokesperson and from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, telling the press that DEA raids would no longer continue, and that an end to such raids, according to Holder, was “now U.S. policy.”
And DEA’s response?
They thumbed their noses at the President and immediately raided a legal dispensing collective and, according to the San Francisco Police, did not even inform local cops! DEA claimed that the permit-holding dispensary was “violating state law,” but went on to say that evidence was “under seal” and could not be shared with the public.
The DEA is out of line and out of control, and this raid is nothing if not vindictive. Even if there was a violation of state law:
1. Why where there no arrests?
2. Why were local cops not involved?
3. Why are United States Federal Agents interpreting and enforcing California state law without consulting California officials?
4. Why was the collective not given due process through the proper authorities, but rather ransacked with a “smash and grab” raid?
DEA has twisted the words of the U.S. Attorney General, and thought that by saying publicly “they violated state law” that they could continue raiding whenever they want. Well that doesn’t fly. We DEMAND that the DEA stop immediately, and that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder reprimand DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart for her blatant insubordination and violation of the “new American policy.”
Now it’s up to you, and all it takes is two phone calls, one to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, and the other straight to the DEA.
Please call the U.S. Attorney General at (202) 353-1555 and say:
- Hi, my name is _____________. First I want to thank you for your numerous public statements verifying the end of DEA raids on legal medical marijuana dispensaries in California. But on Wednesday the DEA went against your word and the word of the President of the United States by raiding a permitted dispensary in San Francisco. We respectfully demand that you issue a statement condemning and officially ending these raids until the Obama Administration has had a chance to review the new policy.
When you’re done, call the DEA at (202) 307-8000, ask for Administrator Michele Leonhart, and say:
- Hi, my name is ___________. The U.S. Attorney General and the President of the United States have both made high-profile public statements, saying DEA raids on legal medical marijuana dispensaries is no longer U.S. policy. Yet your DEA raided a legal, permit-holding San Francisco dispensary yesterday, in conflict with these statements. This disgraceful and anti-democratic. Why is your agency not listening to the policy statements of our elected leaders and your boss? Is this how you’ll run DEA if you are appointed in the Obama Administration? We demand that you STOP it immediately!
Sincerely,
George Pappas
Field Coordinator
Americans for Safe AccessP.S. Please forward this message to all your friends and family so that we can generate a response big enough to get officials to act!
Americans for Safe Access is the nation’s largest organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.
March 27th, 2009 at 11:07 am
I tried calling the numbers, unfortunately a message said that the mailbox was full. I guess too many American Patriots called and they stopped listening to our pleas and emptying the mailboxes.
March 27th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Called but the Whitehouse phone was BUSY
March 30th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Keep calling. An ASA member told the Oakland office someone picked up on Saturday!
April 1st, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Holder says the DEA raids would no longer continue and six weeks later we have this??? As Head of the Executive Branch, where is Pres. Obama?? Isn’t he in charge? And under him is Mr. Holder, the Attorney General!
The DEA does not answer to the American people directly, it is a law enforcement agency administered by the Department of Justice. So who then is in charge? Where is the boss??? It’s up to the bosses Holder and Obama to see that their own directives are carried out.
April 6th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
The Devil is in the details…I think the Justice Department is having a difficult time figuring out what the new guidelines will be, and finally putting them down in black and white will make them law. Then the floodgates will open with new industry, and a sense of peace in knowing that there can be a safe place to grow it without fear of arrest or asset losses. I think that the Administration is stalling until the end of April to hammer this situation out. We are not their highest priority, but I do think they want to look infinitely more compassionate than the last administration was. This Raid makes the Justice Department look bad. They have to be engaging in damage control as we speak. I feel that we on almost at the tipping point to a new saner policy for Medical Marijuana Patients, Right On !!!