The first shot has been fired in Providence for the modern medical marijuana battle in the East. US Attorney Peter F. Neronha sent a harsh notice to Rhode Island on April 29th. The letter was addressed to the governor and state officials but in a new tactic, it was also sent to the handful of licensed medical cannabis dispensaries.
WNRI in Providence obtained a copy of the letter. It includes a revealing statement about how the federal government is treating the issue.
Accordingly while the Department of Justice does not focus its limited resources on seriously ill individuals who use marijuana as part of a medically recommended treatment regimen in compliance with state law as stated in the October 2009 Memorandum of Deputy Attorney General David Ogden, the Department of Justice maintains the authority to enforce the CSA vigorously against individuals and organizations that participate in unlawful manufacturing and distributing activity involving marijuana, even if such activities are permitted under state law.
We all know that state medical cannabis laws are in conflict with the federal Controlled Substances Act. But the last part seems to be the driving force behind a recent storm of Drug Enforcement Administration raids, “…even if such activities are permitted under state law.”
Clearly the federal government does not care if doctors recommend marijuana or if patients possess a small amount of cannabis. The forbidden sins are growing and selling. Again not new news, but the real kicker is the target.
Rhode Island recently licensed three dispensaries: The Thomas C. Slater Compassion Center, Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center and Summit Medical Compassion Center. All three were copied on the letter. Governor Lincoln Chaffee’s copy was delivered by hand.
The DEA conducted four raids in Washington on April 28th. A similar afternoon in Rhode Island would shut down all of the state’s carefully selected medical cannabis operators. The full letter is a clear and open threat to bring federal agents with automatic weapons to clear out regulated marijuana, cash registers, bank accounts and assets.
What has yet to be seen is the response from the fiercely independent state to the federal government’s prodding. There may be a taller political wall in Rhode Island for the DEA to hurdle.
Read the letter care of WNRI: http://wrnihealthcareblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/u-s-attorney-letter.pdf
Questions? chris@freedomisgreen.com
Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.
What we need to do at this point is to start putting pressure via phone calls, letters and petitions to the White House to let the Obama administration know that the citizens of the U.S. expect him to keep his promise not to use federal resources to circumvent state laws. He said it, he promised it, it’s time for him to keep that promise, starting with getting rid of Michele Leonhart.
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Dont we outnumber the DEA?
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We pay their salaries with our taxes….sOOOO I just fired all of them and had a yard sale of all the DEA’s office equipment
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How about starting a serious state SECESSION movement….tie it to the DOJ…. Then there is the 10th amendment movement. Nullify the federal authority over state grown products…
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yeah. it’s about time for the people to stand up for themselves. The feds are overstepping the boundaries and the states have the right to defend themselves. It’s time we fire some Govt. s***e.
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It is time we stood up for ourselves. The War on Cannabis has been unjust from the start, and hurts people far more than a simple plant. It’s time the feds were put in their place. Citizens of Washington are working to get signatures for Initiative 1149, The Marijuana Reform Act, to put an end to prohibition in the state. The politicians will NOT listen to the people, so we need to make them listen to us. Find a petition, get it signed and get it sent in. Do your part to end prohibition. http://www.sensiblewashington.org
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This is our answer to Federal Interference in our State Laws regarding Medical Marijuana in Rhode Island.
Our community must UNITE to fight this battle. It is our Tenth Amendment Right to Self Govern without Federal Interference.
The Rhode Island Cannabis Community will be having a meeting on May 5th at Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE) in Providence RI located on Lockwood St. from 630-800pm
This is one of the issues we will address.
Patients have rights to Medicine, SAFELY, a Compassion Center can offer Safe Access to Medical Cannabis for Law Abiding Patients who Qualify for such services.
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