Los Angeles, February 4, 2008
The DEA smashed surveillance cameras and computers and threw cannabis medicine in large trash bags at the Venice Alternative Healing Clinic at 421 Rose Avenue. This was followed by a raid at the Marina Caregivers at 730 W. Washington Blvd. Marina Del Ray, and another at the Beach Center Collective, 310 Culver Blvd., in Playa Del Rey.
President Obama promised on the campaign trail to stop wasting Federal resources by ending DEA raids on medical cannabis dispensaries in states where it is legal. Apparently the DEA did not get the memo.
All in all, five Los Angeles medical cannabis clinics were targeted yesterday, including one doctor's office at 122 South Lincoln Blvd. also in Venice.
This follows three similar post-inauguration raids in Lake Tahoe and Colorado on January 22nd of this year.
Medical cannabis activists are extremely frustrated at the apparent continuation of the Bush and Clinton administration's strategy of targeting legitimate dispensaries in states where the people have voted to make cannabis medicine legal. They are recommending that supporters of continued safe access to medical cannabis call the White House at 202 456-1111, asking Obama to call off the raids, and by sending an automatic email through the LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) website, or by going to Whitehouse.gov and writing an email, or by writing an email directly to Eric Holder, the new Attorney General .
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Comments
Zofia, thanks to your comment I updated the story with an email link to Eric Holder.
The DEA and the FDA are both rouge institutions that are self-funding (DEA by seizures and FDA by pharmaceutical company fees). This is a recipe for disaster, particularly when the agencies have guns.
It seems going right to the top is the fastest approach, but to often it only stalls out the process because the person at the top will redirect actions to those under and as it goes down the chain each one passed over feels slighted and could drag their feet.
Instead start with the local councilman, ward, or alderman and ask them to contact the mayor. If you get the mayor to contact their state senator or rep. and so on up the chain. This keeps everyone in the loop, and it involves more people applying pressure as it moves up the chain. And this method will gain improved relationships with those in power.
Texas, I loved Up in Smoke.
I've been wondering that too, Sao.