Tweet
Steve DeAngelo
The Federal government has taken its assault on Harborside Health Center, one of America’s largest and best known medical marijuana dispensaries, to a new level. From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Federal authorities said Wednesday that they plan to seize the Oakland property used by Harborside Health Center, which is believed to be the nation’s largest medical marijuana dispensary.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California posted a notice on Harborside’s door this week, saying it intends to seize the property under federal laws prohibiting the distribution of marijuana.
Last year the federal government first went after Harborside over an obscure tax provision claiming that as a result of selling medical marijuana the dispensary isn’t allow it to take standard business deductions. While that legal fight with the IRS over millions in potential back taxes is ongoing, the district U.S. attorney for Northern California, Melinda Haag had decided to bring more pressure to bear against the dispensary in an attempt to force it out of business.
Harborside and its founder Steve DeAngelo are featured on the Discovery channel show Weed Wars. DeAngelo has been a prominent vocal activist for medical marijuana for decades and Harborside is considered a model of professionalism in the industry.
While the Obama administration claims it is only going after medical marijuana dispensaries that are violating state medical marijuana laws, those claims simply don’t fit their pattern of behavior. The federal government has clearly been targeting the best known, well-run, and politically active dispensaries.
Earlier this year federal agents also raided Oaksterdam University and the home of its founder Richard Lee. Lee is another one of the most prominent voices in the marijuana reform movement. He was a main sponsor of Proposition 19 in 2010, which attempted to legalize marijuana in California.
7 Comments
Compare and contract the US DOJ’s efforts with marijuana and their efforts against Wall St fraud (LIBOR manipulation for example).
Oh wait. The MJ industry does not (yet)
buycontribute to politicians.Wow, from the King of Choom? I’m done with the hypocrisy. I share sentiments with Synoia.
How this plays out with the city of Oakland says they’re fighting for Harborside, is anybody’s guess.
“While the Obama administration claims it is only going after medical marijuana dispensaries that are violating state medical marijuana laws, those claims simply don’t fit their pattern of behavior. The federal government has clearly been targeting the best known, well-run, and politically active dispensaries.”
The Obama administration claims that up is down, black is white, the moon is made of green cheese, and that if you just clap hard enough, and with enough hope and change in your heart, Tinker Bell won’t die. Thanks, Obama, for channeling Nixon and for keeping Harry J. Anslinger’s zombie well fed.
Big Pharma has spoken. Thou shalt have no other drugs before me.
Now that our client state in Latin America, Colombia, has legalized personal possession of up to 25 grams of marijuana and 1 gram of cocaine, how long will it be before Obama/Holder’s DOJ enacts a plan to seize that nation? This is just another example of what an administration can get away with if they sport the “D” brand.
Unless Obummer senses there are substaintal votes to be garnered by calling off the dogs (DOJ) it will only get worse. Vote for Gary Johnson or Jill Stien!!
Indeed. If he thought there was enough money to be gained (see gay marriage “evolution”) or enough votes he needed to curry (see immigration prosecutorial discretion decision), it would be done. Although Obama often invokes the phrase “it’s the right thing to do” while presenting these policy moves, it’s pretty clear that actually giving a damn about the issue was never a factor.