Medical Marijuana and DEA
By their own admittance, law enforcement in Colorado including the DEA has spent a disproportionate amount of time investigating medical marijuana producers and suppliers in Colorado. Denver Police now say that medical marijuana permeates much of what they do, and medical marijuana is related to 50% of all crimes that Denver PD investigate like robbery, assault, and murder. Aurora, Colorado Police have even begun arresting doctors who write prescriptions, and if you are a medical marijuana grower in Aurora, you will be visited by the police and the building department. It’s not unusual to have curious local police wanting to learn about medical marijuana gardens, but shocking news this week reveals, that the DEA is investigating growers and distributors of the herb as well.
According to a 9 news interview, “This business seems to have an inappropriate number of people with criminal backgrounds involved as business owners,” Kevin Merrill, assistant special agent in charge for the Denver field division of the DEA, said. “I would be hard-pressed to find any other business group where their members have so many criminal violations, arrests and convictions.” It is sad and scary that a Federal agent so boldly assumes that those involved with marijuana are guilty and must prove their innocence first.
Brian Vicente of Sensible Colorado explains the situation, that the DEA is the one who made criminal out of many of these people in the first place, and arrested and convicted medical marijuana patients and suppliers when they were operating legally pre – Obama marijuana policy. The individuals involved with medical marijuana have done their time and paid their price and served their sentences, and barring felons from working in the medical marijuana industry is absurd. Some of the best people in the medical marijuana industry, the ones who best know how to cultivate and distribute cannabis are likely the ones who got busted along the way. The DEA is quick to point out that individuals with criminal records will be targeted, and one can only assume that all of the ongoing investigations will lead to a large sweep or round up of those supplying medical marijuana in Colorado.
The Colorado medical marijuana industry has been left unmolested by the Feds as of yet, but with the sunrise of new licenses and applications on Colorado’s horizon starting August 1 2010, the Feds may make their say on the matter BIG TIME. Is the time coming when the DEA will swoop in and make a famous 100+ person bust of medical marijuana suppliers? Probably, as this is how it went down in California, and still does. It will be interesting to see what the DEA does with all of the info provided to the Colorado Department of Revenue medial marijuana enforcement division and its commander Matt Cook, former DEA agent himself. Jah Bless the ganja warriors of Colorado who will continue to fight this battle as it will soon escalate.
Matt Cook Pot Clown from CO Department of Revenue, on medical marijuana, 2 year residency, criminal background, and organized crime,: Pot Clown Award from HCC
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