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Colorado Marijuana Dispensaries Raided by Feds

December 3, 2013

Wasn’t it just a few months ago that the federal government told us all about their new hands-off approach to marijuana enforcement in states where it had been deregulated? Well, if you remember correctly, it wasn’t entirely hands-off, so they decided to go ahead and put their hands back in it, raiding several marijuana dispensaries in Colorado this week.

More than a dozen medical dispensaries in Denver and several in Boulder and other towns were raided by law enforcement including the federal DEA. A spokesman for the agency says their raids are aligned with the memo sent out in August. That memo said that the feds wouldn’t get involved so long as the businesses complied with state laws and weren’t tied to one of these eight priorities:

  1. Preventing the distribution of marijuana to minors
  2. Preventing the diversion of marijuana from states where it is legal under state law in some form to other states
  3. Preventing drugged driving and the exacerbation of other adverse public health consequences associated with marijuana use
  4. Preventing the growing of marijuana on public lands
  5. Preventing marijuana possession or use on federal property
  6. Preventing revenue from the sale of marijuana from going to criminal enterprises
  7. Preventing violence and the use of firearms in the cultivation and distribution of marijuana
  8. Preventing state-authorized marijuana activity from being sued as a cover or pretext for the trafficking of other illegal drugs

For now, the feds aren’t saying which of these the raided dispensaries violated, merely that they did.

“Although we cannot at this time discuss the substance of this pending investigation,” wrote spokesperson Jeff Dorschner, “there are strong indications that more than one of the eight federal prosecution priorities identified in the Department of Justice’s August guidance memo are potentially implicated.”

Colorado Cannabis dispensary raidsLest we thought Colorado was the new frontier in marijuana laws, the federal government is here to put the hammer down. There’s likely no coincidence that the raids are occurring just six weeks before the recreational pot-shops are opened. More than likely, they believed this crack-down would serve as a warning to all of the budding entrepreneurs.

“The Justice Department said it would respect states’ rights to regulate marijuana, and that it would not go after businesses as long as they are complying with state laws,” said Mason Tvert of the Marijuana Policy Project. “We hope they are sticking to their word and not interfering with any state-regulated, law-abiding businesses.”

The bottom line is this: despite the new laws, you can still face arrest and prosecution for marijuana laws in the state of Colorado.

Even if you think you are following the rules.

Filed Under: drug laws

Comments

  1. Cody says

    December 3, 2013 at 12:17 pm

    The only fucking reason why you can still get arrested is because, Marijuana is not legal under federal law yet. So therefore, it gives the feds all rights to raid whatever the fuck they want. Its fucked up. Pisses me off. I bet you 100% that them shops they raided were perfectly legal, and abiding by the laws that would protect them from being raided in the first place. But this is America for you. “You have laws that protect you from this? I don’t care. You’re going to die still anyways and im going to get away with… CLEAN” FUCK YOU GOVERNMENT. Stop fucking with peoples businesses already.

  2. Craig says

    December 3, 2013 at 2:13 pm

    The federal government has to keep the DEA busy to validate their implementation, and maintain such powers over its citizens. Too much money is being made by illegalizing drugs.
    Even God tried to prohibit fruit from the tree of knowledge.

  3. Zack Byrnes says

    December 5, 2013 at 12:29 am

    It’s ridiculous that it isn’t legal yet and that we are STILL wasting tax dollars to incarcerate individuals over this. We need to get our stuff together and get over this. It shouldn’t be a problem anymore.

  4. Michael S. says

    March 4, 2014 at 11:16 am

    I don’t even live there and it pisses me off also. I bet now the feds are busting more and more places now that they are easier to find. FUCK THE GOVERNMENT. These pricks will be dealt with and their time is running short. Big government will be NO MORE. They have stuck their noses in places they don’t belong. Make no mistake about it !! Your time is coming !!!

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