California Democratic Party Demands Feds Leave California Marijuana Dispensaries Alone, by PotStores.com
(PRWEB) July 31, 2013 -- Potstores.com has learned that on July 21, 2013, the California Democratic Party passed a resolution that addresses the ongoing federal raids being conducted on marijuana dispensaries that are legally operating in the state of California (California Democratic Party Resolution 13-04.48 , July 21, 2013 Executive Board Meeting http://www.cadem.org/resources/resolutions?id=0636 ) The resolution asks that President Barack Obama “allow the newly enacted marijuana legalization laws in Colorado and Washington to go into effect with no federal interference” and that the CDP further requests an “end to the Department of Justice interference and raids by federal agencies in states with medical marijuana laws”. This resolution also wants implementation of a “comprehensive study to be immediately undertaken to produce recommendations for reform of our nation’s marijuana prohibition.”
U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was even condemning federal raids on medical marijuana establishments in California last year by stating that she “has supported and will continue to strongly” federal laws implementing evidence based on rigorous scientific research that marijuana demonstrates a clear and substantiated benefit to people suffering from chronic or severe illnesses (Americans for Safe Access, May 3, 2012, http://americansforsafeaccess.org/house-minority-leader-pelosi-joins-democrats-in-condemning-federal-medical-marijuana-attacks).
Sponsored by Riverside County's Brownie Marie Democratic Club, the resolution points out the fact that 19 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, have passed laws legalizing medical marijuana use for individuals suffering from chronic and debilitating diseases. (California Democratic Party Resolution 13-04.48 , July 21, 2013 Executive Board Meeting , http://www.cadem.org/resources/resolutions?id=0636). Moreover, Washington State and Colorado have already extended these laws to include the use of marijuana for recreational purposes as well. The BMD Club also argued in the resolution that a significantly disproportionate number of minorities are arrested and put in jail when caught with marijuana:
“WHEREAS, marijuana prohibition laws are racially enforced with a far larger percentage of African-Americans and Hispanics convicted and imprisoned for marijuana prohibition offenses than their white counterparts even though marijuana use in their communities is no more than in white communities”.
As the first state to decriminalize the use of medical marijuana nearly 20 years ago, California has been allowing the operation of marijuana dispensaries for just as many years. However, since 2008, the year Obama was elected President, California has had many of its legally operating, medical marijuana establishments raided by the Feds (Lisa Leff writing for the Associated Press, October 6, 2011 http://www.today.com/id/44806723/ns/today-today_news/t/calif-pot-dispensaries-told-feds-shut-down/#.UflVUW2KLk8)
In response to the implementation of these raids, President Obama stated in a 2012 Rolling Stone interview that although he had previously said “we were not going to prioritize prosecutions of persons who are using medical marijuana”, he maintains that he “never made a commitment that somehow we were going to give carte blanche to large-scale producers and operators of marijuana – and the reason is, because it's against federal law. I can't nullify congressional law” (Rolling Stone Magazine, April 12, 2012 http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/ready-for-the-fight-rolling-stone-interview-with-barack-obama-20120425?print=true.
James Russell, PotStores.com, http://www.potstores.com, 7863831283, [email protected]
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