Raided medical marijuana providers sue U.S. government

[Newsjock]

Source: Associated Press

Two medical marijuana providers are suing the government over what they are calling unconstitutional raids of their Montana businesses as federal prosecutors threaten to crack down on medical pot operations across the nation.

The owners of Montana Caregivers Association and MCM Caregivers claim the March 14 raids exceeded the federal government's authority, pre-empted Montana's medical marijuana law and violated the pot providers' civil rights.

In their lawsuit against the government, the Department of Justice, Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. Attorney for Montana Michael Cotter filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Missoula, the plaintiffs claim the aim is to shut down the medical pot industry.

"The federal government has made clear its intent to threaten and eventually eliminate any business or enterprise related to the medical use of marijuana," Christopher Williams of the Montana Caregivers Association and Randy Leibenguth of MCM Caregivers say in the lawsuit.

Read more: http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_148a347a-7bf5-11e0-b85a-001cc4c03286.html

[villager]

1. as ever, we must hope the courts can stop the excesses of the Executive branch

But it's an increasingly dim hope, alas...

[izquierdista]

4. If it makes it to the Supreme Court...

expect the 5-4 decision FOR the tokers. I'm pretty sure Clarence will break ranks with the conservatives, since being stoned all the time is the only way to explain his silence on the bench.

[2banon]

9. clarence thomas ? are you serious?

We should only wish he was a stoner.

[Fly by night]

12. Thomas voted for mmj patients' rights in the Raich v. Gonzalez case.

Unfortunately, several liberal judges voted for the jack-booted thugs and that case was lost.

Medical marijuana has appeal across the political spectrum. In fact, the more conservative the judges, the more likely they should be to support the rights of states to regulate commerce (and the practice of medicine) within their own borders. 10th amendment and all that.

[2banon]

14. I'm totally stunned; that's jawdropping news to me

I hadn't heard about the case.. I'm not exactly an officianado of marijuana politics but this goes against everything I've observed of Thomas.. interesting, thanks for that piece of factoid. :hi:

[AnneD]

20. A quote from the last great GOP president.....

might explain Clarence's silence. "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” Abraham Lincoln

[meow mix]

2. all the raid targets were legal, state registered providers.

fuck the DEA and Homeland

[RantinRavin]

3. Sorry, but federal law prevails

And the posession of marijuana is illegal under federal law.

[izquierdista]

5. So is fraud

But Goldman Sachs is still in business.

[2banon]

7. exactly

but the fact is.. the people will need Congress to enact Federal legislation to reflect what the people want on this matter. Since more and more states have passed laws in favor of medical merijuana dispensary's etc, one would think it wouldn't be so hard. guess again. even when we have a majority.

[quakerboy]

15. The war on drugs is BIG money

Until that flow of cash ends, the war will not end.

That said, mmj only enables the Feds to track it all and raid at will. Decriminalize it at the state level, then you might be able to get somewhere, as there wouldnt need to be the same easy access records. The feds can't be everywhere, its only when there are single big crimes or easy pickings that they seem to get involved.

[villager]

8. and bad Federal law prevails when no one lifts a finger to change it. Including the main Federal

...Executive, in Washington.

[nebenaube]

10. And yet the majority does not consent...

The war on weed was designed to take this nation down.

[Robb]

6. Discovery should be fascinating. (nt)

[RKP5637]

11. If only we had a democracy. n/t

[LetTimmySmoke]

13. I hope they win some big fucking damages.

It's time the government compensate some of the victims of the War on Drugs.

[U4ikLefty]

16. If they want to stop large grow-ops, let us grow a few in the backyard.

Solved.

[Kurmudgeon]

17. The War on Drugs is what increases profitability for criminals due to artificial scarcity.

It's also the reason we have a cartel war right on our border with Mexico. I'd have rather invaded there than Iraq, as radical as that sounds. If something isn't done one way or another, it's only going to get worse and who knows just how bad it will get.

[felix_numinous]

18. Then how can states ban abortion when it conflicts with Rode vs. Wade?

Do some rulings allow states to override while others do not? I am still learning about this.

Here is one interesting site on this subject: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/preemption.htm

[Uncle Joe]

19. Good for the growers, I hope they win.

Thanks for the thread, Newsjock.