War On Medicine of the Day: U.S. attorneys in California today sent letters to at least 16 medical marijuana dispensaries informing them that they must close up shop within 45 days or risk being brought up on federal charges prohibiting the possession and sale of the drug.
This despite the fact that medical marijuana is legal in the state of California.
The Associated Press reports that the notice is part of larger crackdown on pot dispensaries in the state, the details of which will be revealed in full tomorrow.
“Under United States law,” read the letter, “a dispensary’s operations involving sales and distribution of marijuana are illegal and subject to criminal prosecution and civil enforcement actions.”
The letters, which claim that federal law “takes precedence over state law” set up a possible states’ rights showdown.
In late June, the Obama administration reversed its policy of leniency toward medical marijuana dispensaries, saying that so-called “pot shops” were subject to prosecution in accordance with federal anti-drug laws.
A recent Rand Corp. study found that the crime rate in areas where medical marijuana dispensaries were shut down actually increased by up to 59%.
[ap.]
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