About Medical Marijuana

NY Times: Breathing Easier in West Hollywood

On Friday, the New York Times ran an article featuring the Los Angeles Patients and Caregivers Group (LAPCG) in West Hollywood and me, discussing the reaction in the medical cannabis community to US Attorney General Eric Holder’s latest statement about federal policy. I told the reporter that we were breathing a little easier, but still worried about federal interference and rouge law enforcement. I also reminded him that there are still dozens of people facing trial, awaiting sentencing, or serving time. Holder’s “new American policy” must not forget people like Charles C. Lynch, who is to be sentenced to 5 to 20 years in Los Angeles tomorrow.

“Dispensers of Marijuana Find Relief in Policy Shift” New York Times, March 19, 2009

Patients and staff at LAPCG worry that local police and federal agents have little experince distinguishing who is and who is not obeying state law. Under the previous Administartion, obeying the letetr and the spirit of California law still left you at risk of prosecution and jail. It is our hope that law enforcement will rise to the challenge and learn to tell who is doing it right. It should not be too difficult to see that a legal, tax-paying, nonprofit patients’ association like LAPCG, which has operated in West Hollywood since 2004, is off limits to the DEA under Holder’s new policy. Time will tell; but until we change federal law to allow states to choose and regulate medical cannabis as they see fit, there will always be a risk.

Tags: attorney general, california law, dea, eric holder, federal interference, law enforcement, new york times