Feds Raid 11 Medical Marijuana Clinics

This NOAA satellite image taken Saturday, May 26, 2012 at 1:45 a.m. EDT shows shows clouds off the Carolina Coast associated with Subtropical Storm Beryl. The storm is expected to move slowly southwestward over the next few days, eventually making landfall as a tropical storm along the northeast coast of Florida. This region is currently in an exceptional drought, so the rain from Beryl may turn out to be partially a good thing. For more information, please see http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/. Clouds in the Plains are associated with a front that produced some severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in Kansas. (AP PHOTO/WEATHER UNDERGROUND)

Federal drug agents raided 11 medical marijuana clinics, seizing several thousand pounds of processed marijuana, along with weapons and money, authorities said.

Several people were detained, although no arrests were made after five dispensaries in West Hollywood and six others in Venice, Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley were searched Wednesday, said Sarah Pullen, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Pullen declined to provide details of the investigation, saying the search warrants remained under seal.

"But obviously we are looking for marijuana and other illegal drugs, marijuana edibles and evidence of ongoing criminal activity and anything from paperwork to documents — you name it," Pullen said.

City officials in West Hollywood said they were surprised by the action, learning of the raid as it was happening.

West Hollywood spokeswoman Helen Goss said the city has a "long-standing commitment" to the use of medical marijuana for people suffering from illnesses like HIV and AIDS.

Agents in bulletproof vests, gloves and face masks left a West Hollywood storefront with boxes and trash bags filled, as about 50 protesters booed and shouted "states' rights."

At one dispensary, The Farmacy on Santa Monica Boulevard, amateur videographers and others mobbed officers filling three cars with evidence.

California voters approved Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, in 1996. It made marijuana available by prescription for medicinal uses.

The DEA, which does not recognize California laws legalizing medical marijuana use, has recently increased its enforcement.

"Today's enforcement operations show that these establishments are nothing more than drug-trafficking organizations bringing criminal activities to our neighborhoods and drugs near our children and schools," said Ralph W. Partridge, head of the DEA in Los Angeles.

[Sunflower27]

The fact that many millions of Americans have used pot has not translated into real political pressure on the people who can change the laws. One of the problems inhibiting legalization is that people who smoke a glass pipe are not considered serious or mature. It is this stigma that scares many pot users to hide that they utilize the drug. It is up to us to be public about our choices and to make sure our voices are heard by the ones that ultimately decide what the rules are.
<a href="www.sunflowerpipes.com"> SunflowerPipes.com </a>

[Tyrdmommy]

As a medical patient I feel these raids are a bunch a ***, we don't even have dispenseries in Oregon, we have to grow our own, so what is next, the Feds coming into our homes to pull up our three plants? It is an invasion of our rights and the government is just playing the roll of the bully. Anything to keep the &quot;people&quot; under it's control. I was repulsed by the action and want to know what is the government getting out of this. Personal smoke?
Signed another frustrated member of this country.

[spitcurl]

Hey, hey! Hey! You can't smoke pot in your bowels (as a couple of you say.) You CAN smoke your bowels with jalapeno peppers but you must put your pot in a BOWL. Or, you could put your bowl in a pot if it is big enough. You could solve the whole issue by eating POT BROWNIES, my favorite. Smoke legal tobacco and die. The NAZI DEA endorses that! Hooray for our wise government! May they all get a big dose of clap.

[tylertitle]

Honestly these raids are ridiculous. Anyone can get weed anywhere. Period.

[arb1231]

these raids were so sketchy. i happen to know someone who was inside one of the shops during a raid. he told me that the first thing the DEA officers did when they walked in was break all the cameras????? why whould a federal officer care if his/her face is on a security camera. they also used fake names, what kind of bull Sh** is that. corrupt government, thats what it is

[edrule]

It is almost unanimous here: Prohibition is not the answer. Depriving adults the freedom to choose their recreational drugs is wrong. But, we do need to look out for the kids and keep them away from it. Sounds like a good place to start reforms? Want to make a difference? Check out:
http://stopthedrugwar.org:80/

[plee1231]

The reason that weed is illegal is because the FDA is teamed up with the big
Pharmaceutical companies who want the money that they get from their marketable drugs that weed negates due to its easy accessibility. The government backs them up because of the tax money they receive from the companies. If it were grown legally anyone could do it and it would be practically free medication everywhere. Furthermore recent studies have shown that it helps the body far more than it hurts it...for example recent studies have shown that THC in extremely high levels grows neurons in the brain and does no damage to the body. If you ingest weed as opposed to smoking it there is no harm that can come to your body from it. Smoking it is where the problems lie but arguably cigarettes are much worse than smoking weed. There are enough people doing it in the country to argue legalizing it but it will never happen because business is controlling the government and it%u2019s not in their best interest because it is not profitable due to its easy growing. Thank you for listening to my ramblings.

[freedomyearn]

All governments are inherently evil. Even our own. It is up to us, the Citizen, to reign them in. 'Tis why our Founding Fathers expressed, within our Constitution, our Right as Citizens, to bear arms, should the need to subdue our own government.

If you yearn for freedom and the right to do as you please, so long as you trample not upon another's rights, then support Ron Paul (a Constituionalist and Libertarian at his very core) for President of the United States of America.

Both Republicans and Democrats, on average, are extremely arrogant and elitist; one believing in Government ownership of your very body, t'other believing in Government ownership of the fruits of your sweaty labours.

Dump 'em all. Start supporting Libertarians and/or Constitutionalists at your local, state, and federal levels.

Start now by giving Ron Paul your support.

[mystique2001]

I feel sorry for the people who think that they don't have to obey laws. Didn't the article say that it was legal for these clinics to have marijuana? I guess if one of the big drug lords would of had it nothing would have been done. If it is a law then the DEA should have to recognize it. We have to follow all the laws that are thrown at us by the government, so why should they be able to pick and choose the ones that they do not want to recognize.

[szyjer]

I read of an interesting controlled scientific study conducted within the last year: Subjects were tested as drivers before and after consuming measured amounts of alcohol, marijuana, or nothing. Of course, the ones who received alcohol were judged to have the highest rate of accidents according to the test standards they failed. Curiously, the subjects who received marijuana were judged to be slightly safer than the ones who received nothing at all. The testers believed the reason for this was that the subjects who received marijuana were aware of their impairment and compensated accordingly. Of course, they might get ticketed for driving too slow...lol. Please do not self-medicate and drive. I just thought this was interesting.