[/caption]Carol Forsloff - A local medical marijuana dispensary in Oregon looks at the recent medical marijuana controversy as something hurtful to many people who rely on the drug to control pain and treat a number of medical conditions by making these people feel like criminals. In Oregon and California, the Obama administration is specifically testing state and federal drug laws in ways that worry those who dispense and use marijuana, who see it as contrary to Obama’s 2008 election promises.
US Federal laws specifically prohibit marijuana sale and use. On the other hand, 16 states have passed laws allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The Obama administration is now specifically targeting marijuana growers by letting them know they are violating US federal laws by growing and dispensing the drug. In California dispensaries have already been told to shut down.
In late September, the Oregonian reported about a man whose property was raided by federal officials looking for and confiscating marijuana plants after using guns to intimidate people living in rental houses in the area where the plants had been grown. Keith Rogers is described as an insurance agent who owns the property and whose growers have met the requirements of Oregon’s medical marijuana laws. Nevertheless, as Rogers is quoted as saying about the raid on his property:
"They are throwing their weight around and saying the voters of Oregon don't have any rights."
The Oregonian article continues: “The raid seems to conform to guidance offered in U.S. Department of Justice memos directing federal agents to enforce federal drug laws, even in states that have legalized medical marijuana.”
Monday, October 3, Drug Czar Kerlikowske wrote to Rep. Cohen about the Obama administration's position on marijuana research. In his reply, summarized here, Kerlikowske alleged that the Congressman’s concerns regarding the federal scheduling of cannabis are unwarranted because, “We ardently support research into determining what components of the marijuana plant can be used as medicine.”
Kerlikowske added, “In fact, the federal government is the largest source of funding for research into the potential therapeutic benefits of marijuana, and every valid request for the use of marijuana for research has been approved by the Drug Enforcement Administration.” On the other hand, the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), oversees 85 percent of the world’s research on controlled substances, and has stated its policy is to reject medical marijuana research.“As the National Institute on Drug Abuse, our focus is primarily on the negative consequences of marijuana use,” a NIDA spokesperson told The New York Times in 2010. “We generally do not fund research focused on the potential beneficial medical effects of marijuana.”
The liberals hoped President Obama’s administration would end raids on medical marijuana facilities, which had been the pattern of the Bush administration and are disappointed that the raids have not only continued but have increased recently, with the notifications in California sent by federal officials in underlining the superiority of federal law with reference to drug policies. “I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users,” was Senator Obama's statement in August 2007. “It’s not a good use of our resources,” he continued, as joints continue to be targeted according to the marijuana industry instead of jobs.
In the meantime, Tennessee Congressman Steven Cohen is co-sponsor of HR 2306: The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011 , which asks Obama to support changing the cannabis’ federal status as a schedule I prohibited drug and to respect and follow the state laws that allow marijuana for medical uses.