Watch out, Oregon, you’re the next target in the federal government’s new crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries. Federal and state officials issued a warning to the owners of such businesses last Friday, reminding them that selling marijuana for any purpose, including medical use, is against both state and federal law.
In a statement issued to the press along with thirty-three district attorneys from the state of Oregon, Tom Bergin, Clatsop County Sheriff and president of the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association; and Mark Miranda, Newport Police Chief and president of the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police; U.S. Attorney Dwight C. Holton said, “Are we supposed to believe that people go to places like ‘Wake N Bake’ to get medicine? Oregonians, who adopted a medical marijuana law in good faith, deserve an answer—are these places where people go to get medicine, or are these just drug dealers hiding behind the medical marijuana law?”
The notification also given to people who financed marijuana dispensaries or allowed them to be operated on their properties warned that this also violated, “…federal law and could subject financiers and landlords to civil and criminal penalties–including forfeiture of any assets used in support of the criminal enterprise.”
The statement was released the day after an announcement from the U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, that the U.S. Department of Justice would be issuing a clarification of its position on medical marijuana soon.
In another statement, made during a visit to Rhode Island, where two men with state-issued MMJ cards were arrested on drug charges, Holton said, “We’re going to bring clarity so that people understand what this policy means and how this policy will be implemented.”
Holton says that there are many dispensaries in Oregon which are openly selling marijuana, and are even offering coupons for free or discounted pot. He reiterated that, “Oregon and Federal law make it illegal to sell marijuana–period, end of story.”
