Zoinks! The Pot Vending Machine Has Been Stolen by the Feds!

www.hollywoodriot.com

Guess who came calling? The DEA. The dispensary’s manager, who was walking around outside when I strolled by, told me that a group of federal thugs agents smashed not only the ten-foot window you see above, but also over twenty glass display cases inside. They then proceeded to steal all the medicine. This isn’t the first raid, either. The HNC was smashed to pieces last year by the DEA, on suspicion of carrying too much medicine, but were quickly cleared of any wrongdoing. The Feds just wanted to rattle them up a bit. However, the first DEA raid led the HNC owner to install that headline-grabbing vending machine in lieu of another break-in. He figured they would just take the machine and leave the interior of the dispensary intact. Nope!

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 27-4-2008 by SystemiK]

Perhaps I do not understand the situation here. If it is legal for certain institutions in CA to dispense medical marijuana, then why are incidents like this so common? Is ithe dispensing of medicinal marijuana legal or is it not? If laws are being broken here who was the perpetrator of a crime here, the dispensary or the feds?

www.hollywoodriot.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

It depends on who is sovereign here - the state or the nation. I was always under the impression that the state was sovereign, but do they give up rights to belong to the federation of 50 states? If so, what is the point of being California if you cannot exercise your own set of laws?

It's still illegal under Federal law, something this bill seeks to eliminate. If I understand the issue correctly the locals in medicinal states can still make the arrest citing the Federal law, but they usually just call the DEA if they have a problem with somebody. Stuff like this however is just the DEA doing what they do best and terrorizing innocent people, because they can.

If the Federal law doesn't change or the DEA doesn't shape up secession will be the only way to put a stop to these disgusting acts of violence.

Originally posted by SystemiK


Perhaps I do not understand the situation here. If it is legal for certain institutions in CA to dispense medical marijuana, then why are incidents like this so common? Is the dispensing of medicinal marijuana legal or is it not?

Federal law supercedes state law. Though California voters approved the medicinal use of marijuana, it's still a federal crime. Basicly, the local cops won't bust you but the feds will.

Sounds like a nutty tight rope walk if you ask me.

The filthy lying traitor BUSH said before he was placed in office the first time by the Supreme Court that he would allow the STATES to decide medical cannabis issue. HE LIED!! He since then has done the opposite. He has directed his thugs and lawyers to harrass and bother the states and people. He is scum. So what else is new? The filthy DEA agents love easy work like stealing pot and smashing property...beats having to work.

This is typical Nazi nonsense and should be illegal. Any politician that votes against the Barney Frank bill to legalize minor amounts is a dishonest enemy of the truth and the people. I am going to email my useless Democrat congressman, Heath Shuler, and read him the riot act about it...if he votes against it, I will bother the hell out of him and try and embarrass him locally.

Scumbags Federal agents and scumbag Presdents...what a great nation we live in...sickening..in this day and age..pathetic. I am so sick of hearing all these morons saying that America is wonderful and the best place on earth...it is NOT!! It is turning into another facsist right wing dictatorship right in front of us. I wish that when those filthy feds smashed that glass that shards would have torn their eyes out..total scum.

Originally posted by mrwupy

Originally posted by SystemiK


Perhaps I do not understand the situation here. If it is legal for certain institutions in CA to dispense medical marijuana, then why are incidents like this so common? Is the dispensing of medicinal marijuana legal or is it not?

Federal law supercedes state law. Though California voters approved the medicinal use of marijuana, it's still a federal crime. Basicly, the local cops won't bust you but the feds will.

Sounds like a nutty tight rope walk if you ask me.

Actually that is not so..

A State's law supersedes Federal Law. The ONLY time Federal Law supersedes State Law is when two State laws end in conflicts, typically over trade.

So if California wants to make pot legal, they can. The Fed can bitch all they want, but they cannot control a State. If California then begins shipping pot to Nevada, then the Federalist can come down on California if Nevada has a problem..

A state law is a representation of the direct local populations, where as Federal Law is SUPPOSED to be a mediator law between states and countries.

The Federal Government believes it's self supreme, and the States powerless. The way Federal Law's are worded and acted on have changed dramatically in the past 150 years.. we used to rebel and riot and attack Federal institutions for abrasive Federal actions (like over taxation).. but those days are gone.

We are controlled by those who love big government.

A State is a sovereign nation. America is a Union.

reply to post by mrwupy


Is it random then? Do all the medicinal pot vendors get this type of abuse or just one here and there? It would seem to me that if the feds have determined that their law superceeds the state law then why have they not moved in and shut down ALL these places in one swoop? If the owner was not charged with anything it makes me wonder how this raid was even legal. Are there different types of vendors like state run vs. privately run? Could this be the difference in treatment? Maybe the gov wants a monopoly on this business?

(way to many questions here, looks like I need to read up on this topic for a few hours....)

EDIT: Thanks Rockpuck that brings a bit more clarity to the table.

[edit on 27-4-2008 by SystemiK]

This to me is proof that your vote means nothing. If the feds don't want it they will try to stop it regardless of the legal democratic system.

56% approved prop 215 for Medical Cannabis in 1996. If the vote was done now I believe the percentage would be higher.

The feds are working for the pharmas on this I believe. Their actions are mostly to keep Cannabis in a negative light to keep the general public from fully excepting legal Cannabis.
They raid dispensaries on very weak evidence, but they hardly ever actually prosecute. It's all about the press coverage. To keep the general public thinking Cannabis is dangerous and connected to illegal activities.

The more people that use Cannabis for medical use the less pills the pharmas are going to sell. It's all about money as per usual.

This story cracks me up DEA hard at work taking a sledge hammer to a pot vendor machine. What difference does it make how much it has on stock?? Am I missing something here? To my understanding, it only gives out so much per person with proper ID anyways.

What a disgrace, those pesky fedawoo agents!!!

You know how 'jonesy' a person gets, when out of medicinal marijuana,
I think the DEA agents were jonsing for a bong of the good stuff!

If I did that, I'd be locked up! But when THEY do it, no-one arrests them!?!
What gives? Time for a Citizen's Marijuana Task Force, to prevent such
crimes... We throw the book at them, the way they'd do to any of us-

1. Breaking & entering (Felony)
2. Burglary (Felony)
3. Criminal damage to property (Misdemeanor)
4. Disorderly conduct (Misdemeanor)
5. Public mischief (Misdemeanor)
6. Posession of stolen property (Misdemeanor)
7. Denial of medicine to those in need (Misdemeanor?)

If convicted, those feds would be facing around 6-10 yrs in prison!!!

Maybe its time to send all the jackboots in our government a copy of the John Ross book "Unintended Consequences". It might give pause to they're overabundant exuberance in destroying peoples lives just because they can!!!!

Zindo

P.S. if you haven't read it, you all should

[edit on 4/27/2008 by ZindoDoone]

F the dea. if im not mistaken the civil war wasnt over just slavery its was also about state rights. the south said that the feds had to no right to criminalize slavery. and somewhere in government documents that are open to the public says that the federal government cant overrule a states law. maybe a civil war should start again over states right. They have no right to take away a natural harmless plant. i bet the dea is smoking all of it after they steal it. the bud that isnt smoked is then sold back to the American people.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Federal law supercedes state law.

Actually, let's look at the Constitution (specifically the Bill of Rights) to determine the question of "sovereignty:"

Amendment 10:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Since I can find nothing in the Constitution (or any of the Amendments) that specifically mentions individual medicinal use of any drug or substance as a power designated for the Feds or denied to the States (aside from foreign commerce being regulated by the Feds & intra-State commerce being regulated by the States involved in such commerce), then this would be a subject left to the Power of the People or each individual State. Please notice that the States & the Feds have their respective areas in the trade & commercial transport covered, but the actual use would be for the State or the People to decide; In either case, both the State & the People would have to be very careful that any such regulations or restrictions would not cause any violations to any other Civil Rights.


[edit on 27-4-2008 by MidnightDStroyer]

reply to post by MidnightDStroyer

One major problem is in the way the gov coerces states to bend to it's will. One example was many years ago when they forced states with a legal drinking age below 21 (I believe many were at age 19) to raise the age to 21. The threat of cutting federal highway funding to any states which did not comply was very effective at gaining compliance. Pretty much blackmail if you ask me...

reply to post by SystemiK


This isn't the first time, for such law-breaking by the feds:

Feds Raid 11 L.A. Medi-Pot Dispensaries

But the City Council is trying to stand up to them:

L.A. tells DEA to let CITY regulate Cannabis Dispensaries

Go California!

Well, it's not just over this particular issue that the Feds overstep their boundaries...Virtually everything they do violates the Oaths to the Constitution in one way or another. As for myself, I'm loathe to say the phrase, "read it & weep," even though that's exactly how I feel about it.
Just look at nearly every current event & check out the history of government politics back to the Cold War Era...And even Abraham Lincoln was quoted to say, "I have the Confederate Army in front of me & I have the banks behind me. Of the two, the banks are more dangerous."

Originally posted by Rockpuck

Actually that is not so..

A State's law supersedes Federal Law. The ONLY time Federal Law supersedes State Law is when two State laws end in conflicts, typically over trade.

So if California wants to make pot legal, they can. The Fed can bitch all they want, but they cannot control a State. If California then begins shipping pot to Nevada, then the Federalist can come down on California if Nevada has a problem..

A state law is a representation of the direct local populations, where as Federal Law is SUPPOSED to be a mediator law between states and countries.

The Federal Government believes it's self supreme, and the States powerless. The way Federal Law's are worded and acted on have changed dramatically in the past 150 years.. we used to rebel and riot and attack Federal institutions for abrasive Federal actions (like over taxation).. but those days are gone.

We are controlled by those who love big government.

A State is a sovereign nation. America is a Union.

Interesting thought. If this is correct, then the governator should call out the CA national guard to protect a lawful business from the DEA vandals. Perhaps the real problem is that someone is cutting into the fed.s contraband drug profits.

I beleive the first case of state rights vs. federal law is from back in 1798 when federalists passed the Alien and Seditions Act. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison wrote The Kentucky and Virginia Resoltions in response. Basically the idea in the resolutions was that the states entered voluntarily into the Federal Union and the state has the right to nullify laws that it deems to be unfit.

An example of this being used is in 1832 South Carolina passed the Nullification Ordinance that overturned the Protective Tarriffs that were passed. Andrew Jackson then threatened South Carolina with military force to follow the tarriffs.

So basically since our country's conception, there was a debate on state vs. federal.

And yet the feds had little to no problem with the old Mustang Ranch outside of Las Vegas despite prostitution being against the law in 49 other states. Go figure. I guess it is a matter of vices (as many medical cards issued are for vice reasons as opposed to legit medicinal use) going against the grain of those in power.

Personally it should be a power reserved to the people, despite the state and federal opinion, as use is a vice like booze and cigarettes. But then again we have many state regulations against public smoking in many states as well.

"Land of the free."--Snake Plissken in Esacpe from L.A.