Has the time arrived for Obama to take his gloves off and overhaul the DEA from top to bottom, or is it even an option?
(SALEM, Ore.) - The DEA is defying President Barack Obama's word that the Department of Justice would no longer be used to harrass and arrest owners and operators of medical marijuana dispensaries.
Obama has said he specificallydoes not support raids on cannabisdispensaries in states where lawshave been passed making it legal."I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana dispensaries; it is not a good use of our resources," then Presidential Contender Obama said, on August 21st 2007.
The group Americans for Safe Access reports that on Thursday, the Drug Enforcement Administration, still mostly comprised of officials from the Bush Administration, raided a medical cannabis dispensary in South Lake Tahoe, California.
"They did so knowing full well that President Obama has repeatedly pledged to end federal threats, arrests, and prosecutions of patients and their providers in medical cannabis states," the ASA's George Pappas said.
Obama has stated on more than one occasion that he is not interested in locking up non-violent drug offenders as felons which leads to no good prospects except drug dealing and other criminal activity. Obama said in September 2007, that he believes when it comes to offenders, "they become more locked into crime from being in prison."
We have included video below of President Obama making the quoted statement above, and more. Why is the DEA so intent on carrying on what many call "thuggish behavior"? I find it interesting, especially when considering recent statements made by Courtney Love about a Hollywood actor/alleged illegal drug supplier who she claims led Kurt Cobain to his death and also nearly led actor Owen Wilson to his.
Courtney Love says actor SteveCoogan led both Kurt Cobain andOwen Wilson down a dangerouspath involving illegal drug use.
In August 2007, Socialite Life and other sources including the NY Times, reported accusations from Courtney Love over a supply of drugs coming from an actor she once dated, Steve Coogan.
Courtney Love blames this British comedic actor, her ex-boyfriend, for leading buth Kurt Cobain and Owen Wilson down a path of drugs and self-destruction.
One almost has to wonder if Coogan has been hanging around with Joaquin Phoenix lately; it would possibly explain his recent, bizarre behavior. (see my article: Joaquin Phoenix Takes a Dive; Career and All)
Socialite Life reported Love claiming that Coogan, "a close friend of Wilson's, encouraged Owen's hard-partying lifestyle, which ultimately led to the actor's recent attempt to take his own life." (see: Socialite Life article: Courtney Love Points Fingers Regarding Owen Wilson's Downward Spiral)
Love may know a thing or two about Coogan, it was reported in August 2005 that Love was furious with herself for allowing Coogan to talk her into having unprotected sex.
Prior to the affair with Love, Coogan had married a woman named Caroline Hickman, who divorced him on the grounds of unreasonable behavior. Then a 39-year old father of one, Coogan had married Hickman in December 2002. They had just got back together after splitting up over a fling he had with a lap dancer, metro.co.uk reported. (see: Metro UK article: Courtney's love child)
Apparently the habitual drug use that Love ties to Coogan became so bleak for Owen Wilson, celebslam.buzznet.com reported, that his pal Woody Harrelson even tried to stage an intervention at his home in Maui.
Actor Steve Coogan's been accusedof leading Love's friends to tragedy.
"And it’s all Steve Coogan’s fault." Love was quoted saying.
"I went through it with Steve. I was just out of rehab, and he was right there with the drugs. I tried to warn Owen. I tried to warn his friends. I hope from the bottom of my heart that Owen stays the hell away from that guy." (see: xanga.com article: Owen Wilson was a junkie)
Wikipedia reports that Steve Coogan responded through Access Hollywood, denying Love's accusations and offering support to Wilson. "My thoughts are with my friend Owen at this difficult time, but I do want to set the record straight and say that the allegations...are completely and utterly false," he said. (see: Wikipedia page on Steve Coogan)
Of course some will find irony in Harrelson, well-known for his marijuana use and advocacy, being the one trying to save a friend who is on drugs. Until the "Reefer Madness" paranoia of the 1930's, marijuana had always been a top remedy among doctors for helping drug addicts kick their habits. The DEA today considers it to be in a class roughly with heroin.
Regardless of their record, it is still confounding that the DEA would act so quickly to undermine and disregard the statements made by President Obama about legal medical cannabis, while allowing the rich movie star set's hard drug dealers to roam free.
I can appreciate that these are only allegations from Love, and Coogan may be guilty of nothing at all, but I would feel better personally if there was at least some reference somewhere to an investigation.
The raid in California is simply another response from the pharmaceutical companies that exercise control over groups like the DEA. They dread seeing medical marijuana advance and as a natural effective medicine, they know its increasing legality threatens to potentially devastate their treasured "bottom line", says Medical Marijuana Expert Dr. Phillip Leveque who also writes for Salem-News.com.
Situations and attitudes change and progress in this world, and the Drug Enforcement Agency, still insistent on raiding legal cannabis dispensaries, needs to swallow that bitter pill of understanding.
ASA bemoans the fact that this latest raid took place, "We are shocked and awed! For DEA to act with such brazen arrogance and in direct conflict with the new President’s pledge to end federal raids is deeply concerning. With only weeks left in office, it is clear that top DEA officials are using this transitional period to exploit the differences in policy between the old and new administration."
It seems hard to believe that high level people from the entertainment world can expose drug dealers on the Internet and in major newspapers and nothing happens, but places where sick people get their medicine are regarded as lawless organzations by the DEA, even though voters in California specifically elected to make it legal.
Cheryl Aichele, a vocal medical cannabis activist in Los Angeles, says "I don't like it when the DEA comes in fully armed into our beautiful state with their paramilitary-style raids on medical cannabis patients and providers. I'm angry that they raid with masks, helmets, shields, and automatic weapons forcing injured people to the ground with the DEA's feet on patient's backs and DEA guns to patient's heads."
She says it is disappointing to see a federal agency waste so much time, energy, and resources to ruin the lives of Americans when the cannabis itself could do no comparable damage.
"I feel sad that they don't seem to care about the sick and injured, like me. I feel hurt because I have seen first-hand the kind of damage the federal government can cause in the lives of honest people. I feel worried when I hear about them raiding yet another medical cannabis location. I feel scared because if they are successful, I will be forced to buy my medical cannabis on the "black market" from real criminals instead of safely accessing medical cannabis from compassionate providers."
Aichele concluded by saying she is embarrassed that our government has taken this war on cannabis this far.
"I'm sorry that Obama hasn't already told the DEA to leave us alone. I feel ashamed because my own tax money is going to their actions. I don't want good people to suffer because of bad laws."
Cannabis advocates say it's time for Obama to take his gloves off and overhaul the DEA from top to bottom. It is true that we need maximum integrity from federal cops and they have to work in sync with the will of the American people in order to be most efficient.
Video
The video with the next clip is bad for the first 15-seconds, but it clears up after that:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. Tim majored in journalism at California's Cuesta College. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor.Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 in Afghanistan with Oregon troops. Tim recently returned from Iraq where he covered the war there while embedded with an Oregon Guard aviation unit. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website, affiliated with Google News and several other major search engines and news aggregators.You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com
Does Obama Have Control of the DEA?Salem-News.com