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October 19, 2009 in News
New federal orders have no effect on Spokane pot raids
New orders from the U.S Justice Department to end federal prosecution of state-authorized medical marijuana patients and dispensaries will have no effect on cases in Eastern Washington, prosecutors said Monday.
The policy memo issued Monday calls for an end to prosecution of medical marijuana patients who are in “clear and unambiguous compliance” with state medical marijuana laws.
Those cases already aren’t prosecuted here, said Jim McDevitt, the U.S attorney for Eastern Washington.
“This office has, at least in my memory, never prosecuted anyone purely and simply because they were a medical marijuana user,” McDevitt said Monday. “But we have gone after them because they’ve basically been a distributor of medical marijuana.”
Local police and prosecutors consider anyone distributing marijuana to more than one authorized patient to be violating Washington’s voter-approved law, which allows for distribution to one person “at any one time.”
Individual users of medical marijuana who stay within the legal possession limits haven’t faced state prosecution and have been allowed by local police to keep the drug, according to police reports.
Dispensary operators in Spokane say the law allows for them to distribute to as many people as they want so long as transactions are separate.
Spokane police raided a dispensary called Change last month and arrested two operators, setting up a legal battle that doesn’t appear to be affected by Monday’s announcement.
“It’s really not going to have an impact here locally,” said Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor John Grasso, who works with police on marijuana investigations.
Change owners Scott Q. Shupe, 54, and Christopher P. Stevens, 36, appeared in Spokane County Superior Court on charges of distribution of a controlled substance after their arrests Sept. 10, but further court appearances have been cancelled because formal charges haven’t been filed.
Grasso said he hasn’t received a report from police.
Both men are free on bond.
McDevitt declined to say if he was pursuing federal charges against Shupe and Stevens but emphasized that if local prosecutors thought a dispensary was violating state law “then I’m interested.”
“Anybody operating a marijuana distribution entity or facility outside of state law is subject to potential federal prosecution,” McDevitt said.
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mommae on October 19 at 8:16 p.m.
why should we have to go to the west to get our medicine are we second to seattle or think we are better than them or even worse go on the streets where your are not sure what we are getting or even if it is safe. at any one time. well we all know what time means time is minutes seconds hours that is time. it is not seperate transactions it is seperate time. any one time.
stillahippie on October 19 at 9:19 p.m.
Not every one can or wants to grow medical marijuana for them selves,there are few or none who are going to grow it for one other person for free. McDevitt and Grasso are smart enough to know this so what are they doing going around a law enacted. by us voters the people that pay they’re wages. I challenge the spokesman editors to publish the cost of all these busts and I also want to know how Meany tax payers think we are getting our moneys worth
http://stillahippie2009.wordpress.com/
Shane0312 on October 19 at 9:36 p.m.
Ive said it before, this memo from the feds wont do anything. With its wording “in strict compliance” how can you be in strict compliance when the wording of the law is vauge and the city prosecutor is all for going after people until the supreme court says “hey look buddy, are you that stupid? do we have to hold your hand and read it to you like a little child?” They are using their personal interpritation of a law and using it in a way that negatively impacts the medical MJ community. Voters have spoken and the police are not listening. They are a good ol boys club and they’re not gonna let some uppity Ni**ar tell them how to run their show. “Voters be dammed, the President be dammed, were gonna go on busting the heads of medical marijuana users until its a full on war”. In the words of Thomas Jefferson “If a law is unjust, then a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so”.
garfnagn on October 19 at 9:57 p.m.
A cop can get drunk at a gay bar and shoot an innocent man in the face and the local prosecutor makes a half hearted attempt at prosecuting said cop. But ZOMG distribute a little weed to late stage chemo patients and they will slam down the mighty fist of the Pros’s office.
How pathetic. Steve Tucker, your foursome is calling. Time to tee up, Skippy.
ibsober on October 20 at 5:29 a.m.
Hello!
What people are not realizing is the wording in the title WAR ON DRUGS when our government came out with that phraseology, people heard it and said “Yes, we need to combat the drugs” but what they failed to realize was that it was a declaration of war on our own citizens. So far there are millions of casualties, billions of tax dollars spent and no appreciable result in the reduction of availability. The culture is glamorized in pop circles ( which are the circles spoon fed to our youth) We have a President who used drugs himself. This issue is plainly and simply about money. Nothing else. Our own police force uses the war on drugs to fund their own million dollar slush funds!! Why would they give up that revenue? Have you ever heard of a police force turning away money? GET REAL SPOKANE: WE ARE OCCUPIED BY A CONQUERING ARMY OF THE GOVERNMENT!!!! Have you ever compared the black uniforms worn by our special teams police force with the SS from germany? look at them side by side–the helmets are identical.
Bob_Knows on October 20 at 8:50 p.m.
What we have here are good candidates for the proposed Citizens Oversight Committee. A bunch of the blue gun thugs need to be given pink slips and sent down the road for willfully violating the law voted by the people.