Calif. marijuana dispensary owner gets 10 years on federal charges

[Redfairen]

A federal court Monday sentenced a California man to ten years in prison for doing something that’s legal in his state. Aaron Sandusky was convicted in October on federal charges of distributing marijuana — he is one of four defendants in the United States who have faced federal prosecutors over medical marijuana dispensaries in states where medical marijuana is legal.

Sandusky, 42, ran three dispensaries in Southern California’s Inland Empire area. Medical marijuana dispensaries have been legal according to California state law since 1996.

According to reports, Sandusky told the courtroom Monday, “I want to apologize to those with me and their families who have been victimized by the federal government who has not recognized the voters of this state.”

Sandusky’s case, like a handful of others in California and one in Montana, highlights some of the harshest fallout to come of the ongoing conflict between federal and state marijuana law. As the AP reported, “California’s four federal prosecutors launched a coordinated crackdown on the state’s medical marijuana industry in 2011 by threatening landlords with property forfeiture actions. Since then, hundreds of pots shops have gone out of business.”


http://www.salon.com/2013/01/08/calif_marijuana_dispensary_owner_gets_10_years_on_federal_charges/

[madville]

1. I think it should be legal and sold to any adult

But it's not very surprising when the federal government convicts people of violating federal law, state law is meaningless at that level.

It's not just WOD either, it's all state rights/federal power arguments. Gun laws, environmental regulations, fisheries, healthcare, taxes, etc. Either the federal government is the law of the land or it isn't but its kind of an all or nothing kind of power which is dangerous.

[TeamPooka]

2. Prohibition is a failed public policy...

Legalizing cannabis turns a money pool controlled by cartels into a stream of jobs, taxes and revenue that benefit all citizens.

[samsingh]

3. outrageous

[awoke_in_2003]

4. And the Banksters roam free. nt

[Romulox]

5. Obama's Department of "Justice" did this. nt

[forestpath]

6. It's great that Obama's DOJ doesn't have anything better to do.

[Politicalboi]

7. How is this fair

We still have shops open and doing business here in Ca. If these shops pay federal taxes, how can the feds bust them? Or how can the feds take the money of organizations they feel are shady. I hate hearing about this shit.

[valerief]

8. They've got the WRONG Sandusky. nt

[Comrade Grumpy]

9. I tend not to vote for people who want to throw me in prison.

[raouldukelives]

10. See, he should have just started an investment bank.

Then he could have profited from laundering money for Mexican drug cartels and doing business with Iran and it would only be a fine of one months profit.
He should have known that truly trying to ease the suffering of people in pain is verbotten in America. Unless of course it equals big bucks for Wall St.

[OnyxCollie]

11. Marijuana dispensaries need to buy a "Get Out of Jail Free" card

like AT&T, Goldman Sachs, and News Corp do with their bribes campaign contributions.

[tblue]

14. The irony, huh?

It's all so upside down!

[OnyxCollie]

15. Money talks.

Everyone else goes to jail.

[Garion_55]

12. time for obama to seriously step up on this issue.

So stupid.

he 'changed' on gay marriage, i figure he was always for it personally but when you can 'be' for something politically is another matter. politically obama can be for whatever the fuck he wants now. he should be for this.

stop putting people in jail for a drug war that never should have been started in the first place and only continues to the benefit of the prison industry and law enforcement budgets. its not doing the people any good which is why a war should be started, to help americans not hurt them. thats war by the government on its own people. WTF

stop already.

[another_liberal]

18. I'd rather . . .

If he changes his mind on anything else, I'd rather the President change his mind on using drones to murder innocent American citizens and equally innocent non-citizens. If he were to change his mind twice more, ending federal prosecution for pot would also be a good choice.

[progressoid]

13. Thank god this scourge on our society has been removed.

Just in case.....

[frylock]

16. thanks, obama..

I know we're all a lot safer because of this.

[Festivito]

17. Kinda smells like selective prosecution.

Certainly not equal considering how many dispensaries there are.

[RILib]

19. And yet constantly

Obama is quoted a la "Though federal law still bans both the sale and possession of marijuana, President Obama has said the federal government has “bigger fish to fry” and won’t aggressively prosecute tokers in states where its use is legal." http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/legalizing-of-marijuana-raises-health-concerns/ while the DOJ prosecutes or threatens people in states where it's legal.

I find this disconnect baffling. Why doesn't he just do what he says or say what he's actually doing. What am I missing.

[Comrade Grumpy]

20. He's not going after the medical marijuana patients...

...just the people who provide their medicine.

Obama's words suggest a similar approach to any retail outlets that open under legalization in CO and WA.

The feds don't have the resources to persecute all patients or recreational smokers, but they can try to make some exemplary busts to scare people.

[Mr.Bill]

27. In California, the Feds sent letters

to all landlords renting to Marijuana dispenseries warning them that their property was going to be cofiscated if they didn't evict the dispenseries. That shut most of them down in my county.

[RILib]

28. same thing

Same thing in my state.

(Does anyone know how many replies I have to post before the DU software will let me start a thread? I'd ask in the help forum, but ah that's starting a new thread

[cyberswede]

30. You need 10 replies

That is, 10 well thought out and erudite replies.

[Comrade Grumpy]

33. Yes, there is no doubt the feds are on an offensive against dispensaries.

Hundreds have been shut down in California, dozens in Colorados, and Montana has pretty much been wiped out.

[GodlessBiker]

21. A disgusting miscarriage of justice.

[Freddie Stubbs]

22. I'm sure that it will be different when they start selling it in WA and CO for recreational purposes

[randome]

23. Did he violate state law?

My PC at work is being upgraded so I'm relegated to using my phone.

A 10 year sentence is ridiculous but surely he knew the law.

May just as well post "Man forced to sell marijuana off the grid because of federal law."

Wouldn't that make as much sense?

[SomethingFishy]

31. He did NOT violate any state laws.

"Surely he knew the law". Yes he did, the laws of his home state, which he followed.

Many people in the past 10 years have "known the law" and unlike our California friend here, purposefully and egregiously violated the law, and were given, bonuses, golden parachutes, and cushy jobs for their "criminal activity".

Sorry "surely he knew the law" does not fly here.

[Comrade Grumpy]

34. I don't know why you keep making excuses for this crap.

Do you oppose medical marijuana? Just say so. That's understandable.

[Jeevus]

24. This is despicable.

OBAMA, YOU CANNOT ALLOW THIS!!!

[Mr.Bill]

25. Those of you in WA and CO

who think you just legalized marijuana, take note.

[SomethingFishy]

32. Oh we are.

Taking many notes. Just as the Feds and all the rest of the "War on Drugs" assholes will be taking notes from us about how to tax, regulate and sell, once they all come to their fucking senses.

[Upton]

37. I don't think it's going to get that far..

Obama's DOJ won't let the stores open, they'll go to court first..

[SHRED]

26. we need a kinder gentler form of "librul"at the top

[RainDog]

29. k&r

This bullshit needs to stop now.

[Upton]

35. ASA: Obama worse than Bush..

Far surpassing his predecessor George W. Bush, President Obama has conducted more than 200 SWAT-style raids on state-compliant medical marijuana businesses and has indicted more than 80 people since he took office

http://americansforsafeaccess.org/obama-administration-throwing-medical-marijuana-patients-into-federal-prison-at-unprecedented-rate

When is this going to end?

[Warren DeMontague]

36. Great. Another fine use of our tax dollars.

[Kurovski]

38. WTF (nt)

[RedCappedBandit]

39. Yay, democracy!

[grahamhgreen]

40. Obama must pardon this man.