Advocates Push New Ballot in Light of Federal Enforcement against Medical Marijuana in California

Medical marijuana in Los Angeles and elsewhere is under attack by the federal government. Advocates of the medicinal treatment in California are creating a 2012 ballot initiative that would allow the state to look over all operations. The draft of this ballot comes after a federal threat to wipe out the industry completely, according to Politics Wires.

A San Francisco news conference recently announced the ballot push. Creators of the failed 2010 Proposition 19 are constructing the ballot. This Proposition would have legalized the drug for recreational use.

Our medical marijuana attorneys in Orange County recently told you about a new wave of enforcement efforts, announced by four U.S. Attorneys, against medical marijuana in the state. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California reported that it was going to target commercial marijuana operations. The enforcement efforts they’re exerting on the industry include property forfeiture lawsuits, criminal drug trafficking enforcement and threatening letters to landlords.

Dispensary owners are urged to seek the representation of a qualified law firm to help fight for their rights and to protect their company and investments made under the protection of state law. Federal enforcement efforts have already been exercised in Orange County, Riverside County and Inland Empire. The efforts are reportedly targeting “commercial grow operations, intricate distribution systems and hundreds of marijuana stores across the state.”

Steve DeAngelo, of California’s largest medical marijuana dispensary, and United Food and Commercial Workers Unions are also working on a draft for a new 2012 initiative. The framework for the new ballot if still being drafted, but advocates say that they’re pushing for a Colorado-style system of regulating. This system would provide for licensing regulations and state inspections on medical marijuana cultivators and providers.

A lot more funding is needed for the ballot though. Richard Lee, the Oaksterdam founder who contributed nearly $2 million to Proposition 19, says he can’t afford to provide the funds for another ballot.

According to Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, local governments are scrambling to figure out how to regulate every single medical marijuana store that has opened in the state since 2009. That’s hundreds of stores.

“Right now, zip is happening,” Ammiano said at the recent new conference in San Francisco.

That news conference in San Francisco was called discuss the recent actions of the federal government and to illustrate the advocates’ disgust with the move. Advocates protested as President Barack Obama visited the city for a political fundraiser.

Dispensaries and collective have rights to operate in accordance with state law. The federal government is still able to charge you with whatever it wants for violating the federal law. Without proper legal representation to fight in your defense for following state law, you may be in big trouble. Contact an experienced attorney to help you preserve the rights and to help you save time, money and a legal headache.

The CANNABIS LAW GROUP offers experienced and aggressive representation to the medical marijuana industry in Southern California — including collectives, dispensaries, growers, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call 949-375-4734 for a confidential consultation to discuss your rights.

Additional Resources:

California medical marijuana advocates want ballot measure on industry regulation, by Peter Hecht, Political Wires
More Blog Entries:

Long Beach May Consider Medical Marijuana Ban after Appeals Court Ruling, Marijuana Lawyer Blog, October 14, 2011

CANNABIS LAW GROUP Fighting Federal Medical Marijuana Enforcement in Lake Forest, Marijuana Lawyer Blog, October 13, 2011