Federal Raids Worry Medical Marijuana Industry

A letter written last month by a U.S. attorney in California has led to a series of raids at medical marijuana dispensaries in California and Montana, and the situation has local dispensaries fearing similar treatment.

“Centers throughout the nation don’t know what to do now,” said Aaron Bluse of Altitude Organic Medicine on Colorado Avenue in Colorado Springs. “Everybody’s very on-edge because of that report. Not a lot of people know about it, too. It wasn’t widely publicized. We’re going to be enemy No. 1. It makes me very frustrated, very nervous.”

Melinda Haag, the U.S. attorney for California’s northern district, wrote the letter to Oakland, Calif., City Attorney John Russo on Feb. 1 after Russo requested guidance on the medical marijuana situation. Haag said she consulted with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

Haag wrote, “Growing, distributing and possessing marijuana in any capacity, other than as part of a federally authorized research program, is a violation of federal law regardless of state laws permitting such activities.”

However, Haag said her office was focusing on the illegal manufacture and distribution of the drug, not on seriously ill patients who use it for medical treatment.

Eight marijuana facilities were raided and closed in Montana, but authorities there said the raids were connected to a probe regarding illegal drug trafficking and tax evasion. Two of the four facilities in West Hollywood, Calif., also were shut down and authorities have not explained why.

Chief Joe Breister of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said raids likely wouldn’t happen locally because federal agents in Colorado plan to continue after President Obama’s policy of restricting prosecution in states with medical marijuana laws.

“They would have nothing to fear because I highly doubt the federal government would take such a swift and contradictory action without some probable cause for that,” Breister said.

El Paso County has about 200 medical marijuana facilities.