Support our Kickstarter

Canned for Cannabis

Matt Toussaint
cannAbis.jpg

Complying with California's medical marijuana laws is not enough to keep people like Charlie Lynch out of federal hands.  After the 2007 DEA raid on Lynch's medical marijuana dispensary, he now faces a 366-day jail sentence.  Lynch is currently free pending appeal, and his lawyers are confident that they will be able to reduce the sentence even further.  But this brings up important issues regarding the autonomy of state's rights, especially in cases like this, where federal and state laws do not agree.  Who holds responsibility here?  Should Charlie Lynch be held accountable for following one set of laws that inevitably breaks another?  What about the lawmakers?  Lynch captures the essence of this debate in a statement aimed at the federal government: "They don't come down on the state legislatures that gave us these laws.  They don't come down on the city officials that let me operate the dispensary.  They come down on the little guy.  Me."

The Obama administration claims that it will no longer raid dispensaries in any of the 13 states that allow medical marijuana, but they failed to do anything about Lynch's sentencing.  This issue will most likely continue to present itself in shades of gray until some kind of social and legal understanding is reached between state and federal legislatures, and those who benefit from the medicinal properties of this plant.

 

Image 1: "Legalize" by Sheila Steele on Flickr courtesy of Creative Commons Liscensing.

 

Image 2: "Al from OC NORML" by NoHoDamon on Flickr courtesy of Creative Commons Liscensing.

Comments

It's devilishly deceitful

Submitted by sampmusical on Mon, 06/22/2009 - 13:46.
How our government and media paints the Iraqi government as monsters for tear gassing, beating, and shooting protesters when they have done it countless times to our own citizens with no media coverage whatsoever. Probably the best example is the RNCs. It's also devilishly deceitful how the Obama Administration has fallen back on so many of its promises, including this outright bold face lie that they have communicated to the American public about not criminalizing and jailing people who are simply following the laws written out by their state. If our states were so United, then we wouldn't have this problem. Instead of counting on these false promises to be fact instead of fiction, why don't we start a movement? If our leaders are so blatantly deceitful and commit bold face lies to we the public everyday, then why still follow them? You wouldn't play Follow the Leader and literally follow the leader off the cliff when he has already been recorded lieing to other followers about following him in to showers when they were really gas chambers. Gain some sense people!

States don't have rights.

Submitted by mrcairosfriend on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 01:41.
States don't have rights. This was decided a long time ago in a little thing called the 'Civil War'.

...

Submitted by Lucient on Mon, 06/22/2009 - 14:28.
as a seasoned vet of drug arrests, including a month in Durango Jail, days in four point restraints, court ordered psych evaluation (another month locked away), LSD arrest and multiple cannabis arrests; my thoughts and prayers are with your friend. And remember when you find yourself in the clink, don't be stupid, don't stare people down, keep to yourself, and meditate.....time passes and you want to get out without some horrible thing happening to you. If you either on purpose, or accidentally disrespect someone, either the leaders of your race or the race that you disrespected needs to kick your ass to make it right. Keep that in mind before you tell the guy who beat you in a hand of poker he's an asshole. It happened to a friend and he chose not to have his race jump him...so, one night when the opportunity presented itself he was jumped by a small group that had put batteries and heavy dense objects in their socks...you can imagine the rest.

Lock n sock

Submitted by sampmusical on Mon, 06/22/2009 - 18:42.
is a terrible thing, at least that's what i've heard it called cause it usually is a heavy metal lock, like a combo locker that you use.