Statement made by DEA regarding the DOJ's new policy pertaining to medical marijuana.

SublimeStylez · 10-22-2009, 11:06 AM

"OCT 22 - The Department of Justice recently issued guidelines regarding the use of federal resources in investigations and prosecutions in states that have passed laws authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued the following statement:

“DEA welcomes the issuance of these clarifying guidelines pertaining to the use of federal investigative and prosecutorial resources in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

"These guidelines do not legalize marijuana. It is not the practice or policy of DEA to target individuals with serious medical conditions who comply with state laws authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Consistent with the DOJ guidelines, we will continue to identify and investigate any criminal organization or individual who unlawfully grows, markets or distributes marijuana or other dangerous drugs. Those who unlawfully possess firearms, commit acts of violence, provide drugs to minors, or have ties to other criminal organizations may also be subject to arrest.

"As these guidelines point out, marijuana remains a top revenue source for the Mexican drug cartels that are wreaking havoc in Mexico and along the Southwest Border. Accordingly, DEA will continue to disrupt and dismantle these drug trafficking organizations.”

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News from DEA, Domestic Field Divisions, New York City News Releases,10/22/09

Opinions? Thoughts?

№1 · 10-22-2009, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by SublimeStylez

Opinions? Thoughts?

Isn't Mexican marijuana a huge revenue generator for the DEA as well?

patriot · 10-22-2009, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by №1

Isn't Mexican marijuana a huge revenue generator for the DEA as well?

Mexican and any other imported marijuana is a huge revenue generator for the C.I.A. They can import all they want with no fear of arrest because the D.E.A.th has the same power. The C.I.A. also imports heroin and cocaine. This is quite the convenient arrangement.

Many people are in denial about all of this. This is why law enforcement agencies target domestically grown cannabis and domestically made methanphetamine. We are being driven into bankruptcy as a result of these tactics, policies, and practices.

BibleGuy · 10-22-2009, 12:29 PM

Simple: If it were legal for American citizens to grow their own the Mexican cartels would have zero market in the USA - an immediate and effective solution to the DEA's expressed "problem". Prohibition breeds black market trafficking.

But, eliminating the "problem" may also imply reduction of funding for the DEA. Do you really think they want to solve the problem?

Flamingnun · 10-22-2009, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by patriot

he C.I.A. also imports heroin and cocaine.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiight, and they invented crack to demonise black people, right?

**kitch** · 10-22-2009, 01:26 PM

FN, while it's unclear if they are currently participating in drug trafficking it is a well documented fact that the CIA imported heroin from south east asia during Vietnam and Cocaine from Columbia during Iran Contra. you can do the research yourself if you're interested but it's all very well founded.

however I very much doubt that even full legalization would stop Mexicans from marketing cheap marijuana here in the states. Most Americans are, for lack of a better word, too lazy to grow their own.

It should also be noted that anyone who smokes marijuana or grows it for business purposes should NOT support full legalization. In California they did a study recently which found that marijuana was a $17B industry, and stated that if taxed it could raise approximately $9B. This is an over 50% tax. This would mean that an eigth that costs $60 now would be close to $100 if it was taxed.

№1 · 10-22-2009, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by BibleGuy

But, eliminating the "problem" may also imply reduction of funding for the DEA. Do you really think they want to solve the problem?

This is exactly what I meant by my comment, the DEA doesn't want to actually solve the problem, same as BigPharm doesn't want to actually cure anything.

The money is in the medicine, you can only cure something once.

©antSEEme · 10-22-2009, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by kitchkinet

Most Americans are, for lack of a better word, too lazy to grow there own.

It should also be noted that anyone who smokes marijuana or grows it for business purposes should NOT support full legalization. In California they did a study recently which found that marijuana was a $17B industry, and stated that if taxed it could raise approximately $9B. This is an over 50% tax. This would mean that an eigth that costs $60 now would be close to $100 if it was taxed.

i dont necessarily agree with the lazy aspect of americans not growing. ppl are afraid to, and for good reason. also, the whole "tax raising an 1/8 from an average of $60 to $100", that's only if the current price of illegal marijuana stays the same, which, imo, would not happen. it doenst cost much money at all to grow cannabis, and even with a substantial mark-up, if mj was made legal, theres no way it would cost the same as it does now.

**kitch** · 10-22-2009, 01:45 PM

have you ever seen a real heady grow? saying it doesn't cost much money is kinda ludicrous, between seeds, lighting and equipment, nutrients and electricity you're talking 10s of thousands of dollars for a smallish (20 or so plants) grow of medical grade.

©antSEEme · 10-22-2009, 01:51 PM

yeah, i grow. i use all organic nutes.

for your main nutes...

epsoma dried blood = $9 5 pounds
epsoma bone meal = $9 10 pounds
epsoma kelp meal = $10 10 pounds
epsoma green sand = $10 for 12 pounds

medium...

3.8 cf bale of peat = $10
30 lb bag ewc = $15
55 lb bag of d. lime = $10
10 cf perlite = $5

that's if you dont make your own ferts, compost, ewc, ect... it's even cheaper with that. bottled nutes are a waste of money the majority of the time.

the most expensive thing is the genetics as you pointed out kitch. but i think that would change if it were legalized. also the grow lamp(s) and ballasts(s). but for an initial investment of anywhere between $150 to $500, you can grow thousands of dollars of top grade cannabis.

verklingen · 10-22-2009, 01:52 PM

the majority of people don't need a real heady grow op. it's a damn plant, simple as sprouting a seed. of course you can make it as complex/expensive as you want but those are special cases. i don't get what you're trying to say here

edit- @ kitch

**kitch** · 10-22-2009, 01:57 PM

I'm saying there's a lot of growers with a vested interest in keeping pot illegal.

©antSEEme · 10-22-2009, 02:01 PM

i agree with that. same with dealers. taking money out of their hands.

verklingen · 10-22-2009, 02:03 PM

obviously. i just hope they know that means they have a vested interest in making sure people continue getting murdered/terrorized in border towns. what a sad lot

SpankyMcLankey · 10-23-2009, 12:41 PM

I have a feeling it would really turn into a,"you get what you pay for," kinda thing. Just like alcohol. Some people prefer the cheaper stuff to roll blunts with their homies, other prefer the expensive stuff, and some people just don't care. Prices would fluctuate with demand, and no one really can predict the demand unless it actually was legal.

verklingen · 10-23-2009, 02:09 PM

how spanky how do ya feel about this "change?"

**kitch** · 10-23-2009, 02:16 PM

I fail to see a correlation between people making their living growing the best weed they can, and wanting it to be illegal so they make as much money as possible (this does not seem at all unreasonable to me but I'm a big ol capitalist) and mexican mafia murdering people in border towns (by the way, almost none of the murders take place on american soil, ciudad juarez is where most of it happens, and very little of it is marijuana based since marijuana is much harder to smuggle than say heroin or cocaine.)

verklingen · 10-23-2009, 02:29 PM

that murdering takes place as a direct result of prohibition, and it's the same reason growers/dealers can depend on marijuana to bring them so much money. surely growers/dealers don't intend for this to happen, but i fail to see how the two cannot be correlated when they share the same cause.

i agree that marijuana is only the tip of the iceberg, but it's all inherent to drug prohibition in toto. and while most of the killings are on the mexican side of things, many of those killed have been US citizens (Killers of Americans south of border rarely caught | Front page | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle). here's a good collection of related stories i was able to find real quick: South Texas Chisme

**kitch** · 10-23-2009, 02:32 PM

ENDING PROHIBITION WILL NOT STOP THE IMPORTATION OF CHEAP MEXICAN WEED

I dunno how else I can explain this, it's simple macroeconomics. Their time is worth less than ours is.

verklingen · 10-23-2009, 02:42 PM

then why don't they import cheap tobacco or booze? hell that might not be such a bad idea with what cigarettes are costing these days

can we agree that ending prohibition makes bringing weed into the states decidedly less lucrative? and that if it continued, the stakes may at least be lowered enough not to necessitate murder in the drug cartels' operations?