Holder Leashes DEA

President Obama’s handpicked US Attorney General, Eric Holder has announced that he will forbid the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from conducting any more raid on medical marijuana clubs.


Holder Vows No More Drug Raids

Attorney General Eric Holder said at a press conference Wednesday, February 25, 2009, that he will no longer allow the Justice Department to raid medical marijuana clubs that are established legally under state law.  His declaration is a fulfillment of a campaign promise by President Barack Obama.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) continued to carry out such raids in accordance with federal law, despite Obama’s campaign promise. Holder was not pleased by this at all.

No, what the President said during the campaign, you’ll be surprised to know, will be consistent with what we’ll be doing in law enforcement. He was my boss during the campaign. He is formally and technically and by law my boss now. What he said during the campaign is now American policy.

— Attorney General Eric Holder
DOJ News Conference

Strange, the last time I looked into it enforcing US federal drug laws and arresting drug dealers was the sworn duty of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents. Of course I erroneously believed that it was the sworn duty of the Attorney General to support them in those efforts.

So…The person in charge of the Department of Justice and therefor the FBI and the DEA regards raiding drug commissaries that are illegal under US federal law s a violation of the policies of the new federal government? This is not something that any American should feel the least bit comfortable about.

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11 Responses to “Holder Leashes DEA”

  1. Alfie Says:

    Ironically x amount of stimulus money will go to state and local law enforcement agencies and they won’t enforce laws either.

  2. zhann Says:

    Wait … I am very confused. Why are you correlating Drug Dealers with medical marijuana clubs? It is my understanding that in a Republic, state governments are allowed to override federal laws. Here, numerous state governments have decided to legalize Medical Marijuana, so in fact it is the Fed who is crossing the line here. Why are our tax dollars going to fight Medical Marijuana? If you want to discuss waste, I would spin this around completely and say that by not listening to Obama’s edict, those arresting Medical Marijuana club owners are wasting time and money that could be spent finding stolen cars, murders or other serious offenders.

  3. jonolan Says:

    zhann,

    In a Republic states are allowed to pass laws that differ from federal laws; that doesn’t invalidate those federal laws. It is still the duty of federal agencies to enforce those nationwide laws irrespective of the individual states’ opinions.

    Under the existing federal laws those medical marijuana clubs are run by drug dealers. There is no difference between them and the street-side dealer except that the club most likely has a higher volume of stock and sales.

    Now under me, please – I think that marijuana should be removed from Schedule 1 and full studies done to formally prove or disprove its medical benefit. I believe the current laws are – as you said – wasteful and stupid and should be changed, but that’s immaterial to my concern.

    My concern is that Obama and Holder are flouting US law and essentially enacting an unsupported-by-aw after-the-fact “veto” of US legislation by refusing to enforce laws that they don’t agree with. This sets a very bad precedent.

    Can you imagine what would happen if a POTUS and his appointees later decided to ignore various other laws – say Hate Crimes legislation, or ENDA?

    America is supposedly a nation of laws – or shall we fall back on Nixon’s “when the President does it, it isn’t illegal” defense?

  4. Prudie Says:

    Obama is just trying to gain the favor people who are against marijuana being included in the War on Drugs without actually doing anything measurable about it (like repeal a portion of the current laws). It’s a cowardly way of trying to placate both sides of the marijuana argument without getting his hands dirty. (Of course, it’s also a smart thing to do if he wants to get re-elected someday.)

    He should either end the prohibition on marijuana or enforce it. He can’t have it both ways. At least, he shouldn’t be able to have it both ways. He’ll likely have it both ways because the media will be all too willing to spin this issue whichever way he wants whenever he wants. (But that’s just me being bitter… please ignore it.)

    As for his administration ignoring the rule of law, I hope that this doesn’t become a habit. As POTUS, it’s his job to enforce law. That’s pretty much the entire job description. Though, this does seem right in character when I consider all the power grabbing in the White House lately.

  5. zhann Says:

    Jonolan, I haven’t been following you long, so I am not sure what your opinions of Bush were when he was ‘power grabbing’. The problem with government is that those in power all do the same thing, try to grab as much of it as possible. Personally, I approve of Obama’s tactics thus far, not so much because they are all correct, but more so because I would like to see what he can do. What I have been noticing, however, is that like Bush before him, all those that appose Obama pick at every negative detail. I am not trying to be cynical here, I am simply curious, did you support Bush’s unconstitutional acts? Spying on his own people … the interesting ‘terrorist’ laws that were passed … the list is quite large, but my concern is all the freedoms Americans lost in general during his term. You must admit, in the end, both parties are more or less the same.

    While Obama is grabbing power, and strengthening the Democratic base, that is only because that is exactly what Republicans have done before him … and will do after him. This is a constant struggle, and every time it happens those on the other side of the fence cry foul, completely ignoring the fact that their team just did it in the last inning.

    But again, I digress … I am of the opinion that if a state passes a law that contradicts the fed, the fed should not intervene. My knowledge of the constitution isn’t enough to know what the true law is, but that is my opinion. I am also very biased in this particular subject primarily because I feel that marijuana, along with other Class B and C drugs, should be legalized. While I am a socialist in some respects, I don’t think the government should interfere in peoples lives when they participate in acts that doesn’t directly harm others. If I want to smoke a joint, snort a line, or even shoot up … why should the government care? … so long as I am not harming others to get my next fix, of course.

  6. jonolan Says:

    Zhann,

    Some of what Bush did I approved of, some of it I strongly disproved of. Sort of lie my opinion of Obama – not all of my posts have been derogatory to Obama.

  7. zhann Says:

    I’m sorry, you are right that not all your posts are anti-obama. Honestly, I am not trying to be offensive, so please don’t take anything I write personally. However, I remember when I first stumbled across your site you were writing more philosophically rather than current events. I miss some of your philosophy and eclectic ramblings 😉

    I am not sure if you have read a great deal of what Noam Chomsky has to say, but my opinions of government are very similar to his. I have been on a Chomsky kick for the past 6 months, spending large amounts of time listening, reading or watching his work.

    In so, I am of the sound opinion that regardless of who is in power, they are evil. Its not necessarily that Power Corrupts, mind you, but that only the corrupt are ‘allowed’ to take power. Obama is nothing more than a puppet, like Bush before him. Of course, he is ‘allowed’ to pass some personal agenda laws, but the vast majority of his actions, as most are well aware, are in the interests of the elite (corporations, mass media, etc). Its not the Executive, Legislative or Judicial that run this country, but these elite.

    A wise man once said: Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job … Douglas Adams.

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