Dea Pressures Armored Truck Companies To Quit Working With Medical Marijuana Dipsensaries

[bobandtorey]

The DEA is getting craftier in their war against medical marijuana. Multiple reports came out today that armored security services are discontinuing business with medical marijuana dispensaries, citing ‘pressure from the DEA.’ Most security system services won’t work with medical marijuana dispensaries, credit card companies won’t work with medical marijuana dispensaries, banks won’t work with medical marijuana dispensaries, there’s the 280e tax issue, and now of course you can add armored truck companies to that list.

 

 

That is a pretty hard core environment for any business to operate in. Medical marijuana dispensaries can basically only accept cash, can’t store the cash in the bank, can’t have a reliable way to transport that cash safely, and unless you use a new start up ‘cannabis only’ security company, there will be no alarm if someone breaks into the medical marijuana dispensary to steal the cash (or whatever else).

 

All of this of course occurring in states that have state laws recognizing the legality of medical marijuana dispensaries…Why does the federal government hate medical marijuana so much?

 

From the Huffington Post ,one of my marijuana heroes Tom Angell from the Marijuana Majority:

“The president says he has bigger fish to fry than go after individual users, but at nearly every step, his administration has tried to make it so those users are unable to purchase marijuana through safe and regulated means…By pressuring banks not to do business with dispensaries, the federal government ensures that many of these taxpaying businesses have to become cash-only, increasing the chances of robberies.”

 

From our friends at MMJ Business Daily

“This is a major threat to public safety intentionally engineered by the administration…This reckless and shameful policy not only puts the lives of dispensary operators and patients at risk, it threatens the safety of thousands of employees, contractors, and state officials who receive payments from our industry every day.”

 

The DEA’s war against medical marijuana tramples the rights of the citizens that live in medical marijuana states. These states enacted their medical marijuana laws for a reason, and even if one state (let alone 20) had a medical marijuana program enacted by the voters or legislature, the feds should respect that state. In the future Americans are going to look back on this time and wonder how we could be so stupid. DEFUND THE DEA!

Edited August 24, 2013 by bobandtorey

[+washtenaut]

I wonder how the Fed government is pressuring the armored car companies.  What federal funding or insurance are they threatening to withhold?

[Kingdiamond]

The DEA is going to force this medical marijuana issue into a outright conflict maybe they are depending on the mellow cannabis users and patients to just lay down like a beaten dog someone's going to fight back hopefully with just high priced lawyers and the law and not something more drastic ..

[bobandtorey]

Medical marijuana dispensaries don't cause crime, studies have shown. In fact, they may prevent it. So why is the federal Justice Department doing everything it can to make pot clubs ideal robbery targets?

 

Last year, the feds told credit card companies to stop doing business with California's legal medical cannabis dispensaries. This was after they'd given the same directive to banks. Andnow that medical marijuana retailers are cash-only -- and need a means to deliver large amounts of cash to entities like the state Board of Equalization -- the feds have made them unsafe.

The DEA has informed security and armored car companies -- a necessity in a cash-only business -- to stop working with cannabis dispensaries or face penalties of money laundering and other charges, cannabis industry representatives announced yesterday.

The move is the latest clamp-down in President Barack Obama's cold war against California's taxpaying dispensaries.

The move to halt security companies from guarding and armored car companies, including Dunbar, from visiting places like Harborside Health Center -- which deals in upwards of $25 million in sales a year, all cash -- was first announced by Harborside CEO Steve DeAngelo.

In an interview with MMJ Business Daily -- the first outlet to break news of the feds' move to make medical marijuana businesses less safe -- DeAngelo said that the local Dunbar affiliate had been informed by corporate headquarters of the DEA pressure, and that federal agents went as far as to "interview" armored car drivers to ensure their clients weren't pot clubs.

"The federal government appears willing to do anything that will turn this inherently safe plant into something dangerous, no matter the impact on public health or safety," DeAngelo told the marijuana business Web site, adding that he's now trying to find an alternative solution to the twice-daily cash deliveries.

Harborside pays over $1 million a year to the City of Oakland alone, and owes the state of California 8 percent in sales taxes.

Other dispensaries in Colorado and California have also lost their links with security and armored car companies, but many others are not talking about it publicly out of safety concerns, according to Gaynell Rogers, a Harborside spokeswoman.

DEA Special Agent Karl Nichols, a San Francisco-based spokesman, told SF Weekly on Thursday that he had "no knowledge" of any such action.

However, he did note that anyone doing business with someone "engaging in illegal activity" did run the risk of violating "money laundering" and other statutes. In other words, Dunbar and others do risk federal prosecution solely for doing business with a state-legal enterprise.

While we were waiting for Nichols to hear back from his bosses in DC, the Huffington Post reported that the DEA had confirmed the move, but did not cite a source.

The move may befuddle, as Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have said repeatedly that the federal government will respect operations in compliance with state law. However, their actions have continuously contradicted that -- and in an insidious way, it's becoming downright evil.

"The true nature of the Obama Administration's approach to voter-approved medical marijuana is now clear," Aaron Smith of the National Cannabis Industry Association said in a press release. "They want more cash underground. They want our streets to be more dangerous. They want the lives of state-licensed providers endangered."

 

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2013/08/obama_dunbar_medical_marijuana.php

[Letterhead954]

Part of this is that people think that the Pres was telling the truth when he said he wouldn't go after mmj. He's lied about so much, why would anyone think he was telling the truth about this?

[pic book]

the lying african...

[Beans]

i'm sure Romney would have been much better

In your eyes....

troll on 

[pergamum362]

Ron paul

[pergamum362]

Ron paul prolly would of been executed tho, just like jfk.

[greenleaf]

It's sad that there is grandstanding on both sides.  Neither side cares to have a reasoned argument, only fight for their side.

 

Reducing important issues to team sports results in everyone losing.

[greenleaf]

I was talking about the OP article, but then I read some of the other posts. lol  I hope nobody takes what I said earlier too personal. lol

Edited August 25, 2013 by greenleaf

[phaquetoo]

i'm sure Romney would have been much better

In your eyes....

troll on 

I would say neither one would have been any better than the other, but because obama is a democrat everyone is willing to ignore his lying.

 

yea it brings back the saying the detroit zoo has an african lion, the white house has a lying african! (democrat)

 

 

maybe some of you will start voting for the person and not the party any longer, just becuase your daddy always voted dem doesnt mean you have to, it is our responsibilty to put the right person in office dem or repub or independent or tea party, etc, but all of you all just keep voting dem and see how fast this law disenegrates on us,  we were better off w/o sending the state a letter telling them we are growers and users of mm!

 

Peace

Jim

[bobandtorey]

we were better off w/o sending the state a letter telling them we are growers and users of mmj

I do understand how most feel about this Jim but imho i am not one of them things our getting better as far as for the punishment if you are caught doing it Lol

[Celliach]

Part of this is that people think that the Pres was telling the truth when he said he wouldn't go after mmj. He's lied about so much, why would anyone think he was telling the truth about this?

 

That's not what the president said, in fact the president didn't say anything about MMJ as far as I recall.  The justice department said they would stop prosecuting patients and caregivers that weren't breaking state law.  That's a lot different from saying "he wouldn't go after mmj."  

 

Part of the problem is people are hearing what they want to hear, not what's actually being said.  remember, politicians are very, very good at parsing their words. 

[Celliach]

Ron Paul would have made it so the rivers in the USA would start on fire again like they did back in the 70 and 80s.  Anyone remember not being able to breath the air in the cities, like what's happening in China right now?  Paul wanted to get rid of the legislation that cleaned up the air so we could breath it again.  I agree with Paul on the Drug War and the military, but that's about it.  Most of the rest of his policies would be dangerous to our country if implemented.

[Celliach]

Seriously, what did Obama lie about when it comes to MMJ?

 

I'm not supporting Obama, I'm trying to support truth.  I'd defend Romney too if people were misquoting, or misunderstanding what he said. 

[Beans]

I would say neither one would have been any better than the other, but because obama is a democrat everyone is willing to ignore his lying.

 

yea it brings back the saying the detroit zoo has an african lion, the white house has a lying african! (democrat)

 

 

maybe some of you will start voting for the person and not the party any longer, just becuase your daddy always voted dem doesnt mean you have to, it is our responsibilty to put the right person in office dem or repub or independent or tea party, etc, but all of you all just keep voting dem and see how fast this law disenegrates on us,  we were better off w/o sending the state a letter telling them we are growers and users of mm!

 

Peace

Jim

My daddy always voted republican

he would be sickened by what the tea party has done to his party

[Celliach]

My stepdad also voted republican his whole life, but won't anymore because of the tea party.

 

According to recent polls, seniors are leaving the GOP.  I know this is a link to a Dem website, but it is citing independent polls.  I'm looking for those right now.

http://www.nationalmemo.com/carville-greenberg/why-seniors-are-turning-against-the-gop/

[phaquetoo]

Seriously, what did Obama lie about when it comes to MMJ?

 

I'm not supporting Obama, I'm trying to support truth.  I'd defend Romney too if people were misquoting, or misunderstanding what he said. 

A better question is what didnt any president lie about? obama isnt the only lying politician, once big money enters the equation most can be bought, they sell out the people that voted them in, what does a congress person have to lose once they get in office?  They get in and only have to do 1 term and they get the best benny's and retirement for only 4 yrs in office, on of them that come to mind is edwards his first term in office he spent running for pres and or vise pres and he didnt do his job like he was supposed to, now he has a life time pension and better benny's then what we all paid for while we were working, He didnt do anything, cheat on his cancer stricken wife, now kick back and collect that pension, he is set for life, and what blows is he was already set for life before becoming a senator.

 

Im not a big fan of carl levin or any of the old fellas that have been in office for as long as most work at gm or the other car industrys and collect a pension, but at least he was in office for over 20 yrs and he should get a pension like any one else that has worked that long at their job that provides pensions, They should most def make their pensions only good after ten yrs like most, if you work a union job for ten yrs you can take your pension with you to your next job and keep adding to it, but 4 yrs of doing nothing and living off of china and the u.s tax payers money the rest of his life for doing not one thing! it just isnt right!

 

and if feds have the last say on everything, than why do we need all these independent governments in the state and federal level, we have to many cooks in the kitchen and it needs to stop!

 

maybe I should have followed my old man into politics, id be getting a whole lot more than ssdi pays me, id be getting that huge pension for the rest of my life and be worth 10 fold of what im worth now, or more, most likely more!

 

we need to trim the government like we trim our plants, cut off all the b.s and only keep what we need, and at this time all we realy need is the budds on the plant according to the last coa ruling!

 

 all of these different reps all over the state sticking their middle finger out to the people who elected them, how does that feel to you?  it feels pretty schitty to me!

 

Peace

Jim

[Celliach]

all of these different reps all over the state sticking their middle finger out to the people who elected them, how does that feel to you?  it feels pretty schitty to me!

 

...and they are almost all republicans.

[phaquetoo]

True, but they are all politicains!

 

Peace

Jim

[Celliach]

Rolling Stone reporter Matt Taibbi takes on the Tea Party.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/matt-taibbi-on-the-tea-party-20100928

[Celliach]

True, but they are all politicains!

 

Peace

Jim

 

So are you saying it's alright that these republicans are doing this because all politicians do it?

[phaquetoo]

So are you saying it's alright that these republicans are doing this because all politicians do it?

Absolutely not, im saying they are all crooks and they all have a price!  (money is the root of all evil lol)

 

Peace

[Celliach]

Sometimes (most of the time) we only get the choice of the lesser of two evils.  Better to look at the evils, weigh them, and vote for the lesser, rather than just vote for a party because your parents did.  Parties, and their agendas, change over time.  

 

The Republicans are the party of both Lincoln and the Southern Strategy for instance.

 

There was a big switch in both parties during the 60s over civil rights, for another instance.