A Life Sentence...for pot. [View all]

[RainDog]

http://www.salon.com/2013/06/21/why_is_an_obama_appointee_launching_an_anti_marijuana_crusade/

The top federal prosecutor in Montana — Mike Cotter, the U.S. Attorney appointed by President Obama in 2009 — (...raided Montana medical marijuana greenhouse and dispensaries, ALL OPERATING UNDER STATE GUIDELINES, and...) charged the growers, their greenhouse workers, their bookkeepers, some of their spouses, and even their landlords who had simply provided buildings to the growers, with decades in prison and in some cases virtual life sentences, all under federal drug trafficking statutes.

The growers all noted they were operating under state guidelines and following the lead of the Ogden Memo.

The defendants pointed to dozens of statements made by Holder and even the President, and specifically the now-infamous Ogden Memo. This was a publicly released document in 2009 document, written by David Ogden, Eric Holder’s deputy, that instructed federal law enforcement officers nationwide to leave medical marijuana growers alone as long as they were abiding by state law. This memo was reported in the national press, and local papers too, as a virtual ceding of jurisdiction by the federal government. U.S. Won’t Prosecute in States that Have Medical Marijuana, heralded a New York Times headline.

...A policy might not have the force of law, but I would argue that a policy is most definitely a promise, especially if it is reasonably interpreted by citizens who are looking for guidance as to how to proceed, and particularly in a case where the Attorney General states that a new set of laws–state laws, as opposed to federal laws–will now serve as the governing code for assessing the legality of a citizen’s conduct. And just because the feds can prosecute, doesn’t mean they should.

So, Cotter believes, against the advice of doctors and scientists, that marijuana is a dangerous drug with no medical benefits. Based upon this erroneous belief, he confiscated property of landlords, after threatening to put them in jail for 20 years. Cotter has no scientific evidence on his side - but he has drug war laws that remain on the books - even if they're not on the books in Montana (he couldn't demonstrate anyone had broken state law.)

THIS is why we cannot exist in this gray area regarding marijuana legalization... because of assholes like Cotter who will do what they can to ruin lives because of their own stupid vendettas brought on by their own reefer madness.

Cotter is not finished. In recent weeks, his office has asked a federal appeals court to increase the sentences of many of the caregivers he put away. They were originally charged with around 80 years in prison; when they pled guilty, Cotter sought to cement the agreements with sentences in the 5-10 year range; but the court would not go along with it in many of the cases, and gave some defendants 18 months or less. Cotter is seeking to have the appellate court overturn these sentences for their leniency. He wants more punishment.

Obama should 86 this asshole.