Tag Archives: Department of Justice

Editorial, Featured, Violence

Medical marijuana users should not be allowed to own guns

Guns are a hot topic. This year a 21-year-old “isolated stoner “killed multiple people at the 4th of July Parade in his hometown. The most notable mass shooters in Illinois– the Highland Park Shooter and the Aurora factory shooter – were marijuana users, presumably heavy users. Both men were able to bypass FOID laws to buy or own guns.

Gary Martin, the disgruntled employee from the Henry Pratt factory in Aurora, IL, used a gun to kill five fellow employees in 2019.  When police arrived at the scene, they shot and killed him.

Martin had THC, caffeine, nicotine, and THC metabolites as the only drugs in his system when he died. *  Continue reading Medical marijuana users should not be allowed to own guns →

Drug Policy, Politics, Teens

Court of Appeals Rules DOJ can enforce law on federal land

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Department of Justice can go after pot growers on federal lands.  The ruling says a congressional budgetary restriction preventing the enforcement of federal laws in medical pot states does not apply to the growing and manufacturing of marijuana on federal land.
Under the court’s ruling, pot growers can now be investigated by DEA and prosecuted by United States Attorneys if their pot operations occurred on federal lands managed by the Forest Service and other federal agencies, even in states where “medical” marijuana is allowed.

Continue reading Court of Appeals Rules DOJ can enforce law on federal land →

Addiction, Drug Policy

AG Sessions Cites Role of Drug Policy in Addiction and Death

In a speech on January 26, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said: “In recent years, there was an erosion of support for anti-drug law enforcement – in Congress, in state legislatures, and even among some of the general public.  One law enforcement professional told me he felt disappointed that government officials didn’t seem to understand the importance of his work.  Resources were redirected.

“What has been the result?   We saw drug purity and availability go up and drug prices go down.  We saw addiction and death spread like never before.” Continue reading AG Sessions Cites Role of Drug Policy in Addiction and Death →

Colorado, Drug Policy, Oregon, Washington

GAO Critiques Justice Department for Allowing Failed Pot Experiment

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Government Accountability Office Takes on DOJ for Failure

Today the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report recommending the Department of Justice (DOJ) implement a specific plan for documenting the effects of marijuana legalization.
The report, which Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) requested, states that DOJ has not “documented their monitoring process or provided specificity about key aspects of it[.]”  This lack of specificity includes missing information about “potential limitations of the data [DOJ officials] report using and how they will use the data to identify states that are not effectively protecting federal enforcement priorities.”

Continue reading GAO Critiques Justice Department for Allowing Failed Pot Experiment →