http://www.nytimes.com/...
Stepping up its involvement in Mexico’s drug war, the Obama administration has begun sending drones deep into Mexican territory to gather intelligence that helps locate major traffickers and follow their networks, according to American and Mexican officials.
Meanwhile, the domestic war on marijuana reared its head in Montana
Even as senators were debating the measure, the DEA and other federal law enforcement agencies assisted by local law enforcement conducted raids against at least 10 medical marijuana dispensaries or grow operations across the state.
One business hit was the Montana Cannabis greenhouse near Helena, where the company grows more than 1,600 plants to supply its four dispensaries across the state. DEA and FBI wearing respirators conducted the raid while sheriff's deputies and Helena Police stood guard. The company's four dispensaries were all hit, too.
"They came in guns drawn, got us down on the ground, and in cuffs as fast as they could," Montana Cannabis employee Brett Thompson told the Associated Press.
The City of Los Angeles just approved a citywide tax on medical marijuana last week, and we also learned that the DEA is considering a change in cannabis regulations that would make plant-derived cannabis pills a Schedule III drug, and leave the plant itself at Schedule I (along with crack, meth, and heroin).
Ironic? ....
Two months ago Attorney General Eric Holder was in Missoula and said prosecuting marijuana crimes was not a priority, all while the 18-month-long investigation was ongoing.
Unless there are egregious violations of Montana state mmj laws,
these raids are illegal and thuggish.
The Obama Justice Department in October 2009 sent a policy memo to all US Attorneys directing them to not use their resources against medical marijuana patients and providers complying with state law in states where it is legal
Keep in mind that the same ATF that allowed guns to go across the border, including the gun that claimed the live of a Border Patrol officer, is one of the main agencies leading the raids on Montana's cannabis dispensaries. It should be noted that Montana's dispensaries are unlike the Los Angeles dispensaries, which are well-known for having a large clientele with many younger patients and often not operating as a non-profit collective.
The DEA, FBI, ATF and local law enforcement cleared out at least 10 medical cannabis businesses in cities from Kalispell to Billings. Lindsey says there's no rhyme or reason for which businesses were targeted. "It doesn't appear that it was any particular policy or any particular business plan. These are individuals that come from all walks of life. From all different parts of the state." Lindsey said.
Linsdey says many are questioning the timing of the raids. After all, Monday was also the day a state senate committee failed to pass a bill that would have repealed the medical marijuana initiative.
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A blurb from the NY Times article about drones being used in Mexico:
The Pentagon began flying high-altitude, unarmed drones over Mexican skies last month, American military officials said, in hopes of collecting information to turn over to Mexican law enforcement agencies. Other administration officials said a Homeland Security drone helped Mexican authorities find several suspects linked to the Feb. 15 killing of Jaime Zapata, a United States Immigration and Customs EnforcementImmigration agent.
President Obama and his Mexican counterpart, Felipe Calderón, formally agreed to continue the surveillance flights during a White House meeting on March 3. The American assistance has been kept secret because of legal restrictions in Mexico and the heated political sensitivities there about sovereignty, the officials said.
-snip-
Before Mr. Obama met with Mr. Calderón at the White House, diplomatic tensions threatened to weaken the cooperation between their governments. State Department cables obtained by WikiLeaks had reported criticism of the Mexican government by American diplomats, setting off a firestorm of resentment in Mexico. Then in February, outrage in Washington over Mr. Zapata’s murder prompted Mexican officials to complain that the United States government paid attention to drug violence only when it took the life of an American citizen.
-snip-
A senior American administration official noted that all “counternarcotics activities were conducted at the request and direction of the Mexican government.”
Updated by change the Be at Wed Mar 16, 2011 at 01:02 PM PDT
Check out the Cannabis Law and Drug War Reform group for more diaries on stuff like this
h/t to Meteor Blades for the mention last week about the L.A. mmj tax on the ballot. For those who are interested in that, do some online reading. It's a pretty controversial tax for a variety of reasons.