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California's Medicinal Marijuana Law is rejected by the DEA

Posted by Dmitry Gorin | Jul 17, 2007 | 0 Comments

The Los Angeles Times reported today that the DEA has sent out letters to 150 Los Angeles landlords that they risk arrest and the loss of their properties if they continue renting to cannabis dispensaries.The two-page letter sent last week by Timothy J. Landrum, DEA special agent in charge of the Los Angeles office, has whipped up worries among landlords and dispensary operators in a region that has seen a proliferation of the businesses in the last two years."I'm devastated," said Lisa Sawoya, who left her lucrative job selling high-tech hospital equipment to open a dispensary 18 months ago in Hollywood. "My landlord believes in cannabis as medicine. But they're taking the letter very seriously. So I'll be closing my doors at the end of this month."Sarah Pullen, a DEA spokeswoman in Los Angeles, said the purpose of the letters was to "educate" property owners at risk because they were housing marijuana dispensaries."By renting their property to individuals violating fed drug laws, they are in and of themselves violating federal law," Pullen said. "These are definitely meant to serve as a notice. What might happen as to the continuing investigations, we'll just have to see."The DEA move has focused entirely on Los Angeles. Activists suspect that the logistics and timing Tagged as: drug crimes defense, federal law and defense

Comments:

Law Blog on July 21, 2007 at 9:59 a.m. wrote: Worried landlords are under pressure to evict their tenants doing business as medicinal marijuana dispensaries. The letters to the landlords stated that they are putting them on notice of a violation of federal drugs laws on their property. Further, if the violation is not fixed, the landlords' property could be seized pursuant to federal forfeiture laws.

About the Author

Dmitry Gorin

Dmitry Gorin is a licensed attorney, who has been involved in criminal trial work and pretrial litigation since 1994. Before becoming partner in Eisner Gorin LLP, Mr. Gorin was a Senior Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles Courts for more than ten years. As a criminal tri...

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