The end of the medical marijuana industry in the 16 states that have legalized medical marijuana is at hand.  Here are several articles that discuss the announcement by the four U.S. Attorneys for California that the United States will pursue forfeiture law suits against real estate owners whose property is used by medical marijuana dispensaries.

  • Los Angeles Times:  “Feds cracking down on California medical marijuana dispensaries – Federal prosecutors in California are threatening to shut down medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the state, sending letters to warn landlords to stop sales of the drug within 45 days or face the possibility that their property will be seized and they will be sent to prison.   The stepped-up enforcement appears to be a major escalation in the Obama administration’s bid to rein in the explosive spread of medical marijuana outlets that was accelerated by the announcement that federal prosecutors would not target people using medical marijuana in states that allow it.”
  • ABC News:  “Justice Dept. Targets Marijuana Distributors in Calif. – The Justice Department announced today it is cracking down on the illegal distribution of marijuana in four federal districts in California, which has had a growing cannabis industry since legalizing medicinal marijuana in 1996.  The action places into question marijuana-related activities in 15 other states and the District of Columbia, which have legalized medicinal marijuana in some form.”
  • USA Today:  “Feds to outline plans today for shutting down Calif. pot shops  – The four U.S. attorneys in California, the first state to pass a law legalizing marijuana use for patients with doctors’ recommendations, have scheduled a joint news conference today to ‘outline actions targeting the sale, distribution and cultivation of marijuana.'”
  • Sign On San Diego:  “Feds seek closure of medical marijuana dispensaries – “‘Apparently the federal government would rather destroy an industry that’s employing tens of thousands of people and creating hundreds of millions of dollars in legal tax revenues to save face on a bankrupt policy that the American people don’t even support — namely denying the medical value of marijuana,” Cal NORML Director Dale Gieringer said.”
  • Phoenix New Times:  “Feds Target Property Owners of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in California – If there’s no push-back from the states that have legalized weed for qualified patients, including Arizona, it looks like this could be the end of the road for what has been a thriving, though not altogether legal, medical marijuana industry.  Oh, and Jan Brewer will be proved right.”