THE DEA'S DARTBOARD

We are a bit perplexed by the Drug Enforcement
Administration's recent medical marijuana raids. Wasn't there some
sort of federal edict passed down last fall telling the DEA to leave
dispensaries and caregivers alone in states with medical marijuana
laws, as long as they are not in violation of those laws?

So, what criteria is the DEA using to select its targets? In media
reports, Jeffrey Sweetin of the DEA keeps referring to the amount of
profit involved, which is curious. If a caregiver has a boatload of
patients legally, why wouldn't a sizeable profit be expected?

Another factor seems to be publicity. Chris Bartkowicz was targeted by
the DEA recently after appearing on a TV news program boasting about
how much pot he grows. Again, we don't recall any language in
Amendment 20 prohibiting that.

"Technically, every dispensary in the state is in blatant violation of
federal law," Sweetin told The Denver Post. "The time is coming when
we go into a dispensary, we find out what their profit is, we seize
the building and we arrest everybody."

When reached by Boulder Weekly, Mike Turner of the DEA was clearly
backpedaling to do damage control after Sweetin's inflammatory
comments. "We don't have any plans to start targeting marijuana
dispensaries unless there are extenuating circumstances," he says,
citing things like money-laundering, violent crime and weapons
violations. "We're not focusing on this on a day-to-day basis. It's
not like we're patrolling the streets looking for marijuana
dispensaries."

Turner assures us that they did their homework before raiding
Bartkowicz's home, and that it wasn't just because he was bragging on
TV.

But he adds, "If we turn on the television and see a large-scale
marijuana operation, that's cause for concern and may cause us to look
into it. . We can't just turn our backs on that."

When pressed about the particulars of the state's marijuana laws -
which DEA officers should know, if they are going to be targeting
those who violate them - Turner floundered.

"I'm not that versed," he said. "I'm not an attorney."

Well, that's reassuring.

He also told Boulder Weekly that the demand probably exceeds the
supply in Colorado, and that pot is probably flowing in from other
states and countries to supply all of our new dispensaries with product.

Turner mentions Mexico, obviously, but also Canada as likely sources
of Colorado's weed.