Federal agents raid marijuana dispensaries in Washington

[RainDog]

57. The DEA is THE problem

but not the only problem.

Holder could call for rescheduling hearings tomorrow to move cannabis from schedule I to schedule III (which is what a recent govt. sponsored scientific report recommended.) I don't buy the argument he has more important things to do when he could take the time to make a deal to let off big banks that were laundering money for drug cartels.

Democrats in Congress have worked on legislation to change the schedule for cannabis, too.

Their proposal would remove cannabis ENTIRELY from the jurisdiction of the DEA and move to to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (and, then, Marijuana.)

But the war on drugs supplies a lot of money to military contractors, state law enforcement agencies. Easy possession arrests fluff the stats for LEOs, and money to military contractors under the guise of the war on drugs allows various agencies, like the CIA, to funnel money to groups in other nations (like Reagan did with the Contras and his funding of the Taliban.)

A 2011 Senate subcommittee report, lead by Claire Maccaskill (D-MO), noted that most federal monies for the war on drugs is unaccounted for - and goes into the coffers of military contractors.

No doubt, Dynacorp doesn't want their free federal money train interrupted.

I see the current intractable position at the federal level as just another example of corruption.