News » Unhappy With MT Senate Not Ending Medical Marijuana, Feds Raid Businesses

There is good news, bad news, and downright despicable news coming out of Montana. As the world watches Japan and the aftermath of the earthquakes and tsunamis, the federal government is still busy fighting against the rising surge of marijuana advocates.

The good news first: the Montana Senate deadlocked in committee on a medical marijuana repeal, so they will be considering how to “tighten” regulations on it instead.

Now the bad news: immediately after the Senate had deadlocked, the feds raided 10 dispensaries and related businesses around Montana, including the state’s largest greenhouse cannabis grower. It wasn’t just the DEA either. The raids involved the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. All with guns drawn. All intent on shutting down operations and seizing all material having to do with them. About the only evildoer alphabet agency not involved was the IRS, who’s probably poised on the periphery waiting for the records.

That’s not the worst of it, though. The downright despicable part is that the raids were also accompanied and supported by Montana’s local law enforcement goons, including the Sheriff and Helena Police Department – both likely eager for their share of seizure goodies.

Since the raids weren’t on just one business, they can’t be because of questionable dealings from one business owner or his operations – at least four of the dispensaries and the greenhouse are owned by the same collective. Even more telling: no arrests were made with the exception of one person who had an outstanding, unrelated warrant.

So why the raids and all of the drama of guns, SWAT, and heavy-handed police swarms?

Obviously the feds planned to shut down Montana’s medical marijuana operations whether the state legislature did it for them or not. Did they wait in the wings for the ruling to come down, prepared to strike if it wasn’t in their favor? Or maybe they were going to strike whether the state shut down MMJ or not.

Regardless, the fact that Montana’s local cops were willing to be involved tells enough about the situation to answer one question: who do the cops support – the People or the (bogus) Law? Obviously, they’ll stand by their federal comrades and don’t give a crap about the people of Montana.

So I think it’s time for the People of Montana to start rethinking law enforcement. Maybe these cops need to go. Maybe it’s time for new Sheriffs and new police. We need Sheriffs and Police Chiefs that tell the feds to F-O and leave them out of it. It’s time for our law enforcement officers to become peace officers again and protect the People, not some arbitrary “law” and their precious budgets (through forfeiture).

In short, it’s time for this “Us vs. Them” mentality to change and for the police to once again be on the Us side of things.

Update 03/15: Looks like I was wrong, the IRS was involved. So was Customs/Border Patrol: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/assets/pdf/G1171771315.PDF

Federal Agencies:

Drug Enforcement Administration

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations

U.S. Immigration and Customs

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Environmental Protection Agency – Criminal Investigation Division

U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Border Patrol

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

State and City Agencies:

Montana Division of Criminal Investigations

Northwest Drug Task Force

Kalispell Police Department

Flathead County Sheriff’s Office

Missoula Police Department

Missoula County Sheriff’s Office

Missoula High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force

Great Falls Police Department

Cascade County Sheriff’s Office

Central Montana Drug Task Force

Billings Police Department

Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office

Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force

Dillon Police Department

Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office

Park County Sheriff’s Office

Bozeman Police Department

Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office

Missouri River Drug Task Force

Helena Police Department

Lewis & Clark Sheriff’s Office

Eastern Montana Drug Task Force – Miles City

Tags: Billings, Border Patrol, Bozeman, customs, DEA, fbi, Gallatin, Great Falls, Helena, irs, Kalispell, medical marijuana, Missoula, MMJ, Montana, OSHA, police, raid, sheriff