Call it a ‘Tale of Two Colleges’.

Last Monday, April 2, while 7 students at an Oakland Christian college were being shot and killed by a classmate, nearby Oaksterdam University, a cannabis college where students learn the medical marijuana industry, was raided by the DEA, IRS, and U.S. Marshals without any explanation as to why or what for. While one has nothing to do with the other (school shootings are handled by local authorities), it does provide an intriguing dichotomy. Why, after all, would the badges and guns be concerned with a state-legal educational facility where, to date, nobody has been shot and killed?

For starters, medical marijuana is still prohibited by federal law, despite it being legal in 16 states. In addition to last week’s raid, states with medical marijuana laws have been continuously threatened by U.S. attorneys this year, prompting lawmakers from five states to send an open letter to the federal government denouncing such interference. The letter cites President Obama’s pledge not to pursue prosecution of states with medical cannabis laws, as well as Attorney General Eric Holder’s re-affirmation of this.

Could it be that election year politics have changed the landscape? It’s an easy argument to make, and though it holds some merit, Obama isn’t looking to such a remote issue for his key to re-election. Cracking down on legal pot doesn’t exactly score you the same points as busting domestic terrorist cells or heroin dealers. Perhaps a clearer understanding is provided when considering Oaksterdam’s relevance as the first major Obama Administration medical pot bust.

The founder of Oaksterdam, Richard Lee, was the financial force behind California’s failed 2010 ballot initiative to legalize marijuana statewide. Lee poured $1.5 million into the effort, which came close to passing. Federal agents raided his home in addition to his business, although no arrest was made. Following this, Lee announced he was stepping down from his position at Oaksterdam. Lee denies there was any deal made with authorities, and you should believe him. Stepping away from Oaksterdam was key to it’s survival, because this was never about the college.

It’s about the larger movement to legalize marijuana and end the war on drugs. This was payback to Lee for what he attempted to do in California, which would have made it the first state to legalize cannabis. Perhaps the federal government doesn’t have a problem with medical marijuana on it’s own merits, but there is a prevailing view (and with good reason) that these laws will eventually open the floodgates to wider acceptance of cannabis and inevitable legalization movements.

This recent federal crackdown is about drawing a line in the sand between states and the civil disobedience of bad federal law. It’s been almost 7 years since the decision was handed down in Gonzales v. Raich, when the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government had the power to control or ban marijuana for medical or other uses. The only way states can have their constitutional rights restored is by challenging and getting this decision overturned (unlikely), or widespread state-defiance that makes enforcement of the law impossible.

Medical medical marijuana laws are becoming harder to come down on, but by fashioning a big stick and making high profile busts of known advocates, the Obama Administration is sending a clear message: further progress in the legalization of marijuana will not be tolerated.