By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
A federal appeals court wants to know why the Justice Department was targeting a popular marijuana dispensary after the federal government said it would not intervene in states’ medicinal pot laws, The Associated Press reports.
“The United States government, the president and the attorney general and the justice department is largely looking the other way in terms of medical marijuana facilities,” 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stephen Murphy said while hearing arguments in a city lawsuit fighting the closure of Harborside Health Center in Oakland. “What’s the end game here?”
Other judges also expressed concerns.
Justice Department attorneys said they don’t know why the U.S. Attorney’s Office was targeting the center but added that the federal government still has authority to close down medical marijuana facilities.
In December, President Obama signed into law a measure blocking the Justice Department from raiding dispensaries that are permitted by state law.
