cannabisnews.com: MPP Launches Campaign Against Nominee for DEA MPP Launches Campaign Against Nominee for DEA Posted by CN Staff on May 31, 2003 at 20:52:15 PT Press Release Source: U.S. Newswire The Marijuana Policy Project has launched -- http://www.DontConfirm.org -- a campaign aimed at pressuring Karen Tandy, President Bush's expected nominee to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, to put an end to federal raids on medical marijuana providers and patients. Karen Tandy, who currently heads the Justice Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, recently spearheaded "Operation Pipe Dreams" and "Operation Headhunter," nationwide investigations that culminated in the arrests of over 50 people on charges of trafficking in illegal drug paraphernalia. Under outgoing DEA chief Asa Hutchinson, the anti-drug agency has continued to raid, arrest, and intimidate medical marijuana patients in California and Oregon, despite the fact that these patients have been acting in compliance with state laws. In the last two years alone, DEA agents have conducted more than a dozen raids on medical marijuana patients and providers. Each raid deprived patients suffering from serious illnesses and disabilities of needed medicine. Most of the cooperatives that have been raided have since closed or stopped growing marijuana. Caregivers have been criminally prosecuted, and patients have had to resort to the unregulated criminal market for their medicine. MPP is calling on members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to grill Tandy on her position on medical marijuana during her confirmation hearings. If she does not promise to stop the raids on medical marijuana patients, MPP will demand that senators demonstrate respect for the rights of the sick and dying by voting against Karen Tandy's confirmation as DEA administrator. The public can fax or e-mail messages to their senators, read recent news about Tandy, and receive updates on the issue by visiting: http://www.DontConfirm.org With 12,000 members nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana - both the consumption of marijuana and the laws that are intended to prohibit such use. MPP believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is imprisonment. To this end, MPP focuses on removing criminal penalties for marijuana use, with a particular emphasis on making marijuana medically available to seriously ill people who have the approval of their doctors. Contact: Bruce Mirken of the Marijuana Policy Project, 202-462-5747, ext. 113 Complete Title: MPP Launches Campaign Against Nominee for DEA Chief; Group -- Demands End to Medical Marijuana Raids Source: U.S. NewswirePublished: May 29, 2003Copyright 2003 U.S. Newswire Contact: info usnewswire.comWebsite: http://www.usnewswire.com/ Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/President To Nominate 1st Woman as Drug Czar http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15771.shtmlCannabisNews - Paraphernalia Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/paraphernalia.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 31, 2003 at 20:54:47 PT Press Release from MPP http://www.DontConfirm.org [ Post Comment ] Post Comment