Bud out

While the Obama administration is undecided about prosecuting Bush-era torturers, pot people remain as dangerous now as they did under the previous regime. Under Bush, Charles Lynch was arrested for operating a Morro Bay, California, medical marijuana dispensary but his sentencing was delayed while Federal Judge George Wu awaited clarification on Obama policy regarding the matter. When word came, it became disappointingly clear that the DoJ would stay Dubya’s plotted course.

Prompted by Attorney General Eric Holder’s saying that the Obama administration would prosecute dispensary owners only if they violated both state and federal law, Wu postponed Lynch’s sentencing and contacted his new bosses for instructions. A written response from the Deputy Attorney General’s office declared the “investigation, prosecution and conviction of Mr. Lynch are entirely consistent with Department policies, as well as public statements by the Attorney General.”

Considering Lynch had obtained the assurances of authorities that his distribution centre fully complied with state and local laws, it’s clear he doesn’t fit Holder’s stated criteria for prosecution. Nonetheless, he’ll have faced sentencing by the time this hits newsstands.

by SCOTT SAXON