Earlier this month federal prosecutors working under the guidance of the Obama administration announced they would be cracking down on marijuana dispensaries in the state of California. California has seen unprecedented growth of these dispensaries since legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes in 1996. The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has largely been seen as a tug of war between state and federal authorities for decades. While on the campaign trail for the presidency, now-president Barack Obama promised to leave the decision over whether or not to decriminalize marijuana largely up to individual state governments and not use federal law enforcement agencies to raid caregivers and patients selling or using marijuana for medical purposes. Federal prosecutors, however, sent letters to marijuana dispensaries and their landlords all over the state of California last week warning them to stop the sale of marijuana within 45 days or face possible seizure of their property and potential jail time. Prosecutors have largely targeted dispensaries that sell more than 200 kilograms (or 1,000 individual plants) per year in their letters. In some cases, letters to landlords or dispensary owners point out a proximity to a local school or park, suggesting an objection to the dispensaries being too close to children. However, not all dispensaries were warned of this particular issue, making a complicated issue even murkier.

As any experienced Los Angeles Federal Criminal Defense Attorney can tell you, marijuana dispensaries have been a contentious states' right issue for years. The jurisdiction between federal law enforcement agencies and state or local law enforcement is not always as clear as it should be. Many state governments do not feel it is the federal government's business to intervene in the governing of state issues. If you have been accused of a federal crime, the first thing you need to do is to find a capable Los Angeles Federal Criminal Defense Attorney. An experienced Los Angeles Federal Criminal Defense Attorney should be well-versed in both state and federal law in order to properly defend you against federal criminal charges. Many people are shocked to find that not all laws are equally enforced at the local, state and federal levels. In actual fact, there are many laws that are applicable only in smaller municipalities such as the city of Los Angeles which simply do not exist at a national level. When people talk about states' rights versus federal laws, they really are referring to the idea of whether or not local or federal laws should take precedence in a given legal situation, which is an argument literally as old as our nation's Constitution. If you have been charged with a federal crime, call the attorneys at Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP today at 1-877-781-1570 to speak to a skilled Los Angeles Federal Criminal Defense Attorney about your case.