Knowledge Paper on Federalism: Federal Versus States
Was the raid legal ? The raid was not legal because California had enacted laws to patients to use medical marijuana. The center was legitimate and they were not doing anything wrong. The Compassionate Use Act was approved and passed in California at the state level. Thus, the federal government should not have raided the Los Angeles Cannabis Center. It is not clear what was the Drug Enforcement Administration's the motive was for raiding the center. Several other states had approved the initiative and they were not questioned or raided by the federal government. According to Peter Warren, a spokesman for the California Medical Association, ''federal and state law enforcement authorities have no business interfering with the doctor-patient relationship". Warren supports using medical marijuana to help patients because many medical treatments have failed to provide necessary pain relief for patients.
Which law should preempt the other ?
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The state of California did just that. The Compassionate Use Act was added to the ballot and had enough votes to become a law. The federal government should not have intervened because it was not done illegally and it was being used to treat debilitating conditions, pain, and eating disorders in patients. The federal government would be right to to raid the center if they professionals there were selling medical marijuana to patients, it to minors and adults who did not need it, using it for other easons beside to treat illnesses and devitalize pain. This was not the case at the Los Angeles Cannabis Center. Therefore, the actions of the federal government should be deemed unnecessary and outrageous. Never the less. many states have passed laws recognizing the medical value of marijuana since