The post California On Crash-Course With Feds Over Legalization appeared first on High Times.
When California legalized cannabis on January 1, it opened the door to multiple conflicts with the federal government. Now, state and federal authorities must manage to negotiate the overlapping jurisdictions with now completely contradictory policies. These policies leave California on a crash-course with feds over legalization. If nothing else, the resulting debates and problems will be interesting to watch.
Checkpoint Searches
The Associated Press notes that state legalization won’t stop federal agents from seizing even small quantities of bud at checkpoints they maintain on the Golden State’s busy freeways.
“Prior to Jan. 1, it’s going to be the same after Jan. 1, because nothing changed on our end,” said Ryan Yamasaki, an assistant chief of the Border Patrol‘s San Diego sector. “If you’re a federal law enforcement agency, you uphold federal laws.”
Border Patrol maintains the checkpoints up to 100 miles from the Mexican border. They are considered a final line of defense against smugglers and undocumented migrants who elude agents at the actual crossings. But they also snare U.S. citizens carrying even personal quantities of the herb that California has just legalized. About 40 percent of marijuana seizures at Border Patrol checkpoints from 2013 to 2016 was just an ounce or less from U.S. citizens. The new state law allows anyone 21 or over to hold up to an ounce.
The Border Patrol operates 34 permanent checkpoints along the international line. They have an additional 100 “tactical” stops, at rotating locations further into California territory.
The AP account included no reaction from state officials on what essentially amounts to federal bottlenecking of California law. But this is an obvious recipe for tensions