Letter to back laws

UPLAND - Councilman Ken Willis has asked the city attorney to draft a letter to federal officials regarding enforcement against medical marijuana dispensaries.

The letter will be sent to local district attorneys as well as some congressional lawmakers, to voice the city's support for the enforcement of federal drug laws, including holding property owners accountable for leasing to dispensaries.

"Our greatest fear is that this kind of activity attracts organized crime and once they see a successful pot shop, what's to keep them from going after it?" Willis said.

The request came after Willis received a letter from Paul Chabot, founder of Rancho Cucamonga-based Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition, who explained the letter at the April 25 City Council meeting.

"The DEA has had a long-standing policy of holding landowners accountable for violating federal law," Chabot said.

There was some confusion over the Attorney General Office's enforcement of federal marijuana laws after a memo was issued in October 2009 announcing it would not target medical marijuana patients and their sanctioned suppliers in states where medical marijuana is legal.

"Once that memo hit the circuit is when we saw a thousand pot shops hit L.A. And San Francisco, etc.," Chabot said. "Since then there has been a lot of clarification. The Department of Justice just as of recently put out two very strong memorandums to communities."