They got El Chapo

[swendro]

Just seen a pic of a dead body and they cut it open with a big knife and stuck they hand inside. :x

That's pretty tame compared to what a quick google search of the major cartels will get you.

 

[HEATHEN]

[h1]CONFIRMED: The DEA Struck A Deal With Mexico's Most Notorious Drug Cartel[/h1]

[h5]
Michael Kelley, provided by



[/h5]

[h5]Published 9:33 am, Monday, January 13, 2014[/h5]


An investigation by El Universal
 has found that between the years 2000 and 2012, the U.S. government had an arrangement with Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel that allowed the organization to smuggle billions of dollars of drugs in exchange for information on rival cartels. 



Sinaloa, led by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, supplies 80% of the drugs
 entering the Chicago area and has a presence in cities across the U.S.



There have long been allegations that Guzman, considered
 to be "the world’s most powerful drug trafficker," coordinates
 with American authorities.



But the El Universal investigation is the first to publish 
court documents
 that include corroborating testimony from a DEA agent and a Justice Department official.

The written statements were made to the U.S. District Court in Chicago in relation to the arrest of Jesus Vicente Zambada-Niebla, the son of Sinaloa ​

leader

 Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada ​

and​

allegedly the Sinaloa cartel’s "logistics coordinator."





Here's what 
DEA agent Manuel Castanon told the Chicago court:





"On March 17, 2009, I met for approximately 30 minutes in a hotel room in Mexico City with Vincente Zambada-Niebla and two other individuals — DEA agent David Herrod and a cooperating source [Sinaloa lawyer Loya Castro] with whom I had worked since 2005. ...
I did all of the talking on behalf of [the] DEA."




A few hours later, Mexican Marines arrested Zambada-Niebla (a.k.a. "El Vicentillo") 
on charges of trafficking more than a billion dollars in cocaine and heroin
. Castanon and three other agents then visited Zambada-Niebla in prison, where the Sinaloa officer "reiterated his desire to cooperate."



El Universal, citing court documents, reports that DEA agents met with high-level Sinaloa officials more than 50 times since 2000.



Then-Justice Department prosecutor Patrick Hearn told the Chicago court
 that, according to DEA special agent Steve Fraga
, Castro "provided information leading to a 23-ton cocaine seizure, other seizures related to "various drug trafficking organizations," and that"El Mayo" Zambada 
wanted his son to cooperate with the U.S
.



"The DEA agents met with members of the cartel in Mexico to obtain information about their rivals and simultaneously built a network of informants who sign drug cooperation agreements, subject to results, to enable them to obtain future benefits, including cancellation of charges in the U.S.," reports El Universal
, which 
also 
interviewed more than one hundred active and retired police officers as well as prisoners and experts.




Zambada-Niebla's lawyer told the court that in the late 1990s, Castro struck a deal with U.S. agents in which Sinaloa would provide information about rival drug trafficking organizations while the U.S. would dismiss its case against the Sinaloa lawyer
 and refrain from interfering with Sinaloa drug trafficking activities or actively prosecuting Sinaloa leadership.




"The agents stated that this arrangement had been approved by high-ranking officials and federal prosecutors," Zambada-Niebla
 lawyer wrote.




After being extradited to Chicago in February 2010, Zambada-Niebla argued
 that he was also "immune from arrest or prosecution" because he actively provided information to U.S. federal agents.




Zambada-
Niebla also alleged
 that 
Operation Fast and Furious was part of an agreement to finance and arm the cartel
 in exchange for information used to take down its rivals. (If true, that re-raises the issue
 regarding what Attorney General Eric Holder knew about the gun-running arrangements.)



A Mexican foreign service officer told Stratfor
 in April 2010 that the U.S. seemed to have sided with the Sinaloa cartel in an attempt to limit the violence in Mexico.



El Universal said that the coordination between the U.S. and Sinaloa peaked between 2006 and 2012, which is when drug cartels consolidated their grip
 on Mexico. The report ends by saying that it is unclear whether the arrangements continue.



The DEA declined to comment to El Universal.



http://www.sfgate.com/technology/bu...e-DEA-Struck-A-Deal-With-Mexico-s-5138855.php

SEE? This is what I'm saying.

 

[space doodoo pistols]

where's everyone seeing this body get fisted?

link me dudes.

 

[space doodoo pistols]

oh ill, thanks to @thebsprky for the linkovich.

not as bad as I thought but still entertaining nonetheless.

 

[ohmygosher]

Link me brahs.

 

[3dgarfly23]

bruh ..

 

[liljrdn]

Those pictures on Twitter are crazy! These guys are living the life rappers dream about

 

[Kaleo15]

Used to learn about these guys during the Academy.

Had to learn their type of culture, their music, symbols and all that because Vegas was getting big as far as their business.

 

[coolgraymemo]

That twitter is f'n crazy!!! Like something out of a movie

:x

 

[HEATHEN]

Used to learn about these guys during the Academy.

Had to learn their type of culture, their music, symbols and all that because Vegas was getting big as far as their business.

what kind of culture, music and symbols do federal agents use?





no seriously how many DEA agents have you arrested?


or are they above the law?

 

[coolgraymemo]

Why does the son like off-roading so much?

 

[eazye 804]

Used to learn about these guys during the Academy.

Had to learn their type of culture, their music, symbols and all that because Vegas was getting big as far as their business.

what kind of culture, music and symbols do federal agents use?



no seriously how many DEA agents have you arrested?

or are they above the law?

 

[HEATHEN]

 

[trilluminated]

Why does the son like off-roading so much?

"me la navego en la sierra... todita la temporada.."

 

[Kaleo15]

Used to learn about these guys during the Academy.

Had to learn their type of culture, their music, symbols and all that because Vegas was getting big as far as their business.

what kind of culture, music and symbols do federal agents use?





no seriously how many DEA agents have you arrested?


or are they above the law?

Not sure if you're being serious. But I don't work for the Government.

I'm just talking about what we needed to look out for, if we ever encountered anybody that could possibly work for them. Especially EMEs, Surenos, Nortenos... ect.

A lot of Cartel or Latino smugglers listen to Narcocorrdio, it's a type of music that Cartels listen to.

Ferreri symbol or John Deer symbol. If you drive a damn Sentra but have a Ferrari/John deer sticker or badge on it, drugs could be associated.

 

[Kaleo15]

Why does the son like off-roading so much?

"me la navego en la sierra... todita la temporada.."

Learned about this also. They love Ford Raptors and John Deer

 

[HEATHEN]

Not sure if you're being serious. But I don't work for the Government.

I'm just talking about what we needed to look out for, if we ever encountered anybody that could possibly work for them. Especially EMEs, Surenos, Nortenos... ect.

A lot of Cartel or Latino smugglers listen to Narcocorrdio, it's a type of music that Cartels listen to.

Ferreri symbol or John Deer symbol. If you drive a damn Sentra but have a Ferrari/John deer sticker or badge on it, drugs could be associated.

wasnt saying you were a fed.....

i hear what you're saying i guess my post went over your head.


s'all good.

 

[Kaleo15]

Not sure if you're being serious. But I don't work for the Government.

I'm just talking about what we needed to look out for, if we ever encountered anybody that could possibly work for them. Especially EMEs, Surenos, Nortenos... ect.

A lot of Cartel or Latino smugglers listen to Narcocorrdio, it's a type of music that Cartels listen to.

Ferreri symbol or John Deer symbol. If you drive a damn Sentra but have a Ferrari/John deer sticker or badge on it, drugs could be associated.

wasnt saying you were a fed.....

i hear what you're saying i guess my post went over your head.


s'all good.

Ahhh... now I see what you did. Yeah, it went over my head

 

[bruce negro]

Not sure if you're being serious. But I don't work for the Government.

I'm just talking about what we needed to look out for, if we ever encountered anybody that could possibly work for them. Especially EMEs, Surenos, Nortenos... ect.

A lot of Cartel or Latino smugglers listen to Narcocorrdio, it's a type of music that Cartels listen to.

Ferreri symbol or John Deer symbol. If you drive a damn Sentra but have a Ferrari/John deer sticker or badge on it, drugs could be associated.

wasnt saying you were a fed.....

i hear what you're saying i guess my post went over your head.


s'all good.

Just curious - Are you the type of conspiracy theorist who just spouts this stuff off rampantly without doing anything about it in your real life, or are you in a position / profession where you're hoping to change these things yourself?

 

[HEATHEN]

Just curious - Are you the type of conspiracy theorist who just spouts this stuff off rampantly without doing anything about it in your real life, or are you in a position / profession where you're hoping to change these things yourself?

if all goes according to plan, I'll be attending law school after I complete my bachelors.


So yes, I plan on trying to eventually try to make some change.


And don't call me a conspiracy theorist, I speak fact not fiction. The war on drugs invites the criminal element, perpetuates it, it doesn't defeat it. We don't rehabilitate drug users either, we pigeonhole them as criminals and give them a record. How is that allowing them to get their life back together?


And the government, the DEA, the ATF (the gunwalking scandal), they all have blood on their hands.

 

[thebsprky]

Why does the son like off-roading so much?

"me la navego en la sierra... todita la temporada.."

Apart from the off roading culture in Mex/Baja Ca it helps them

"navigate through mountainous terrain "

 

[HEATHEN]

The U.S. government allowed the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel to carry out its business unimpeded between 2000 and 2012 in exchange for information on rival cartels, an investigation by El Universal claims.

Citing court documents, the Mexican newspaper reports that DEA officers met with top Sinaloa officials over fifty times and offered to have charges against cartel members dropped in the U.S., among other pledges.

Dr. Edgardo Buscaglia, a senior research scholar in law and economics at Columbia University, says that the tactic has been previously used in Colombia, Cambodia, Thailand and Afghanistan.

“Of course, this modus operandi involves a violation of public international law, besides adding more fuel to the violence, violations of due process and of human rights,” he told El Universal.

Myles Frechette, a former U.S. ambassador to Colombia, said while that the problem of drug trafficking in Colombia persists, the tactic of secret agreements had managed to reduce it.

The period when the relationship between the DEA and Sinaloa was supposed to have been the closest, between 2006 and 2012, saw a major surge of violence in Mexico, and was the time when the Sinaloa cartel rose significantly in prominence.



Read more: DEA, Sinaloa Cartel in Secret Cooperation for Years | TIME.com http://world.time.com/2014/01/14/dea-boosted-mexican-drug-cartel/#ixzz2u8L4Nlaz

It's all a business, big business.


Conspiracy? I think not sir, facts are facts. The war on drugs is a money-maker.


IF the fed gov really wanted to stop the violence, both across the border and in our own cities, they'd stop this war on drugs.


But don't take my word for it....

April 20 is the counter-culture “holiday” on which lots and lots of people come together to advocate marijuana legalization (or just get high). Should drugs—especially marijuana—be legal? The answer is “yes.” Immediately. Without hesitation. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200 seized in a civil asset forfeiture. The war on drugs has been a dismal failure. It’s high time to end prohibition. Even if you aren’t willing to go whole-hog and legalize all drugs, at the very least we should legalize marijuana.

For the sake of the argument, let’s go ahead and assume that everything you’ve heard about the dangers of drugs is completely true. That probably means that using drugs is a terrible idea. It doesn’t mean, however, that the drug war is a good idea.

Prohibition is a textbook example of a policy with negative unintended consequences. Literally: it’s an example in the textbook I use in my introductory economics classes (Cowen and Tabarrok, Modern Principles of Economics if you’re curious) and in the most popular introductory economics textbook in the world (by N. Gregory Mankiw).The demand curve for drugs is extremely inelastic, meaning that people don’t change their drug consumption very much in response to changes in prices. Therefore, vigorous enforcement means higher prices and higher revenues for drug dealers. In fact, I’ll defer to Cowen and Tabarrok—page 60 of the first edition, if you’re still curious—for a discussion of the basic economic logic:

The more effective prohibition is at raising costs, the greater are drug industry revenues. So, more effective prohibition means that drug sellers have more money to buy guns, pay bribes, fund the dealers, and even research and develop new technologies in drug delivery (like crack cocaine). It’s hard to beat an enemy that gets stronger the more you strike against him or her.

People associate the drug trade with crime and violence; indeed, the newspapers occasionally feature stories about drug kingpins doing horrifying things to underlings and competitors. These aren’t caused by the drugs themselves but from the fact that they are illegal (which means the market is underground) and addictive (which means demanders aren’t very price sensitive).

Those same newspapers will also occasionally feature articles about how this or that major dealer has been taken down or about how this or that quantity of drugs was taken off the streets. Apparently we’re to take from this the idea that we’re going to “win” the war on drugs. Apparently. It’s alleged that this is only a step toward getting “Mister Big,” but even if the government gets “Mister Big,” it’s not going to matter. Apple didn’t disappear after Steve Jobs died. Getting “Mr. Big” won’t win the drug war. As I pointed out almost a year ago, economist and drug policy expert Jeffrey Miron estimates that we would have a lot less violence without a war on drugs.

At the recent Association of Private Enterprise Education conference, David Henderson from the Naval Postgraduate School pointed out the myriad ways in which government promises to make us safer in fact imperil our safety and security. The drug war is an obvious example: in the name of making us safer and protecting us from drugs, we are actually put in greater danger. Without meaning to, the drug warriors have turned American cities into war zones and eroded the very freedoms we hold dear.

Freedom of contract has been abridged in the name of keeping us “safe” from drugs. Private property is less secure because it can be seized if it is implicated in a drug crime (this also flushes the doctrine of “innocent until proven guilty” out the window). The drug war has been used as a pretext for clamping down on immigration. Not surprisingly, the drug war has turned some of our neighborhoods into war zones. We are warehousing productive young people in prisons at an alarming rate all in the name of a war that cannot be won.

Albert Einstein is reported to have said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. By this definition, the drug war is insane. We are no safer, and we are certainly less free because of concerted efforts to wage war on drugs. It’s time to stop the insanity and end prohibition.

http://world.time.com/2014/01/14/dea-boosted-mexican-drug-cartel/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/artcarden/2012/04/19/lets-be-blunt-its-time-to-end-the-drug-war/

 

[bruce negro]

Just curious - Are you the type of conspiracy theorist who just spouts this stuff off rampantly without doing anything about it in your real life, or are you in a position / profession where you're hoping to change these things yourself?

if all goes according to plan, I'll be attending law school after I complete my bachelors.


So yes, I plan on trying to eventually try to make some change.


And don't call me a conspiracy theorist, I speak fact not fiction. The war on drugs invites the criminal element, perpetuates it, it doesn't defeat it. We don't rehabilitate drug users either, we pigeonhole them as criminals and give them a record. How is that allowing them to get their life back together?


And the government, the DEA, the ATF (the gunwalking scandal), they all have blood on their hands.

Nah, in some aspects you're definitely still a conspiracy theorist. I agree with some of your points, but I don't think big pharma plays nearly as large of a role as you believe. But I definitely respect the fact that you're looking to pursue a career in fixing the issues that you see. If more people had that mentality rather than spouting nonsense without making any effort to fix the problems they see, then we'd have a far more informed / productive society.

 

[HEATHEN]

Nah, in some aspects you're definitely still a conspiracy theorist. I agree with some of your points, but I don't think big pharma plays nearly as large of a role as you believe. But I definitely respect the fact that you're looking to pursue a career in fixing the issues that you see. If more people had that mentality rather than spouting nonsense without making any effort to fix the problems they see, then we'd have a far more informed / productive society.

Oh really? I'm definitely still a conspiracy theorist because you don't THINK big pharma plays nearly as large of a role as I believe?


K...

As Colorado, California and Washington including 16 other states enjoy freedom under state law to operate legal medical marijuana-cannabis businesses the owners are often faced with arrests and constant harrasment by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Though some states have legalized the sale of marijuana for medical purposes, the practice remains a felony crime under federal law.

Even if marijuana operators avoid arrests the almighty Feds inflict more damage by imposing astronomical “high taxes” on a state-sanctioned marijuana-cannabis, taxes as high as 75-80 percent. Some dealers, unable to pay employees and overhead, combined with the burden of extra high taxes, must shut down, thus preventing sick patients, preferring cannabis treatment, from getting the care they desperately need.

Cannabis dealers argue that “high taxes” imposed upon their businesses is the Feds political goal: to run them out of business and the bigger picture is to eliminate competition against the giant pharmaceutial industry which makes billions selling drugs to treat illnesses at a higher cost.

But evidence has proved that a person can purchase cannabis from a state legalized operator and receive effective treatment at a much lower cost.

With billions of dollars in the bank, the pharmaceutial companies pay millions for anti-marijuana lobbying efforts to sway Congress not to legalize marijuana under federal law. The smoking gun in this drama has raised the curtain on the pharmaceutial inustry now marketing an FDA approved cannabis medicine to undercut the growing market dominated by the states.

As the battle over taxation take center stage, a tax expert insists there is a loophole under 501(c)(4), that if used properly, the technique may eliminate excessive tax burdens,
threatening to ruin the medical cannabis businesses.

“If these state-legal businesses were treated as any other legal business, these industries could realize its’ full potential to create many, many more living wages, like retail, manufacturing and agriculture jobs that cannot be outsourced,” says Betty Aldworth, a deputy director with National Cannabis Industry Association. “An industry that can provide thousands of jobs is being held back by these crazy tax rates.”

How is this number game legally possible? Thanks to a 1982 provisional tax code known as 280E, a federal law created as result of a drug dealer’s successful atempt to reclaim his yacht, weapons and even the illegal bribes he paid off as business expenses. 280E prohibit individuals involved with selling narcotics from deducting expenses expenses if federal income taxes are filed. Legal marijuana sellers have vigorously tried to avoid the draconian 280E law by arguing their businesses were charities promoting health benefits and should be exempt from income tax under section 501(c)(3).

IRS lawyers bullishly oppose 501(c)(3) status given to state sanctioned marijuana sellers by issuing a counter-point argument that because of a rule called the “public policy doctrine”. This doctrine disqualify dispensaries as a charity because the Feds say these kind of businesses exist for illegal purposes under federal law.

Professor Benjamin Leff, a tax law expert at American University Washington College of Law, thinks he has a clever solution to free legit marijuana dealers from
the Feds insane tax laws.

“I don’t know if anyone has applied or not but marijuana sellers should run their business as a social welfare organization under 501(c)(4).”

To qualify under this statute, Leff said, “A social welfare organization must have as its primary purpose the promotion of the common good and general welfare of the people in neighborhoods or communities.”

Leff wrote a compelling report on the practice that was hosted at a Harvard University seminar titled: Tax Planning For Marijuana Dealers.

In a email sent to this Chronicle contributor, Professor Leff said, “It occurred to me the primary obstacle to tax-exempt status for marijuana sellers under 501(c)(3) called “public policy doctrine” is that it just doesn’t apply to social welfare organizations and the basic reasoning is this: “Because of a provision that applies only to people trafficking in controlled substances under 280E. Marijuana dispensaries are required to pay taxes not on their profits(like other businesses) but pay IRS based on gross revenue after substracting the cost of marijuana they sell.”

Leff further said under this theory,

“legal marijuana dealers have to pay more taxes than they would have if they were selling other products. And it is possible, the professor adds, a dealer would have to pay more taxes than they earn!”

“So when taxes get too high, it’s possible to drive compliant dispensaries out of business.”

In 2009, the global pharmaceutical market was worth an estimated $837 billions and by 2014, the amount expected to rise at least $1 trillion dollars. What helps to keep state-sanctioned cannabis dealers in business so far is the fact the Big Pharma cannot legally patent the plant that makes marijuana. Medical marijuana is often referred as the world’s wonder drug, a simple substance which provides effective treatment for pain, cancer, nausea, PMS, Lyme disease, ADD and other major ailments.

In a study conducted by Reiman, 66 percent of patients used cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs while 68 percent used cannabis as a subsitute for prescription drugs to treat chronic illness. And 85 percent of patients reported that cannabis had fewer side effects than other prescribed medicine.

Just how many other drugs are more effective?

“There’s nothing in our current pharmacopedia that comes close,” says Michael Backes, owner of the Cornerstone Research Collectivee, an L.A. California-based medical marijuana dispensary.
Political Battles: Pharmaceutial Industry Competes With Marijuana Dispensaries By Marketing Prescription-based Cannabinoid Medicine?

Medical marijuana activists pinpoint the giant pharmaceutical industry as a driving force in helping the Feds overthrow their businesses. This theory may seem more of an overreacted imagination but there is substantial evidence that pharmaceutal companies are aggressively marketing cannabis products which is the backbone for marijuana dispensaries. Activists cite the fact that the cannabis they sell much cheaper to ailing patients as the reason the pharmacies are concerned this could easily cut into their high profits of selling similar conventional cures.

As mentioned earlier pharmaceutial companies has already marketed FDA-approved prescription-based cannabinoid medicines. Therefore it doesn’t take a Harvard genius to realize that state-sanctioned marijuana dispensaries are competitive.

For instance, according to opensecrets.org, major pharmaceutial companies contributed millions of dollars during presidential and senate races. In 2004, pharmaceutial companies contributed $16 million into federal elections amongst Democrats and Republicans. In 2011, the industry spent $150 million on lobbying in Washington D.C. President Barack Obama received $1.2 million dollars from the pharmaceutial industry in 2008, a triple amount when compared to funds given to John McCain.

Research shows that since Obama took office, federal agents conducted more than 200 raids of medical marijuana operations nationwide. Around October 2012, the Feds sent over 300 letters to landlord’s that dispensaries rented from, threatening property owners with criminal charges if they did not evict their tenants. Research shows that the top five special interest groups lobbying to keep marijuana illegal are police unions, private prison corporations, alcohol and beer companies, prison guard unions and of course the pharmaceutial industry.

Professor Leff outlines his strategy for marijuana sellers to possibly avoid the Feds “public policy” draconian tax law:

(1) Leff suggests the dispensaries employ persons who may be hard to employ (like former marijuana sellers) and provide career training and mentorship for those people.

(2) Marijuana stores should operate to improve the business conditions of a distressed neighborhood. That means both are trying to bring business into a neighborhood with less retail as well being a good neighbor to other businesses and residents. Ideally, Leff further says, marijuana sellers should partner with an existing organization that is already seeking to improve the neighborhood.

(3) The second restriction may also be a big one. A 501(c)(4) organization(social welfare) cannot be owned by anyone and cannot distribute its profits to anyone. So, if you have an exisitng financially invested dispensary, a person need to get legal advice to determine how to transform that investment into a type allowable for non-profits.

When asked if expenses are deductible if a dispensary run a business as a caregiver, Leff points out, “Even without doing any of the nonprofit stuff that I’m talking about, a court has held that the costs incurred by a dispensary in providing caregiving services is not subject to 280E(which denies deductions for cost incurred in selling marijuana).”

“But a dispensary that sells marijuana and also provides care giving services still must allocate its expenses between the two activities, and keep records sufficient to justify
its allocation.”

“So it’s not the case that a dispensary providing care giving services can deduct all of its expenses.”

Meanwhile, Congress Jared Polis(D-Colorado) and Earl Blumenauer(D-OR) introduced a bill to end the federal prohibition on marijuana and allow it to be taxed. This much needed legislation will remove marijuana from the Controlled Substance Act.

Bottom line: Until the tax code and the law governing federal controlled substances are firmly modified by lowering taxes and have dispensaries legally sanctioned under federal law, then the current marijuana businesses will continually face the onslaught of high taxes and possible arrests by the federal government, a tactic seemingly designed to undermine committed efforts of dealers selling legal weed to patients who use the substance to mitigate their pain and suffering.

Big pharma lobbies to keep medical marijuana illegal. Legalization would hit them in the pockets HARD. All these prescription drugs that are FAR more narcotic in nature than MMJ would be rendered useless if MMJ was readily accessible in all fifty states. People would put down those prescription drugs with the laundry list of debilitating side-effects for MMJ. Even while MMJ is being unjustly overtaxed it's STILL far less expensive than all these costly prescription drugs.


http://www.globalresearch.ca/medica...state-sanctioned-cannabis-competitors/5335738


And the funny part? After realizing they've been fighting a losing battle, they want to join in on the MMJ money-fest after lobbying against legalization.

Ain't that bout a *****?


If big pharma can't control the market, they will fight tooth and nail to prevent legalization.

 

[HEATHEN]

It seems like one of the greatest fears of the medical marijuana community is slowly being realized, as corporations quickly adopt cannabinoids into their vast profile of patented medicines. Leading the charge is GW Pharmaceuticals (1), a UK- based pharmaceutical company who manufacturers Sativex, an outrageously overpriced oral spray that relies on THC and CBD for its medical effects.

Although Sativex is not currently available to patients in the U.S., it can be prescribed in Canada, the UK and other European countries, at a price of £175 per bottle. As crazy as it sounds, the only difference between a £175 bottle of Sativex and a $20 bottle of marijuana extract from your local dispensary are the patents that GW Pharma has been all-too-quick to file.

Just last month, GW Pharma’s newest patent application (2) was published with the title “Phytocannabinoids in the treatment of cancer.” That’s right, the makers of Sativex are trying to patent the compounds of marijuana for treating all forms of cancer. But is that even allowed?

Probably not, since medical marijuana’s cancer-fighting effects have been well known since the 70s, not to mention prominent spokespeople of the movement, such as Rick Simpson, who have provided personal testimonies of marijuana’s ability to cure cancer. As a result, it is unlikely that a patent would be granted on medical marijuana itself or common extracts like hemp oil.

Even still, pharmaceutical companies are well aware of the loopholes in patent laws that can easily be exploited by slightly altering a chemical or formula, which is what seems to be the case with GW Pharma. In their most recent patent, all GW Pharma had to do to claim exclusive rights to the cancer-fighting effects of cannabis was to call it a “botanical drug substance”, which they define as a mixture of cannabinoids and non-cannabinoid materials. As a result, GW may just be holding the golden ticket to a cutting-edge cure for cancer, something that has eluded medical research for decades.

It’s interesting to note that GW is not the first to exploit the medical properties of marijuana by form of a patent. In fact, it is almost common knowledge among the medical marijuana community that the U.S. government has been actively involved in obtaining patent rights on cannabinoids. Patent #6630507 (3) was granted to the Department of Health and Human Services in 2003 for “Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants,” which clearly outlines their usefulness as a treatment for stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and dementia.

Unfortunately, it’s not just GW Pharma and the feds than seem interested in monopolizing the medical marijuana market. Cannabinoid patents have been filed and granted to all sorts of corporations and individuals for some of the most obvious of inventions. But there’s really nothing we can do about it, since the federal government continues to state that marijuana is not a medicine, preventing honest and not-for-profit organizations from conducting human trials. And by preventing human trials, the feds have created a large gap in research and development that can only be filled by profit-driven corporations seeking to monopolize the incredible medical properties of nature’s most unique plant.

Once again, it seems like average citizens will fall victim to Big Pharma in their rush to claim the medical marijuana industry as their own. Sadly, it may just be a matter of time until hemp oil is wiped out and patients will be charged 10 times more for a bottle of Sativex, courtesy of the genius inventors at GW Pharmaceuticals.

Late to the party big pharma? No biggie, they'll push their way in to exploit the market anyways.


http://www.theweedblog.com/pharmaceutical-companies-rush-to-patent-medical-marijuana/



But yeah, I'm the one with a tinfoil hat on my head, what could I possibly know?