Everyday, I get calls to my office from medical marijuana patients and caregivers who have been raided or pulled over by police. Often times, these individuals are not arrested, and little if any paperwork is left behind by the various Narcotics Enforcement Teams.
Not only will these agencies leave little to no paperwork, but they’ll leave you with much less than what you owned prior to their visit. Everything from cars, laptops, grow equipment, cell phones, even family heir-looms; If there is marijuana in your house or car, there’s a good chance that the police will seize your personal property.
In fact, the police can seize what they want without charging you with a crime. Such was the case with Tarik Dehko, a grocer from Flint, Michigan. When he went to check his bank account, he instantly thought he had been the victim of fraud, as all of his $35,000 had been taken. When he contacted his bank, the answer he got was much worse: the Federal Government had seized all of his money out of his business account, simply because they didn’t like the way he was making deposits. Tarik had never been notified, and has not been charged with a crime, yet the federal government was permitted to take his money.
Anyone at all familiar with the forfeiture process knows that the police use it as a way to generate revenue for their own department by making the owner do buy backs, or selling the items at auction. Today’s forfeiture laws are cash cows for police, and it is not surprising that we see police driving fancier cars, motorcycles, or even horses. They are armed more like army rangers than civilian law enforcers, and open new departments or acquire SWAT teams with all the surplus money generated through this process.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I have been able to successfully reacquire the items seized from many of my clients without them having to pay the police agencies who stole them. Before you cut a big check to your local sheriffs department, contact Komorn Law and get what is rightfully yours returned to you.
Related: Pardons for Medical Marijuana Patients in Nevada?
Michael Komorn is recognized as a leading expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He is the President of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group with over 26,000 members, which advocates for medical marijuana patients, and caregiver rights. Michael is also the host of Planet Green Trees Radio, a marijuana reform based show, which is broadcast every Thursday night 8-10 pm EST. Follow Komorn on Twitter.
