Federal law enforcement authorities are launching a major crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries in California. The four U.S. attorneys in California have warned dozens of medical marijuana dispensaries that they will be subjected to civil or criminal action unless they shut down.

Among the people who might get caught in the crossfire are people who rent out space to medical marijuana dispensaries. Attorneys have been bringing charges against people for growing and distributing marijuana for medical purposes. They have also been sending letters to owners of properties where marijuana is grown or sold.

Prosecutors allege that many of these medical marijuana dispensaries are covering for-profit drug sales under the guise of medical use. According to federal prosecutors, medical marijuana laws in California have been used to cover up large-scale illegitimate drug trafficking operations. They allege that millions of dollars worth of marijuana is being transported across the country through bases in California.

These actions by the federal administration come as a shock to San Diego drug crimes lawyers. In 2009, the Obama administration had assured states with medical marijuana laws that prosecutors would not target individual patients or persons who sell marijuana in any state that has legal marijuana laws. Besides California, there are at least fifteen other states that have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes. By launching a crackdown like this, the federal administration seems to have reneged on its promise.

According to some reports, so far 16 landlords in California have received letters informing them that they are violating federal drug crime laws, which preempt the state’s medical marijuana laws. These actions by the administration ride roughshod over states that have laws allowing the sale of marijuana for medical purposes