DEA agents leave for greener jobs ... in the new marijuana industry

[Hum]

Patrick Moen built an impressive reputation as a federal agent, busting big drug rings that peddled everything from meth to ecstasy on the streets of Oregon.

Moen?s decade-long career with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ended last month when he took a job with Privateer Holdings, a Seattle-based private equity firm that invests in the fledgling, but lucrative marijuana industry.

Instead of listening to wiretaps and tracking illegal drug money, Moen now vets potential marijuana-related ventures as investment opportunities for the Yale-educated backers of enterprises like Leafly.com, a website offering reviews of marijuana strains.

?It wasn?t an easy decision,? said Moen, who is in the process of relocating from Portland to Seattle. ?It?s not one I took lightly. I talked with friends, family and coworkers. I sought out opinions. When it comes down to it, this is an incredible opportunity for me professionally and personally.?

The switch from law-and-order agent to marijuana industry booster raised eyebrows among Moen?s colleagues. Police generally take a dim view of marijuana; the DEA?s own ?threat assessment? calls it ?the most widely available and commonly abused illicit drug in the United States.?  In Oregon, federal authorities have aggressively pursued large-scale marijuana producers and traffickers.

Moen is the second DEA agent with Oregon ties to make the move to the marijuana industry. Paul Schmidt, who until 2010 served as the highest-ranking DEA agent in Oregon, now works as a medical marijuana business consultant.

Hiring government regulators and enforcement officials is a common strategy among American corporations, said Pete Tashman, an assistant professor of management at Portland State University?s School of Business Administration.  

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[PGHammer]

Patrick Moen built an impressive reputation as a federal agent, busting big drug rings that peddled everything from meth to ecstasy on the streets of Oregon.

Moen?s decade-long career with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ended last month when he took a job with Privateer Holdings, a Seattle-based private equity firm that invests in the fledgling, but lucrative marijuana industry.

Instead of listening to wiretaps and tracking illegal drug money, Moen now vets potential marijuana-related ventures as investment opportunities for the Yale-educated backers of enterprises like Leafly.com, a website offering reviews of marijuana strains.

?It wasn?t an easy decision,? said Moen, who is in the process of relocating from Portland to Seattle. ?It?s not one I took lightly. I talked with friends, family and coworkers. I sought out opinions. When it comes down to it, this is an incredible opportunity for me professionally and personally.?

The switch from law-and-order agent to marijuana industry booster raised eyebrows among Moen?s colleagues. Police generally take a dim view of marijuana; the DEA?s own ?threat assessment? calls it ?the most widely available and commonly abused illicit drug in the United States.?  In Oregon, federal authorities have aggressively pursued large-scale marijuana producers and traffickers.

Moen is the second DEA agent with Oregon ties to make the move to the marijuana industry. Paul Schmidt, who until 2010 served as the highest-ranking DEA agent in Oregon, now works as a medical marijuana business consultant.

Hiring government regulators and enforcement officials is a common strategy among American corporations, said Pete Tashman, an assistant professor of management at Portland State University?s School of Business Administration.  

more

Consider that the viewpoint of the street agents is entirely counterbalanced by the viewpoint of the same agency's administrative law judges (the ones that draw up the Schedule of Controlled Substances) - they have been seeking to boot marijuana off of Schedule I since the Nixon administration (yes - the SAME Nixon that was the major sponsor of "Reefer Madness").  However, every time the ALJs have sought to boot pot from Schedule I, either the AG or the President steps in to keep pot on Schedule I (no medical value) - under both GOP and Democratic Presidents alike.  Who would you say is mostly likely corrupted - the ALJs or the street agents?

[Growled Member]

Like they say, if you can't beat them, join them.

[The Evil Overlord]

Good money in picking, I used to do it myself on onion and strawberry farms, now if only the british government would allow farmers to grow it so I can go back to picking for a living.... :shiftyninja:

[Kriz]

Like they say, if you can't beat them, join them.

Ha exactly what i thought - But then again they wernt 100% getting beat, they still managed to close and confiscate god only knows how much weed!

 

Another step in the right direction though :D