Feds Warn Against Marijuana Ties

Some Massachusetts doctors with business interests in medical marijuana dispensaries say they have been told by federal drug agents to sever all ties to marijuana companies or relinquish federal licenses to prescribe certain medications. The choice is necessary because while Massachusetts, like many states, allows medical use of marijuana, federal law bans any use of marijuana.

The Boston Globe reports that at least three Massachusetts physicians have been contacted by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigators.

Dr. Samuel Mazza, chief executive of Debilitating Medical Conditions Treatment Centers, which won preliminary state approval to open a dispensary in Holyoke, said the DEA's visit came shortly after state regulators granted provisional licenses for 20 medical marijuana dispensaries.

None have opened. A DEA spokeswoman refused to answer questions about the doctors' assertions.