Seattle’s only marijuana store out of product, the DEA losing ground on legalization, Cuomo’s medical marijuana problem, and more

This weekend saw a number of noteworthy posts and articles on marijuana law issues.  Among them:

• The Los Angeles Times reports that the “DEA may be losing the war on marijuana politics.”  As the story explains, “the Drug Enforcement Administration has found itself under attack in Congress as it holds its ground against marijuana legalization while the resolve of longtime political allies — and the White House and Justice Department to which it reports — rapidly fades.”
• Seattle’s only recreational marijuana shop is already out of product and it doesn’t expect to reopen until July 21.   
• At Balloon Juice, mistermix argues that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo should not be considered a progressive, citing his involvement in watering down the state’s new medical marijuana law: “Cuomo is the governor of one of the most liberal states in the nation. His deal with the progressive Working Families Party makes him a lock for re-election. Medical marijuana is fairly popular (here’s a recent poll showing 78% approval). Yet after considering all that, he still didn’t have the guts to let an already hobbled law pass without further restrictions.
• Marijuana Business Daily reports on a recent Nevada Gaming Control Board ruling that “shows that the casinos are taking a hard line against any connections to cannabis.”
• The Cannabist (via Denver Post) reports on yet another tax issue facing marijuana businesses.  The IRS requires a 10 % penalty when employee withholding taxes are not paid through the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System.  But “pot shops in Colorado often have little choice but to pay employee withholding taxes in cash since banks won’t take their business.”  Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and Rep. Ed Perlmutter have written a letter to the IRS asking the agency to waive the penalty.