Landlords who rent to medical-marijuana dispensaries in California are being warned by the federal government that they could lose their property or be sent to prison, the Sacramento Bee reported Dec. 15.

The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Sacramento and San Francisco offices recently sent warning letters to landlords, following in the footsteps of the agency's Los Angeles office, which issued about 300 such warnings over the summer. Nathan Sands of the Sacramento-based Compassionate Coalition said the letters have "definitely caused a panic," although he predicted that the tactic would cause a backlash against the DEA.

The antidrug agency contends that federal law trumps the state's medical-marijuana law and that landlords could be prosecuted for renting property for use in distributing a controlled substance. In Los Angeles, no enforcement action was taken after the letters were sent, with a spokesperson for the DEA saying, "What we're trying to do now is educate all of the property owners."

Kris Hermes of Americans for Safe Access said medical-marijuana advocates are urging landlords and tenants to remain calm. "We believe the Department of Justice has limited resources to go after landlords in this egregious manner," he said.

In Congress, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) questioned the tactic, saying that the letters appeared to be an effort to undermine California state law.