cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Center in Mourning Medical Marijuana Center in Mourning Posted by FoM on October 30, 2001 at 08:52:38 PT By Bob Pool, Times Staff Writer Source: Los Angeles Times The only grass they were growing Monday at the pot club in West Hollywood was lawn turf. It was planted over a pair of mock graves in front of the headquarters of the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center--beneath crosses labeled "Compassion" and "Democracy" that mark the end of a five-year effort to provide medical marijuana to people who are ill.Federal drug enforcement agents raided the Santa Monica Boulevard center five days ago, uprooting 400 marijuana plants, seizing special indoor growing lights and hauling off computers listing the names and medical histories of the center's 960 members. The raid has angered those who claim their health depends on puffing marijuana cigarettes or munching pot-laced brownies and muffins. It has outraged West Hollywood city officials who have cultivated good relations with those cultivating medicinal cannabis."I don't know what I'm going to do now," said HIV patient Lawrence Ornella, 50, who used a cane to hobble up a stairway to the second-floor office of the cannabis club Monday afternoon.Gaunt and gray, Ornella is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer. "Marijuana gives me an appetite. Otherwise, I can't eat," the Los Angeles resident said.Club member Mary Lucey, who has been HIV positive for 15 years, was in tears as she contemplated permanent closure of the center. "I truly believe marijuana saved my life," said Lucey, 42, a governmental policy analyst who lives in Venice. "Panic went through my mind when I heard about the raid. There are no alternatives for me. I don't want to find a drug dealer. That's not a useful environment to be in."Thursday's raid by 30 drug agents was not a total surprise to operators of the center. They organized the nonprofit, member-supported cooperative in 1996 when California voters approved Proposition 215, an initiative that permitted small amounts of marijuana to be grown for medical purposes.But the state measure conflicted with federal anti-drug laws. And five months ago, in a case involving Northern California pot clubs, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an 8-0 ruling that all but invalidated the California initiative.The federal Drug Enforcement Administration cited the ruling in the affidavit for a search warrant for the West Hollywood raid. That affidavit declared that "illegal conduct permeates the organization's activities and that all documents, records and equipment present at the site constitute fruits, instrumentalities or evidence of federal criminal offenses."Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, said authorities are examining evidence seized and are "investigating certain individuals in terms of criminal prosecution" for the marijuana club's activities.After the six-hour search, workers at the center dug up some of the dirt from their indoor pot farm and carted it outside to create the mock cemetery."Our dispensary is closed," center President Scott Imler told those who showed up Monday for their doctor-approved "prescriptions" of marijuana, which sold for about $50 for an eighth of an ounce. "All you can do is call your congressman, call your doctor and show up here next Tuesday for our protest."The Nov. 6 event would have been a fifth anniversary ceremony for the center and for passage of Proposition 215.Instead, it will be a wake staged next to the turf-covered faux graves. Imler, 43, a former special education teacher from Santa Cruz who smokes marijuana to control epilepsy-triggered seizures and cluster headaches, said his center had stricter rules for dispensing marijuana than similar clubs elsewhere.The federal agents recognized that and "didn't draw guns or put anybody in handcuffs. They were polite and didn't tear the place apart. They know we are good people basically stuck between a bad law and a hard place," he said.But Imler criticized the government for using a time of national crisis for the raid."I think it's shameful the Justice Department would waste money going after medical marijuana while the rest of the world is falling apart. If they had been doing what we paid them to do, then maybe we'd still have a World Trade Center."Operators of the marijuana club said they intentionally kept a high profile, even to the point of working closely with Los Angeles County sheriff's officials who provide police protection for West Hollywood. In 1999, the center registered with the DEA and gave agents a tour of the building.Thursday's raid was condemned by West Hollywood officials, including council members Steve Martin and John Duran, who is the cannabis club's lawyer. Drugs: The club plants mock graves after a raid by federal authorities shut it down last week.Source: Los Angeles Times (CA) Author: Bob Pool, Times Staff WriterPublished: October 30 2001Copyright: 2001 Los Angeles Times Contact: letters latimes.com Website: http://www.latimes.com/ Related Article & Web Sites:Los Angeles County Research Centerhttp://www.lacbc.org/Medicinal Cannabis Research Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/research.htmStaff of Medical Marijuana Clinic Protest DEA Raidhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11201.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #14 posted by dddd on October 31, 2001 at 02:06:06 PT billie ...thanx for the correction,,not that I wouldn't be proud to be mistaken for Richard. To me,,the media thing is perhaps the single most important factor in the governments fraudulent manipulation of the masses.None of this insanity would be happening,were it not for the governments control of the media,and the "news".....dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by billie on October 31, 2001 at 01:57:23 PT: whoops i goofed i was referring to comment below by dddd, tho of course the imler story was in same direction of federal crackdowns unlimited under cover of questionable terrorist rhetoric and sudden necessary warnings of future attacks, where were they before sept 11? dddd's mention of sellouts like maher are way informative, no?? right on with eyes wide open now [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by billie on October 31, 2001 at 01:48:52 PT: sad but righteous wake up what a great mind opener, richard, even bill maher pretty much selling out along with all the rich compliant tv talking heads like russert and all the sunday chat crap, everyone selling the party line under terrorist warnings all of a sudden, the feds now with a free hand to hit on anyone perhaps, we are fearful i suppose all over california, angry too at being conceivably victimized on the excuse of national security.......more later, yes it's all sad but true, but at least our eyes are open now, thanks richard, excuse the lack of editing, stream of consciousness here but your thoughts were great to run into since being away for a spell in europe where they have only vague concern over our--to them--way overplayed terrorist era strident warnings which they sort of scoff at.......media control, right, tv controlling most american minds with no recourse for those others of us, an old story, but we are older and wiser, reminiscent of the 60s one might say [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by dddd on October 31, 2001 at 00:25:22 PT It's not looking too promising ..And I hope you will excuse me for posting my typically negative commentary,,,,,but,, the way I see it,is that the fabricated,"war on terror" ,,has put all questions concerning the wronging of rights,,and the rights of the wrong,,,on the back burner,,or off of the stove. The way I see it,is that the national media hashas gone far beyond just controlling the news,and have advanced far into the realm of designing the news to manipulate the masses.....For example,,the bizarre report of another terrorist attack,that was topping the news today.This is total BULLSHIT!This is a contrived diversionary tactic,,and like the thousands of similar ploys,such as anthrax,airline security,etc...It all is nothing less,than a sham to maintain a diversion of public attention away from the absurd actions of the federal government.......Does anyone think that the American public is not interested in the sordid details of the laws that have been snuck in during the last week or so,would not be of great interest to the public?......Remember,,the national media is a near complete fakeout...Even when you see stories that appear to be contraversial,,,or you see guys like Tim Russert,or Ted Koppel,as they appear to ask "tough" questions to the Rumfieldster,and other bigdogs in the political arena,,,,,,all that you see,is designed to make it look as if the media is asking these akward questions,,,to appear as if the media was acting in the public interest.......But...The actual long,and short of it,is that they,(the media/information overlord/controllers),are creating the product that is shown as "news",and making it seem as the lead storys ,,are what they say they are,,when in fact,if there was a free press,the lead stories would be ones such as this article speaks of,,or the absurd bombing of Afghanistan,,and the absolutely fraudulent "war on terror".....I hate to say it,but we are beyond a point where we can alter public opinion...A good sign of this is Bill Maher,,,he is towing the party line.He has been effectivly trained thru financial coercion,to not say things that are not "incorrect".....things are way worse than anyone knows...dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Richard Lake on October 30, 2001 at 22:15:04 PT: A superb realvideo on this is now on line. See 'Why The Media Ignored The LACRC Raid' http://www.pot-tv.net/ram/pottvshowse1003.ram Michele Kubby interviews former LA Times reporter and author Pat McCartney to discuss the reasons for the lack of accurate reporting. Why The Media Ignored The LACRC Raid (Realvideo) [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on October 30, 2001 at 21:05:46 PT Thanks Again Richard I understand that our country is having more then it's share of problems so waiting a little while for us to regain our focus is ok in my opinion even though I don't want to. I believe the use of Cannabis and other drugs is going to go up and it will only be because of people wanting to escape reality like they use to say back during the Vietnam era. Trying to control what a person feels he or she needs to get through these hard times will be harder for them then ever. The 'come and get me legal prescription mind altering drugs' sales are going through the roof. They are not going to have the money or man power soon to keep up the drug war I believe. It's time to let us be free and end prohibition and stay focused on making our country safe.PS: Cannabis is the only safe one in my book. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Richard Lake on October 30, 2001 at 20:30:37 PT: More - No problem, Martha I agree with you about 9-11.While the news and even the pro reform published letters is starting to pick up, it is going to take a while before we regain the attention we had. But I do believe it will happen.Not to sure that Walters will not make it to being Kzar, which really sucks. I hope everyone is calling their Senators.NORML just sent out this action alert request:Immediate Action NeededPLEASE CALL AND FORWARD THIS ALERT TO OTHERS ___________________________________________ STOP JOHN WALTERS FROM BECOMING 'DRUG CZAR' His Drug Policies Are Out of Step With America ACTIONS TO TAKE-- If your Senators are on the Senate Judiciary Committee (see below), call their offices and tell them to VOTE AGAINST JOHN WALTERS AS DRUG CZAR. JOHN WALTERS IS TOO EXTREME. Please keep your calls short so that others can get through. Every phone call counts and we need to put pressure on Committee members right away. PLEASE CALL NOW, as the vote could be scheduled any day.-- Forward this e-mail to as many friends, family members, and co-workers as possible. Ask them to read it and take action.BACKGROUND: President Bush has nominated a Bill Bennett protege, John Walters, to be our nation's next drug czar. Walters is an ardent drug warrior who supports harsh sentences for non-violent drug offenders, opposes the medical use of marijuana, opposes meaningful drug treatment programs, and denies that racial disparities exist in the criminal justice system.The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on his nomination his nomination within a few days. We need you to call your Senators on the Judiciary Committee and tell them to vote against Walters. Every call makes a difference, make your voice heard!!!WHY WALTERS SHOULD NOT BE DRUG CZAR-- He opposes reforming mandatory minimums and eliminating the crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity. -- Even former drug czar Barry McCaffrey has expressed concern about Walters' priorities being heavily skewed against treatment and prevention, saying that Walters is "focused too much on interdiction" and "needs to educate himself on prevention and treatment." -- Walters has not expressed support for reexamining racial disparities in the criminal justice system. He has very recently dismissed concerns about the fairness of the system almost out of hand. In his words, "What really drives the battle against law enforcement and punishment, however, is not a commitment to treatment, but the widely held view that (1) we are imprisoning too many people for merely possessing illegal drugs, (2) drug and other criminal sentences are too long and harsh, and (3) the criminal justice system is unjustly punishingSOME BRIEF TALKING POINTS-- A majority of Congressional Black Caucus Members have declared Walters, "unfit for a position that requires sensitivity to racial fairness." -- The President of the Betty Ford Center has warned, "Mrs. Ford and I are convinced that Mr. Walters may not have the confidence in the treatment and prevention strategies that we believe are necessary for the creation and implementation of a balanced and thoughtful approach to U.S. drug policy." -- National Education Association, National Urban League, other groups say, "Mr. Walters has advocated for policies that would result in locking up more African American youth." -- Organizations opposing the confirmation of John Walters, include AIDS Action, Latino Voters League, National Black Police Association, National Women's Health Network, Pesticide Action Network, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and Witness for Peace.---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday, October 30, 2001 -- A San Francisco Chronicle editorial _______________________ "A throwback drug czar" THE SENATE must soon decide whether U.S. policies on fighting drug abuse will return to the failed, lock-'em-up focus of previous years or continue their current trend toward emphasizing treatment and education. In the next few days, the Judiciary Committee is expected to vote whether to confirm John Walters, President Bush's nominee as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. It is the last Cabinet position to come before Congress, but the vote has been delayed in part by controversy over Walters' hard-line views. The decision is expected to be close and will likely be decided by four swing votes: Democrats Dianne Feinstein of California, Charles Schumer of New York and Russell Feingold of Wisconsin, plus Republican Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. These senators have reason to consider voting for Walters, mainly to continue the post-September 11 congressional show of unity behind the president. The position of drug czar is a crucial one, directing the federal government's $19 billion in anti-drug programs and serving as a moral leader in the just-say-no campaign focused on America's youth. But the need to rally around the flag and fill an important job do not compensate for Walters' many failings: He wants to escalate U.S. military involvement in the Latin American drug war at the expense of funding for domestic drug treatment and education (which have repeatedly proved to be the most cost-effective way of reducing drug use). He opposes reform of racially imbalanced sentencing guidelines, such as those that are 100 times stiffer for crack than for powder cocaine. He says he will use federal authority to punish doctors in states such as California who prescribe medical marijuana. In a Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this month, Walters underwent a typical "confirmation conversion," trying to curry favor with his critics by recanting or downplaying some of his extreme views. His track record is too long and too distasteful to be cleaned up that easily, however. Confirmation of Walters would reverse the nation's trend toward giving priority to drug treatment and education programs. These new policies, which California boosted last year with approval of Proposition 36, are the most effective, economical and humane ways of fighting the scourge of drug abuse. The Senate should reject Walters as drug czar. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2001 SF Chronicle ----------------------------------------------------------------------SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEEAlabama: Jeff Sessions (R) - tel: 202-224-4124 Arizona: Jon Kyl (R) - tel: 202-224-4521 California: Dianne Feinstein (D) - tel: 202-224-3841 Delaware: Joseph Biden (D) - tel: 202-224-5042 Kansas: Sam Brownback - tel: 202-224-6521 Kentucky: Mitch McConnell - tel: 202-224-2541 Illinois: Richard Durbin - tel: 202-224-2152 Iowa: Charles Grassley (R) - tel: 202-224-3744 Massachusetts: Edward Kennedy (D) - tel: 202-224-4543 New York: Charles Schumer (D) - tel: 202-224-6542 North Carolina: John Edwards - tel: 202-224-3154 Ohio: Mike DeWine (R) - tel: 202-224-2315 Pennsylvania: Arlen Specter (R) - tel: 202-224-4254 South Carolina: Strom Thurmond (R) - tel: 202-224-4944 Utah: Orrin Hatch (R) - tel: 202-224-5251 Vermont: Patrick Leahy (D), Chairman - tel: 202-224-4242 Washington: Maria Cantwell - tel: 202-224-3441 Wisconsin: Herb Kohl (D) - tel: 202-224-5653 Wisconsin: Russell Feingold (D) - tel: 202-224-5323 [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Richard Lake on October 30, 2001 at 20:24:19 PT: No problem, Martha While sites as popular as ours do not get that much traffic from Yahooka, there are new reform sites that do.Only problem is that there are those commercial outfits out to sell us stuff who are too cheap to buy an ad, so they set up voting programs to vote themselves on to the top 40 list, and everyone else off. 1-Percent is the prime example.So there are folks who vote for the non-profit reform sites, and against the cheap 1-Percent types.Don't have those fancy voting programs, but it seems the least we can do, and only fair.Oh, and some are even worse than the 1-Percent outfit. There is a commercial site that says it will donate $ to reform groups if you buy from them, Drug Policy Reform Mall, I think. The fact is that no reform group has ever received one cent from them. It is a total sham.Richard [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on October 30, 2001 at 17:37:46 PT Thanks Richard I didn't know that about Yahooka. That's a pleasant surprise. Oh how we long for the days before September 11th. We were making so much progress and now everything is on the back burner but at least Walter's hasn't been made Drug Czar yet. I try to find some good things to think about these days. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Richard Lake on October 30, 2001 at 17:23:51 PT: LA Times reporter clueless about SC ruling Note: This article appeared on page 4 of the Valley edition of the newspaper and on page B-3 of the California section (the editorial section of the main edition, we understand). Update: Five days after the raid the L.A. Times finally carried the following article. Their lack of coverage was one of the actions the DrugSense Focus Alert 'DEA Sabotages Five Years of Medical Cannabis Progress!' online at http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0222.html covers. All the other actions in the Alert are still appropriate. The Alert has more information on the protest, which is in this report below - but we made an error on the date - it is Tuesday, 6 November at 5 p.m. at the LA CRC. This article has a serious error in fact where it states 'But the state measure conflicted with federal anti-drug laws. And five months ago, in a case involving Northern California pot clubs, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an 8-0 ruling that all but invalidated the California initiative.' The U.S. Supreme court ruling did not invalidate the California law. The court only noted that the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative did not have standing to make a medical necessity defense, while pointing out that patients themselves may well have standing. The article at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1074/a04.html makes the point as well as any. The Times statement, however, is common in the media where it appears actually reading and understanding the court ruling is not a requirement. A new constitutional challenge to the law has been filed in the Ninth Circuit, arguing that the federal government has no authority to interfere with medical marijuana in California under the interstate commerce clause, and that the federal law violates the 9th, 10th, and 5th Amendments. See http://www.druglibrary.org/ocbc/ Bookmarks: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) http://www.mapinc.org/ocbc.htm (Oakland Cannabis Court Case)~~~~~~~~~Oh, and a big Way To Go to Cannabisnews which is in the top 40 of 5000 some sites at Yahooka http://www.yahooka.com/pages/Ratings/Help keep our favorite source of news where you may comment on the top 40 please. Type www.cannabisnews.com in their search feature and give us a "10" vote. As they say in Chicago, vote early and vote often.Richard DrugNews from the Media Awareness Project of DrugSense [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by mayan on October 30, 2001 at 13:33:12 PT HUGE!!! Isn't it just amazing how the "corporate media" is failing to cover this? I have not seen one story in the local paper or anywhere else for that matter! What is happening in California is >b/bIf the government rounded up all of the medical marijuana patients & providers & threw them in jail would anyone outside of California even know about it? If it wasn't for the internet we would already be citizens of the United Socialist States of Amerika. We may soon be anyway. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on October 30, 2001 at 10:32:50 PT Excerpts from Orange County Register Assaulting Patients Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 2001 The Orange County Register Published: October 30, 2001 Contact: letters link.freedom.com Website: http://www.ocregister.com/ Last Thursday evening 30 federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents raided the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Cooperative, a medical certification and dispensing center for physician-certified patients who are authorized by California law to cultivate, possess and use cannabis, or marijuana. No charges have been filed, although all of the center's plants, patient records, computers, gardening equipment and marijuana were seized. "This represents a major escalation in the federal war on marijuana patients," Dale Gieringer of California National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws told us. "Previously the feds used civil injunctions to close Northern California coops. But this raid, combined with a raid three weeks ago on a grower in Ventura, the raid on Dr. Marion Fry in Cool and reports of increased surveillance at Northern California facilities, suggest the feds are looking for serious jail time for patients and care providers." The U.S. Supreme Court decided in June that federal law does not include a "medical necessity" defense against federal marijuana prohibition laws. Although the court did not invalidate California's medical marijuana law, passed by voters in 1996 as Proposition 215, most activists had expected some federal action, especially once former Rep. Asa Hutchinson was confirmed as head of the DEA. Complete Article: http://www.ocregister.com/commentary/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Patrick on October 30, 2001 at 09:44:10 PT Treason These 30 agents are in the same league as the Taliban and other terrorists that have no respect for human life. They think they are protecting America and her children. Well they are setting a very fine example of tyranny! They are educating us as to their own "private" agenda and showing disregard for states rights, voter sentiment, and democracy. Asa Huchinson knows that OxyContin has caused 100 deaths nationwide and he also knows that marijuana has not caused even one. So, convince me and the rest of the public that the DEA is not the pharmaceutical companies own private SS squad! Treasonous b*stards. I thought that war crime tribunals were a bit extreme for the war on drugs, well this kind of appalling crap is changing my mind in a hurry. And this is from someone who will not forget the 2001 Labor Day murders at Rainbow Farm. Now, I have to be on alert for terrorist activity from my own damn government. Just great! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on October 30, 2001 at 09:19:28 PT: This has far greater significance I cannot emphasize this enough: The patients have all been told to shut up, go home and die on command at governemnt dictates like all good little sheeple should.Oh, nothing so crass as our Fearless Leader (who hightailed it to the deepest bunker he could find while the Towers fell; even that monster Stalin stayed in Moscow when the Nazis were scraping their jackboots on the front doorstep) clearly enunciating this as policy. But the intent is loud-and-clear. Yes, he's so full of...'conservative compassion'. He's soooo supportive of State's Rights. He's sooo concerned with the establishment of a 'democratic' government to replace the Tali's...while dismantling it at home.This is it. This is the breaking point. This action in California is having quiet but unmistakable ripples throughout the body politic. If it goes unchallenged, kiss all pretense of democracy goodbye, as the substance of it has been murdered in the bed while the sheeple slept. If this is not fought tooth-and-nail, Bush will achieve what Klinton attempted with his Executive Order on Federalism:http://www.thecommonman.com/exec-orders02.htmand it will sound the death-knell of what's left of our rights.Canada is looking better and better... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment