cannabisnews.com: Hallinan's Pot Shot at Feds





Hallinan's Pot Shot at Feds
Posted by FoM on November 06, 2001 at 19:48:11 PT
By Tanya Pampalone of The Examiner Staff 
Source: San Francisco Examiner
District Attorney Terrance Hallinan has a message for the Drug Enforcement Agency: Get out of The City's pot clubs. Hallinan said at a press conference Monday that the DEA and other federal agencies should "lay off our marijuana clubs." His response was because of the recent raid of a high-profile Los Angeles cannabis club that supplies marijuana to the seriously ill. The DA's proclamation also fell on the anniversary of Proposition 215, the medicinal marijuana initiative that was voted in by Californians five years ago.
About 150 supporters carrying an American flag adorned with marijuana leaves and signs that read "DEA go away" gathered on the steps of the Hall of Justice to hear Hallinan -- a longtime marijuana supporter -- Supervisor Mark Leno and other pro-pot activists.   Leno also said the DEA shouldn't bother trying to bust San Francisco cannabis clubs.   "They will not have the cooperation of local law enforcement," he said. "We want to be left alone. (Criminalizing) medical cannabis is a waste of time, money and efforts because we clearly believe that there is medical value to cannabis use. The voters have spoken."   At Monday's Board of Supervisor's meeting, Leno backed up the DA's declaration and introduced a resolution that would make The City a "sanctuary for medical cannabis use, cultivation and distribution" and urge city and state law enforcement agencies to uphold the state law, which allows seriously ill Californians the right to possess and use medical cannabis, when they have a physician's recommendation.  The medicinal marijuana movement took a blow in May when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a federal anti-drug law does not make any exceptions for seriously ill Californians who use pot for health reasons.  This ruling made clear that the DEA won't adhere to state laws. DEA spokesman Richard Meyer repeated the government mantra: The cultivation, possession and distribution of any amount of marijuana is against the law.   "That's the mandate," he said. "Even if we did agree with the DA, Congress has passed that law and that's the law of the land. We realize that there is a conflict, but this is a federal law."  But marijuana activists say that the DEA's recent crackdown is about more than a routine raid -- they point to the latest DEA appointment of Director Asa Hutchinson.   National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Executive Director Keith Stroup said Hutchinson has "turned up the heat a bit" and he thinks it's just a matter of time for the other shoe to drop and for San Francisco cannabis clubs to be raided.  "I'd be very surprised if clubs in the Bay Area are allowed to keep operating as they do," he said.  Meyer declined to say whether the DEA has increased surveliance on more than 20 Bay Area clubs. There have been reports of increased instances of agents watching local clubs, but others say it could be paranoia.  "Everybody is nervous," said Kathleen Lemons, who runs Hemp Center in the Richmond. "But nothing has happened. They have always been (watching) us ... the difference now is that it had been a while since they shut a club down."  Wayne Justmann, the director of the Western Addition cannabis buyer's club Patients Resource Center, which serves more than 300 patients a day, said he hasn't noticed an increase in surveillance of his facility.   The 56-year-old is a card-carrying medicinal marijuana patient who has been HIV positive for the past 13 years. He uses marijuana to stimulate his appetite and help with neuropathy, anxiety and stress relief, with government approval from the Department of Public Health.  Justmann received the first "Medical Cannabis User ID Card" that was issued by the DPH in July 2000. The cards were issued so patients could prove to law enforcement officers that they qualify as medical cannabis users under Prop. 215. Last month alone, the department issued 200 cards -- since the program began, it has issued 3,000 cards, according to Leno.  California is not alone in its progressive medicinal marijuana legislation. Eight other states have legislation similar to Prop. 215 -- including Hawaii, Nevada, Colorado, Maine, Alaska, Washington, Arizona and Oregon.  NORML's Stroup said the federal agent's time could be better spent.  "Wouldn't we rather have those people working as anti-terrorist experts?" he questioned. "Instead they are chasing sick patients and marijuana smokers in California."Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)Author: Tanya Pampalone of The Examiner StaffPublished: November 6, 2001 Copyright: 2001 San Francisco Examiner Contact: letters examiner.com Website: http://www.examiner.com/ Related Articles & Web Sites:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Medicinal Cannabis Research Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/research.htmProposal for Medical Pot Sanctuary http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11266.shtmlDebate Still Smoking http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11265.shtmlTime for The U.S. To Honor Prop. 215 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11255.shtml
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Comment #5 posted by lookinside on November 07, 2001 at 04:16:03 PT:
i want...
to be at the club when these jerks show up...i want to sit on the stairs and DARE them to go over me...i've said they will take my wife's medicine over my dead body...i mean it...
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Comment #4 posted by qqqq on November 07, 2001 at 00:19:39 PT
Right On FoM
..And most people would agree,that if someone is on their deathbed,or nearing the end of their days,that massive quanities of oxycontin laced premium opium LSD Marijuana cocaine hash paxil vicoden ritalin crack mushrooms mescaline exstacy alcohol valium preperation H nyquil .......and for the people who are denying others the pain relief,and medicine,,I think they will eventually come to a time when they realize that they were wrong.....years from now,,it would be approprite for them to be in severe pain,and be denied certain pain medications,because of the policies they created ,or enforced. 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 06, 2001 at 23:56:50 PT
Assisted Suicide
I am still here because my husband just got home and I have strong feelings about assisted suicide so I thought I'd say them. When someone is terminal they should be given what drugs help them to be as comfortable as they can be and doses shouldn't be an issue. When a person is terminal it is very hard to tell if too much of a drug or just dieing of natural causes would be why a person passes away. The bottom line is comfort, it is the only important thing and comfort can't be attained for a patient when a Doctor fears he might get in serious trouble.
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Comment #2 posted by dddd on November 06, 2001 at 23:38:46 PT
messin' with the Bear
..I think that the dea is going to find that California will not take too kindly to being terrorized...Even with the censoring of news reports,and lame excuses for their natziesque assaults on Cannabis clubs,,and the utilization of diverted public awareness,and attention with the "war on terror",,,,I think the feds are going to find that they are stepping on the wrong toes...
..I think part of the problem,,is that the dea itself,already has a lavishly funded organization,that is running short on ways to justify it's exsistence......This band of trained paramilitary drug-police,,this organization of government sponsored law enforcement terrorists,,is extremely dangerous,and is basically mutated into being a privately controlled army,,and the jurisdiction of the leadership,is now,more than ever, concentrated in the dark depths of the empire.....and Ashcroft has done this; http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/1106-137.html ,in Oregon.
It's becoming rather obvious,that there is way too much power held by a small group of unbalanced,and ill-intentioned,money driven individuals,,who have questionable agendas and inluenced agendas.........anyway,,my point is,that these sort of assaults on states voters,could very easily have unpleasant repriussions for the dea,and the federal empire,,,but at the same time,,I gotta admit,that this new federal monster is f*cking terrifying!!!,,,,and it would be that suprizing,if social control,and manipulation of the public,has reached the point where dissenting views,and small pockets of public outrage can be effectively quashed,and neutralized by the black underhand of the Evil Empire...dddd 
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Comment #1 posted by goneposthole on November 06, 2001 at 20:43:56 PT
mandate schmandate
Mandate: An authoritative command. Wasn't Prop 215 passed by a vote? Does that count as a mandate? I think, therefore I am ......going to light up this reefer I have in my hand and smoke it.
I command it by my own authority. It's official; light up, it's been mandated by me. "Government mantra: The cultivation, possesion and distribution of any amount of marijuana is against the law."Not one word about smoking any amount of marijuana. So go ahead, smoke marijuana, enjoy it for your health and well being. It is not against the law to smoke it. You have my blessings. Count your reefers instead of sheep. You will sleep good, even in Seattle.
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