cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Raids Amount To Harassment Medical Marijuana Raids Amount To Harassment Posted by CN Staff on August 02, 2002 at 22:33:02 PT Editorial Source: Star-Bulletin Police on the Big Island apparently don't care much for a new state law allowing the cultivation and use of marijuana for medical use. Patients have been subjected to raids in the past month resulting in confiscation of plants and dried marijuana on the basis that they exceeded, if only slightly, the law's limits. Police should lighten up and grasp the spirit of the law.On July 8, police seized 20 marijuana plants and 1.5 ounces of processed marijuana from the North Kona home of two people who suffer from leukemia and a third who has muscular dystrophy. All three had received permission from the state to use marijuana to alleviate their ailments. Later in the month, police arrived by helicopter at a Hilo area patient's home, seizing two of seven plants and destroying a third.More than 80 patients have registered with the state to use marijuana as medicine since the law took effect seven months ago. The rules allow a patient to possess seven marijuana plants, three of which are mature, and an ounce of processed marijuana. Police said the plants at North Kona were not labeled to indicate the owner of each; the processed marijuana was returned to the owners. Officers claimed that too many of the Hilo man's plants were mature, defined by state rules as having flowered and showing buds.The four patients complain that the presence of buds doesn't mean a plant is mature enough to be usable as medicine. After the raids, Big Island Mayor Harry Kim signed county rules that cite the state definitions and appeared to endorse the heavy-handed tactics of police in dealing with technical violations of the law, if that.County authorities on the Big Island and in other counties need to accept the idea that patients registered with the state to use marijuana are not criminals. At most, police should have issued warnings to the North Kona and Hilo area patients and advised them about how to comply with the state -- and now county -- rules. Marijuana can legally be used for medical purposes in Hawaii and eight other states. The California Supreme Court ruled two weeks ago that medical reasons not only can be used as a defense at trial but can be cited in asking a judge to dismiss the charges without trial. Such dismissals, along with the civil lawsuit filed last week by the North Kona trio, may be needed to dampen the zeal of Big Island officers.The Issue: Big Island police have seized marijuana plants from patients using marijuana for medical purposes.Newshawk: Rev. Dennis Shields - http://hialoha.com/konagold/church/Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI)Published: Friday, August 2, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Honolulu Star-BulletinContact: letters starbulletin.comWebsite: http://www.starbulletin.com/Related Articles:Lawsuits Filed in Two Big Island Cases http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13515.shtmlPolice Seize Plants from Medical Pakalolo Userhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13474.shtmlKona Police Return Confiscated Pakalolohttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13449.shtmlMedical Marijuana Users Say Police Harassing Them http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13381.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by Rev Jonathan Adler on August 03, 2002 at 14:02:50 PT: Are people really watching or caring? Aloha, It seems the tide is clearly turning on the Big Island. The Police are now stuck with an old mind set and a new set of laws and respect they need to learn fast! As Governor, I will open Hawaii up to the world as the premier location and quality source for medical and religious use of cannabis. We are refusing to give up or in. I am scheduled for court again Aug. 6th to return the legal property seized by Police, who asked my wife to bring the medication and bring the whole bag. Tuesday Judge Choi can release my 1 ounce of medical marijuana back to it's lawful owner! Keep posted. Also there is going to be a new Hawaii Gobernor and it will be an exciting race. I'll be sure to attract some attention as a card-carrying cultivator with three ounces at all times. See adler4gov.com Blessings. And don't forget I alsdo face sentencing on Aug. 26th in Judge Nakamura's court. Good Luck! ADLER4GOV.COM [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by The GCW on August 03, 2002 at 10:27:18 PT p4me, I don't know why, but You made Me think... It seems Bush who is responsible for major international drug dealings, resembles the attempt from nicotine dealers... that they try and poitray an effort to stop their evil... [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by p4me on August 03, 2002 at 06:04:08 PT Ireland takes the lead Link of origin: http://212.129.240.114/upload/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3676Holland 13th in cannabis use, Ireland leads !!IRELAND TOPS EURO LEAGUE FOR ILLEGAL DRUG USE IRELAND has the highest levels of ecstasy and amphetamine use in western Europe, according to a UN report. The study, Global Illicit Trends 2002, estimates 66,000 ( 2.4% ) people aged 15 and over take ecstasy at least once a year. The report estimates that 72,000 ( 2.6% ) people take amphetamines, commonly known as speed. The UN study found, of the 23 countries in western Europe, Ireland also has the: Joint highest use of cannabis, with Britain. Third highest use of cocaine. Joint ninth highest use of opiates, including heroin. "The figures are quite frightening. We're at the top for drug use, along with Britain. It's a huge problem, equalled by the alcohol problem," said Grainne Kenny, of the lobby group Europe Against Drugs ( Eurad ). A Government spokesman said last night they had not received the report but that progress was being made in fighting the scourge of drugs. He said a national awareness campaign would get under way in the autumn aimed at educating children about drugs. The report, carried out by the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, said Ireland's ecstasy and amphetamine use was four times the western European average of 0.6% and 0.7% respectively. Britain also dominated drug leagues, topping cocaine use, cannabis use with Ireland and opiate use. Britain was second only to Ireland in ecstasy and amphetamine use. Interestingly, given its name as the drugs capital of Europe, the Netherlands is 13th in the cannabis league ( with an annual rate of 4.1% ), fifth in the ecstasy league ( at 0.8% ) and 17th in the heroin league ( at 0.2% ). The report noted while rates are high in Ireland, one European study, ESPAD, found that cannabis use among 15 to 16-year-olds here fell from 37% in 1995 to 32% in 1999, while other drug use fell from 16% to 9%. The 285-page report also found heroin use had stabilised in Ireland and estimates 185 million people in the world take drugs. Cannabis is used by 147 million people, amphetamine 33 million, ecstasy seven million, cocaine 13 million and 13 million opiates, including nine million heroin. The report highlighted a 65% global fall in opium production following the Taliban ban on the growing of the plant in Afghanistan. But it said opium production had resumed to a "relatively high level" this year. There was also a 5% fall in cocoa production, from which cocaine is made, in 2001, including the first fall in recent years in Colombia. The UN report follows revelations by the Government's Task Force on Alcohol last May that consumption levels had jumped by 40% in the past decade, taking us from 12th to second place in world alcohol rankings. Eurad's Ms Kenny said teenagers had too much money and parents did not realise what they were spending it on [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by qqqq on August 03, 2002 at 03:28:17 PT ..I think this is a must see!... http://www.mnftiu.cc/mnftiu.cc/war.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Rambler on August 02, 2002 at 23:37:54 PT This Is Good. Worth seeing http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/evil/evilhome.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment