cannabisnews.com: Conflict Heightens in California Marijuana Battle Conflict Heightens in California Marijuana Battle Posted by CN Staff on September 13, 2002 at 11:36:51 PT DRCNet Weekly News Update Source: DRCNet An aggressive federal offensive targeting medical marijuana providers, growers and patients in California is rapidly energizing common citizens and elected officials alike in support. The raid September 5 against the Santa Cruz Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana -- http://www.wamm.org -- may mark the beginning of a real anti-federal mobilization in California. In late breaking news, DRCNet learned Thursday evening that the DEA had struck again, this time raiding the Genesis medical marijuana dispensary in Petaluma and an associated garden in Sebastopol and arresting Genesis owner Robert Schmidt, who was being held by the DEA as of Thursday afternoon. Americans for Safe Access -- http://www.safeaccessnow.org -- the coalition that has spearheaded protests against previous raids, has issued an emergency alert calling for demonstrations at federal buildings across the country on Monday. According to ASA, large numbers of plants were seized, witnesses reported an ambulance at the scene, and Schmidt had been charged with assaulting an officer. "We are shocked that the DEA would make medical marijuana its top priority while the rest of the county is at a high state of alert," said ASA executive director Steph Sherer. "While the country was on orange alert on September 11, 30 DEA agents were busily plotting an attack on the medical marijuana community. The president warned us of an attack," Sherer continued, "but he didn't tell us it would be from our own government." The Santa Cruz raid has been denounced by the local sheriff's department, which failed to intervene when angry WAMM patients blocked DEA raiders from leaving the WAMM garden they had just destroyed, as well as by members of the Santa Cruz city council and other state political figures -- including Attorney General Bill Lockyer, long criticized by medical marijuana advocates as too flaccid in supporting the law. Santa Cruz city council members are not limiting themselves to angry words. City officials announced this week that they will join a medical marijuana giveaway at City Hall next week to send a message to the Justice Department that medical marijuana is welcome in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz residents approved Proposition 215, the 1996 medical marijuana initiative, by a 74% margin. In 2000, the city council approved an ordinance allowing medical marijuana to be grown and used without a prescription. "It's just absolutely loathsome to me that federal money, energy and staff time would be used to harass people like this," vice mayor Emily Reilly told reporters as she announced she would participate in handing out medical marijuana to sick people at City Hall. While the city of Santa Cruz has passed a resolution denouncing the raid, the City Hall action is not an official city event. City officials and members of the public will be allowed to use city facilities for the protest, the city attorney explained. The DEA's San Francisco spokesman pronounced himself flummoxed by the announced event. "Are you serious?" Richard Meyer asked the Associated Press when told of the giveaway. "That's illegal. It's like they're flouting federal law," he said. "I'm shocked that city leaders would promote the use of marijuana that way. What is that saying to our youth?" Editor's note: It could well be saying to our youth that marijuana, like morphine, cocaine, sedatives, tranquilizers and many other substances, has legitimate medical uses and that drug war totalitarianism should not interfere with medical care.If the DEA is "shocked" at the Santa Cruz giveaway, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has aroused himself long enough to send a letter to DEA head Asa Hutchinson and Attorney General John Ashcroft complaining about the raids and asking for a meeting to discuss the matter. "I must question the ethical basis for the DEA's policy when these raids are being executed without apparent regard for the likelihood of successful prosecution," Lockyer wrote. "Whether or not the US Attorney decides to file in the Santa Cruz case, my Department is aware of other recent DEA-initiated raids involving as few as six marijuana plants in which no charges were ever filed, and no convictions were obtained. Conversations with DEA representatives in California have made it clear that the DEA's strategic policy is to conduct these raids as punitive expeditions whether or not a crime can be successfully prosecuted." The US Attorney's office in San Francisco announced this week that Valerie and Michael Corral, the operators of WAMM, would join the growing list of those raided but not prosecuted. Such tactics make sense for the DEA in California. Raids effectively destroy the operation in question, and the federal government doesn't have to worry about actually winning a case in a state where the electorate voted for medical marijuana. "A medicinal marijuana provider such as the Santa Cruz collective represents little danger to the public," Lockyer wrote, "and is certainly not a concern which would warrant diverting scarce federal resources away from the fight against domestic methamphetamine production, heroin distribution or international terrorism to cite just a few far more worthy priorities." Whether the Lockyer letter will lead to any concrete response remains to be seen. According to Lockyer spokeswoman Hallye Jordan, DEA head Hutchinson called to acknowledge receiving the letter, but no meeting has been set. There has been no response from the Justice Department, Jordan told DRCNet. And like her boss, Jordan used the medical marijuana issue to plump for increased funds for the state's Campaign Against Marijuana Production (CAMP), which she characterized as "seizing a million plants from Mexican narco-traffickers, as opposed to medical marijuana that would benefit seriously ill and dying patients." "We are pleased to see the Attorney General finally responding to this crisis," said ASA executive director Stephanie Sherer. "We hope he will follow up," she told DRCNet. While Lockyer scribbled to the feds, medical marijuana supporters took to the streets in cities in Northern California and across the country last weekend, demonstrating at federal buildings in 15 cities and the Justice Department in Washington, DC, Sherer said. More protests are scheduled for September 23 at the sentencing hearing for convicted medical marijuana grower Bryan Epis, who faces a federal mandatory minimum prison sentence. A coalition led by ASA will lead those protests. But now, given Thursday's raid on Genesis, immediate attention will turn to Monday's emergency response protests. "We really want to get people to turn out, even if it's just a few of you," said Sherer. "Last week, we had two people in with a sign in front of the federal building in Austin, and they were quoted on the AP wire." As California's political class slowly mobilizes in support of the state's medical marijuana law, as editorial page writers chime in to denounce the raids, and as medical marijuana supporters and their allies take to the streets, the federal government may have finally found the confrontation it has been so assiduously seeking. Complete Title: Conflict Heightening in California Medical Marijuana Battle Source: The Week Online with DRCNet (US Web)Published: September 13, 2002Contact: psmith drcnet.orgWebsite: http://www.drcnet.org/DL: http://www.drcnet.org/wol/Related Articles & Web Sites:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/News Articles on WAMM Raidhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/valc.htmFeds Raid Sebastopol Pot Farm -- 6 Detained http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14096.shtml WAMM Bam--Thanks, Uncle Sam! http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14087.shtmlCity Leaders Back Medical Pot Giveawayhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14085.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #12 posted by Hope on September 14, 2002 at 11:46:55 PT the whirlwind Hosea Chapter 8 [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Rainbow on September 14, 2002 at 08:44:46 PT Ah come on.... The president warned us of an attack," Sherer continued, "but he didn't tell us it would be from our own government." This is a dumb statement. Every time we have had a terrorist warning from "our" governemtn a pharmacy has been raided.Sorry but he should have not been so politically correct. The government is telling us everytime they plan to attack us. The terrorists are among us and they are called the DEAth.Tom [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by The GCW on September 13, 2002 at 19:06:48 PT "Errors occurred in nearly one of five doses...&qu A reason that prohibitionist give for caging humans for using a plant, is that there already IS effective medicine and THEY don't need m a r i j u a n a. (they think that is rational reason to cage PEOPLE) Fact is, not only using many of the substitues, that take the place of cannabis, is not as good... but there should be a great concern about,Hospital study says errors are common (Colorado is one of two states used to compile figures) September 9, 2002http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_1405048,00.html...More than 40 potentially harmful drug errors daily were found on average in hospitals in a new study... ...Errors occurred in nearly one of five doses in a typical, 300-bed hospital, which translates to about two errors per patient daily... WOW When the same people that put a human in a cage for using a plant also control nuke war... and they can not even give out the right stuff at the right time... [another reason to use the herb, cannabis] WE ARE NOT SAFE, Except with The Holy Spirit of Truth. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by The GCW on September 13, 2002 at 16:22:39 PT Mo news Critics Question Federal Priorities after DEA Raid of Medical Marijuana Co-Op in Santa CruzLeading Drug Policy Reform Organization demands Ashcroft and Hutchinson Call Off War on Sick and DyingDEA Raids Inspire Protests Around the Country For Immediate Release: September 6, 2002. CONTACT: Tony Newman 510-208-7711 or 510 812-3126 http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/pr-september06-02x.htmlTake Action! Fax your Congressional representatives-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Drug Policy Alliance is the nation's leading organization working to end the war on drugs and promote new drug policies based on common sense, science, public health and human rights. The Alliance, headquartered in New York City, has offices in Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, Washington, DC and Santa Fe, New Mexico.) [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by The GCW on September 13, 2002 at 16:10:16 PT From Cannabis Culture http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2616.htmlMedpot advocates plan powerful protests by Pete Brady (13 Sept, 2002) Marijuana movement leaders call for massive mobilization [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by The GCW on September 13, 2002 at 15:49:32 PT kap. Cal. is right on. I used to speak unhighly of Cal... but not anymore.kamptinemo,Americans get cancer, 1 out of 4... So, everyday, there are more troops in fighting the empire ignorance. (sick truth, ...no pun...) Daily, more people become exposed to the works of cannabis.Now people are going to find out that not only can cannabis help in many ways once You get cancer, BUT also, CANNABIS MAY HELP YOU KEEP FROM EVEN GETTING CANCER TO BEGIN WITH.Then, which is now, is when society at large will purge the empire.We have been a nation of helping the underdog. Now the underdog is family.AND - = - Another Bust, to stoke the fire. Bushbreath (and HIS GOONS), = CON #1.American citizens are being manipulated by a bush and a dick.Or is it a dick and a bush. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on September 13, 2002 at 15:48:59 PT Jean Yes I remember. 9-11 changed everything. You send your LTE to: editor mapinc.orgI think they can post LTE's from the Sacramento Bee but I'm not sure. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Jeaneous on September 13, 2002 at 15:45:48 PT: FoM Hi FoM, No I haven't sent it to MAP but will do. I never know where to send it except here. I do know that we are in the front lines of this war at this very minute. That it won't be long until we are also on Mr. Bush's list. Only thing is I am no longer afraid of them. It's amazing the freedom you feel when you don't fear them any longer. I think this war is already won, it just hasn't been acknowledged yet. Doesn't mean it won't get real tough first but we will prevail. If you guys remember... last year medicinal marjuana was making the news even on CNN. We thought that the war was over then. Then 911 happened. It can't all be coencidental. Maybe I just imagine these things.... [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on September 13, 2002 at 15:28:48 PT That's Great Jean Did you send it into Mapinc. yet? Thanks for sharing it and most of all thank you for writing it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Jeaneous on September 13, 2002 at 15:21:14 PT: Another Bust It didn't surprise me a bit to hear of the DEA busting another club on the 11th. I actually told my husband to expect to hear of another. These people are ruthless and heartless and very brainless. They only do as they are told they do not think on their own. They have been brainwashed to the max. Why do you think we are near war? It's like they're in a trance following this Administration to our Earths end.We all need to be on alert. Every patient. We must speak out now or we will never be free of this oppression. We need to all work together and be a strong voice that The Administration understands we are never going away.We also Will Never Forget our governments terrorism of it's own citizens.Got a lte in Sac Bee... thought I would share it...http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/4380307p-5402304c.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by goneposthole on September 13, 2002 at 13:06:42 PT The Good Samaritans are stepping forward Enough of this Ivory Tower hooliganism. The pox is on it.What is wrong with coming to the aid of your fellow man? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on September 13, 2002 at 12:05:23 PT: "They have sewn the wind, and shall reap the whirlwind."You Biblical scholars can give that chapter, line and verse. But ignorant old me has to be satisfied with the few quotes I knnow.But as supposed avid readers of The Good Book, these religious zealots seemed to have overlooked or forgotten that injunction.And now, with more and more municipalities throughout California siding with Santa Cruz and San Francisco, the Feds are only just now waking up to the mess that they have started. They thought it would be oh-so-easy, like taking candy from babies. After all, the patients couldn't do much to big, bad Darth Vader emulating DrugWarriors. Just barge in, wave your machineguns in their face, and the sheep capitulate, as they always do.Not this time, Sie verdammt arsenlochen, not this time. The patients blocked the road...and the pantywaist DEA troops, so big and bad, sat shivering in their brand-new, armored SUV's like rabbits, waiting for the local police to come and rescue their sorry arses. A fact that, according to one eyewitness, was not lost on the 'rescuers'.Yes, the DEA had to be rescued...from sick people in wheelchairs. Such heroes. Such courage.Such contemptible wastes of skin.The arrogance of Federal officials has reached such an intolerable level that a very real threat will arise in the none-to-distant future, as more people begin to question the legitimacy of a Supreme Court appointed regime that makes such noises about foreign-connived terrorism, but engages in a home-grown, domestically-oriented version of it at the same time. The more that question that legitimacy, the more likely the regime will be to rely upon force to impliment its' rule by Presidential fiat...as it is doing right now with the patients.There's very few places that this can lead to...and almost all of them spell the end of the Republic, unless the madness isn't stopped, and soon. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment