cannabisnews.com: Leaders To Stand by Pot Giveaway Leaders To Stand by Pot Giveaway Posted by CN Staff on September 17, 2002 at 06:57:38 PT By Brian Seals, Sentinel Staff Writer Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel Santa Cruz — At least five City Council members and a county supervisor say they will take part in a medical-marijuana giveaway today at City Hall.The pot distribution, which is drawing national media attention, follows a Sept. 5 raid by federal drug agents of a medical-marijuana cooperative’s pot garden in Davenport. Whether federal agents will show up at the 3 p.m. giveaway, in what is essentially a challenge to their authority, remains to be seen. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Richard Meyer would not comment on whether agents would appear. However, he said he was shocked the city would even involve itself in the debate, because marijuana use is against federal law."If I were a teenager in Santa Cruz, I would be confused," he said.City leaders say confrontation isn’t their intent."We certainly don’t want a confrontation with them," said Mayor Christopher Krohn, who plans to attend. City Council members Emily Reilly, Scott Kennedy, Tim Fitzmaurice and Mark Primack also plan to be there, as does county Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt. All have decried the DEA raid in Davenport, and say they sympathize with the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana’s 238 members and other medical-marijuana users.The council last week passed a resolution that, in part, called on the DEA to "cease activities of this kind that defy the expressed will of the majority of the voters of the city of Santa Cruz." The county Board of Supervisors also passed a resolution in support of WAMM.City Attorney John Barisone stressed, however, that while the event will be at City Hall, it is not a city-sponsored event. The alliance is meeting in the City Hall courtyard — a public meeting space where any group acting peacefully can assemble. Also, only Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana officials are expected to actually handle the marijuana.The Sept. 5 raid — agents seized about 130 plants — has reignited the national debate about medical marijuana. While California and seven other states allow the sick to legally possess, grow or smoke marijuana for medical purposes, the federal government maintains marijuana has no medical benefits and is an illegal drug.So while cooperative director Valerie Corral and her husband, Mike, were allowed to operate the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana by local authorities, federal agents arrested them. They were released later that day, and to date no charges have been filed.News of the pot giveaway at City Hall has sparked numerous stories in the national media, both on the appropriateness of the event and about medical marijuana in general. On Monday, a large CNN truck was parked outside City Hall, and an attorney for the cooperative appeared in a live spot. Stories on the event have appeared in USA Today and The New York Times.While the alliance’s plight has been met sympathetically in many corners of Santa Cruz, others say council members are going too far in a show of support.City Council candidate Phil Baer said the presence of council members at the giveaway will send a wrong message about drug use."I feel our City Council ought to stay out of it," Baer said. "I think for every person with a legitimate medical reason, there are thousands of young people wasting their potential abusing the drug."Krohn said city leaders are not overlooking drug problems in the city, and that medical marijuana is a different issue. He said the city has sought the DEA’s help in attacking the sales of drugs like heroin. He pointed to a cooperative, months- long investigation with the city, county and DEA that focused on drug sales in the Beach Flats neighborhood, along the San Lorenzo River levee and in the Pogonip, a city park.Authorities announced in February 2001 that the effort had netted 93 dealers and 415 arrests."Attending the giveaway is a message that we worry about the pain and discomfort of those sick people," Councilman Tim Fitzmaurice said.Santa Cruz police Sgt. Steve Clark said the event puts the department in an uncomfortable situation, since California voters approved medical-marijuana use under Proposition 215, passed in 1996."It would take somebody exploiting the law for us to make any arrests," said Clark, who like most law enforcement officials hopes federal legislators or the courts will soon sort out the legal mess.Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA)Author: Brian Seals, Sentinel Staff WriterPublished: September 17, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Santa Cruz SentinelContact: editorial santa-cruz.comWebsite: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/Americans for Safe Access http://www.safeaccessnow.orgNews Articles on WAMM Raidhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/valc.htmCity Leaders Help Pot Giveaway at City Hall http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14135.shtmlMedical Pot Rallies Held Across State http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14134.shtmlMarijuana for Aids Patients http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14133.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #11 posted by little silver on September 17, 2002 at 17:03:18 PT Medical marijuana one day the DEA and their corrupt theroies will cease...Legalization has to start somewhere, so Medical marijuana is a start, but if everyone in our country gets some seeds and starts growing, what are they gonna do, arrest the whole country. It just peeves me to no end that alcohol is allowed and it is highly dangeous to our systems, and marijuana is beneifcal and natural and it isnt legal. Have ya ever seen a person speeding down the road going like a raped ape on weed, no its on alcohol, us smokers drive really slow. Anyway, I send KUDOS to Santa Cruz for showing they have some b*lls, and standing by what the voters voted for.Well, enough of my soapbox, I am just souped up and happy that the first step is being pushed. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by BGreen on September 17, 2002 at 14:15:24 PT 86% when I just voted. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Dark Star on September 17, 2002 at 14:10:59 PT More on Voting An internet poll that favors marijuana = "Unscientific"A poll that criticizes marijuana = "Quotable"Brought to you by those friendly propagandists of the federal government. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Ethan Russo MD on September 17, 2002 at 14:07:55 PT: Vote! I agree that everyone should vote. You cannot get 84% of Americans to agree that water is good to drink. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on September 17, 2002 at 14:02:26 PT i420 Thank you! Please vote everyone. I hope this poll makes it around the newsgroups too. It's dropped to 84 percent (which is still very good) as of a minute ago when I voted. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by i420 on September 17, 2002 at 13:57:39 PT BTW... This was just on Headline News sounds like they will have more on the story they said the giveaway was in about 2 hours. Also POLL ALERT .. Should it be legal to smoke marijuana for medical reasons? Yes 86% No 14% Click the link below to vote... http://www.cnn.com/HLN/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by i420 on September 17, 2002 at 13:53:35 PT Get a job... City Council candidate Phil Baer needs to get a resume together. If you don't think this issue is important enough for city officials to involve themselves then maybe you oughta go push buttons in some dingy factory in Indiana. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by afterburner on September 17, 2002 at 08:39:00 PT: Medical marijuana political list needed Thanks, JR Bob Dobbs , for mentioning pro-medical marijuana and anti-medical marijuana candidates. We need a national, indeed an international, list, so we can vote the fear mongers out. Please respond all states, all nations.Peace from Canada. Love to Valerie and Michael. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by MDG on September 17, 2002 at 08:34:06 PT This also relates to DEA vs State... and seemed timely, considering the Feds might just send in DEA agents to arrest these elected officials.+++ REPORT ON MASS CANN/NORML FREEDOM RALLY +++Kay Pirrello organized over 36 hard-working Libertarian volunteers for the Mass Cann/NORML Freedom Rally on Boston Common. All day, Saturday, September 14th, our volunteers handed out Libertarian materials, Carla Howell for Governor fliers, and Michael Cloud for U.S. Senate literature.35,000 people came for music, counter culture and futuristic fashion, and a smorgasbord of culinary delights. Plus a dose of optimism and a call for Ending Drug Prohibition, Ending the Drug War, and especially Ending the War on Marijuana Users. A whole day of music and freedom possibilities. At 2:50PM, Michael Cloud took the stage. "Declare a Drug Peace. End Drug Prohibition. End the Drug War. Amnesty, pardons, and peace..." he began. Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Michael Cloud exposed U.S. Senator John Kerry as a militant Drug Warrior. A man who shreds the Constitution in the name of "the greater good." Mr. Cloud proclaimed the 5 Iron Laws of Drug Prohibition to the audience, and showed them why the Libertarian Party is their only hope. He tantalized and roused the crowd into cheers and chanting. When he asked for their vote, cheers erupted for Michael Cloud. An hour later, Carla Howell took the stage by storm. She boldly engaged the audience with her promises and plans... if they would just elect her Governor of Massachusetts. Ms. Howell told the audience exactly how a Governor could beat down the Federal Government's War on Drugs. How she could use the power of her office and the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution to shut down the Drug War in Massachusetts."And if the Federal Government sends Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents into Massachusetts to arrest responsible marijuana users," she began, "Governor Carla Howell will order our state police to arrest the DEA agents. No one is above the law. No one is above the Constitution. No one will violate our Tenth Amendment rights in Massachusetts."The crowd went wild. Finally, a Governor candidate with backbone. -snip- Massachusetts Governor candidate who would arrest the DEA. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on September 17, 2002 at 07:45:26 PT I'm Crying Again Darn it's hard to type thru tears but I just saw the video on CNN and saw the camera that WAMM had as the DEA Agents tore up those beautifully cared for plants. Also:John Walters will be having a press conference at 12:30 ET on the new push against marijuana because of the "children" [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on September 17, 2002 at 07:16:19 PT Rod Blagojevich supports a double standard Rod Blagojevich is a candidate for governor in Illinois. He's just come under fire for admitting to smoking marijuana:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020917/ap_on_el_gu/illinois_governor_2>>"I did it twice, and I'm a nonsmoker," Blagojevich said at a news conference. "I don't like it; I run. So I don't know if I inhaled or not."Twice. And he couldn't get it right once?But apparently that was enough to convince him it's not medicine: http://www.mpp.org/archive/117votes.htmlScrew him and Jim Ryan - I'm glad we have candidates who see prohibition for the menace to society which it is. Cal Skinner for Governor of Illinois [ Post Comment ] Post Comment