cannabisnews.com: City Leaders Help Marijuana Giveaway at City Hall City Leaders Help Marijuana Giveaway at City Hall Posted by CN Staff on September 17, 2002 at 18:37:11 PT By Martha Mendoza, AP National Writer Source: Associated Press Calling Santa Cruz a sanctuary from federal authorities, medical marijuana advocates -- joined by city leaders -- passed out pot to about a dozen sick people at City Hall. "Santa Cruz is a special place, and today we're letting the world know how compassionate we can be," Mayor Christopher Krohn said. "We're taking a stand." More than 1,000 community members jammed into the garden-like courtyard for a supportive demonstration during the giveaway. Some held signs reading, "DEA Go Away" and "U.S. Out Of Santa Cruz." Several people in the crowd lit marijuana cigarettes, but it was mostly an alcohol and drug-free gathering, which was what organizers requested. Marijuana is illegal as a medicine or as a recreational drug under federal law. But state law, and county and city ordinances, say it's legal if recommended by a doctor. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Richard Meyer said he was appalled by Tuesday's event, and feared the community is sending a dangerous message to its children. "Marijuana is an illegal drug in this country," he said. But Mike Corral, who helped distribute the marijuana, said the only message sent was that "marijuana is medicine." In Santa Cruz and many California communities, local law enforcement works closely with growers and distributors who help sick people obtain marijuana. Krohn and his colleagues didn't handle the marijuana Tuesday, but stood in solidarity with the clinic workers and users. Police Chief Steve Belcher said his officers didn't plan to arrest registered, legitimate members picking up their medicine. However, he said, "This is not going to be a smoke-out at City Hall." People who showed up to smoke marijuana without a doctor's recommendation could face arrest, he said. The City Hall pot distribution comes less than two weeks after DEA agents arrested the owners of a local pot farm and confiscated 130 plants that had been grown for use as medicine. There was no official city sponsorship of the event. Council members and medical marijuana advocates simply acted on their own in a public space, said City Attorney John Barisone. Hal Margolin, who said he suffers chronic back pain, said he was relieved to receive his weekly marijuana dose. "We don't buy it, we don't sell it, we don't ship it in interstate commerce and we don't give it to children," he said. Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington also allow marijuana to be grown and distributed to people with a doctor's prescription. Community members in this liberal central California community repeatedly have supported medical marijuana. In 1992, 77 percent of Santa Cruz voters approved a measure ending the prohibition of medical marijuana. Four years later, state voters approved Proposition 215, allowing marijuana for medicinal purposes. And in 2000, the city council approved an ordinance allowing medical marijuana to be grown and used without a prescription. Complete Title: City Leaders Help in Marijuana Giveaway at City Hall in Santa Cruz, Calif. Source: Associated Press Author: Martha Mendoza, AP National WriterPublished: Tuesday, September 17, 2002Copyright: 2002 Associated Press Related Articles & Web Sites:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/Americans for Safe Access http://www.safeaccessnow.orgNews Articles on WAMM Raidhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/valc.htmMarijuana Activists Give It Away at City Hallhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14144.shtmlMedical Marijuana Protesters Again Rally http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14139.shtmlCrackdown On Med. Marijuana Spark Protestshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14138.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #19 posted by FoM on September 18, 2002 at 17:27:18 PT BGreen I'm doing ok. I made it thru yesterday. Had a middle of the night crisis again. ( Father in law fell ) Everything is ok today though. I'm going slower. I know there are articles I could post but I just think we can get too many articles at one time so I'm slowing up. Mapinc. will post them. I'm glad they have many editors and cover all the bases because I sure know I couldn't. Thanks for asking how I am. I'm waiting to see what comes of yesterdays event. The news more then likely will be high key until after elections. Election time is normally a busy time but it has started earlier this year for sure. [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by BGreen on September 18, 2002 at 17:14:46 PT FoM, sorry for the off topic post, but ... How are you feeling? I've heard it can be really painful to hurt in the kidney area and I really hope you're feeling better. [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by mayan on September 18, 2002 at 16:10:05 PT DEA Cowards The DEA didn't act in the presence of the media because they didn't want the American people to see them arresting patients and providers & stealing their medicine. They will wait until there are no cameras before they commit their cowardly acts. How pathetic. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by FoM on September 18, 2002 at 15:22:08 PT Shishaldin And Thank You too. What a day yesterday was. Please let me know if you have anymore pictures to post. I'll add your link tonight. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by Shishaldin on September 18, 2002 at 15:02:52 PT FoM, You bet! Actually, these are the smaller, lower-res versions, but you're more than welcome to add them, along with any others I may put up! I'm going to get more webspace and put links on the pics so folks can get to the high-res ones.FoM, just wanted to give you a big heartfelt THANKS for the work you've done on CNews. You've provided the medium for my education in what I consider to be my life's passion: Restoring the Tree of Life to it's rightful place so that humanity and sanity can be restored and preserved on our planet. My mind has been expanded, and like the blown-up balloon, can never go back to it's original state. I've gotten many ideas and drawn much inspiration from the CNews family, and the time for me to give back is drawing nigh....Thank You.Peace and Strength,Shishaldin [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by FoM on September 18, 2002 at 14:41:07 PT Shishaldin There wonderful! Can I add them to my picture page? [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by Shishaldin on September 18, 2002 at 14:28:19 PT Pix from yesterday All-Finally got a rushed-out web page up and running. I don't have many pictures and the quality isn't the best (wish I could've gotten closeups like those AP guys), but I think I got the flavor of the event. I'll be posting more and getting the layout better sorted out soon. http://members.cruzio.com/~dwgross/Peace and Strength,Shishaldin [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by malleus on September 18, 2002 at 09:38:04 PT Don't celebrate too soon People like the DEA always has a "Plan B" or "C" or "D"...usually something dirty. I wouldn't be surprised to see them go after individual patients because they are the most vulnerable. Because you can't station a reporter with each one, the DEA would be able to pick them off at their leisure.About the unmarked chopper: FAA regulations state quite clearly where an aircraft's registration numbers ought to be. This aircraft was in violation. Someone needs to find out where this chopper came from and what it was doing there. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Shishaldin on September 18, 2002 at 09:34:53 PT Closed minds...in SC? Yes, JR Bob Dobbs, there are closed minds here in Santa Cruz. I actually did talk to one of the folks that was against the give away. I asked her why she was against it, and she replied that the city council was setting a bad example by breaking the law. I said, "What about the patients? What about those that truly need this?" She said, "It's not worth the cost of what will happen if we allow it." I replied "Where's the compassion? Where's the compassion in that?" She muttered back, "We're fighting a war on terrorists, and they shouldn't be doing this, mutter mutter mutter..." and then walked away from me. Her mind was stuck in a closed loop. Sad.Still working on getting my site up with some pics. Sorry for the wait....Peace and Strength,Shishaldin [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by fearfull on September 18, 2002 at 08:50:26 PT The children The children, the children, the children...it seems to me that they really have nothing else to fall back on but "think of the children". It makes me sick. The children don't even give a damn, and they are alot smarter than anyone realizes. On a side note, FoM in the pics you posted is that "the" Robert Anton Wilson? the author? [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by 2Spooky on September 18, 2002 at 07:11:29 PT Great photos Thanks for posting the pictures :)I always like to see stuff go to the AP ;) [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on September 17, 2002 at 21:53:31 PT NPR Radio - WAMM http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/20020917.atc.06.ram [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on September 17, 2002 at 21:33:45 PT JR Here are a few pictures I just got these on a small page.Pictures From WAMM Protest http://freedomtoexhale.com/eventpics.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on September 17, 2002 at 21:31:56 PT Shishaldin Thank you so much for such a wonderful report! It must have been unbelievable. I'm sure it is something that you will never forget! I know I won't ever forget this day and I didn't even go. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on September 17, 2002 at 21:27:51 PT Love to see pics! I saw the 30-second spot on FoxNews and the longer spot on NewsNight on CNN. It looked like the patients and city officials were dressed as conservatively as possible. Unfortunatly, CNN also showed people in tye-dies and the like. I have nothing against personal expression, or people who some might label "hippies", but it has been very easy for the news media to turn this issue into a joking matter into the past, and I think we need to show we are all very serious about this. As the Kubbys say, this is no more about marijuana than the Boston Tea Party was about tea. If I had the opportunity to attend this event, I would have dressed as conservatively as possible. Who knows - perhaps the crowd only had a few freaky people in it and that's just what CNN's editing made it look like. They did also show 2 - yes, two! - people outside demonstrating against it. These people obviously needed someone to come outside and talk to them to get them to change their minds, since they were of the mindset, "You can't do that! It's illegal!!" [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Shishaldin on September 17, 2002 at 20:19:43 PT A beautiful day in Santa Cruz... ...the kind of perfect, sunny high 70's Indian Summer day that good ol' Santa Cruz is known for, that's the kind of day we had at the City Hall. Cameras from all the major local network affiliates (I counted 5 transmitter trucks and one large satellite dish) were there to record for all to see the MMJ community, city government, and people of all ages and colors in solidarity with each other. Well, save for two dessenters (who were worried about the fact that city officials were breaking "the law" and what kind of message does that blah blah blah), all in solidarity. Overt police presence was well, non-existant at this event. Santa Cruz police obviously understand the town they work in, and they are to be HIGHLY commended for being true keepers of the peace. It helps that the police station is less than a block away, too :)Fed presence? Well, perhaps, but there were so many types of people there, I couldn't discern any. Except for the green and black jet copter with no numbers hovering above, that is. It stayed in the air for most of the event.LOTS of people, what a turnout! I was going to guesstimate about 300+ showing up, but since AP said it was about a thousand, it MUST BE TRUE and I'll go with their figure. Great signs, some play-acting (DEA guy w/gun in the face of MMJ patient in wheelchair) and some female breast baring to draw attention to the cause (a big THANKS go out to her for letting me snap her picture!) All very traditional Santa Cruz...At the podium were great impassioned speeches by members of the council and the mayor, from what I heard. The biggest problem of the whole event was the sound system. Nobody outside of a 25 foot radius could hear them. They had one tiny suitcase amp and no satellite speakers at all. I wish I'd known, I'd have set them up with a system for free to have Valerie's voice echo for blocks. A lot of folks clapped when they heard the others clap. I think that this would've been a bigger event if folks could've heard their brave words.I'm going to set up my web space that's been languishing, so I can post all the pix I took and show the rest of you how it went...I noticed something on the warm wind that began to blow after the event, the wild red clouds whipped up to look like fire in the Southeastern sky, the electricity in the air...it's the wind of CHANGE...and it's blowing EASTWARD...Peace and Strength, and Love from the "Left" CoastShishaldin [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by The GCW on September 17, 2002 at 20:04:55 PT DEA hides as medicine flows Santa Cruz City Council distributes medpot http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2620.html by Pete Brady (18 Sept, 2002) From (the bitchen) Cannabis Culture Mag. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by The GCW on September 17, 2002 at 19:24:53 PT free Michael Patriquen Letter writing campaign to free Michael Patriquen http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2619.htmlContact Minister of Justice Cauchon at his e-mail: Cauchon.M parl.gc.caSample letter:... [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Robbie on September 17, 2002 at 18:44:33 PT The DEA is TOAST! They didn't bust these people, and they had nearly a week and a half warning. They're screwed. Anybody can now point to the selectivity of DEA riads as being politically driven instead of being enforced in the interest of law.GO Santa Cruz!!! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment