cannabisnews.com: Gov. Davis on Pot Gov. Davis on Pot Posted by CN Staff on September 20, 2002 at 10:06:00 PT Orange County Register Editorial Source: Orange County Register The recent raid by the Drug Enforcement Administration on the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM) in Santa Cruz has elicited some pleasant surprises in response. We hope the obvious outrage will cause the feds to reconsider and stop harassing sick and dying people. It was not surprising that the liberal Santa Cruz City Council would smile upon a public give-away of medical marijuana to certified patients, held Tuesday at City Hall. Along with local law enforcement the council has worked with WAMM for years and approves of the organization. It was slightly surprising that California Attorney General Bill Lockyer wrote such a sharply worded letter to DEA chief Asa Hutchinson and U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft criticizing the raid. While Mr. Lockyer campaigned as a Proposition 215 supporter, he has been disappointing on issues related to implementation. In his post-raid letter, however, he complained that "the DEA's strategic policy is to conduct these raids as punitive expeditions whether or not a crime can be successfully prosecuted." At the moment, growing and using marijuana for medical purposes, with a doctor's recommendation, is legal in California under Prop. 215, passed by voters in 1996. It is not legal, however, under federal law. The evidence that the DEA missions are simply to seize-and-destroy is strong. Valerie and Michael Corral, proprietors of the Santa Cruz club, were arrested and released, with no charges filed. The Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center was raided months ago, but no charges have been filed. Both raids seized medicine intended for seriously ill Californians. The real surprise was the reaction of Gov. Davis, who has been silent on this issue until now. Appearing Tuesday on KGO radio, he expressed compassion for patients and support for the California law. He promised to work with Mr. Lockyer "to see if we can't find a way to get on the same page with the federal government. ... clearly we ought to find some way to have an accommodation." Nice words. Now it's time to get tough with the feds. Source: Orange County Register, The (CA)Published: September 20, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Orange County RegisterContact: letters ocregister.comWebsite: http://www2.ocregister.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by karkulus on September 20, 2002 at 14:06:55 PT The Hegalian.. "agreeing to disagree" thing isn't even applicable here ..neither is "ask for more than you expect to receive",in the bargining sense because it's Totally un-constitutional to mandate drug laws to the states.(I Know,Where are you going to appeal it to,The Supreme Court??) [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by CorvallisEric on September 20, 2002 at 11:20:36 PT Accommodation [Gray Davis] promised to work with Mr. Lockyer "to see if we can't find a way to get on the same page with the federal government. ... clearly we ought to find some way to have an accommodation." I don't see where the feds have any room for accommodation. They have defined Cannabis sativa as worthy only of extinction. Their first priority seems now to be those who are least culpable, thereby exposing themselves as predatory despots rather than law enforcers. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by JSM on September 20, 2002 at 11:17:39 PT Hemp Worldwide sells totaled $250 million in 1999 and is growing. The train is at the station and leaving without us.Feed the greed.... [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by DdC on September 20, 2002 at 10:43:44 PT It must be an election year!!! Say what they want to hear...until the election's over...Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 09:50:20 -0700 From: "D. Paul Stanford" stanford crrh.org Subject: Gov. Davis Vetoes CA Hemp Bill!FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Missy Johnson Wednesday, September 18, 2002 (916) 319-2001GOVERNOR NIPS HEMP STUDY BILL IN THE BUD Strom-Martin disappointed by decisionSACRAMENTO - Over the weekend, Governor Gray Davis vetoed Assembly Bill 388 by Assembly member Virginia Strom-Martin (D-Duncans Mills) which asked the University of California to conduct an economic feasibility study of alternative fibrous crops including industrial hemp, kenaf and flax."I'm very disappointed that the Governor did not support an exploration of the industrial hemp market in California," Strom-Martin said. "When the bill was sent to the Governor, it had the support of the agriculture and hemp industry and had no opposition. I don't understand why the bill was vetoed because it doesn't permit the planting of industrial hemp. The bill simply asked the UC Agricultural Extension Center to produce a study on the economic opportunities for hemp in California based on extrapolated data from other states and countries."Governor Davis returned to the bill to the Assembly without his signature because the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) applies the same strict controls to industrial hemp as it does to marijuana. The federal government fails to distinguish hemp from marijuana even though it contains trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The small amount of THC in hemp is so minute that if one were to smoke industrial hemp, chances are that individual would die of lung failure before ever attaining any sort of high.The production of industrial hemp is currently legal in more than 25 countries including Canada, France, Germany, and China. In recent years, 17 other states have passed or are considering pro-hemp legislation based upon the premise that hemp cultivation is an agricultural issue and as such, is a states' rights issue. In 2000, the National Conference of State Legislatures wrote a letter to President Clinton urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Drug Enforcement Agency and Congress to revise policies regarding hemp and to allow states to establish regulatory programs.Vote Hemp, a national pro-hemp advocacy group, has been actively lobbying members of Congress and has been successful in securing support for this cause at the federal level. Senator Kent Conrad (D- North Dakota) has announced plans to introduce an amendment to Agricultural Appropriations Bill that would distinguish industrial hemp from marijuana and allow farmers to grow it under a system regulated by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture.California's agriculture industry is considered the most diversified in the world, producing over 350 crops and commodities. California is also a major contributor to the United States' balance of trade. Approximately 20% of all the state's agricultural products are shipped overseas. Given those facts, California is in a prime position to capitalize on the exploding international hemp market. In 1999, worldwide sales of hemp and hemp-based products totaled $250 million and since then, the market has grown substantially with corporate entities entering the market."Industrial hemp could be of immense benefit to the economy and the environment of the North Coast and rural California in general," Strom-Martin said. "This bill requested the study of the potential California industrial hemp market so that when the federal prohibition on growing hemp is lifted and I believe it will be, our farmers and businesses will have the option of entering and profiting from that market. It is my hope that one day California, as a leader in agricultural innovation and food production, will also one day become a leader in the fight to legalize industrial hemp."CRRH is working to regulate and tax the sale of cannabis to adults like alcohol, allow doctors to recommend cannabis through pharmacies and restore the unregulated production of industrial hemp.*Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp* mail: CRRH ; P.O. Box 86741 ; Portland, OR 97286 USA email: crrh crrh.org phone: (503) 235-4606 fax: (503) 235-0120 web: http://www.crrh.org/Grave Duffis: Smoke a Joint, Lose Your License?!? http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=90.topicDrug Czar Seeks To Ban All Hemp Products http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=84.topicCensoring the internet for talking about hemp. http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=28.topicCANNABIS AND HEMP The Untold Story http://www.cannabis.com/untoldstory/#INDEXTHE TOXIC ALTERNATIVE TO NATURAL FIBERS http://fornits.com/curiosity/hemp/fibre.htmAtlas Shrugged http://www.cannabinoid.com/wwwboard/politics/binaries/27/27571.gif Village Idiot http://www.cannabinoid.com/boards/politics/media/36/36294.gif D.E.A.th Deceptions [ Post Comment ] Post Comment