cannabisnews.com: Pot Co-op Sues After Confiscation Pot Co-op Sues After Confiscation Posted by CN Staff on September 25, 2002 at 08:06:24 PT By Maria Alicia Gaura, Chronicle Staff Writer Source: San Francisco Chronicle The founders of a beleaguered Santa Cruz medical marijuana cooperative filed suit in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, demanding the return of items seized in a Sept. 5 bust by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Valerie and Michael Corral accuse the DEA of trampling the U.S. Constitution in an effort to shut down their group, the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana. Their attorneys called the suit an "opening salvo" in a larger effort in challenging the federal government's authority to prohibit the medical use of marijuana. "Of course, it's worrisome standing up to the federal government. But we think it's really the only way to move this issue forward," said Valerie Corral. "We're hoping this will change the law. This is the democratic process. This is America. This is how it's supposed to work." The U.S. Constitution allows the federal government to regulate interstate commerce, but the Corrals argue that the activities of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana do not fall into that category. In a 25-page motion submitted to the court, the Corrals argue that the alliance's organic marijuana is grown by members of the collective for their personal use. Since the cannabis is not transported over state lines and no money is exchanged, they argue that state law allowing cultivation and use of marijuana with a physician's note should take precedence over federal law. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/09/25/BA194054.DTLSource: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Maria Alicia Gaura, Chronicle Staff WriterPublished: Wednesday, September 25, 2002 Copyright: 2002 San Francisco Chronicle - Page A - 18 Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Related Articles & Web Site:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/Santa Cruz Marijuana Farmer Sue Federal Government http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14235.shtmlWo/Men’s Seeks Return of Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14227.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by afterburner on September 26, 2002 at 11:54:26 PT: another victim: anyone with donation or legal aid? Peace and Love to Mike and Valerie. Keep fighting were with you.From Cannabis Culture: JAILED MAN 'IN SERIOUS PAIN' WITHOUT HIS POT, WIFE SAYS Pot activist Michael Patriquen has lost 12 pounds since being jailed and kept away from his medical marijuana, says his wife, who's hoping an appeal court will send him home. "I can tell in his voice that he's in serious pain. I'm extremely worried about his health," Melanie Stephen told reporters Tuesday. She said Patriquen can't keep food down because of the pain, and the Tylenol he's been giving hasn't helped. "If this situation is not rectified, my husband is going to come out of a federal ( institution ) crippled, and I don't believe that's what the Canadian government had in mind." She's hoping to appeal Patriquen's six-year sentence, even though she can't afford to hire a lawyer. She wants Patriquen to serve a conditional sentence, allowing him to grow and smoke pot at home. "It's quite ridiculous to think that the federal government will grant him his medication ( marijuana ) in prison," said Stephen. Two weeks ago, Patriquen, 49, was sentenced to six years in prison for conspiring to traffic marijuana in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. He's been at the federal prison in Springhill since Sept. 13. Patriquen, who has a criminal record dating back to 1976, was part of a marijuana ring that operated in the two provinces in 1998 and 1999. He holds federal licences to grow and possess pot for medicinal use. He smokes two grams daily to dull the pain caused by a damaged nerve in his neck from a 1999 car accident. The burly, mustachioed man had asked Nova Scotia Supreme Court to delay his sentence until he could get the drug in jail, but was denied. Corrections Canada says they know of no other inmate with a pot permit, and can't give him marijuana in jail. Debbie Stultz-Giffin, who has multiple sclerosis, smokes four grams of marijuana daily to increase her appetite and quell the chronic muscle spasms that come with the disease. The Bridgetown, Annapolis Co., woman said she "stood in the kitchen and cried" when she heard about Patriquen's sentence. "( Medicinal marijuana users ) shouldn't be ... consuming very valuable time that specialists could be spending with other patients, when we've already discovered what works for us," Stultz-Giffin said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom Pubdate: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 Source: Daily News, The (CN NS) Copyright: 2002 The Daily News Contact: letterstoeditor hfxnews.southam.ca Website: http://www.canada.com/halifax/dailynews/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/179 Author: Rachel Boomer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada) [ Post Comment ] Post Comment