cannabisnews.com: LA County Authorities Return Marijuana 





LA County Authorities Return Marijuana 
Posted by CN Staff on January 23, 2003 at 17:36:23 PT
By The Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
Clutching a big brown bag of marijuana, an asthma sufferer who said he uses the drug as medicine walked out of a sheriff's station Thursday after reclaiming 15 plants seized from his backyard last year. "I feel justice has been served and it's a good thing," John Watson said. The 30-year-old carpenter said he grew pot in a greenhouse for his personal use. California's 1996 medical marijuana law permits such use if a doctor recommends it. 
But after receiving a complaint last September, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies uprooted and seized Watson's plants then stashed them in an evidence locker. He was not arrested. Two months later, prosecutors determined the marijuana was legal and declined to file charges, said Allen Weinberg, Watson's lawyer. On Jan. 14, a court ordered deputies to return the pot. Watson picked it up on Thursday and said he may seek damages because the estimated 5.7 pounds of brittle weed was dried out and probably useless. "It's pretty much destroyed," he said. "It was gonna be my medicine for the next year." Deputies who conducted the investigation were not immediately available for comment Thursday. Two years ago, Watson began smoking and eating marijuana in baked goods to prevent asthma attacks. He had tried prescription drugs but didn't like the nervousness and other side effects. "This is an alternative medicine that works best for me," he said. After deputies seized his plants, Watson obtained the drug from other sources and started a new crop. It was an expensive endeavor. Medical cannabis groups generally sell the drug for $40 for an eighth of an ounce -- about the amount Watson uses daily when he is fighting attacks, he said. At that price, his seized marijuana would have been worth more than $30,000. Weinberg complained that there are no statewide guidelines for the seizure and return of medical marijuana under the California law. Some towns have arrested pot growers while others have allowed the cultivation of dozens of plants, he said. He called on state Attorney General Bill Lockyer to come up with uniform guidelines "so that officers, based on some citizen's complaint, are not walking into somebody's backyard and taking their medicine." In recent years, pot seized in six California counties has been returned but in at least four other cases, authorities refused to return the drug. "People shouldn't have to wait months to get their medicine back," Weinberg said. Last year, Yuba County Sheriff Virginia Black defied a court order that she return 37 medical marijuana plants to a couple. "The issue is I'm not going to commit a federal crime by giving away marijuana," Black said at the time. The federal government doesn't recognize California's medical marijuana statute. Federal agents have been raiding medical pot clubs in the state and arresting growers who say they were cultivating for patients. Complete Title: LA County Authorities Return Marijuana To Asthma Sufferer Source: Associated Press Published:  Thursday, January 23, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Associated Press Related Article & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmPolice Return Seized Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15112.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 24, 2003 at 12:36:59 PT
Pictures of Returned Medical Marijuana
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030124/168/34018.htmlhttp://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030124/168/34020.html
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Comment #2 posted by pokesmotter on January 23, 2003 at 17:55:36 PT:
just a thought
the police returned "a big brown bag of marijuana" right? where is the green stuff? that's what they should return.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on January 23, 2003 at 17:40:19 PT
Another Victory!
I just love victory stories!
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