cannabisnews.com: Charges in Medicinal Pot Case Dropped
Charges in Medicinal Pot Case Dropped
Posted by CN Staff on November 18, 2004 at 08:00:15 PT
By Joe Livernois, Herald Salinas Bureau
Source: Monterey County Herald
Drug charges were dismissed Wednesday against a Moss Landing man who said he was growing pot on his property for medicinal uses. Deputy District Attorney Todd Hornick recommended the dismissal of charges against John Pendo, 52, "in the interests of justice."Pendo had spent 80 days in jail after a raid of his property on April 7, when officers found 58 seedling marijuana plants and a 4-pound bag of non-potent marijuana leaves.
While on the property, deputies also found a crude pipe bomb and arrested Pendo's 21-year-old son on weapons charges.Charges that Pendo was growing marijuana with the intent to sell were filed despite Pendo's assertion that he had received a doctor's recommendation to use marijuana to abate chronic pain in his legs, the result of injuries sustained by a gunshot wound and a vehicle accident.Pendo had a medical marijuana identification card, but Hornick said the card had expired at the time of Pendo's arrest. Pendo had received the card as a "member in good standing" of a medical marijuana cooperative in Santa Cruz County called Wo-Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, also known as WAMM.The cards are meant to identify legitimate users of medical marijuana when they are confronted by law enforcement.An attorney for WAMM, Ben Rice, took the case.According to court documents filed by Rice, Pendo smokes about 20 marijuana cigarettes daily because of the pain to his legs, a dosage approved by his doctor, Michael Alcaya of Oakland.The use of medicinal marijuana was approved by California voters with Proposition 215 in 1996.Pendo said that the raid on his property was frightening, with masked gunmen appearing at his house. He spent 80 days in jail awaiting trial because he was unable to post the $35,000 bail.Pendo said he and his wife have discussed the possibility of suing the county for false arrest, but eventually decided against it."Salinas is closing its libraries," said Pendo. "We don't want to make things worse when cities are shutting down libraries."On the other hand, Pendo said he believes Monterey County law enforcement officials should establish policies, similar to those in Santa Cruz County, that would help keep them from "wasting their time going after people like me when there's a lot of violent criminals they could be going after."Hornick said that the District Attorney's Office pursuit of marijuana cases "complies with the letter and the spirit" of Proposition 215."We've walked away from many similar cases," he said. "The only thing unusual about this case is that it got so convoluted."The case was delayed a couple of times because Pendo switched attorneys and because Hornick was ill as the trial date approached. Hornick said his case was also weakened when Judge Wendy Duffy ruled that Alcaya's recommendation allowing Pendo's drug use would be admissible.Hornick said Pendo has obtained his updated medical marijuana identification card. "He straightened out his paperwork," Hornick said.With all that, the case was becoming "a tempest in a teapot," Hornick said.Pendo said he had used marijuana he grew for himself two years ago, after getting the recommendation from Alcaya. This year, after the raid, he receives several grams weekly from WAMM.Pendo has served time in county jail on a previous minor drug conviction about seven years ago.Rice said that about 250 people belong to WAMM, including seven from Monterey County.Source: Monterey County Herald (CA)Author: Joe Livernois, Herald Salinas BureauPublished: November 18, 2004Copyright: 2004 Monterey County HeraldContact: mheditor montereyherald.comWebsite: http://www.montereyherald.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/Pictures From WAMM Protesthttp://freedomtoexhale.com/eventpics.htmCounty OKs Pot Limithttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19600.shtmlMedical Pot Limit Weighedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19590.shtml
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Comment #24 posted by Nuevo Mexican on November 19, 2004 at 08:03:41 PT
The 'tally' is premature! Ohio and N.H. recounting
Kucinich to the Rescue!Kucinich Supports Green Party Demand for Ohio RecountWASHINGTON -- November 18 -- Support for Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb’s demand for a recount of the Ohio presidential vote continues to grow. Ohio Congressman and former presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich has joined a growing list of individuals and organizations calling for a recount.“I strongly support the request for a recount in Ohio,” Kucinich said in a statement sent to the Cobb-LaMarche campaign.Kucinich said that a “recount is an appropriate response to officials who tried to suppress the vote” and that the “highly partisan activities of state election officials cast doubt on the integrity of the elections process.”http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/1118-02.htmNews for Real:A Call to Arms1) Draw lines in the sand on key issues – like Supreme Court appointments – and then fight tooth and nail to defend those lines.. Forget about decorum. Fight like rabid dogs. The GOP jettisoned the gentlemanly hobbles of congressional decorum at the start of the Clinton administration. So fight clean or, if you must, fight dirty… but damn it fight! Fight on the floor of the House. Fight on the floor of the Senate. Fight in the courts. 2) And, FIGHT IN THE STREETS. Yes, the streets. Remember the streets? That’s were some of you may recall we fought when Johnson and Nixon decided they could do whatever the hell they wanted too. Reconnect with the street. Reconnect with us. More:http://www.newsforreal.com/US Election: Democracy in Question
by Ritt Goldstein STOCKHOLM - John Zogby, president of the polling firm Zogby International, told IPS he has been calling it "the Armageddon election" for about a year. Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader believes the Republican Party was able to "steal it before election day." Facts suggest something went very wrong on Nov. 2. Speculation focuses upon a number of questions -- purposeful miscounts, anomalies surrounding electronic voting (e-voting) machines, particularly the optical scan types; and numerous reports of voting "irregularities" in heavily Democratic areas. "What they 'do' is minorities," Nader said, highlighting the thrust of Republican efforts, "and make sure that there aren't enough voting machines for the minority areas. They have to wait in line ... for hours, and most of them don't. There are all kinds of ways, and that's why I was quoted as saying, "this election was hijacked from A to Z," Nader told IPS. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1118-11.htmFrom Florida to Fallujah: What the News Coverage Covers Up"What they 'do' is minorities," Nader said, highlighting the thrust of Republican efforts, "and make sure that there aren't enough voting machines for the minority areas. They have to wait in line ... for hours, and most of them don't. There are all kinds of ways, and that's why I was quoted as saying, "this election was hijacked from A to Z," Nader told IPS. http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/affalert288.shtmlSo where are the strong? And who are the trusted? The leading survey center of the country's top public university just released a report saying that the President probably received at least 130,000 excess votes in Florida. Let me put it this way: 130,000 is 3% of 3,500,000, the approximate entire popular vote margin by which Bush beat Kerry. And that's what this report says is the minimum number of excess votes.http://rottendenmark.blogspot.com/WAS IT HACKED?
By Alan Waldman
Despite mainstream media attempts to kill the story, talk radio and the Internet are abuzz with suggestions that John Kerry was elected president on Nov. 2 – but Republican election officials made it difficult for millions of Democrats to vote while employees of four secretive, GOP-bankrolled corporations rigged electronic voting machines and then hacked central tabulating computers to steal the election for George W. Bush. http://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/Story.asp?ID=4688
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Comment #23 posted by gloovins on November 19, 2004 at 04:48:32 PT
Looks like this is the final tally...2004, <yawn>
National results summary:
Bush 60,608,557 50.9% Kerry 57,288,642 48.1% Nader 406,922 0.3% 0 Badnarik 390,928 0.3% 0 Peroutka 135,250 0.1% 0 Cobb 113,034 0.1% 0 Peltier 25,101 0.0% 0 Brown 10,285 0.0% 0 Harris 6,984 0.0% 0 Calero 3,994 0.0% 0 None of These Candidates 3,646 0.0% 0 Harens 2,388 0.0% 0 VanAuken 2,227 0.0% 0 Amondson 1,928 0.0% 0 Parker 1,577 0.0% 0 Jay 880 0.0% 0 Andress 763 0.0% 0 Dodge 137 0.0% 0 Total votes: 119,003,243 Total electoral votes: 538 Precincts reporting: 186,682 / 186,716 (100.0%) * Note: Not all candidates appear on ballots in all states.Good to see Badnarik come in 4th, barely losing to Nadar. I think this is good and all who voted 3rd party, cheers to you.!
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Comment #22 posted by gloovins on November 19, 2004 at 04:06:39 PT
America is saying sorry
..at least the 48% who tried...
http://www.sorryeverybody.com
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Comment #21 posted by kaptinemo on November 19, 2004 at 03:22:41 PT:
Still too early for turkey
*Hornick said that the District Attorney's Office pursuit of marijuana cases "complies with the letter and the spirit" of Proposition 215. "We've walked away from many similar cases," he said. "The only thing unusual about this case is that it got so convoluted."*'Complies with the letter and the spirit of Prop215', huh? Okay, let's take a look at Prop215 again:Prop215 text in its' entirety:
http://www.hr95.org/Prop215.html#215textNowhere does it say anything about growing limits. The police stated that he had an expired membership card, but only learned of this AFTER he had been raided. The expired card was not the source of the offense. So, on what basis did they make their arrest? If he had not been selling, and they had no proof he had been selling (or the police would have mentioned it), and if they had not received word about him from a snitch, then they must have surveilled him, themselves...and knew what he was up to, and that he was legit. As my instructors used to say, "Meat on the table." Easy prey, compared to a meth tweaker.What a waste of time, resources, and scaring the bejeezus out of a debilitated taxpayer. Especially since the Rosenthal Trial, which has alerted most California citizens to the lengths to which LEO's and their prosecutorial cousins will go to railroad citizens out of their State legal right to medicinal cannabis. People are wise to this claptrap, now, and wouldn't convict after hearing about the medical aspect. Mr. Hornick knew that as soon as the accused had proper counsel, the game was up, and conceded.This was just another dumb move by political dinosaurs that haven't caught on yet they've been rendered irrelevent. Pity they won't do us all a favor and retire to the boneyard early...
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Comment #20 posted by gloovins on November 19, 2004 at 00:43:22 PT
Senators? Congress could care less
They are out of touch with America which brings me to the subject of Congress, see this anyone?:Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 500
employees and has the following statistics:* 29 have been accused of spousal abuse
* 7 have been arrested for fraud
* 19 have been accused of writing bad checks
* 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
* 3 have done time for assault
* 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
* 14 have been arrested on DRUG-RELATED charges
* 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
* 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
* 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year
Can you guess which organization this is?Go Ahead--Try to guess--It's the 535 members of the United States Congress. The same
group of idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year
designed to keep the rest of us in line.Theres' 2 more "tough questions" here they are on an off topic:2 TOUGH QUESTIONSQuestion 1:If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already,
three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she
had syphilis, would you recommend that she have an abortion?
Read the next question before looking at the answer for this one.Question 2:It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote
counts. Here are the facts about the three leading candidates.Candidate A -
Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologists.
He's had two Mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10
martinis
a day.Candidate B -
He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used
opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.Candidate C -
He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke,
drinks an occasional beer and never cheated on his wife.
Which of these candidates would be your choice? Decide first,
no peeking, then scroll down for the answer.(have you thought about it?)
-------------------------------------------------------------(keep scrolling...)Candidate A: is Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B: is Winston Churchill.
Candidate C: is Adolph Hitler.And, by the way, the answer to the abortion question:
If you said yes, you just killed Beethoven.
Pretty interesting isn't it? Makes a person think before judging
someone.
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Comment #19 posted by dr slider on November 18, 2004 at 22:15:49 PT:
Tommy
Seems to be time for Tommy to pay penance for those pretrial whines of abstinance insistance.Now he's 'login, with substantial reimbursmentMan's gotta make a livin'Are we lookin' to the right fool?
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Comment #18 posted by dr slider on November 18, 2004 at 22:00:03 PT:
rast'on John
Eighty days within cold concrete, in a body in pain and severely cannabinoid deficient...and this is supposed to be "I win"Sometimes empathy sucks
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Comment #17 posted by ekim on November 18, 2004 at 20:34:04 PT
Tommy talk about Jury Nullification
where were the Senators from CA, Alaska,Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.why were only three lawmakers willing to stand up for their people. and Mr. Durbin's state is not even one of them. what does that say about the other nine states that the people overwhelming voted for Med Cannabis. who is representing them in congress. who will stand up for them in court when they are banned from showing Medical need.
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on November 18, 2004 at 14:53:15 PT
Thank You Druid!
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread19843.shtml
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Comment #15 posted by Druid on November 18, 2004 at 14:02:09 PT
LAW prof to Supreme Court: federal government
LAW prof to Supreme Court: federal government, butt out of medical marijuanaIt was a trial run for an important trial. Randy Barnett last week stood before a panel of “justices” inside a replica of the U.S. Supreme Court. The simulation was staged at Georgetown University’s moot courtroom, which is designed to help lawyers acclimate to the intimate setting of the Supreme Court while honing their arguments in preparation for a real hearing. The justices, a panel of Georgetown professors and lawyers, peppered Barnett with questions about the Constitution as it applies to medical marijuana. Barnett, Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Law at the School of Law, has two more moot courts before November 29, when the Supreme Court will hear his argument that it is unconstitutional for the federal government to prosecute patients who grow and use marijuana for medical purposes in California.The high-profile case centers on whether the federal government has the power to prosecute these patients in a state with a law permitting the cultivation and use of cannabis with a physician’s consent. During the past three years the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has been cracking down on marijuana use in California, raiding the homes and gardens of medical marijuana patients, destroying homegrown cannabis, and prosecuting individual patients. The DEA cites the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970, a statute based on the commerce clause of the Constitution, which grants the federal government authority to intervene in activities involving or affecting commerce between states. All “illicit drug traffic” affects interstate commerce, according to the Justice Department, because it increases demand for drugs and because drugs sold across state lines are difficult to trace to their origins.In 2002, Barnett and two attorneys brought a lawsuit in the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco on behalf of two patients, Angel McClary Raich and Diane Monson. Monson had had her medical cannabis destroyed by DEA officials. Raich, who uses cannabis to treat pain, nausea, and seizures associated with a brain tumor and a wasting syndrome, obtained her marijuana locally and without charge from anonymous caregivers, and Monson, who takes marijuana to relieve severe back pain and spasms caused by degenerative spine disease, grew her own cannabis. They asked for an injunction against U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and the DEA, claiming that their homegrown marijuana neither comes from nor enters the commercial market, does not cross state lines, and does not substantially affect interstate commerce. In a historic ruling last December, the Ninth Circuit Court held that the noncommercial use, possession, and cultivation of medical cannabis is fundamentally different from “drug trafficking.”In Ashcroft v. Raich, the Bush administration is appealing the Ninth Circuit Court ruling to the Supreme Court. The case, Barnett says, is fundamentally about federalism versus state sovereignty. “This case illustrates that having competing state and federal governments can serve to protect liberty,” he says. “These patients could not get congress to change the Controlled Substance Act, but they could get their state to permit their activity. States ought to be able to do that within the purview of their authority. Legally, that’s what this case is about.”---------snipped-----------http://www.bu.edu/bridge/archive/2004/11-19/barnett.html
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on November 18, 2004 at 13:14:06 PT
EJ I Agree
A serious play would really help. I really like Tommy Chong.
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Comment #13 posted by E_Johnson on November 18, 2004 at 13:06:56 PT
That's great news FoM
And now Jonathan Magbie deserves an opera or an orchestral work or a serious stage play. And Rainbow Farm deserves a feature length film.
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on November 18, 2004 at 12:42:27 PT
Press Release from Business Wire
Tommy Chong Signs on With THE MARIJUANA-LOGUES Stage Show, ``Busted Out'' and Direct From Probation November 18, 2004
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 18, 2004--
Resignation of U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft Cited for Taking Role. Ideal Entertainment Group and Magic Arts & Entertainment announced the addition of Tommy Chong in THE MARIJUANA-LOGUES for dates at the N.Y. Actors Playhouse December 7 through December 19, 2004 and premiering on the West Coast beginning February of 2005. Chong, best known for his legendary contribution to American counterculture in the comedy team Cheech & Chong, spent nine months in a federal prison following a zealous campaign by former Attorney General John Ashcroft to "set an example" with those he viewed as glorifying pot use. Currently on probation, Chong commented, "They came after me because of the movies...and because of my act since 1968." THE MARIJUANA-LOGUES is written by Arj Barker, Doug Benson and Tony Camin and directed by Jim Millan. And, it is a show everyone has been buzzing about. (Disclaimer: This production does not glorify drug use. Rather, it illustrates that cannabis culture is a thing of substance, humor and creativity). From hazy to highbrow, THE MARIJUANA-LOGUES proves that the stories surrounding the bud are as varied as those who indulge. The Associated Press cheers, "THE MARIJUANA-LOGUES lights up NYC! Emitting an air that is slightly subversive and laughter-inducing." Newsday adds, "A good time, man." and Entertainment Weekly praises the show's "premium quality nuggets," while Time Out New York raves, "It's a damn fine piece of bong-fueled theater." During Cheech and Chong's reign, they recorded six gold comedy albums, including the 1974 Grammy winner "Los Cochinos," and starred in seven films, most of which Chong co-wrote and directed such as "Up in Smoke," one of Warner Bros.' highest-grossing features. Chong can also be seen in his recurring role on Fox's "That 70's Show." Now, with his starring role in THE MARIJUANA-LOGUES, Chong is back to his live performance roots, cracking people up across the nation. Tickets can be purchased through Telecharge at http://www.telecharge.com or 212-239-6200 or at The Actors' Playhouse box office. For information on upcoming tour dates go to http://www.marijuanalogues.com or http://www.PotShow.comhttp://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20041118005768&newsLang=en
Tommy Chong: He's Taking One Big Hit
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Comment #11 posted by afterburner on November 18, 2004 at 10:54:37 PT
Expired Card, Whoop-de-doo
{Pendo had a medical marijuana identification card, but Hornick said the card had expired at the time of Pendo's arrest. Pendo had received the card as a "member in good standing" of a medical marijuana cooperative in Santa Cruz County called Wo-Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, also known as WAMM.....{Pendo said that the raid on his property was frightening, with masked gunmen appearing at his house.}Imagine if the government sent storm troopers to your house if your driver's license expired, your insurance lapsed, your library card expired!
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Comment #10 posted by E_Johnson on November 18, 2004 at 10:27:11 PT
How did he translate caneh bosm?
There's a new translation of the Pentateuch coming out:http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/books/11/18/arts.bible.translation.reut/index.html
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Comment #9 posted by Druid on November 18, 2004 at 09:47:51 PT
To add what Craiig posted....
The Marijuana Policy Project helped make history this week when, for
the first time ever, a bill designed to protect medical marijuana
patients and providers was introduced in the U.S. Senate. MPP worked
closely with the office of the bill's lead sponsor, U.S. Sen. Richard
Durbin (D-IL), to help craft the bill and lobbied hard to ensure its
introduction. We hope that you will now contact your two U.S. senators
and urge them to support this legislation.Please visit http://www.mpp.org/trials to e-mail your senators a pre-
written message explaining why it's necessary to provide federal
protections to patients and caregivers who use and provide medical
marijuana in compliance with state laws. With the U.S. Supreme Court
less than two weeks away from hearing a landmark medical marijuana
case -- Ashcroft v. Raich -- this is a perfect time to make your
feelings on this subject known. The whole process will take less than
two minutes.Like the House version of the bill, the Senate "Truth in Trials Act"
(S. 2989) -- introduced on November 17 -- would end the federal
government's gag on medical marijuana defendants in court. By
providing an affirmative defense to federal marijuana charges, this
bill would not only ensure that defendants could introduce evidence
about the medical aspects of their marijuana-related activities, but
it would also keep such defendants from being sent to federal prison
if it is determined that they were acting in compliance with state
medical marijuana laws.Both U.S. senators from Vermont -- Sen. Patrick Leahy (D) and Sen. Jim
Jeffords (I) -- joined Sen. Durbin in introducing the bill.We can stop the federal war on doctors, patients, and caregivers. But
in order to do so, we must turn the 80% public support for medical
marijuana into a political force. This transformation has already
started, with more and more national organizations making formal
declarations of their support for safe, legal access to medical
marijuana. For example, in June 2003, the American Nurses Association,
representing 2.6 million registered nurses, passed a resolution in
support of "legislation to remove criminal penalties ... for bona fide
patients and prescribers of therapeutic marijuana."Please do your part to show your U.S. senators that support for
medical marijuana is widespread. Visit http://www.mpp.org/trials and
send an e-mail today.
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Comment #8 posted by E_Johnson on November 18, 2004 at 09:47:13 PT
ekim here is my explanation
Why was MMJ not brought up in the 2004 campaign?Let's look back at the 2000 campaign. MMJ was brought up then -- and both Bush and Gore opposed it. Bush mumbled some BS about states rights but everything else he said was negative. Gore ran around the country lying about the IOM report and calling for a Drug Free America.I think 2004 represents enormous progress since 2000. The absence of any pounding on the Drug War drum suggests that the mainstream professional political handlers are aware that American voters are changing their minds on this issue.In 2008 I think MMJ will appear in the campaign again, in the other direction, with both Hillary and Arnold supporting it, with the differences being their proposed implementation.
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Comment #7 posted by ekim on November 18, 2004 at 09:28:27 PT
why was this never brought up in President race
question ---who is running the dem party;why wait until after the big vote.why has Rep. Dennis Kucinich not been listened to within the party as far as regulation of Cannabis goes.where is Sen. Kerry's Name on S. 2989 and why did he not run on this legislation.
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #6 posted by E_Johnson on November 18, 2004 at 08:39:57 PT
Thanks Craiig
That's amazing. Our issue has made it into the Senate. That feels really exciting. God bless Ed for being the warrior and taking the risk of going to trial.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on November 18, 2004 at 08:39:26 PT
Test
test
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Comment #4 posted by Craiig on November 18, 2004 at 08:29:23 PT
WOOP WOOP
First-Ever U.S. Senate Bill to Protect Medical Marijuana Patients Introduced
WASHINGTON -- November 18 -- U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), joined by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Jim Jeffords (I-VT), have introduced the first-ever Senate bill to ensure that federal juries hear the full story when medical marijuana patients and providers, operating legally under state law, are tried on federal marijuana charges.S. 2989 is similar to H.R. 1717, the "Truth in Trials Act," introduced by a bipartisan House coalition last year and inspired in part by the case of Ed Rosenthal. In January 2003, Rosenthal was found guilty of felony marijuana cultivation charges by a jury that was not allowed to consider that the marijuana was for medical use by seriously ill patients and was grown with the authorization of the city of Oakland, California.When they learned the truth, jurors who convicted Rosenthal publicly repudiated their own verdict and apologized to him, feeling they had been duped into convicting an innocent man. "I helped send a man to prison who does not belong there," juror Marney Craig wrote in a column for the San Jose Mercury News. Newspaper editorial boards nationwide, including The New York Times and Baltimore's The Sun, condemned the verdict, using terms like "mean-spirited" and "cruel."In his statement introducing the legislation, Durbin noted, "This is a narrowly-tailored bill ... Under this legislation, defendants in the ten states with medicinal marijuana laws could be found not guilty of violating federal law if their actions are done in compliance with state law."Because federal law does not recognize any medical use of marijuana, defendants have been barred from raising the issue in their defense. "As it stands today, federal law denies medical marijuana defendants a basic right that every other defendant has, the right to explain what they did to the jury," said Robert Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C., "If you shoot someone, you are allowed to explain why you did it, but if you're a disabled patient growing marijuana to relieve your pain and suffering, you can't. Jurors who could imprison someone for decades have a right to hear the whole truth, not a censored version that is
stripped of facts the federal government doesn't like."On Nov. 29, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Ashcroft v. Raich, which could limit federal authority to enforce federal marijuana laws against intrastate, noncommercial medical marijuana activities.With more than 17,000 members and 150,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana -- both the consumption of marijuana and the laws that are intended to prohibit such use. MPP believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is imprisonment. For more information, please visit MarijuanaPolicy.org.
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/1118-09.htmI think this is big news?
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Comment #3 posted by Craiig on November 18, 2004 at 08:18:05 PT
"in the interests of justice."
I don't know if it's the cannabis or what, but my eyes really have been opened. The amount of boolyocks talked by people in power is rather staggering, not to mention how they can say it with such ease. Maybe because they believe it themselves they can say it, who knows. Maybe they get trained to talk boolyocks.If it was the interests of justice, he'd never have been knicked, but one positive is that hopefully these reduculous, expensive, time consuming, fuming episodes will become fewer and fewer.
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Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on November 18, 2004 at 08:17:08 PT
Pendo is a blessing
""Salinas is closing its libraries," said Pendo. "We don't want to make things worse when cities are shutting down libraries.""That was such a loving thing to say. I'm almost in tears. If only Laura Bush were reading this.
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on November 18, 2004 at 08:13:32 PT
Disgraceful
This is a good picture of the future of America - there will be a rich elite class of about 5% of the population, the rest will be poor people. Poor people can't afford lawyers. They will be preyed upon by the over-funded, militarized "police"; in reality, a standing domestic army.Hornick said that the District Attorney's Office pursuit of marijuana cases "complies with the letter and the spirit" of Proposition 215."We've walked away from many similar cases," he said. "The only thing unusual about this case is that it got so convoluted."Convuled all right. The poor guy couldn't afford a lawyer so you locked him up for 3 months, you evil bastard. Bottom-feeder. Parasite.I would have sued the town's ass off. Maybe when people look around and see all public buildings shuttered except for police & courts they'll finally wake up and realize we're in a police state. I would've gone for the absolute top dollar amount.
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