cannabisnews.com: Arrests Follow Searches in Medical Marijuana Raids





Arrests Follow Searches in Medical Marijuana Raids
Posted by CN Staff on June 22, 2005 at 20:59:49 PT
By Dean E. Murphy
Source: New York Times
San Francisco -- Federal agents executed search warrants at three medical marijuana dispensaries on Wednesday as part of a broad investigation into marijuana trafficking in San Francisco, setting off fears among medical marijuana advocates that a federal crackdown on the drug's use by sick people was beginning.About 20 residences, businesses and growing sites were also searched, leading to multiple arrests, a law enforcement official said. Agents outside a club in the Ingleside neighborhood spent much of the afternoon dragging scores of leafy marijuana plants into an alley and stuffing them into plastic bags.
"The investigation led the authorities to these sites," the law enforcement official said. "It involves large-scale marijuana trafficking and includes other illicit drugs and money laundering."In a separate investigation, a federal grand jury in Sacramento indicted a doctor and her husband on charges of distributing marijuana at the doctor's office in Cool, a small town in El Dorado County. The doctor, Marion P. Fry, and her husband, Dale C. Schafer, were arrested at their home in nearby Greenwood and pleaded not guilty in federal court in Sacramento to charges of distributing and manufacturing at least 100 marijuana plants. The authorities said in a court document that Dr. Fry wrote a recommendation for medical marijuana to an undercover agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration even though there was a "lack of a medical record," and that her husband provided the agent with marijuana.The raids and arrests were the first large-scale actions against marijuana clubs and providers since the Supreme Court upheld federal authority over marijuana on June 6, even in states like California, where its use for medicinal purposes has been legal since 1996. The raids involved agents from federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and the Secret Service."We will not turn a blind eye to serious and flagrant disregard of federal law," Gordon Taylor, an assistant special agent in charge of Drug Enforcement Administration office in Sacramento, said in a statement. "There may be those who think we can disregard the court and Congress. D.E.A. will not be among them."The raids angered and alarmed advocates of medical marijuana, some of whom stood on the sidewalk outside the clubs in San Francisco as federal agents worked inside."This is an affront to patients and should not be happening," Kris Hermes, legal director of Americans for Safe Access, a marijuana advocacy group, said outside a storefront club that nearby residents said was used to grow marijuana not distribute it.Mr. Hermes said he could not say if the raids were a result of the Supreme Court ruling, but called it "unacceptable" that federal agents were accompanied by the San Francisco police because the city several years ago declared itself "a safe haven" for medical marijuana users.Several blocks away, agents seized computer records, medical files and marijuana plants at the Herbal Relief Center on Ocean Avenue. A security gate across the entrance had been pulled open, and a lock lay cut open on the sidewalk."They came here before we even opened," said Van Nguyen, 27, who said the dispensary had been in operation about five years and had the records of several thousand patients.A spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department, Sgt. Neville Gittens, said in a statement that its officers "did not take part in any investigation of these clubs or take any enforcement action against these clubs."Even before the Supreme Court ruling, many cities, including San Francisco, had begun to crack down on the clubs, which have proliferated in recent years and generally operate without regulation.Though the authorities would not say how the three clubs raided in San Francisco were tied to the accusations of drug trafficking, the police in San Francisco have complained that some of the 40 or so clubs in the city are little more than fronts for drug dealers.Ross Mirkarimi, a San Francisco County supervisor who favors the use of marijuana for medical purposes but wants the city to regulate the clubs strictly, said the raids reinforced the need for oversight. "We do not want bad apples to ruin something that Californians and San Franciscans overwhelmingly voted for and support," Mr. Mirkarimi said.Peter Ragone, a spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom, said the federal investigation reinforced the importance of "trying to protect the legitimate uses of medicinal marijuana in the state." Source: New York Times (NY)Author: Dean E. MurphyPublished: June 23, 2005Copyright: 2005 The New York Times Company Contact: letters nytimes.com Website: http://www.nytimes.com/ Related Article & Web Site:Americans For Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccessnow.org/ Crackdown Targets Marijuana Dispensaries http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20891.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #84 posted by Hope on June 25, 2005 at 04:23:15 PT
Prohibition and the Damage Done
PainWithNoInsurance, When I started trying to list the points of the problem that hurts my soul so badly that I'm forced to cry out loud at the injustice and pain, I found there are innumerable hateful barbs to the core problem. I could make a list a foot long and there would still be so many disturbing points left to count.It's a huge, many barbed, and nasty "burr under my saddle" and there will be no peace until it's corrected.I see planes shot out of the sky, crying children, people gunned down in their homes. I see many, many people forced to the ground, knees in their backs, feet on their necks, insults in their ears, their hands bound behind their backs. 
It's an ongoing, seemingly endless, nightmare for civilization. The waking, real life nightmare is so overwhelming that it leaves no place for peaceful dreams. It looks like we're part of the alarm system meant to wake the sleepers who are apparently calloused, blind and deaf to what has happened and is happening.
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Comment #83 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on June 24, 2005 at 23:06:56 PT
Hope: Prohibition and the Damage Done
Hope, you said it just right. I can't believe the unamerican things coming out from the supreme court and the federal bullies. The seizure decision decided by the supreme court this week is very unamerican. I am wondering what is next--abolishing free speech? I don't know how the court could rule against something that is clearly stated in the consitution. Even Jay Leno and Arnold Swartzenager said on the Tonight Show that this is a huge mistake and an unamerican move.
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Comment #82 posted by FoM on June 24, 2005 at 22:36:48 PT
whig 
We all don't believe the same and that's ok. I think most people here have their own personal reasons and beliefs. I try very hard to respect everyones opinion. I am old enough to know that what is right for some is not right for another.
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Comment #81 posted by whig on June 24, 2005 at 22:30:15 PT
FoM
No offense intended, I don't mean to tell you what you should think or believe. I only meant to say what I think and believe.
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Comment #80 posted by FoM on June 24, 2005 at 18:01:08 PT
Related News Article from Reuters
Calif. Marijuana Activists Nervous After RaidsBy Jim ChristieJune 25, 2005 SAN FRANCISCO, June 24 (Reuters) - Activists who support marijuana use for medical purposes said on Friday that federal raids this week on San Francisco pot clubs may signal a drive to snuff out local dispensaries after the U.S. Supreme Court backed the enforcement of federal drug laws."Everyone is wondering if this an opening round, if more shoes are going to drop," said Bruce Mirken, the San Francisco-based spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, referring to three high-profile raids of pot clubs by the Drug Enforcement Agency.The raids follow the U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that federal drug laws trump state laws allowing the use of marijuana as a medical treatment.California law allows pot clubs to sell marijuana to people with a doctor's approval to use it and San Francisco has long tolerated the presence of the establishments.Mayor Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday the raids would not change that, but he noted better oversight over the clubs by local officials is needed so they dispense marijuana only to the those with medical conditions.Federal agents said their raids this weeks struck at fronts for criminal enterprises.They arrested 15 people linked to three San Francisco pot clubs and seized more than 9,000 marijuana plants with a street value estimated at $5 million in the raids, linked to what they described as a probe of international drug trafficking and money laundering.They said the timing of the raids in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this month was a coincidence."We've been investigating for two years," said DEA Agent Javier Pena, the San Francisco agent in charge of the probe. "It's a group of major narcotic traffickers. ... We are expecting further arrests and seizures."Pena said the DEA empathized with sick individuals but would not rule out further raids of San Francisco pot clubs.Medicinal marijuana activists believe the government aims to make an example of San Francisco's pot clubs."We're all trying to assess what's going on and the veracity of what the DEA and U.S. Attorney were saying," Mirken said."The charges they filed were overwhelmingly marijuana cultivation charges," Mirken said. "On its surface it looks like a medical marijuana raid and that they don't want to talk about that." Copyright: 2005 Reutershttp://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N24698214.htm
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Comment #79 posted by global_warming on June 24, 2005 at 17:21:06 PT
re:Bastard Children, and the vows of Evil
When the Supreme Court of this world, is infected, and the Light, of God, is denied, to the people of the court, is such a decision unexpected, greed and the lust for power, are the devils tools, this spiritual starvation, is symptomatic of the the disease.When good people, will be herded, to death chambers, will the infected, ever have that flash of understanding, might they catch a glimpse, to their higher world, and higher purpose?One may talk to a Jew surviver,for a mere 60 years, a mere 720 months, and these times, along with the required minutes, are very close, to our tomorrow.The early Christians, gathered in underground caves, hiding, from the forces that sought, to bring them, to the cross, to pray to God, to form a plan, to end this reign of the blind and powerful, to teach, educate, to illuminate, the sick and blind, those that are afflicted, with the promise of money and power.Disease, Mental Illness, are medicines oath, to banish, and deliver mankind, a healthy spiritual constitution.Before, you raise your fist in anger, you can raise your hand in Grace and Healing, and Peace..gw...et..al..
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Comment #78 posted by FoM on June 24, 2005 at 13:57:15 PT
NPR: Feds Bust California MMJ Providers
Feds Bust California 'Medical Marijuana' Providers
 Day to Day, June 24, 2005 In Northern California, federal drug agents have launched a crackdown on medical marijuana providers -- the result of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that grants power to federal authorities to prosecute those using marijuana legally under state law. Judy Campbell of member station KQED reports.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4717366
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Comment #77 posted by FoM on June 24, 2005 at 10:24:53 PT
Feds Vow Strict Enforcement of Drug Laws 
June 24, 2005Federal authorities said the Supreme Court decision two weeks ago that medical marijuana is illegal was not the impetus behind Wednesday's busts. But they warned federal laws will be strictly applied. 'There are some members of the public who think they can disregard the courts and Congress. The DEA will not be among them.' Authorities described this week's raids on San Francisco pot clubs as one of the largest drug crackdowns in the area in recent memory, and said the arrests were the first step in uncovering a major international drug operation.
US Attorney Kevin V. Ryan said agents raided three pot clubs that operated as fronts for marijuana and Ecstasy trafficking, and warned that federal drug laws would be strictly enforced even in cities tolerant of medical marijuana. "We're empathetic to the ill and to the sick, however we cannot disregard federal law," said Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Javier Pena. "We have the power to enforce federal drug laws even in areas where it might not be popular." Drug Trafficking Twenty people were indicted on federal drug charges in court documents unsealed Thursday, and an arrest warrant has been issued for another. Two others face state drug charges, and more arrests are pending, Ryan said. Following a two-year investigation dubbed Operation Urban Harvest, officials searched a total of 25 homes and businesses throughout the Bay Area on Wednesday. They seized some 9,300 pot plants with a street value of more than $5 million, said Ryan. He said the pot clubs were a base of operation for a larger drug trafficking organization importing and selling large quantities of marijuana and Ecstasy, and engaging in money laundering and cash smuggling. A Frightening Message Despite the city's recognition of medical pot clubs as legal, San Francisco police officers participated in the investigation, but did not make arrests or enter the marijuana clubs. While federal officials said at a news conference that the raids would not usher in a broader crackdown on marijuana dispensaries in the city, protesters outside said they sent a frightening message to patients. "I'm scared," said Kathleen Prevost, who said she uses marijuana to control her post-traumatic stress disorder. "All I want to do is have access to my medicine." Laws Will Be Strictly Applied Authorities said the Supreme Court decision two weeks ago that medical marijuana is illegal was not the impetus behind Wednesday's busts. But they warned federal laws will be strictly applied. "There are some members of the public who think they can disregard the courts and Congress," said Pena. "The DEA will not be among them." Authorities are now reaching out to international law enforcement organizations, Ryan said. The alleged traffickers laundered millions of dollars using 12 financial institutions and 40 bank accounts, said Kenneth Hines, an agent in charge of the IRS criminal investigation. Copyright: 2005 Daily News Central 
http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/0001134/38/
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Comment #76 posted by FoM on June 24, 2005 at 09:54:18 PT
OCR: Curious Timing of Bay Area Marijuana Raids 
Friday, June 24, 2005 San Francisco -- A spokeswoman for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in San Francisco told us that the raids conducted on three medical marijuana dispensaries in San Francisco Wednesday were not connected to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that gave the DEA a green light, under federal law, to go after patients and the people who supply them, even in states like California that have passed medical marijuana laws. The investigation behind the raid had been ongoing for two years, the dispensaries were distributing other drugs besides marijuana, and were distributing marijuana for recreational use as well as medical purposes, the DEA maintains. Money laundering and international connections were also allegedly involved. The feds say that these were more than dispensaries operating within California law. The fact that state Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who supports the California law, allowed some of his agents to participate in the raids lends credence to the claim.We hope the DEA is right that these raids were not narrowly targeted at medical-marijuana patients. Although the high court, perhaps reluctantly, asserted that the 1970 Controlled Substances Act gives federal agents the power to arrest anybody who simply possesses marijuana, going after patients doing what California law gives them the right to do would be terrible public policy. And it's an open question whether any Northern California jury would convict a medical marijuana patient or somebody who supplies the drug strictly to those with a physician's recommendation.Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2005/06/24/sections/commentary/editorials/article_572311.php
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Comment #75 posted by FoM on June 24, 2005 at 09:50:38 PT
Just a Note
I read this article and really liked what it had to say. It really isn't about our issues we discuss here but it seems to be an important commentary to post. They're Stealing My Constitution a Page at a Time: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20896.shtml
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Comment #74 posted by Hope on June 24, 2005 at 09:33:12 PT
Prohibition and the Damage Done
"Maybe it would be a good thing if each of us would say why this whole thing matters."Injustice, cruelty, death, dynamic entry, prostitution of law enforcement, lying, subversion of the American dream, promotion of snitch mentality, labeling, name-calling, racism, misuse of tax money, hysteria producing propaganda, destruction of families, re-education facilities, hatred, criminal records, common use of the vilest of profanities by law enforcement against citizens (further fueling their descent into actually being “lowlifes” and thugs), corruption in government and law enforcement, the expanding prison industry and slave labor, supporting the macabre relationship of mutual "profit" between law enforcement and the illegal drug trade, respect for one another and the respect of personal liberty and freedom, lack of oversight to avoid tainted drugs, invasion of privacy, destruction of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and government oppression.Prohibition and the damage done.
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Comment #73 posted by jose melendez on June 24, 2005 at 08:53:44 PT
cannaman
Surely San Francisco County Board Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi would prefer to hear from us all directly:http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=29087 Ross Mirkarimi - District 5City Hall1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244San Francisco, CA 94102-4689(415) 554-7630 - voice(415) 554-7634 - faxRoss.Mirkarimi sfgov.org - - -"Democracy, is uh, is is will be a part of their demise."POTUS, June 24, 2005
- - - It's true as President Bush says, that democracy lifts up people and is based on hope. A foundation for peace around the world must include tolerance and compassion. If democracy and freedom and peace were goals of our leaders for the people in our own country, drug warriors would be jailed and fined. 
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Comment #72 posted by cannaman on June 24, 2005 at 07:56:44 PT
Ross Mirikimi
To Ross Mirikimi, you are as bad as the cops man! These bad apples they haven't been convicted of any crime and already they are bad apples, whatever sell out, you smoke the medicine too, but those who provide it are bad apples now, people like him don't deserve the medicine that people like me provide, by the way the black market paved the way for the medical marijuana movement those people would be dead if we hadn't grown it for them then they would never of had the strength to continue fighting for this just cause!!! Remember that people!!!
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Comment #71 posted by Hope on June 24, 2005 at 07:49:27 PT
Prohibition and the Damage Done
I agree with Nick."Don't let them prohibitionists turn you into narcs: anyone arrested, incarcerated or hassled for such a benign substance as marijuana is our brother or sister."
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Comment #70 posted by FoM on June 24, 2005 at 07:45:20 PT
Nicholas
I really believe we all are individuals and we have different reasons why this issue is important to us. Maybe it would be a good thing if each of us would say why this whole thing matters. For me it is because I have believed prohibition against Cannabis has been very wrong and I want to see the laws changed because the current laws hurt good people. That really sums it up for me.
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Comment #69 posted by FoM on June 24, 2005 at 07:40:21 PT
SFC Editorial: Medical-Pot Law Ailing?
Friday, June 24, 2005 Even the medical-marijuana diehards have to wonder. Are all of the dozens of cannabis outlets in San Francisco really in business to comfort the sick? The raids on three storefront operations and indictments of 20 suspects this week came with a surprisingly soft reaction in this city. The mayor ducked a chance to denounce the federal raiders, and several supervisors acknowledged the city's policies are a shambles. It looks as if San Francisco's tolerance and openness is being abused -- and no one likes it. A crackdown, limited to the most flagrant operators, may not be so bad. Of course, federal prosecutors must make a case that targeted pot dispensaries were fronts for warehouse-scale sales and money laundering. They need to back up their talk about organized crime with convictions. But since the medical-marijuana cause was approved by state voters in 1996, the chances for abusing this well-intentioned idea have grown. San Francisco police have knocked over a dozen indoor-weed farms in the last two years. This year, the number of pot clubs rose to 44 before reportedly dropping back to 30, an astonishingly high figure and way beyond any other California city. Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/06/24/EDGM9DD8T81.DTL
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Comment #68 posted by afterburner on June 24, 2005 at 06:37:38 PT
Canada Has the Same Problem
{Comment #13 posted by cloud7  
... 
"The authorities said in a court document that Dr. Fry wrote a recommendation for medical marijuana to an undercover agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration even though there was a "lack of a medical record," and that her husband provided the agent with marijuana."{So they send a conman into a doctor's office and he convincingly lies to the doctor and now it's the doctor's fault he couldn't read the narc's mind? It's got to the point where it is no longer enough to diagnose and treat symptoms as a doctor, you now have to be an infallible judge of human character and be able to see through every charade that someone puts on in your office. The DEA's actions sicken me.}Canada has the same problem: Saint John, New Brunswick, police lie to compassion club to entrap medical cannabis provider.Lynn Wood loses everything for one gram first offence 
by Marc Emery (02 Jun, 2005) Judge Murray Cain in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, sentences wonderful med-pot martyr to one year in grim jail. 
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4374.htmlExcerpt:
 
{There was a very rigourous membership requirement at the HEMP NB Medical Marijuana store in Saint John New Brunswick. You needed a sworn affidavit before a notary stating you had a medical condition which you believed marijuana alleviated. Or you needed a section 56 exemption card issued by the Canadian federal government. Or you needed a signed letter from your doctor which HEMP NB verified by calling your doctor. One of those three. ...{So in order for Saint John police to get actual evidence, they would go undercover and make applications at the Compassion Club. Except, as the police on the witness stand admitted, their bogus applications were always rejected by HEMP NB. The police videotaped the front door of HEMP NB for months and could find no other anomalies. So then a police officer named Brian Hutchison came into HEMP NB and submitted an application with a letter from his doctor. His application was left to an employee to verify because, as Jim Wood explained, "we had an actual wedding going on in HEMP NB that day, and this guy wanted his application fast tracked, so I gave the application to an employee to verify. Normally I would check the doctor's name in the phone book and call their office. You typically talk to a secretary and you confirm the patient exists with that condition."{But the employee was naive, and only called the doctor's office listed in the letter from the 'doctor.' A man claiming to be a doctor did indeed answer, but it was, in fact, Detective Bruce Hutchison's superior officer. And the 'doctor' did indeed write that letter and of course he could confirm the 'patient' had that condition, and was very co-operative. It's legal now, after the last revision to the Controlled Substances Act, for a police officer to lie in the course of an investigation. ...}
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Comment #67 posted by jose melendez on June 24, 2005 at 04:47:38 PT
quality of life in the hood
 from: http://www.stormfront.org/archive/t-99366Internet_ID_must_be_revealed.html`Give them anonymity and nothing holds them back,'' . . . ``That's why the Ku Klux Klan wears hoods.'' - MiamiDade Circuit Court Judge Eleanor Schockett According to media reports, five hooded men, arriving in vehicles, fired into their sleeping mass, killing four before they could begin to flee, perhaps before they awoke. A fifth was shot in the back as he ran for cover. Three more were abducted and two of those three were executed later that night. The third was left for dead after being shot in the face. It was later discovered that three of the hooded gunmen were off-duty military police, employed by the US in the war on drugs.http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/3508.html The citizens terrorized and abused by heavily armed black hooded government agents were not drug dealers or even users, but rather a small publisher and his employees. The materials seized in this raid were not the drugs, drug money, or drug equipment we're told pose such a public danger, but rather the intellectual property and means of production of a small publisher brave enough to attempt to produce a book exposing the essential flaws at the core of the drug war itself. In this latest attack on constitutional liberty, the DEA abandoned any pretense of protecting the public, and pulled out all the stops in a bid to instead protect the agents of prohibition and their growing wealth and power from the terrible dangers of an informed public.http://130.94.161.3/KortExplores/articles/files/digres26.php
Got CORRUPTION?
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Comment #66 posted by jose melendez on June 24, 2005 at 04:24:46 PT
I met the Honorable Judge Schockett
http://leap.cc/speakers/schockett.htm Judge Eleanor Schockett told me, and I quote: "There ain't no justice . . . " in this country.IMNSHO, Nick is correct, yellow journalism leveraged a societal tendency towards xenophobia that got us here in the first place. We are all from and evolved symbiotically with these plants on earth and brain scans will show that there is scarce if any difference between being "high" and rejoicing in the Lord, praising Allah or communicating with Ja.Be Leaf. Criminalize Prohibition. http://CCCCP.org
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Comment #65 posted by Nick Thimmesch on June 24, 2005 at 03:28:00 PT
Dittos, FoM...
...you were just being honest and I think respectful toward people who truly do believe in sacred things (except for the American flag, I don't)even if they ain't yours: "can't say I would use cannabis as a part of a religious belief because I wouldn't be telling the truth and that is something I just can't do when it comes to my faith." As a White Christian Republican, I don't fein mj being a "religious" experience: I smoke it to get stoned, relax and sometimes just enjoy the music (traditional American recreationalist). We WCR don't mix up our religion with our partying. We try to NOT go to church stoned. But if I suddenly decided to use peyote for "religious" purposes, why shouldn't I be able to despite being "white": I should have the same protections as someone of "color". Rights are rights in American no matter what flavor you are...Also: "I'm hearing is that the specific dispensaries/people busted are Vietnamese organized crime. If this is true, they're not even truly with us and into the cause anyway. Moreover, they're hurting the cause. I won't lose any sleep over their busts" makes no sense. Don't let them prohibitionists turn you into narcs: anyone arrested, incarcerated or hassled for such a benign substance as marijuana is our brother or sister. 
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Comment #64 posted by Max Flowers on June 23, 2005 at 23:46:59 PT
"Word on the street..."
...I'm hearing is that the specific dispensaries/people busted are Vietnamese organized crime. If this is true, they're not even truly with us and into the cause anyway. Moreover, they're hurting the cause. I won't lose any sleep over their busts.
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Comment #63 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 21:42:19 PT
I'll Give a Try EJ
Here we are now. The raids have started and the whole issue is out in the open. I feel bad for those who have stepped out and are the ones who are getting raided but I'm sure everyone involved in Cannabis Clubs knew the risk. We have to moved towards changing the laws. What options do we have anymore?
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Comment #62 posted by ekim on June 23, 2005 at 21:38:55 PT
jose have you talked to the Judges
Eleanor was elected to the Circuit Court of Miami-Dade County Florida and began her service in January 1991. Although the latter 15 years of her private practice were devoted to Family Law, her first assignment was to the Criminal Court. By the time she left the Bench on December 31, 2002 she had served in the Family and General Jurisdiction divisions as well. In all three divisions she saw the havoc wrought by a failed drug policy. Her particular concerns were the erosion of personal liberties of all our citizens. She believes if the American people learn just how bad things are, they will be changed for the better. She vowed to speak out and appreciates the opportunity. Jul 31 05 National BAR Association 80th Convention 07:00 AM Eleanor Schockett Orlando Florida USA 
 Eleanor Schockett and other LEAP volunteers are welcomed guests to the National BAR Association's 80th Convention. Eleanor and the orhter LEAP members will be spreading the word about the social destruction and overall failure of America's war on drugs. Location: JW Marriott Orlando Grand Lakes. DRUG WAR WON'T BRING EVEN MORAL VICTORIES 
U.S. Senior District Judge John Kane is really good at this. He's been giving versions of the same speech for nearly a decade now. He wows every audience. Police departments rake in untold billions each year through the seizure and sale of private property - houses, yachts, airplanes, artworks, cars, jewelry, cash - from drug offenders and suspects. Kane said we should "terminate the symbiotic business relationship that law enforcement has with the illegal-drug industry." "Indeed, the two groups who would suffer most from an elimination of the black market in drugs would be, in nearly equal measure, organized crime and law enforcement." Oh, and there's a third group that would suffer - the elected officials who for 30 years have exploited our fears, divided our communities and trampled our civil liberties with a phony war on drugs. Because, as Kane said, then we'd all see that "the emperor has no clothes." Jul 22 05 "Seminars at Steamboat: Dialogues on Public Policy" 05:00 PM John Kane Steamboat Springs Colorado USA 
 Speaker Judge John Kane will participate in "Seminars at Steamboat: Dialogues on Public Policy" to discuss the the war on drugs and its effects on the criminal justice system. Judge Kane, one of LEAP's newest speakers, is a senior judge of the U.S. District Court in Denver. In its third year and growing in popularity each year, the event will be held at Centennial Hall. As the date gets closer, visit http://www.steamboatpilot.com/ for more information. 
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #61 posted by E_Johnson on June 23, 2005 at 21:26:10 PT
Has anyone seen Polyanna?
An old Disney movie with Hayley Mills, about an orphan girl with an optimistic personality who livens up a stuffy old repressive town.Maybe Polyanna would see a ray of hope reading between the lines of these club raid stories.
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Comment #60 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 20:56:30 PT
Related Article from The New York Times
Officials Say Drug Raids Found Clubs Were a FrontBy Dean E. Murphy Published: June 24, 2005SAN FRANCISCO, June 23 - Federal authorities said Thursday that they had cracked the biggest case ever involving the use of medical marijuana dispensaries in California as a cover for international drug dealing and money laundering, which they said extended to Canada and countries in Asia."This organization had been operating for over four years," Javier F. Peña, the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in San Francisco, said at a news conference. "It is now dismantled."In court documents unsealed here, the federal authorities accused a 33-year-old San Francisco man, Vince Ming Wan, of leading a multimillion-dollar operation in the trafficking of marijuana and Ecstasy that used three medical marijuana clubs in the city as a front.United States Attorney Kevin V. Ryan said that an arrest warrant had been issued for Mr. Wan on charges of conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 marijuana plants, but that he remained at large. Twenty other people, all from San Francisco and its suburbs, were charged with a variety of crimes, including conspiracy to grow and traffic in marijuana plants, conspiracy to distribute Ecstasy and conspiracy to engage in money laundering.Mr. Ryan said the two-year investigation was continuing and could result in more arrests and charges. In addition to Mr. Wan, seven other suspects remained at large on Thursday."We're not talking about ill people who may be using marijuana," Mr. Ryan said. "We're talking about a criminal enterprise engaged in the widespread distribution of large amounts - millions of dollars, if you base it on historical evidence - of marijuana and other drugs, and money laundering their proceeds from these activities."Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/24/national/24marijuana.html
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Comment #59 posted by jose melendez on June 23, 2005 at 20:22:39 PT
propaganda talking point: "giant scam"
My opinion: all is one, recreational, medicinal, entheogenic.Divisions are arbitrary, and . . . well, divisive.- - - submitted on the record to:Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814 Fax: 916-445-4633Office of Citizen Complaints City of San Francisco 
480 Second St., Ste 100, San Francisco, Ca., 94107 
Exec. Dir: Mary Dunlap Fax: (415) 597-7733City and County Government of San Francisco Police Department
201 Williams St. San Francisco, CA 94124 fax 415-671-2345Michael Hennessey, Sheriff San Francisco Sheriff's Department 633 Folsom 
Street, Room 200 San Francisco, CA 94107 FAX (415) 554-7050Lyndon Chee, San Francisco City & Co. City Attorney 
Robert S. Maerz, San Francisco City & Co. City Attorney 
Virginia M D Elizondo, San Francisco City & Co. City Attorney 
Suite 600 1390 Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102-5402 Fax (415) 554-4248CC: OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL
Phillip H. Warren, Chief, Niall E. Lynch, Assistant Chief 
450 Golden Gate Avenue Room 10-0101 Box 36046 San Francisco, CA 94102-3478 FAX: 
415-436-6687 SanFran.ATR usdoj.govR. Hewitt Pate Assistant Attorney General 3109 MAIN Washington, D.C. FAX 
202-616-2645Norman Familant, ECONOMIC LITIGATION SECTION Chief
Elizabeth Armington, Assistant Chief FAX: 202-307-3372The New York Times Newspaper 
Dan Bigman	Business Editor 229 West 43d Street New York, NY 10036 
bizweb nytimes.comvarious media and attorneysRe: "It's a huge scam," said Captain Bruce, who heads the city's Bayview (San 
Francisco) station, which covers some of the highest-crime neighborhoods. "We 
see guys coming out of these places and the only description I can come up with 
is that it looks like a Cheech and Chong movie.* They are what you would call 
your traditional potheads; whether they have a medical condition beyond that is 
subject to debate."from: California Reins In Clinics Using Marijuana for Medical Purposeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/15/national/15marijuana.htmlCaptain Rick Bruce neglected his sworn duty to follow the law and abused his 
position of authority by insinuating that vendors and individuals using 
cannabis for self medication purposes are participating in a "scam".Moreover, there is overwhelming evidence in dispute of San Francisco Police 
Captain Rick Bruce's public insinuation that patients must fit his personal 
preference as to appearance and be exposed to threats of arrest and asset 
forfeiture or forced to suffer chronic pain if they are unwilling to purchase 
and consume far more harmful, dangerous and defective albeit approved 
pharmaceutical products well known to be injurious to public health.Such imprudent and irresponsible pronouncements are not merely in direct 
conflict with the available medical and scientific literature as well as U.S. 
and California laws, but are demonstrative of the arbitrary, ill advised and 
larger pattern of unlawful and prejudicial application of law enforcement as it 
continues to be applied to an entire class of citizens who face recrimination 
and harassment should they dare speak out against such unjust treatment as it 
is regularly applied to them.Indeed, by the letter and spirit of the existing rules and regulations 
regarding the conduct of police officers in his district, Captain Bruce should 
already be aware that his attempt to demean cannabis consumers and attempt to 
restrict their social standing or access to relief or gainful employment by 
restraining trade in Cannabis Sativa L. is not within the purview of his sworn 
duty to uphold and defend said laws.Even as they classify marijuana as too dangerous, the Food and Drug 
Administration, along with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Office 
of National Drug Control Policy approve and ignore harm from taxed, regulated 
drugs that have indisputably led to many millions of premature U.S. deaths.Such deceptive practices lend extra weight to enforcement officers, who are 
encouraged to ignore and dismiss overwhelming scientific evidence that would 
tend to disprove official contentions that cannabis has no medical utility. 
Even the recent Supreme Court decision in Gonzales v. Raich specifically 
suggests otherwise, going so far as to encourage the public to join in their 
judicial rebuke of Congress for maintaining such a   capricious position on 
this very point.The fact is that with DEA approval, ONDCP and the Partnership for a Drug Free 
America work closely with pharmaceutical and drug testing firms to garner 
public support through 
outright false claims disputing cannabis' safety and efficacy.In turn, members of this untaxed "partnership" enjoy
enormous and otherwise unlikely extra profits, not only
from increased sales to the public through Medicare, Medicaid and other federal 
programs but also from legal products diverted to the black market.There can be no question that efforts to combat public 
marijuana use to date have resulted in pot use rates by high school seniors of 
well over fifty percent, or that the Food and Drug Administration, DEA and 
ONDCP all suppress from their public statements against marijuana many of the 
well known harms from drugs that they instead approve for daily use by American 
citizens. Examples include but are not limited to Vioxx, which was voluntarily 
removed from the market after the drug caused approximately 30 to 50,000 
deaths, but not until the manufacturer was exposed publicly as having covered 
up evidence of harm, and made many billions in profit. The defective selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor Prozac, and dangerous 
amphetamines like Ritalin and Adderal are but three more examples of drugs 
federally approved for daily use, by children no less, even as those same 
children have faced removal from their homes when their parents have refused to 
drug them, and risked arrest by seeking relief through the use of marijuana as 
so many generations have done before them.Worse, the government does not dispute that crackdowns on marijuana use in fact 
directly correlate with the highest ever historical rates of heroin use - by 
eighth graders!Indeed, there is ample evidence that today's laws prohibiting 'marihuana' were 
enacted and continue to be implemented thanks to the repeated and regular use 
of perjury and numerous but officially endorsed false statements about 
cannabis' comparative efficacy that clearly lead to authorizations of payments 
from the federal government to suppliers and distributors of far more dangerous 
and less effective drugs.An extensive investigation into conflicts of interests between corrupted 
federal or state officials and the extensive and systemic pattern 
pharmaceutical industry racketeering as it applies to this concededly 
contentious but important and historic issue HAS ALREADY REVEALED that numerous 
federal and state crimes are in fact being committed against the people of the 
United States of America.THEREFORE, this document and others as submitted FOR THE RECORD will be used in 
conjunction with other legal devices to pursue avenues or relief in local and 
federal civil and criminal courts across the country, and to assist in the 
public distribution of the results of such investigations and court cases.Furthermore, as such conditions expose the city and county of San Francisco as 
well as the State of California to severe financial liability, we recommend 
that your office issue a public repudiation or retraction of Captain Bruce's 
ill-advised and inappropriate comments that obviously have the effect of 
encouraging other enforcement professionals to act similarly in disregard for 
the rights of other marijuana-using citizens of this great country.Failure to do so promptly, or any complicity from your office or other law 
enforcement officials in the suppression or omission of material facts that 
would tend to exonerate American citizens from the federal government's 
position on the safety and efficacy of cannabis medications, intoxicants or 
other preparations will be met with multiple and repeated legal actions.What Are The Antitrust Laws?The antitrust laws are a system of California and federal laws that prohibit 
unwarranted restraints on free and open competition. They allow the Attorney 
General to bring civil and criminal legal actions against individuals and 
businesses acting in restraint of trade. District attorneys can bring similar 
actions for antitrust offenses centered in their counties. The law provides 
that anyone injured by an antitrust offense may recover from the wrongdoer 
three times the damages suffered.Why Are The Antitrust Laws Important To You?As a consumer or taxpayerAntitrust offenses almost always raise the prices paid by consumers. Being 
forced to pay illegally high prices is the equivalent of having money stolen 
from your pocket. Even relatively small price increases can have a tremendous 
overall effect statewide. The state's economy and consumers suffer from the 
economic dislocations caused by antitrust offenses. And, when state or local 
governments pay too much for goods or services because of antitrust violations, 
either taxes must be raised or services must be reduced.also:The Attorney General vigorously enforces the antitrust laws and acts upon any 
information indicating antitrust violations that affect the California public. 
Such actions can include formal or informal investigation, and when necessary, 
a court action. In some cases, the Attorney General?s Office might be able to 
advise you that your inquiry should be directed to an appropriate district 
attorney or federal agency or to private counsel. The Attorney General can not act as a lawyer for, or give legal advice to, 
private individuals or businesses. Remember, the Attorney General stands ready 
to protect the citizens of the State of California and the economy on which 
they rely from illegal restraints of trade. However, this can only be done to 
the extent that concerned citizens help identify violations of law. To report a 
possible violation or to request additional copies of this publication, contact 
the:Public Inquiry Unit - Attorney General?s Office http://www.caag.state.ca.us/P.O. Box 944255Sacramento, CA 94244-2550 E-Mail Address: piu hdcdojnet.state.ca.us(916) 322-3360 Toll Free (800) 952-5225http://caag.state.ca.us/publications/antitrust.pdf CHAPTER IX Peace Officer Misconduct or Abuse A governmental authority, agent or person acting on behalf of a governmental 
authority is prohibited from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct by 
law enforcement officers that deprives any person of rights, privileges, or 
immunities secured or protected by state or federal law. The Attorney General 
may bring a civil action for equitable or declaratory relief to eliminate the 
unlawful pattern or practice. (Calif. Civ. Code, § 52.3.) http://caag.state.ca.us/publications/civilrights/01CRhandbook/chapter9.htm#N_112_ 18 U.S.C. § 371. Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud United States 
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Comment #58 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 20:12:09 PT
whig 
I really would appreciate it if you stop telling me how I should feel about anything.
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Comment #57 posted by whig on June 23, 2005 at 19:55:20 PT
FoM
If I said that cannabis was not part of my religion, I would be dishonest. Some people may not seek the same things, hence do not find them. If you seek only a recreational escape, without any deeper purpose, you will find no such purpose unless you are meant to anyhow.
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Comment #56 posted by runderwo on June 23, 2005 at 19:37:52 PT
the raids
I don't see what the big deal is. If these are illegal operations, it has just brought to the surface what has already been happening and has been hidden from the public eye. I'm sure O'Reilly is trying to spin it like suddenly in addition to the existing drug "problems" (mostly the fault of prohibition itself), now we have this new ADDITIONAL problem of loosely regulated pot clubs that are overstepping their legal authority. Not that any of these people weren't previously underground dealers or anything.Now, I don't particularly like the fact that a supposed medical cannabis club is doing other things they shouldn't be, and I generally support the police enforcing the law as they are meant to. But I think this is being used as a hysterical "I-told-you-so" in the wake of the Raich ruling and the national medical cannabis issue.Compare this to what happens when cannabis is legalized eventually. Suddenly, the "rates of (ab)use" spike upwards and the prohibs will use this as "I-told-you-so" too. But they will ignore the fact that people who were doing things illegally the whole time right under their noses are no longer in fear of arrest or jail for telling the truth in whatever surveys they employ. So while the REPORTED rates of use go up, the actual rate of use has not changed at all. Tell me, does anyone know anyone who falls into the following categories:1) does not use cannabis, but would use cannabis recreationally if it were legal2) would not use cannabis even if it were legalI think there are far more people in the latter category. Most people who would be interested in cannabis have already tried it and perhaps use it on a regular basis regardless of its illegality. For my part, I don't know of a single person who is waiting for cannabis legalization so they can try it. This is why I think that the law is irrelevant when it comes to the usage rates of cannabis. And I think the same idea goes for the distribution of cannabis, at least with local/small operations. There are simply so many people already doing it underneath everyone's radar that there is absolutely no way to collect accurate statistics on the subject, especially when the person you are collecting data from is threatened with jail if they answer wrong. So when some legitimacy comes to it, more people are going to be brought to the surface, but this doesn't mean that suddenly this is a NEW problem on top of the existing one.
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Comment #55 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 19:04:02 PT
Related Article from The Associated Press
Calif. Pot Crackdown May Net More Arrests June 23, 2005  
 
 By Garance Burke, Associated PressSAN FRANCISCO - Authorities described this week's raids on San Francisco pot clubs as one of the largest drug crackdowns in the area in recent memory, and said the arrests were the first step in uncovering a major international drug operation.U.S. Attorney Kevin V. Ryan said agents raided three pot clubs that operated as fronts for marijuana and Ecstasy trafficking, and warned that federal drug laws would be strictly enforced even in cities tolerant of medical marijuana."We're empathetic to the ill and to the sick, however we cannot disregard federal law," said Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Javier Pena. "We have the power to enforce federal drug laws even in areas where it might not be popular."Twenty people were indicted on federal drug charges in court documents unsealed Thursday, and an arrest warrant has been issued for another. Two others face state drug charges, and more arrests are pending, Ryan said.Following a two-year investigation dubbed Operation Urban Harvest, officials searched a total of 25 homes and businesses throughout the Bay Area on Wednesday. They seized some 9,300 pot plants with a street value of more than $5 million, said Ryan. He said the pot clubs were a base of operation for a larger drug trafficking organization importing and selling large quantities of marijuana and Ecstasy, and engaging in money laundering and cash smuggling.Despite the city's recognition of medical pot clubs as legal, San Francisco police officers participated in the investigation, but did not make arrests or enter the marijuana clubs.While federal officials said at a news conference that the raids would not usher in a broader crackdown on marijuana dispensaries in the city, protesters outside said they sent a frightening message to patients."I'm scared," said Kathleen Prevost, who said she uses marijuana to control her post-traumatic stress disorder. "All I want to do is have access to my medicine."Authorities said the Supreme Court decision two weeks ago that medical marijuana is illegal was not the impetus behind Wednesday's busts. But they warned federal laws will be strictly applied."There are some members of the public who think they can disregard the courts and Congress," said Pena. "The DEA will not be among them."Authorities are now reaching out to international law enforcement organizations, Ryan said.The alleged traffickers laundered millions of dollars using 12 financial institutions and 40 bank accounts, said Kenneth Hines, an agent in charge of the IRS criminal investigation.Copyright: 2005 Associated Press 
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/breaking_news/11969884.htm
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Comment #54 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 18:54:23 PT
Nicholas
It's very lame. I can't say I would use cannabis as a part of a religious belief because I wouldn't be telling the truth and that is something I just can't do when it comes to my faith. I know Native Americans do use Peyote as a religious practice and they should be allowed to practice their religion.
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Comment #53 posted by Nick Thimmesch on June 23, 2005 at 18:48:38 PT
Sorry FoM...
...been busy: how about this one? How lame and un-American it is to exclude any American from their choosen religious ceremonies?'Medicine Man' Arrested on Peyote ChargesBy DEBBIE HUMMEL
The Associated Press
Thursday, June 23, 2005; 8:16 PMSALT LAKE CITY -- A self-proclaimed medicine man was arrested Thursday on federal charges he lied about being an American Indian to consume and distribute peyote during religious ceremonies.James "Flaming Eagle" Mooney, 61, claims to be a member of the Oklevueha Band of Yamassee Seminole Indians. He openly uses and distributes the hallucinogen in religious ceremonies, which is allowed under federal law by members of recognized tribes.However, federal prosecutors said Mooney's tribal membership was fraudulently obtained. Court documents said the tribe revoked it and asked him to stop using their name in connection with his religious activities.The Oklevueha Band is not a federally recognized tribe and does not use peyote in its religious ceremonies, according to court documents.Mooney's wife, Linda, and Nicholas Stark, a member of Mooney's Oklevueha Earth Walks Church, were also named in the indictment. The Mooneys are scheduled to make a court appearance Friday.The Mooneys were charged in state court in 2000 for providing peyote to non-Native American church visitors, but later won a state Supreme Court decision after justices determined Utah law did not require peyote users to be members of federally recognized tribes.In April, Mooney filed a federal lawsuit against the Utah County officials who unsuccessfully prosecuted him, seeking the return of seized property, including 12,000 peyote buttons, and unspecified monetary damages.Messages left Thursday for two attorneys who have represented Mooney were not returned
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/23/AR2005062301684_
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Comment #52 posted by global_warming on June 23, 2005 at 18:39:36 PT
re:meaness..
O'Reilly wasn't as mean as he can be which surprised me,..Surprise, surprise, maybe, those people, who watch, that tv, are learning...The hand of Grace and the Hand of justice, along with every living vote, that will stand for the end, the final dissolution, of this corporeal massacre, and may the greed of the demon, satan, be dissolved, dismissed, and relegated, in those long forgotten, underworlds, where blackmail, greed, shame, will for eternity, be banished, and the New world, will, prosper, and write a New Destiny, a destiny, that has a warm hand, a hand, that will offer comfort.Unlike the clenched hand , of vigilance, and the violence of fear, the common bondage, that holds us close, to, our scriptures, to our commonness, only reminds us, that, our passage, through this world, binds us,..
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 18:17:38 PT
mayan
That news does make me happy. I don't watch Fox on purpose. I checked tonight because I thought O'Reilly might say something about the raids and he did. I was lucky I caught it. 
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Comment #50 posted by mayan on June 23, 2005 at 18:13:31 PT
FAUX News
Don't worry about them, they are going down the tubes as they have lost all credibility... Fox News in Ratings Free Fall:
http://www.newshounds.us/2005/05/18/fox_news_in_ratings_free_fall.php
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Comment #49 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 17:48:24 PT
Taylor
It's almost like a big zoning problem more then anything. 
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 17:47:09 PT
Cannabis is Ancient Medicine
I'm glad you liked it EJ.
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Comment #47 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 17:44:08 PT
Taylor
Yes I thought it was negative but O'Reilly wasn't as mean as he can be which surprised me. He said it was not a good section of SF. The policeman doesn't seem happy that it has gotten so out of control and is hard for local residents to handle. It's seems like a good thing that went overboard if that makes sense.
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Comment #46 posted by Taylor121 on June 23, 2005 at 17:34:39 PT
FoM what is your thoughts on O'Reilly story?
I thought that was a horribly negative report. One sided period.
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Comment #45 posted by Taylor121 on June 23, 2005 at 17:33:57 PT
O'Reilly and marijuana
Has said he supports medical marijuana for people that need it.. but opposes the California law since it is out of control in his eyes. Well he is only focusing on a minority of clubs. It is obvious that there is going to be some abuse."and this is all of the u.s."
What O'Reilly doesn't mention is in most other places in the U.S. the medical marijuana laws are not nearly as broad as the ones specified in California. The California law is by far the broadest one there is treating marijuana like a prescription drug letting doctors decide who uses it. In other states, they specify etc..
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Comment #44 posted by E_Johnson on June 23, 2005 at 17:32:37 PT
That's really interesting FoM
2737 BC -- Emperor Shen-Nung in China prescribes cannabis for beri-beri, constipation, 'female weakness,' gout, malaria, rheumatism and absentmindedness.I suppose the Bush administration would argue that Shen-Nung was looking for a medical excuse to legalize recreational drugs.
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Comment #43 posted by Taylor121 on June 23, 2005 at 17:31:14 PT
O'Reilly on California Medical Marijuana
Very Negative Report--Covered the raid on the three pot clubs that were busted in S.F. He interviewed a police captain. Called the medical marijuana law in California a scandal and said it is out of control. Police captain said that drug dealers are carrying a medical marijuana cards along with a caregiver I.D. card as a get out of jail free card. O'Reilly calls this a huge scam.. and said it's everywhere. Police captain says things have gotten worse since it was passed in 1996 and is the last thing the community needs. O'Reilly aid "some viewers may be telling themselves so what" and asked the captain his response. Captain says citizens have the right to go home without being tripping over drug dealers. O'Reilly says this is defacto legalization "they've figured it out" a huge scam spread across the states. 
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Comment #42 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 17:29:19 PT
O'Reilly Factor
They just did a piece on the raids in San Francisco. I hope others were able to see it too.
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Comment #41 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 17:05:18 PT
News Articles from CBS 5
The History Of Marijuana As Medicinehttp://cbs5.com/localnews/local_story_174185000.html***Supreme Court Decision: Gonzales vs. Raichhttp://cbs5.com/localnews/local_story_174170524.html***California Proposition 215 Texthttp://cbs5.com/localnews/local_story_174163113.html
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Comment #40 posted by global_warming on June 23, 2005 at 16:42:03 PT
"cruel and unusual punishment"
Amen sister,gw
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Comment #39 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 16:37:57 PT
Related News Article from KCBS
Feds Say Medical Pot Raid in San Francisco Not Related to Recent Supreme Court RulingJune 23, 2005 
(KCBS/AP) - Federal authorities say this week's raids on three pot clubs in San Francisco had nothing to do with medical marijuana and everything to do with controlling organized crime. 
KCBS reporter Doug Sovern in San Francisco says the US Attorney, the DEA and the IRS announced today that they believe the suspects in the case were using medical marijuana storefronts in San Francisco as a cover for illegal operations, where they grow vast quantities of pot at warehouses all over the Bay Area and launder illegal drug money from pot and ecstasy sales through the clubs. In Operation Urban Forest, authorities conducted simultaneous raids on three medical pot clubs and nearly two dozen other homes and businesses. 15 people were arrested. Five others have been asked to surrender. More than 9,300 pot plants with a street value of more than five million dollars were seized. In the affidavit, the ring leader admitted to running his operations out of the back of the pot clubs and said he would use cancer patients to defend him if he ever got caught. Javier Pena with the DEA said the ring was selling illegal drugs and laundering money. "This organization had been operating for over four years," he said. "It is now dismantled, putting a stop to their distribution of marijuana and ecstasy and the laundering of illegal proceeds. He said this is not a war on medical marijuana, but it should send a clear message. "Some of the public, they think they can disregard the courts and Congress," Pena said. "I just want to say that the DEA will not be among them." US Attorney Kevin Ryan said this is not an assault on medical marijuana users, and it has no relation to the recent Supreme Court ruling. "We're not talking about ill people who are using marijuana. We are talking about a criminal enterprise engaged in the widespread distribution of large amounts of drugs, worth millions of dollars," he said. But medical marijuana advocates protested a few blocks away at City Hall, saying they do not buy the feds' story. "I think this is cruel and unusual punishment. I think I'm being punished before I've been tried," said one man. "The cannabis dispensaries are going to stay open. Patients are going to fight for their rights. We're not going away, and we're not going to be intimidated," said another woman. "They keep talking about these informants, saying money laundering, ecstasy. Until we see the proof, until we see the trial, we're really going to say they're innocent until proven guilty." The feds insist the timing of the raids -just two weeks after the US Supreme Court ruled that state laws allowing medical use of pot don't supercede federal law - is entirely coincidental, and that they have been working on this case for more than two years. Investigators say the suspects have ties to other countries and used San Francisco as a hub. Federal drug agents say Wednesday's crackdown on pot clubs in Northern California was one of the largest drug trafficking busts since 1996. California is one of 10 states that allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Copyright 2005 by KCBS
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Comment #38 posted by global_warming on June 23, 2005 at 16:07:38 PT
NY Times
Just heard, the news", yup from the NY Times, radio, station..Every cancer, is best treated, by "chemo therapy",..Chemo, means, to the un-intiated, "drugs", we are talking massive doses of drugs, and chemicals, designed by our most learned "witche doctors, oh, do you have "insurance"//I have to reflect, them poor ole, dea-people, they have to figure out, is this battery of cancer cures,.."can they get HIGH,"There is some kind of poetic justice, best seen, by a puppy dog, chasing his tail..I know, that using the dreaded and cursed word, "high", can inflame some people.Like highs and lows, wish I could enjoy what I really crave the most, can't reach it, this moment, I can watch my television, and be filled, with happiness and sadness, for down to my local market, I can throw, my coins, and agree, what my comfort, is worth to me.Perhaps, when some talk of this rendering to Ceaser, they are ancient voices, who are reminding us, that 2005 years,ago, in the ancient past of the dust bin of our ancient history, Joe 6Pack, had some kind of gorcery line rage.gw--et..al
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 15:52:29 PT
Related Article from The LA Times
Federal Agents Crack Down on Medical Marijuana ProvidersRaids this week are the culmination of a two-year investigation.June 23, 2005San Francisco -- Federal officials said today they spent two years investigating an international marijuana and ecstasy ring that they broke up in two dozen raids this week.The investigation, which they dubbed "Operation Urban Harvest," yielded indictments of 19 people for conspiracy to grow and traffic marijuana.Agents raided 26 locations in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday, including three marijuana dispensaries as well as nearly two dozen homes and businesses in which 9,309 plants were being grown and harvested.Three people were charged with possession with intent to distribute the drug ecstasy and two others were charged with intent to commit money laundering.An arrest warrant was issued for one other man in connection with the distribution of more than 1,000 cannabis plants. Three firearms, eight vehicles and two Rottweiler dogs were confiscated during Wednesday's raids. Some 50 tablets of ecstasy were seized at one location, officials said.U.S. Atty. Kevin Ryan said that more than 17,000 marijuana plants have been seized from ring leaders in the course of the investigation. He said agents had broken up a criminal enterprise and he insisted there was no connection between the raids and medical marijuana suppliers.Each count of conspiracy to cultivate marijuana carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison. Conspiring to distribute ecstasy can bring a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. A money-laundering conviction can result in 20 years in prison along with a $500,000 fine, authorities said.Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/down.htm
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Comment #36 posted by global_warming on June 23, 2005 at 14:59:38 PT
re:comment 27
Why must we pay income tax, precisely? The crime uncovered by Banister is summarized as follows.As a fundamental starting point, it must be stipulated that the U.S. Constitution does not, and more importantly – can not -- authorize Congress to impose a direct tax on human labor. If a 1% tax on a person’s labor were to be held constitutional, a 100% tax on labor would also be constitutional, subject only to the whim of the political majority or the desire of government bureaucrats. In other words, the Constitution does not, and cannot, authorize Congress to use its limited taxing power to force the People to labor for the government...Where is Neo, and the Wachowski Brothers, when you need them?In 1909, the meaning of the word “income” did not mean money received by a worker in direct exchange for that person’s human labor. It meant money derived from capital or labor or both, as, for example, money (profit) derived by Wal-Mart or Merrill Lynch from the labor of its workers. At the turn of the previous century, it was well understood that the legal term “income” did not mean the wages or salary earned by the worker for his own labor.Today, due to the well-packaged web of lies that has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, most people today incorrectly believe “income” means not only money derived from someone else’s labor, but also money earned by workers in direct exchange for their own labor...This war in Hell is being financed by you and me, and has been raging for thousands of years...
Article I.
Section 2The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second
Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall
have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of
the State Legislature.No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who
shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons,
including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.Amendment XVI proposed on July 12, 1909
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration...If we were talking about a dollar or two, this might not mean a whole lot, but we are talking about a third of our income's, and these buzzards and governmental agencies, are actively lobbying, and advertising, in the name of the public safety and well being of our society.One can render to Ceaser what is Ceasers, but, when all has been rendered to Ceaser, and there is "Nothing" left "to God", and our spiritual comfort, is denied and crucified, either through the corruption of greedy lawyers and judges, and the uncertain judicial proponents, then this is truly the age of Aquarius, and the new born baby, that stars foretold, is ushering a new day...Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 
..gw
The Crime and the Cover-up
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 14:06:07 PT
More Information on The Raids
http://www.ontherecord.org/ 
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 13:58:02 PT
Drug Policy Alliance Press Release
 
Update: Medical Marijuana in the Post-Raich ClimateThursday, June 23, 2005There have been several significant developments in medical marijuana news since the Supreme Court decision earlier this month that the federal government has the right to prosecute medical marijuana patients.Just yesterday, federal agents raided three medical marijuana dispensaries in San Francisco, along with several homes and businesses. The agents stated that the raids were part of an investigation into a large scale drug trafficking ring. Medical marijuana advocates are waiting to find out more, given that the raids came so close on the heels of the Raich decision.In better news, Oregon and Hawaii, the two medical marijuana states whose resolve appeared to waver after the Supreme Court decision, have renewed their commitment to patients' rights.Oregon suspended its patient registration program after the Supreme Court decision in order to assess the ruling's impact. After reaching the conclusion that the ruling does not invalidate the state's program, the Oregon Department of Human Services has resumed issuing medical marijuana cards, and expects to be caught up from a backlog of applications this week.The Attorney General of Hawai'i, Ed Kubo, has retracted an alarmist assertion that the state's medical marijuana program was "dead" because doctors could now be prosecuted for recommending medical marijuana. Under intense pressure from groups including the Drug Policy Forum of Hawai'i, whose president is Alliance board member Pam Lichty, and the ACLU of Hawai'i, Kubo recently said that he would not prosecute doctors for certifying patients to use marijuana. Doctors can recommend marijuana not only under Hawai'i law but under federal law, thanks a 2002 9th Circuit Court ruling upholding the right of doctors to give such a recommendation and of patients to receive it.There is positive medical marijuana news north of the border as well. GW Pharmaceuticals, the company that makes the marijuana-derived medicine Sativex, has announced that its product is now available by prescription in Canada. The drug is approved for use by multiple sclerosis patients, and will be marketed by Bayer AG.http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/062305mmjupdate.cfm 
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 13:41:21 PT
duzt
I have no idea how they can keep Cannabis as a Schedule I drug now. No idea.http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20887.shtml
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Comment #32 posted by duzt on June 23, 2005 at 13:35:10 PT
I'm sure you saw this already FOM, but...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20050623/hl_hsn/brainsmarijuanalikechemicalspostponepainHow do they keep it schedule 1 now?
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Comment #31 posted by whig on June 23, 2005 at 12:50:13 PT
Our Word
We are aware. We are watching. We love you.
Be thou aware that thou art safe even in the darkest of hours, and through your tribulations, for you are with us. Do what is right and good in your eyes, and be not afraid.Check your motivations, do you enrich yourself at the expense of another, cease and make good. You shall not be punished forevermore, for you are with us.If you err, we will correct you. If you refuse to be corrected, you shall be made to understand why you should. This understanding does not come from men, who appropriate to themselves the name of the lord. What wisdom you will learn will come from the God that is within.I speak the words not that you shall believe me on any faith but that which you find within your own heart. It is not in blind "facts" that we trust, not words, but understanding that We are, all of us, part of a single One, and you may partake of the Tee of Life with your purpose to know, and you shall come to know.I do not speak as God, I speak as Michael.
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Comment #30 posted by whig on June 23, 2005 at 12:36:12 PT
Render
Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's
If you take Caesar's coin: that which Caesar has paid you
Then render ye service under him: that which he paid forDo not think this verse means that Jesus says: pay your taxes.
For what you are paid to labor for: ye do.
But if ye do not: return his wage.Render ye thus unto Caesar, and not otherwise.
For if ye give unto Caesar that which is God's,
How then shall ye render the same unto God?Sayeth Michael.
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Comment #29 posted by whig on June 23, 2005 at 12:31:15 PT
FoM
Maybe, but if you smoke pot they'll take your possessions too.
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 12:25:55 PT
whig
I don't know but I just know if we don't pay income tax they'll take our possession.
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Comment #27 posted by whig on June 23, 2005 at 12:22:25 PT
FoM
Why must we pay income tax, precisely?
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 10:32:03 PT
Another Comment
I always thought this would be fair. We know we must pay income tax. If we could take our tax that is due and give it to a tax exempt charity that we thought was important that would make me happy. I would then know the money I needed to pay would be used in the way I feel is best.
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 10:09:04 PT
mayan
I agree with you that the wealthy get by with a lot but on the bottom end a small mom and pop type operation better play by the rules or trouble will follow. The problem is there aren't any rules concerning Cannabis so it lives in Limbo.
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Comment #24 posted by mayan on June 23, 2005 at 09:48:28 PT
FoM
If they were worried about money laundering they would go after half the banks in this country. If all the dirty money was taken out of Wall Street the economy would collapse immediately. Uncle Sam makes big bucks from laundered money and that is why they have intentionally made drugs illegal and worth their weight in gold. Just check out my link in comment #4, "Dirty Money" Foundation of US Growth and Empire. As I've said before, Uncle is the biggest drug dealer on the planet. The drug war is a raging success as far as they're concerned. It makes them rich and gives them tools to oppress us all at once. This entire system is based upon the prohibition of the cannabis plant. It is not on their agenda to ever change that because they would lose control. 
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Comment #23 posted by mayan on June 23, 2005 at 09:32:55 PT
dididadadidit
I'm with you. We must start fighting back using every tool we have. The feds are playing in a rigged game so we must get down and dirty. The war on this plant and people must end!American Jury Institute/FIJA:
http://www.fija.org/Jury Nullification - Why you should know what it is:
http://www.greenmac.com/eagle/ISSUES/ISSUE23-9/07JuryNullification.htmlOn an unrelated note, yet another former high-ranking U.S. official doubts the official story of 9/11... Former Asst. Sec. Of Treasury Under Reagan Doubts Official 9/11 Story:
http://www.arcticbeacon.citymaker.com/articles/article/1518131/27928.htmThe 9/11 Whistleblowers:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/Pages/230904_whistleblowers.html9/11 Truth NYC:
http://www.ny911truth.org/
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 09:23:12 PT
Just Another Comment
What I think this raid is all about is money laundering not medical marijuana. Anyone that has a business or has ever had a business knows that you must pay taxes. I don't think they have a tax structure in place but they sure need one.
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Comment #21 posted by dididadadidit on June 23, 2005 at 08:52:37 PT
Demand Jury Trials and Inform Potential Jurors 
With all the trial publicity attendant to Ed Rosenthal's case, it was/is highly unlikely that a second trial would find a jury to convict. In a similar vein, it needs to be stressed over and over that jurors sitting on federal cannabis cases may well be finding state legal medical cases federally guilty without ever even hearing the word "medical" in the courtroom, as that defence is not federally allowed.Bullcrap!Get the jury pool corrupted so as to vote not guilty on all federal cannabis cases. See FIJA (Fully Informed Jury Association) web site for details on the rights of juries. There is precedence, both in the fugitive slave laws and alcohol prohibition, where juries fail to convict despite evidence presented, because the LAW sucks.We could see a side benefit of failure to convict in non-medical cases as well, since the jury has no way of knowing whether a case is or isn't a medical case.Inform the jury pool. Demand jury trials. Win dismissals. Screw the feds.Cheers?
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Comment #20 posted by AOLBites on June 23, 2005 at 08:49:47 PT
OT:
i was just about to post that... =P-=this 'supreme' court is BROKEN and this is further proof that they don't know how to read the constitution=--=snip=-As a result, cities now have wide power to bulldoze residences for projects such as shopping malls and hotel complexes in order to generate tax revenue.Writing for the court, Justice
John Paul Stevens said local officials, not federal judges, know best in deciding whether a development project will benefit the community. States are within their rights to pass additional laws restricting condemnations if residents are overly burdened, he said."The city has carefully formulated an economic development that it believes will provide appreciable benefits to the community, including — but by no means limited to — new jobs and increased tax revenue," Stevens wrote in an opinion joined by Justice
Anthony Kennedy, David H. Souter,
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer."It is not for the courts to oversee the choice of the boundary line nor to sit in review on the size of a particular project area," he said.O'Connor, who has often been a key swing vote at the court, issued a stinging dissent, arguing that cities should not have unlimited authority to uproot families, even if they are provided compensation, simply to accommodate wealthy developers."Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random," she wrote. "The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms."-=snip=-Scott Bullock, an attorney for the Institute for Justice representing the families, added: "A narrow majority of the court simply got the law wrong today and our Constitution and country will suffer as a result."At issue was the scope of the Fifth Amendment, which allows governments to take private property through eminent domain if the land is for "public use."-=snip=-
Supreme Court Rules Cities May Seize Homes
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 08:41:50 PT
Off Topic
I'm glad where we live is so rural that they wouldn't ever want our land for development.Property Can Be Taken for Development-Supreme Courthttp://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=8873080
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 08:36:13 PT
More News from the AP
Feds Target Marijuana Dispensaries in California
 By Don ThompsonJune 23, 2005State Attorney General Bill Lockyer supports the state's medical marijuana law, but his Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement was involved in the San Francisco investigation, spokeswoman Teresa Schilling said. "It's more than medical marijuana. This was an illegal marijuana operation," she said.http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86nFcrlQjSAQH1/Feds-Target-Marijuana-Dispensaries-in-California.xhtml
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Comment #17 posted by AOLBites on June 23, 2005 at 08:34:00 PT
Drug use by region
http://oas.samhsa.gov/substate2k5/SecC.htmmaps of various usage patterns for illeagal drugs, alcohol and tobaccoalso interesting is the perception of danger maps... and only the us govt would use such a hard to analize color scale... really how stupid are they?comp to the sensible ap version:http://tinyurl.com/7dqpdrelated story:Gov't Finds Highest, Lowest Marijuana Use-=snip=-http://tinyurl.com/a7qvaFor the first time, the government looked at the use of drugs, cigarettes, alcohol and various other substances, legal as well as illegal, by region rather than by state for a report Thursday.Regions could be as specific as Riverside, Calif., or as broad as all of the state of New York (minus New York City). Federal officials say the information will help states decide where they should spend money for treatment and prevention programs.-=snip=-
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 08:09:55 PT
Just a Comment
We have heard many times that people want marijuana legalized but I don't think it will ever be fully legalized because someone will always push beyond what the word legalization means. There will always be those that stretch the limit and I'm not talking about Dr. Molly Fry but people in general. Dr. Fry was a victim of a sting I think.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 07:31:36 PT
Nicholas and Everyone
I'm listening to this song right now and thought it was relative to this article and raid.Ordinary PeopleTakin' law into their own hands, conscientious people.Crackin' down on the druglord's land, government people.Confiscatin' all the dealer's land, patch-of-ground people.http://www.thrasherswheat.org/fot/lyrics_op.htm
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Comment #14 posted by cloud7 on June 23, 2005 at 07:24:37 PT
Relevant
Pain Relief in the 'Land of Plenty'http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig6/douglass1.html
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Comment #13 posted by cloud7 on June 23, 2005 at 07:19:57 PT
...
"The authorities said in a court document that Dr. Fry wrote a recommendation for medical marijuana to an undercover agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration even though there was a "lack of a medical record," and that her husband provided the agent with marijuana."So they send a conman into a doctor's office and he convincingly lies to the doctor and now it's the doctor's fault he couldn't read the narc's mind? It's got to the point where it is no longer enough to diagnose and treat symptoms as a doctor, you now have to be an infallible judge of human character and be able to see through every charade that someone puts on in your office. The DEA's actions sicken me.
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Comment #12 posted by Sam Adams on June 23, 2005 at 07:19:07 PT
feds
So tell me again: who's being victimized by these clubs? I'm sure lots of people will be safer now that Dr. Fry and her husband will be living in jail. What a sad day.Thought this article was particularly galling: the feds take what they want, when they want. Don't think you're free.http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/06/23/woman_stopped_at_logan_with_46950_sues_dea/
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on June 23, 2005 at 07:06:16 PT
Update on Raids from The San Francisco Chronicle
3 S.F. Pot Clubs Raided in Probe of Organized Crime Jaxon Van Derbeken, Charlie Goodyear, Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff WritersThursday, June 23, 2005 
Federal authorities raided three San Francisco medical marijuana dispensaries Wednesday, and investigators arrested at least 13 people as part of an alleged organized crime operation using the clubs as a front to launder money. Agents seized marijuana and other items from two cannabis clubs on Ocean Avenue in the Ingleside district and a third on Judah Street in the Inner Sunset district. The raids were the first in the Bay Area since the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the medical marijuana movement two weeks ago by ruling that the federal government had the authority to prosecute people whose activities are legal under state law. The actions prompted concern from medical marijuana advocates that the raids could be the first step in a federal crackdown on dispensaries. Authorities, however, said they were not specifically targeting such outfits but were aiming at an enterprise that was dealing large amounts of marijuana and laundering money through cannabis clubs. Twenty people were charged in an indictment that federal authorities planned to unseal today. Authorities would not comment on the specific allegations against them. San Francisco sheriff's officials said Wednesday night that 11 men and two women were in the county jail in connection with the case and would appear in federal court today. Authorities said the raids were the culmination of a lengthy investigation of an operation whose members were mostly of Asian descent and living in San Francisco and Oakland. They said that the operation controlled at least 10 warehouses where marijuana was grown in large quantities and that those involved were bringing in millions of dollars. One warehouse in Oakland that federal agents raided earlier this month was capable of growing $3 million worth of marijuana annually, investigators said. The marijuana ostensibly was for cannabis clubs, but the amount being grown was far more than needed to supply the dispensaries, authorities said. "It's not the pot clubs per se'' that were targets, said one law enforcement official, who asked not to be named because the indictments were still under seal. "It's not an attack on medical marijuana. This is an organized crime group that is using the whole pot club thing as a front.'' Snipped:URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/23/MNGRODDG321.DTL 
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Comment #10 posted by cloud7 on June 23, 2005 at 07:05:16 PT
It was only a matter of time
I don't think anyone is the least bit surprised that these raids would begin happening after the Raich ruling.
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Comment #9 posted by goneposthole on June 23, 2005 at 06:50:33 PT
There's plenty more
There is a lot of cannabis, the federales are not going to be able to destroy all of the marijuana on earth. There is plenty more in every state, Mexico, Canada, and there is some in Amsterdam, too. Every where you go, there is cannabis available to the general public. They'll never get it all. Try some. It's good for you and what ails you. Don't use drugs. Use the cannabis plant instead.
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Comment #8 posted by MikeEEEEE on June 23, 2005 at 05:51:00 PT
Marching Orders
The purpose is to spread fear. I was kind of wondering, isn't it the purpose of terrorism to spread fear.
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Comment #7 posted by jose melendez on June 23, 2005 at 05:45:12 PT
steroid, cannabinoid, myelin sheath. Got Profit?
from: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2005/205_ms.html" . . . loss of vision in one eye--appeared when she was 23. She was diagnosed with inflammation of the optic nerve (optic neuritis), and treatment with steroids restored her sight, she says. It wasn't until five years later that her second symptom appeared--numbness and tingling in one leg. More bouts with optic neuritis and bowel and bladder problems followed, along with mobility problems. "I had a slow, progressive decline in my ability to walk long distances, decreased sensation in my hands, and I would tire easily . . . " from: http://www.jci.org/cgi/content/full/111/8/1231 Cannabinoid therapy delays the onset and reduces clinical severity of TMEV-IDD. The intraperitoneal administration of R(+)WIN55,212 (20 mg/kg) at the time of TMEV infection (day 0–5) significantly delayed the onset of clinical disease and ameliorated both the incidence and severity of clinical disease at equivalent time points up to day 85, compared with either mice treated with the inactive enantiomer S(–)WIN55,212 or untreated TMEV-infected mice (P Treatment with R(+)WIN55,212 between postinfection day 26–31, i.e., at the onset of TMEV-induced clinical disease, also ameliorated the clinical severity of TMEV-IDD (P Importantly, there was no significant difference in severity, incidence, or onset of TMEV-induced disease between untreated TMEV-infected mice and those treated with the S(–)WIN55,212 enantiomer (Figure 1) or vehicle-treated mice (data not shown). Treatment of TMEV-infected mice with a lower dose of R(+)WIN55,212 (5 or 1 mg/kg) at the time of TMEV infection (postinfection day 0–5) or at the onset of clinical disease (postinfection day 26–31) was unsuccessful at reducing either the incidence or severity of disease compared with control mice (data not shown), indicating the dose dependency of the protection. In addition, mice treated on alternative days (between postinfection day 0–8 or 26–34) also did not show any significant reduction in disease severity (data not shown).http://pages.unibas.ch/diss/2004/DabsB_6910.pdf Structures of the different typesThe circular glands produce also an essential oil, which is responsible for the characteristic
smell of the hemp plant. It contains mono- and sesquiterpenes (e.g. b-caryophyllene, humulene, caryophyllene oxide, a- and b-pinene, limonene) and phenylpropane derivatives (e.g. cis- and
 trans-anethol, eugenol). Minor components of the hemp plant are other phenolic compounds
(e.g. spiroindane, dihydrostilbene, dihydrophenanthrene derivatives), flavonoids, nitrogen-containing compounds (amines, amides), amino acids, and sugars. - - - The sesquiterpene caryophyllene oxide is a precursor to steroids and hormones:PLANT VOLATILE SIGNALS IN RESPONSE TO HERBIVORE FEEDINGhttp://www.fcla.edu/FlaEnt/fe79p93.pdf
marijuanamission.com - It's food, stupid. 
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Comment #6 posted by Nick Thimmesch on June 23, 2005 at 04:42:08 PT
Predictable...
...and the usual bad pr for the usual suspects: let 'em hang themselves. Change the Schedule I status of marijuana via Congress -- which is where the real battleground has always been -- and encourage the feds to chase teen steroid clubs instead: that would be a beginning to a sane national marijuana policy and make the public happy as well knowing their kids ain't on 'roids.
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Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on June 23, 2005 at 03:47:19 PT:
Some confusion, here
Reports so far are giving a 'he said, she said' about whether local LEOs, in defiance of the California State Constitution, supplied resources and support to the Feds. What's 'the word'? Did they or didn't they?
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Comment #4 posted by mayan on June 23, 2005 at 03:44:36 PT
Money Laundering?
3 S.F. pot clubs raided in probe of organized crime - Medical marijuana dispensaries used as front for money laundering, authorities say:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/23/MNGRODDG321.DTLSure, they're worried about money laundering. The U.S. government is "Mr. Big"..."Dirty Money" Foundation of US Growth and Empire: 
http://copvcia.com/free/economy/053101_banks.htmlCIA, Drugs, and Wall Street:
http://copvcia.com/free/economy/dontblink.htmlTHE BUSH-CHENEY DRUG EMPIRE:
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ciadrugs/bush-cheney-drugs.html
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Comment #3 posted by jose melendez on June 23, 2005 at 02:47:38 PT
test the system
say something . . .http://savepacifica.net/media2.html
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on June 22, 2005 at 22:26:27 PT
Video On Raids: KRON4.com 
http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=3508911&nav=5D7lbM6O
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Comment #1 posted by AOLBites on June 22, 2005 at 22:21:04 PT
...
the federal investigation reinforced the importance of "trying to protect the legitimate uses of medicinal marijuana in the state."-----------
federal agents were accompanied by the San Francisco police
-----------Now, What the Hell are they trying to say there...
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