cannabisnews.com: Patients Cheer, Deputies Criticize MMJ Limits





Patients Cheer, Deputies Criticize MMJ Limits
Posted by CN Staff on August 22, 2005 at 07:35:23 PT
By Brian Seals, Sentinel Staff Writer
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel
Santa Cruz -- Roughly one year after the county established possession limits for medical marijuana users, the policy is getting mixed reviews. Medical pot advocates say the policy is working and they feel more at ease when their medicine is on them.Deputies say the policy has put a "black mark" on the medical marijuana movement. Fewer calls of concern are coming from patients, said Valerie Corral, co-founder of the Santa Cruz-based Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana. "I think it’s going quite well," she said. "I believe patients are being treated respectfully."
Last summer, then-Sheriff Mark Tracy asked the county Board of Supervisors to convene a team of physicians to craft guidelines on how much pot a medical user can possess. The doctors’ recommendation resulted in the Board of Supervisors setting a 3-pound limit of processed pot and a garden with a 100-square-foot canopy, or leaf coverage. The county guidelines exceed those of statewide limits set under SB 420, which was signed into law in 2003, that allows a patient to keep a half-pound of dried pot on hand as well as six mature plants or 12 immature ones. But that larger allowable amount in Santa Cruz County has sheriff’s deputies suspecting that some commercial growers and sellers are abusing medical policy as a ruse for their commerce."It kind of empowered people who are not medical users to bump up the quantity," said Sgt. Steve Carney of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Marijuana Enforcement Team. "It has kind of put a black mark on the whole medicinal thing."Deputies have encountered situations where they find pot growing, sometimes inside or sometimes in a backyard, and a person or a few people living there have a doctor’s recommendation.But deputies are often finding other tell-tale signs as well — baggies, scales, large amounts of cash and reports of heavy foot traffic."We’re finding more and more that about 75 to 80 percent of the people we contact are commercial growers and sellers," Carney said. "They’re using medical marijuana to disguise themselves."However, Carney said the department is generally erring on the side of caution and often leaving plants intact even when there may be evidence of commercial operations so long as their is medical documentation.He pointed to just last week when deputies found plants growing in a backyard near Soquel Elementary. The resident had a recommendation, but also scales, which officers see as a sign of illicit growing, Carney said. The officers left.So far this year, deputies have discovered 14,000 marijuana plants growing. Of those, they have left about 1,200 plants behind, Carney said. He estimated of those plants left behind, probably 200 to 300 are what the Sheriff’s Office believes to be those of legitimate medical users.The Sheriff’s Office doesn’t go out looking for pot in people’s home; the information usually comes by tips from neighbors, Carney said.Tweaking the amounts in the county to reflect the state law would be helpful for law enforcement, he said, and it would be helpful if doctors were more specific in recommending amounts their patients should use.However, Santa Cruz defense attorney Ben Rice said the plan is having its intended effect. "Largely, I think it has been a success," Rice said.During the three years before the county set its policy, Rice went to court to obtain the return of 14 pounds of medical pot. He said he hasn’t had such a case since the new rules have been in place."I think it’s important people know what the guidelines are so they don’t run into problems," Rice said.For the very sick growing their own, Carney said the department rarely gets calls about them."We very rarely run across people who are true medical patients because they don’t rise above the radar," Carney said.The guidelines were unveiled and given preliminary approval last August. The ordinance was formally adopted in October.Complete Title: Patients Cheer, Deputies Criticize County Medical Marijuana Limits Not Without Its CriticsSource: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA)Author: Brian Seals, Sentinel Staff WriterPublished: August 22, 2005 Copyright: 2005 Santa Cruz SentinelContact: editorial santa-cruz.comWebsite: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/Related Articles & Web Site:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/County OKs Pot Limithttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19600.shtmlMedical Pot Limit Weighedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19590.shtml
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Comment #18 posted by runruff on August 23, 2005 at 15:56:02 PT:
Religion. Good grief, Charlie Brown!
Kincaid is a mennonite. You know why Mennonites don't believe in making love standing up? God might think they're dancing.I first posted this over on Pete's web site. Good job you're doing over there Pete. Keep it up. My deceased father's name is Pete. Not short for anything, just Pete.
He was native American and his real name untill he was
seven was Theradee. They started calling him Pete in school 
so he just kept the name. He didn't have a birth cetificate
cause he was born on the reservation in Oaklahoma near 
Twin Oaks next to the Black Fox Family cemetary.
I just thought you'd be dying to know all that.Namaste
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Comment #17 posted by Max Flowers on August 23, 2005 at 11:14:43 PT
             +===+
 - "...practicing religion requires a God" - I would submit that this also is untrue. Buddhism is a religion, but has no "God". In Buddhism, the Buddha is not seen as a God, but as an ideal, a representation, the living memory of a beautiful wise person who has long since died but does not sit in the "heavens" or the ether as a "god". It's very different from Christianity or any of the other religions really.My main point is that practicing religion is actually whatever a person deems it to be according to their own private idea of spirituality.
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on August 23, 2005 at 11:08:21 PT
Dankhank
Yes Weeds #3 was awesome! I love it! 
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Comment #15 posted by Max Flowers on August 23, 2005 at 11:06:47 PT
runderwo
- Unless you worship Jah, there is no God in using cannabis. Therefore, the typical American concludes, using cannabis is not an issue of religious freedom, because practicing religion requires a God. - That may be accurate in terms of what the typical American thinks, but that is not what the reality is. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" To me that means that each person's religion is a private matter to him/herself, that the government has no say in. Therefore, if my religious beliefs are some weird pseudo-pagan type that involve cannabis, then they are and that's that. It does NOT say, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, as long as the religion that the citizen wants to exercise is a known and established one that Congress has heard of or somehow isn't offended by---otherwise Congress may deny its existence and disqualify it as religion and prohibit it"!!
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Comment #14 posted by Dankhank on August 23, 2005 at 05:40:45 PT
Smokin' and Drinkin'
"Smoking dope and drinking beer is like pissin' in the wind!"...Fearless Frank ...Seriously, I like the taste of a good beer every now and then, too. Weeds #3 was awesome, as expected ...One more brick out of the wall ...
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Comment #13 posted by runderwo on August 22, 2005 at 16:05:16 PT
Truth
"How the heck are we supposed to know if we are under three pounds if we can't have scales."I was hoping someone would point out this incomprehensible stupidity. Thank you.
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Comment #12 posted by runderwo on August 22, 2005 at 16:03:21 PT
alcohol and cannabis
I drink alcohol when I'm high sometimes. I rarely drink more than one or two beers whether or not I am also high. I never do both unless I am free of responsibilities for the day and can travel by foot.Alcohol is just not a very fun drug to me, and I enjoy the taste of a good beer more than the intoxication it provides.  Having a tiny beer buzz on top of a high is enjoyable to me in certain situations.
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Comment #11 posted by runderwo on August 22, 2005 at 15:58:06 PT
well
Unless you worship Jah, there is no God in using cannabis. Therefore, the typical American concludes, using cannabis is not an issue of religious freedom, because practicing religion requires a God.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on August 22, 2005 at 13:53:25 PT
Kincaids Article
It made me think about Showtime's Weeds. Tonight is a new episode. Little Boxes On the HillsideLittle Boxes Made of Ticky TackyShowtime's Weeds: http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/http://www.sisterschoice.com/malvinamain.html
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Comment #9 posted by Max Flowers on August 22, 2005 at 11:18:33 PT
Just so no one misunderstands me
I'm not advocating violence, just saying that I can see how powerful emotions are generated when small numbers of people disrespect the spiritual needs, freedom and orientation of many others.
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Comment #8 posted by billos on August 22, 2005 at 11:08:03 PT
Cliffy.....mom is calling you home......
it's time to make her martini while daddy beats the snot out of you again.
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Comment #7 posted by Max Flowers on August 22, 2005 at 10:59:35 PT
Kincaid = Thug
I have just one question for this DEA shill Kincaid: who the F^$& do you think you are to judge my, or any American's, spirituality and what I would use to enhance it? What country did I wake up in---North Korea? Saudi Arabia? The Constitution/Bill Of Rights of the United States gives us the freedom of religion, and inherent in that is our freedom of spirituality. As long as we don't hurt others, we are free to practice our own religious beliefs in any way we see fit, and no man can sit in judgment of those spiritual practices or needs. His position is the pinnacle of arrogance and unAmericanism. He spits on the Bill Of Rights with every bigoted word he speaks to disparage the spiritual needs of others.I sure can see how the Revolutionary War started. When arrogant men like him try to stomp on the rights of thousands of others simply because he does not share the same view, words seem to only go so far after a while and a desire to shut them up permanently begins to creep in. 
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Comment #6 posted by afterburner on August 22, 2005 at 10:31:14 PT
More Tripe from Crackpot Cliff Kincaid of...
inAccuracy In Media!He fails once again to mention alcohol or Prozac in his devious reportage of violent tragedies. Alcohol is legal in Alaska and widely used and under-reported and a source at times of extreme violence. Why no mention of alcohol in the press? Did anyone bother to ask or to investigate, to ask his friends? Give us the whole truth, not sensationalistic reporting!The word 'stoned' is often used to describe alcohol stupor, just as some inaccurately use the same word to describe cannabis enhancement. Some people, especially teenagers, mix alcohol and cannabis, which most responsible cannabis enthusiasts consider to be a waste, like "pi**ing into the wind." Red Lake student killer in Minnesota had a history of Prozac use:{Another student killer on Prozac {Post hoc ergo propter hoc?{He was taking the antidepressant Prozac and at least once was hospitalized for suicidal tendencies, said Gayle Downwind, a cultural coordinator at Red Lake Middle School who taught Weise. It was not uncommon for Weise to spend at least one night a week at her home. "He considered my house a safe place to be," she said in an interview. 
--posted by John Lott at 1:15 PM
http://johnrlott.tripod.com/2005_03_01_johnrlott_archive.html
Colin Roger Cotting a 16-year-old boy has killed his stepmother - sick news  
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Comment #5 posted by Truth on August 22, 2005 at 09:56:45 PT
edit
change that "are" to "our"
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Comment #4 posted by Truth on August 22, 2005 at 09:55:41 PT
scales
They limit us to a certain weight but they say if we have scales we are selling. How the heck are we supposed to know if we are under three pounds if we can't have scales. Do we take the herb to the post office to weight it? Do we take it to the grocery store? Are we suppose to guess? Are freedom is at stake. 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on August 22, 2005 at 09:43:03 PT
Toker00
I really don't understand the hate towards those who don't think the same as others. I work hard in my life to not let my prejudices cause me to begin hating anyone but that just isn't the way it is for some folks like Mr. Kincaid.
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Comment #2 posted by Toker00 on August 22, 2005 at 09:37:35 PT
Innaccuracy In Media
Wow, FoM. Reefer madness in the flesh. Cliff Kincaid. Amazing what fear of the unknown can accomplish. He knows, nor acknowleges, none of the truths about cannabis."The media's pro-pot bias can be seen in how the major media ignored the comments of Rosenthal and others, documented in a video released by the anti-drug group, Dads and Mad Moms Against Drug Dealers (DAMMAD)."Because even the media have become aware of the clear shift in public opinion about the Drug War. Not just about Cannabis acceptance, but about the "war" against a plant. Dammad is just that. Damned and Mad about it.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 22, 2005 at 08:12:22 PT
AIM: Crackpot Potheads Deal Dope on TV 
By Cliff Kincaid  August 22, 2005 The common assumption is that marijuana is at least a harmless drug. But that is a dangerous and false assumption. 
 
As many as 100,000 potheads were expected over the weekend at the Hempfest in Seattle, Washington, to celebrate the use of a drug that makes one unable to think clearly. One of the speakers, Reverend Levon the Lion of the "Church of Cognitive Therapy," claims a "religious and spiritual entitlement" to marijuana. It would be laughable were it not for the fact that marijuana is also being sold to the gullible as something that supposedly has medical benefits. Now it is supposed to have spiritual benefits? Some people will say anything to justify getting high.The common assumption is that marijuana is at least a harmless drug. But that is a dangerous and false assumption. The new scientific volume, Marijuana and Madness, edited by David Castle and Robin Murray, features much of the evidence. Titles of the chapters include "Cannabis and Psychosis Proneness," and "Cannabis as a Potential Causal Factor in Schizophrenia." The American Journal of Psychiatry comments that "The editors and publishers of this book have responded to a need for clear, research-based information on a topic of great current concern. They have done an excellent job." The book is published by Cambridge University Press.Just before the Seattle Hempfest was held, it was reported that NFL star Randy Moss had admitted to the HBO Real Sports show to using pot over a period of several years. Two years ago he was charged with marijuana possession after he was arrested for pushing a traffic agent a half-block with his car. In 1996, when playing college football, he tested positive for smoking marijuana. Incredibly, Moss told HBO that he doesn't abuse marijuana but only has "fun" with it. At the same time, he doesn't let it "take control over me."Moss' erratic behavior over the years and bizarre comments to HBO may bring attention to the fact that the use of marijuana is increasingly being linked to various mental problems. It's a topic the media usually shy away from.The influence of marijuana figures in a sensational Alaska case involving Colin Roger Cotting, a 16-year-old who police say beat his stepmother to death after she confronted him about smoking pot. He is accused of raping her before beating her to death. Then he stuffed her dead body into a freezer. When originally asked about the crime, he reportedly responded that he was "too stoned" to remember what had happened.Yet the media are increasingly presenting potheads and even pot dealers as respectable people you should consider having as neighbors next door. The latest example is the "Weeds" program on the Showtime cable channel.Entertainment Weekly magazine describes the series as controversial, "not because it's about a suburban mom who makes ends meet by dealing marijuana but because it refuses to judge her behavior." This marks the first time that a television show has depicted dope-dealing as perfectly acceptable.In the Louisville Courier-Journal, reporter Tamara Ikenberg quotes pro-pot activists as saying they are pleased, for the most part, with the new wave of onscreen pot smokers. "Unlike the munchie-prone misfits of the past, many of today's TV tokers are taxpaying family folks with careers and brains," she reports.Steve Bloom, editor of High Times magazine, was quoted by Ikenberg as saying that the new "Weeds" show on Showtime "represents the TV industry mirroring what's happening in society." He explained that "A lot of the writers, directors and producers, probably a lot of them smoke marijuana, probably a lot of them deep down would like to see the laws changed, so they're pushing the envelope by including storylines with marijuana. They want to see it more normalized on TV, and that would hopefully usher in some slight change in society's view of marijuana."This is about as honest as a pro-marijuana activist can get. In effect, he's saying the media are pushing pot on television because they smoke it themselves.Bloom is concerned about how his own magazine, which glorifies dope smoking, is portrayed as well. He contacted us when we wrote about how Ed Rosenthal of High Times magazine had joked to a pro-pot audience that he smoked marijuana to deal with his glaucoma, although his glaucoma was "latent" and hadn't even been diagnosed. He had let the cat out of the bag—that medical marijuana was a hoax to justify getting high. Bloom wanted us to know that Rosenthal wasn't associated with High Times when he made those revealing comments. So even High Times has professional journalism standards. Indeed, a former High Times editor now works at AARP The Magazine, where he became a spokesman for a poll insisting that seniors also support the "medical marijuana" hoax. The media's pro-pot bias can be seen in how the major media ignored the comments of Rosenthal and others, documented in a video released by the anti-drug group, Dads and Mad Moms Against Drug Dealers (DAMMAD). Thanks to Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, we have some additional documentation about the media's pro-pot bias.At a NORML conference two years ago, during a candid moment when he was boasting of the power of the pro-pot lobby, he named several television programs that he said had portrayed marijuana in a "positive" manner. He said they included ER, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Sybil, Murphy Brown, Sports Night, Becker, West Wing, Roseanne, Sex in the City, Six Feet Under, Whoopi, Montel, That 70s Show, and the Larry David show.St. Pierre said, "These shows are seen by tens of millions of people. So that's why it's so crucial that we're able to capture—and to demonstrate the change in—culture."Viacom, which owns Showtime, is a big media conglomerate. It also owns the CBS television network and MTV. Don't look for any of the Viacom properties or other media for that matter to do a story about how "weed" cost the life of the stepmother of Colin Roger Cotting. Also, don't look for any made-for-television movies about how the Red Lake student killer in Minnesota, who killed nine people before committing suicide, was an admitted "stoner" and pothead.Cliff Kincaid is the Editor of the AIM Report and can be reached at cliff.kincaid aim.org  Copyright: 2005 Accuracy In Media
 http://www.aim.org/aim_column/3956_0_3_0_C/
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