cannabisnews.com: Assemblyman Charged With Marijuana Possession

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  Assemblyman Charged With Marijuana Possession

Posted by CN Staff on March 15, 2013 at 14:02:16 PT
By Thomas Kaplan 
Source: New York Times 

New York -- A New York State assemblyman from the Hudson Valley was arrested and charged with marijuana possession after he was stopped for speeding, the authorities said on Friday. The assemblyman, Stephen M. Katz, 59, a Republican from Mohegan Lake, was found with a “small bag” of marijuana when stopped on Thursday, the State Police said in a statement. Assemblyman Katz was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation that is punishable by a fine of up to $100. 
In a statement, Mr. Katz described his arrest as an “unfortunate incident.” “This should not overshadow the work I have done over the years for the public and my constituency,” he said, adding, “I am confident that once the facts are presented that this will quickly be put to rest.” Mr. Katz, who was first elected in 2010, represents a district that includes parts of Putnam and Westchester Counties. As a Republican in the Democratic-controlled Assembly, he is not especially influential, but he has made a name for himself as one of the more outspoken state legislators. (This week, for instance, he enraged fans of the Buffalo Bills by questioning the use of state money to entice the team to stay in New York.) The arrest this week was not Mr. Katz’s first. Mr. Katz, a veterinarian by trade, was once accused of illegally disposing of a dead German shepherd, and another time of allegedly attacking a Chihuahua he was treating. Both times, he said, he was exonerated. On Thursday, Mr. Katz was arrested around 10 a.m. after he was detected driving 80 miles per hour on the New York State Thruway in Coeymans, south of Albany, where the speed limit is 65 m.p.h. The State Police said the trooper who stopped him noticed the smell of marijuana and then found the bag of marijuana. Mr. Katz was released on an appearance ticket and is due in court on March 28. The assemblyman, who is a member of the chamber’s Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, voted against a bill last year that would have legalized medical marijuana. Source: New York Times (NY)Author: Thomas KaplanPublished: March 15, 2013Copyright: 2013 The New York Times CompanyContact: letters nytimes.comWebsite: http://www.nytimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/pdeVsbIICannabisNews  -- Cannabis  Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 

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Comment #10 posted by observer on March 19, 2013 at 17:23:51 PT

Remember Shang Yang
Ironic.Let us pause to consider Shang Yang (390-338 BC), a.k.a., "Lord Shang". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_YangAnother law-lover ("laws" he made up, of course) Shang Yang was a legalist. Like modern-day authoritarians and law-lovers in most governments now, Shang Yang believed the common people to be evil and foolish, and needed harsh laws to make them be good. A strong, all-seeing police force would crush evil-doers (breakers of the petty and arbitrary laws legalists love legislating), to put fear in the hearts of all. And respect for "the law". Sound familiar?In a poetic (if unhappy) application of Proverbs 26:27 ("Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein..."), the law-lover Shang Yang got a chance and an opportunity to be on the receiving end of some of the very same laws he himself championed. 
The next ruler, King Huiwen, ordered the execution of Yang and his family, on the grounds of fomenting rebellion. Yang had previously humiliated the new Duke "by causing him to be punished for an offense as though he were an ordinary citizen." Yang went into hiding and tried to stay at a hotel. The hotel owner refused because it was against Yang's laws to admit a guest without proper identification, a law Yang himself had implemented.Yang was executed by chelie (dismemberment, being fastened to five chariots or cattle and torn to pieces); his whole family was also executed. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_Yang 
"This should not overshadow the work I have done over the years for the public..."Overshadow? Oh no: we need to see both his words and his actions placed side-by-side, in order to understand the hypocrisy and irony of it all. Remember Lord Shang. 
http://drugnewsbot.org
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Comment #9 posted by Hope on March 16, 2013 at 15:51:28 PT

He's like the parable of the merciless servant.
But he wants mercy.
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Comment #8 posted by bullhead on March 16, 2013 at 10:50:29 PT:

Twice the Time
He should resign. He should be deprived of his pension and go straight to Jail. It should be a law that any elected official who breaks the law does twice the time and the fine. Lose his house and his kids. That seems only fair for all the misery these laws have caused all of us
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Comment #7 posted by The GCW on March 16, 2013 at 07:07:28 PT

Behind the scenes...
EDITORIAL
Still waiting for answers on potIt turns out that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder hasn't been quite as mysterious about the future of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington state as his empty public pronouncements would suggest.Behind the scenes with state officials, he's apparently been somewhat more forthright.Cont.http://www.denverpost.com/news/marijuana/ci_22801215/still-waiting-answers-pot
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Comment #6 posted by The GCW on March 16, 2013 at 06:42:03 PT

Empower cannabis black market for teens.
Group forms to oppose Colorado marijuana http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22802843/group-forms-oppose-colorado-marijuana-stores-0-I guess they want the black market / underground to to continue selling cannabis to adults who do not cards teens... 
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Comment #5 posted by runruff on March 15, 2013 at 18:52:35 PT

Assemblyman, Stephen M. Katz, 59,
Off with his head!
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Comment #4 posted by The GCW on March 15, 2013 at 18:08:35 PT

Re: HempWorld's post,
If this is true:"The assemblyman, who is a member of the chamber’s Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, voted against a bill last year that would have legalized medical marijuana."perhaps He should resign.-Unless, He believes medical cannabis doesn't go far enough and He supports fully RE-legalizing the plant.
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Comment #3 posted by Swazi-X on March 15, 2013 at 17:23:39 PT

Fire the Clown...
If this dude were 20 years younger and black, he'd be in jail right now for the exact same circumstances, and we'd never hear about it.Any elected official caught with cannabis who doesn't publicly support it should immediately be fired, no questions asked. If they're lying about cannabis, what else are they lying about? How can we trust someone so obviously deceitful?
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Comment #2 posted by Lucas on March 15, 2013 at 16:57:46 PT

he did smoke some
> if he had smoked some, he wouldn't be speedinghe smoked in the car, he was speeding, the cop smelled it, searched his car, and found his stashwhat a hipocrite, no medical pot for you, driving under the influence is OK for the guy who voted against medical use.. lovely
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Comment #1 posted by HempWorld on March 15, 2013 at 14:40:21 PT

"The assemblyman, who is a member of the
chamber’s Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, voted against a bill last year that would have legalized medical marijuana."Go figure!Ps. if he had smoked some, he wouldn't be speeding and he would have never been caught! Ha!
Pot Law
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