cannabisnews.com: Md. Couple Arrested on Marijuana Charges





Md. Couple Arrested on Marijuana Charges
Posted by FoM on September 04, 1999 at 06:40:07 PT
By Fern Shen, Washington Post Staff Writer
Source: Washington Post
A senior Energy Department official and his wife, one of the lead attorneys involved in the Karen Silkwood case, were arrested this week on charges of growing and possessing marijuana after their 16-year-old daughter, armed with photographs of the plants, went to police.
Robert Jason Alvarez, 54, and Kathleen Marie "Kitty" Tucker, 55, of the 600 block of Kennebec Avenue in Takoma Park, were arrested Monday and each charged with the manufacture and distribution of marijuana, possession of marijuana and conspiracy to manufacture and possess marijuana.The couple's attorney said yesterday that the daughter, Kerry Tucker, was staying with family friends by order of a Montgomery County District Court judge. The attorney, Steven Kupferberg, would not comment further about her or discuss her reasons for contacting police.Energy Department officials said that after his arrest, Alvarez, a political appointee, was fired from his job as a senior policy adviser in charge of environmental safety and health. Officials "lost trust and confidence in his ability to perform his duties," according to Brooke Anderson, a department spokeswoman.Tucker was one of the anti-nuclear activists who brought national attention to the 1974 fatal car accident of Karen Silkwood, a lab analyst at the Kerr-McGee Cimarron Plutonium Plant in Oklahoma. At the time of the accident, Silkwood was on her way to meet a reporter to discuss alleged safety problems at the plant.Kupferberg said the charges against them "will eventually be lowered to simple possession." Police documents indicating that 69 marijuana plants were found in the couple's basement "are incorrect," he said."The number is closer to maybe 16 plants, small amounts," Kupferberg said, adding that Tucker uses the marijuana to treat migraines and fibromyalgia, a chronic muscle pain disorder. "She is totally disabled by these problems. She has Social Security disability for them."According to police documents, Kerry Tucker told Takoma Park police on Aug. 19 that "a large amount of drugs" was in the basement of her home.When the police went to the home that day, Kathleen Tucker opened the door, and police noted "the odor" of marijuana around her, the documents said.They returned with a warrant and found 69 marijuana plants in the basement, along with lights and tools for growing the plants, and seeds and stems, according to police. In the bedroom, according to the documents, they found marijuana in canisters, pipes, rolling papers and books on growing marijuana. The police left without arresting the couple.Tucker and Alvarez turned themselves in at the Takoma Park police station Monday. They were released on their own recognizance, according to Carol Bannerman, a police spokeswoman.Both Alvarez and Tucker were widely known figures among anti-nuclear activists in the 1970s and 1980s.Alvarez worked for public interest groups, focusing on the health effects of radiation and pushing for cleanup of nuclear waste contamination at government facilities. He went on to work for Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio) at the Senate Government Affairs Committee and joined the Energy Department in 1988.In the Silkwood case, after a 10-year legal battle over nuclear contamination that helped fuel widespread criticism of the nuclear power industry, Kerr-McGee agreed to pay Silkwood's estate $1.38 million. Subsequently, Tucker directed the Health and Energy Institute, a Washington public interest group focusing on radiation health issues.By Fern ShenWashington Post Staff WriterSaturday, September 4, 1999; Page B01 © Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company
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Comment #3 posted by TimBudd on September 04, 1999 at 08:30:17 PT:
Brat
These situations of teenagers turning in their parents has probably got more to do with the household than the cops or DARE. THis sounds like the situation where the child does not get their way or is in some manner upset with their parents, so overreacting the way teens do, turns their parents in to even the score. Maybe will all get lucky and overzealous prosecuters will seize their assets including the girls college funds. As a side note, I recall being told as a youth that one of the worst things that oppressive governments do(the USSR at the time) is create an atmosphere through fear and misplaced loyalties where children spy on their parents and turn them in. 
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Comment #2 posted by Rainbow on September 04, 1999 at 07:48:56 PT:
questions
Did you know that there are more deaths attributed to Viagra than marijuana? Marijuana has a longer history and Pfzer has made 1 bln on Viagra. I betcha that the drug companies are behind our prohibition to a large extent.I keep asking myself the following questions and wonder who or what the War on Drugs is really against. Is it really a War to keep us in destablelization?I wonder;How many people have to die in America as a result of the War on Drugs some innocently by the police army and citizens.How many families have to be separated and ruined in the War on Drugs?How many communities have to be ruined due to the USA created crack epidemic?How many prisons have to be built for the War on Drugs?How many children get less education so we support the War on Drugs?Why the rich can use drugs (bush) and learn fronm their mistakes but the poor black man who uses Crack has to go to prison to learn.Why isn't tobacco and Alcohol illegal since they are more or just as harmful?When will the penalties be the same for all people or better yet no penalties?How many countries do we have to disrupt due to our War on Drugs (eg South and Central America)?How many villians have to make a million or more in our War on Drugs (Al Capone)?How many people have to suffer because they can not get medication because of the War on Drugs. Why can't our politicians learn from history that prohition does not work and creates;HodlumsgangsBlack and gray marketsNeedless death and destruction?These are real questions and not rhetorical questions.Ask these of your politicians and ask them Why the federal gov't wants to do this to the people of America. They will say we do not want to send the wrong message to our children. In my cynical way I say yeh let them become adults and jail them or control them through lies and scare tactics.Cheersfrom a wanna be activist who is sorry he did not speak up earlier.rainbow
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Comment #1 posted by Scott R Maggard on September 04, 1999 at 07:41:46 PT:
Drug War effects on families
The Alvarez/Tucker arrests seem to indicate a possible trend in the United States today. Just this week, here in Florida a 16 year old girl turned her father in for growing and possesing marijuana as well. If I had to guess, I'd bet that each of these kids were former students of the D.A.R.E. program, which has proven to be a complete failure. Could it be that, while recognizing the failure of the program, program leaders are now "coercing" children to turn in their own families for small, victimless drug offenses? I feel that the negative effects handed down to these children, by their parents being incarcerated, far outweigh the negative effects of haveing a "complete family", while marijuana is in the house. So as much of our drug problems with adolescents are due to broken families, and no supervision to explain the effects and possible safe uses of drugs, the government is actually perpetuating these effects in order to maintain "probable cause", to add fuel to the fire. This is sickening, and something MUST be done. Scott R MaggardGraduate StudentDepartment of SociologyUniversity of Florida
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