cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Stance Has Sheriff Under Fire


cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Stance Has Sheriff Under Fire





Medical Marijuana Stance Has Sheriff Under Fire
Posted by FoM on October 27, 1999 at 16:01:22 PT
By Bonnie Washuk, Staff Writer
Source: Sun Journal
Reacting to one of their own breaking ranks, Portland Police Chief Mike Chitwood and two organizations that represent Maine police officials are speaking out against legalizing marijuana for patients as proposed in a Nov. 2 referendum.
On Oct. 21, Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion, a native of Lewiston, announced he is supporting the referendum that, if passed, would allow patients to grow and use small amounts of marijuana for treatment if approved by their doctor.On Oct. 25, radio ads with Dion’s voice urging passage began airing.Pointing to out-of-state money being raised in support of passing the question, Chitwood said Monday the referendum is nothing more than a thinly disguised attempt to legalize marijuana. “This is about legalizing drugs, not medical use,” Chitwood said. “When they’ve raised $340,000 and $300,000 of it comes from California, you know there’s something wrong.”According to the Secretary of State’s Office, $437,000 was raised to pass the referendum. Virtually all of the money came from the California-based Americans for Medical Rights.If the referendum is passed “that will send the wrong message,” Chitwood said. “Right now we’re telling kids, ‘Smoking is bad. Alcohol is bad. Drugs are bad.’ Here we are legalizing a drug that we’ve constantly fought to keep off the streets.”Chitwood and other high ranking police officers were surprised to hear Dion – who used to work for Chitwood — speak in favor of legalizing patient marijuana. Because of Dion’s reputation and position, he can convince many Mainers to vote yes. “That’s why he’s doing what he’s doing,” Chitwood said.There’s no organized objection, no formal opposition to the referendum. No one from California or Maine is spending thousands to defeat the question. “If there were I’d be more happy to speak up,” Chitwood said. The yes side “is at a big advantage financially.”Pointing to the Maine Medical Association’s rejection of the referendum, the Maine Chiefs of Police Association as well as the Maine Sheriff’s Association have taken stands against the referendum. In general, though, police organizations “are being awful quiet about it,” Chitwood said.With Dion endorsing the referendum things got a little more vocal.Lewiston Police Chief William Welch said Monday he too opposes legalizing marijuana for patients. “I still believe it’s the gateway to harder drugs.” The way the law would be worded would make it vague and tough to enforce, he said. “It would put the officer on the street at an extreme disability.”It doesn’t matter, Dion said, “what the other chiefs think. My conscience says otherwise.” But it is tough, he admitted, to take a position so out of step. “This is a moral decision. I just felt it is right for people who cannot speak for themselves.”He spoke of a 60-year-old man suffering with cancer who confided in Dion that he used marijuana to ease his nausea. “His eyes were welled up with tears,” Dion said. “He apologized to me for breaking the law.”Seen AIDS, cancer The man told the sheriff he was sorry that his family members broke the law by helping him get marijuana. “I put my hand on his shoulder and said, ‘You had to do what you had to do,’ Dion said. “In other aspects he was like my father or grandfather. Do we want to turn those people into criminals?”Serving as sheriff, he said, is more than enforcing the law. It’s about providing support and service to the community. “I’ve personally seen the ravages of AIDS and the great sadness and pain of terminal cancer. For individuals in those families, I felt duty-bound to raise the questions that needed to be raised.”If marijuana provides some possible relief for patients, “then the police service profession needs to say that.”What makes it hard, Dion said, is there’s a huge wall between law enforcement and drugs. It’s not black and white.If the referendum passes, Dion said police are sophisticated enough to set up a system to help the law work. Police can tell the difference between someone growing four plants who appears to be suffering a terminal sickness and someone with no proof of a disease growing hundreds of plants. “If they’ve got 600 plants and no doctor’s permission, it looks like we’re going to criminal court,” Dion said.If the referendum does not pass, Dion said he’ll do what he’s doing now: make the arrests and pass on the case to the prosecution.October 26, 1999 ©1998,99 Lewiston Sun JournalRelated Article & Web Site:Mainers For Medical Rightshttp://www.mainers.org/Sheriff Backs Ballot Question To Legalize Some MJ - 10/21/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3366.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by observer on October 27, 1999 at 17:53:01 PT
big advantage financially?
> The yes side “is at a big advantage financially.”Bunk.''A probe by The Nation revealed that the Partnership had accepted $5.4 million in contributions from legal drug manufacturers, while producing ads that overlooked the dangers of tobacco, alcohol and pills. This "drug free" crusade is actually a silent partner to the drug industry, condoning the use of 'good drugs' by targeting only the bad' ones. . . The Partnership's funders are usually kept secret, but investigation by The Nation revealed that from 1988 - 1991, pharmaceutical companies and their beneficiaries contributed as follows:  . The J Steward Johnson, Sr Charitable Trusts ($1 1000 000)  . Du Pont ($150 000)  . The Procter & Gamble Fund ($120 000)  . The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation ($110 000)  . Johnson & Johnson ($11 000)  . Smith Kline Beecham ($100 000)  . The Merck Foundation ($75 000)  . And Hoffman-La Roche ($30 000)  Also $150 000 each from Philip Morris, Anheuser-Busch and RJR Renyolds plus $100 000 from American Brands (Jim Beam and Lucky Strike). ''http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n712/a01.htmlAll that was propaganda money spent to demonize marijuana users; money spent to prevent Americans from returning to traditional freedoms all Americans once shared. And that was some ten years ago. Now the US Government is also in on the propaganda act, and in a very big way. This is all propaganda intended to demonize marijuana users.''... $1 billion National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign - the biggest national media blitz of its kind... ''http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n622/a04.htmlSo when self-serving prohibitionists try to tell you that in Maine, "The yes side 'is at a big advantage financially.'", tell the prohibitionists that they're full of it.
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Comment #1 posted by Scott on October 27, 1999 at 17:24:51 PT:
Where's the outrage?
>if the referendum is passed “that will send the wrong >message,” Chitwood said. “Right now we’re telling kids, >‘Smoking is bad. Alcohol is bad. Drugs are bad.’>Here we are legalizing a drug that we’ve constantly fought >to keep off the streets.”More like constantly failing to keep off the streets. The referendum is to allow seriously ill patients to use medicine that helps them ease their pain. It's not about toking up in your bedroom and watching the Simpsons, it's about life. >Lewiston Police Chief William Welch said Monday he too >opposes legalizing marijuana for patients. “I still believe >it’s the gateway to harder drugs.” I doubt a person with glaucoma is going to smoke marijuana and say "wow I think I'll try cocaine!". It's medicine here people, not recreational use. People who smoke marijuana for fun might try other, possibly harder stuff in the future, either for the experience or for fun, but people who smoke marijuana for their medical condition are hardly going to start using heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamine for their medical condition. Besides, the whole gateway theory has been blown to hell anyways, it's just a stupid reason to keep a safe substance from becoming legal.I never could imagine that the idea of trying to heal yourself or ease the pain from a deadly illness would ever make you a criminal. If my parents or relatives were dying from a deadly disease or had a terrible, painful illness, I could care less if they were doing marijuana or heroin, whatever eased their pain and allowed them to live a happy, comfortable last days. Why must people in pain be forced to live the last days of a beautiful life in pain? 
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