cannabisnews.com: Patient Will Get His Pot Back





Patient Will Get His Pot Back
Posted by FoM on January 12, 2000 at 08:55:59 PT
By Alex Breitler
Source: Record Searchlight
It's been 20 months since authorities confiscated 41 seedling marijuana plants from the back yard of Richard Levin's house in Redding.Today, Levin will get his plants back, along with 1 pounds of packaged marijuana, several scales and three guns also taken from his home on May 6, 1998.
The plants are long dead, but the 49-year-old Levin — acquitted Dec. 15 on charges of possessing marijuana for sale — said Monday that their return marks a symbolic victory for anyone using pot for medicinal purposes under California's Proposition 215.The law, passed by voters in 1996, allows for medical marijuana use with a doctor's prescription. It allows patients to grow a ''reasonable amount'' of plants but does not set a specific limit.While some counties — including Tehama — have established guidelines for compliance with Proposition 215, Shasta County has not.''I'm real happy,'' Levin said Monday after learning a court order had been filed Friday mandating the return of his plants. ''It proves this is a real law. It's not a big fake.''Authorities also will return several packages of marijuana seeds and a marijuana grower's handbook.Levin was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1991. Two years later, he slipped on the icy floor of a house he was helping build and fell three stories, requiring four back surgeries.Afraid of damaging his liver with prescription drugs, Levin turned to marijuana in 1994 with an oral recommendation from his doctor. Four years later, after receiving a tip that Levin had an outdoor garden, sheriff's officials got a search warrant, found the plants and arrested Levin.Immediately after last month's verdict, Levin said he would have to talk with law enforcement officials before deciding whether it's safe to resume cultivating marijuana. He said Monday that he has an appointment this week with Shasta County Sheriff Jim Pope to discuss the county's enforcement of the law.And while the dead plants returned today will probably end up in his compost pile, Levin also said there's no doubt he'll return to growing the drug that he claims eases his pain.''I don't have anything to hide,'' he said. ''Yeah, I'm going to continue growing.''Reporter Alex Breitler can be reached at 225-8344 or at abreitler redding.com.Published: January 11, 2000©1999 Record Searchlight - The E.W. Scripps Co. Send feedback to redding.com - online services.Newshawk: Doc-Hawkhttp://www.waronsomedrugs.com/ Note:On this evening's news, Sheriff Pope states he wants to confirm it is legal for him to return the marijuana and "IF, there is a violation we will notify the court" (that the mj cannot be returned) - like, what?, he doesn't trust the District Attorney's office who filed the Motion to Return Property, and wrote the Declaration in support of the Motion? or does the Sheriff not trust Judge Boeckman who ruled to return the property?.... what a poor choice of words from our elected Sheriff.Sheriff Pope also stated he "expects more medical marijuana trial cases to be acquitted.., wasting taxpayer dollars ... and has advised his officers to come up with a plan as soon as possible"... so, I guess the Sheriff's department has become capable of making medical decisions? not funny. In September the MET officer Farmer told me that "there are plenty of other drugs people can take" when I asked what mmj patients can do to comply with the law and not be arrested... he too, was practicing medicine I guess.Sheriff Pope's right hand man, Captain Ron Richardson (whom I met personally with in September and basically ignored my attempts to discuss patient rights) also commented that the department wants to confirm that they can return a Schedule 1 drug. He can be emailed at: shastacapt snowcrest.netThe TV news coverage was one of the top stories for all three northstate channels.
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