cannabisnews.com: Chico Rally Blasts Focus of Drug War!





Chico Rally Blasts Focus of Drug War!
Posted by FoM on February 28, 1999 at 15:51:06 PT
Pot terms too harsh, organizers claim!
CHICO -- For Craig and Sharon North, the unexpected visit they received from law enforcement still seems daunting six years later. They were in pajamas at their rural Concow home at 7 a.m. when they were greeted by police and Drug Enforcement Administration officers bearing automatic weapons.
Craig North was accused of cultivating 420 marijuana plants found on his property. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge under federal law and spent two years and two months in prison.Then, in mid-January, the memory of their experience came back to haunt the Norths when a DEA raid netted five long-time Chico-area residents, all of whom have since been charged with conspiracy to grow and possess marijuana. The case is pending in federal court, and has mobilized several local groups that are now focusing attention on federal mandatory sentencing laws, and their use in marijuana cases.On Saturday, several hundred Chico residents and Bay Area activists joined the Norths at a downtown rally to protest mandatory sentencing laws and what rally speakers described as a war on drugs that has gone awry. Featuring medicinal marijuana initiative author Dennis Peron, the rally focused on the harsh penalties that are often imposed on marijuana users.Craig North, a 44-year-old construction worker, said marijuana shouldn't be a federal crime, and, like others at the rally, said the feds are too preoccupied with small-time users and dealers."I would never do anything like that again," North said, referring to marijuana cultivation. "But in a couple of months (of jail time) I would have learned my lesson."North pointed out that mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes eliminate any possible discretion a judge can exercise.His wife, meanwhile, announced formation of a Northern California chapter of the national organization FAMM -- Families Against Mandatory Minimums. "We're not talking about legalization," Sharon North said. "We're talking about making the punishment fit the crime."The rally featured an exhibit of drug conviction cases from the book "Shattered Lives" to show how thousands are imprisoned for nonviolent crimes. Some cases involve conspiracy charges that the book's author, Chris Conrad, says are used to persuade family members and friends to testify against each other.Many at the rally -- like speaker David Guzzetti, a city councilman -- said they were friends, supporters or acquaintances of the five Chico individuals arrested recently on federal charges, and characterized the defendants as community-involved citizens. Rally speaker Conrad said the Chico defendants were "the kind of people being targeted around America.http://www.sacbee.com/news/news/local11_19990228.html
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Comment #2 posted by emulator on March 06, 2000 at 13:16:42 PT
genie weedie
smoke the kind.feel the kind.does the body good.braking the law or making the law?what is law?is law what makes the rich man richer?fines for medicine thats better for mental,sick,or even your local authoritys.say why was i charged for only half the real deal dank i was caught with.looks like some one was having fun on my stash.its o.k.even cops,lawyers,docters,even your town judge should be ableto relax and enjoy there time.ive read another section on the computer that stated that it can cause violent reactions.ive never seen some one smoke a fat blunt,then beat up there kids or their wifes.I AM NOT ANTI GOVERMENT.they should do what they do to keep the streets clean,creak down on creak dealers 
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Comment #1 posted by emulator on March 06, 2000 at 13:13:26 PT
genie weedie
smoke the kind.feel the kind.does the body good.braking the law or making the law?what is law?is law what makes the rich man richer?fines for medicine thats better for mental,sick,or even your local authoritys.say why was i charged for only half the real deal dank i was caught with.looks like some one was having fun on my stash.its o.k.even cops,lawyers,docters,even your town judge should be ableto relax and enjoy there time.ive read another section on the computer that stated that it can cause violent reactions.ive never seen some one smoke a fat blunt,then beat up there kids or their wifes.I AM NOT ANTI GOVERMENT.they should do what they do to keep the streets clean,creak down on creak dealers 
[ Post Comment ]

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