cannabisnews.com: Expert: Pot Should Be Destroyed 





Expert: Pot Should Be Destroyed 
Posted by FoM on April 04, 2001 at 07:37:31 PT
By Clark Mason, Press Democrat
Source: Press Democrat
An expert witness said Tuesday all of the marijuana stored in a mold-infested sheriff's locker should be destroyed. Marijuana is among the evidence from nearly 8,000 criminal cases stored in a converted laundry room at the old jail that has been infested by mold. Gregory Raymond, an environmental health specialist hired by the county, said the mold can cause infections and even death for people with suppressed immune systems.
He said returning the moldy pot to medical marijuana users who have been acquitted does not make sense."We don't want to expose people to mold," he said. "It seems unethical to give it out to people who presumably have health issues already."But an attorney representing a man acquitted after mounting a medical marijuana defense said the claim is "absurdly exaggerated.""It sounds like a low-budget, science-fiction movie," defense attorney Sandy Feinland said in court Tuesday.Sheriff's officials estimated it will cost $64,000 to decontaminate the evidence locker. Although much of the evidence can be cleaned of the mold, they say the marijuana cannot.Raymond's testimony came during a hearing for Alan MacFarlane, a Santa Rosa man who asked for what remains of 109 plants seized from his backyard in 1999.An estimated 20 pounds of his crop are stored in the evidence locker, and MacFarlane wants it back.Feinland said he believes the mold isn't any more dangerous than what grows "in your refrigerator."Superior Court Judge Robert Boyd continued the hearing until April 13 so MacFarlane can hire his own expert to determine if the marijuana is dangerous.Raymond identified the predominant types of mold in the evidence locker as scopulariopsis, humicola and harknessia, all unusual fungi. There is little information on the human health implications of exposure to these genera.The Sonoma County district attorney's office also opposes the return of MacFarlane's marijuana on other grounds.Deputy District Attorney Alexander "Bud" McMahon said despite a jury verdict in MacFaralne's favor, prosecutors believe he had an excessive amount of marijuana and returning it would violate federal law.Note: Witness says moldy marijuana from sheriff's evidence locker could sicken or kill users.You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at:  cmason pressdemocrat.comSource: Press Democrat, The (CA) Author: Clark Mason, Press DemocratPublished: April 4, 2001Copyright: 2001 The Press Democrat Contact: letters pressdemo.com Website: http://www.pressdemo.com/ Related Articles:Mold Puts Return of SR Man's Medical Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9141.shtmlSR Patient Aquitted in Pot Case http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8504.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #11 posted by assholes! on April 21, 2001 at 02:45:23 PT
assholes!
those people are assholes if they let perfectly good weed get moldy
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by greenfox on April 05, 2001 at 06:24:22 PT
Mold... heh
They run around arresting us for our own good.They take our land and our cars in the name of "progress".They ruin our family lives and sentence us to lengthy prison sentences, all in the name of "defeating drugs". They harass, and sometimes beat us during traffic stops.They rain our houses and destroy/take our worldly goods.And now they are "concerned" for our health? They don't want us to have "dangerous, moldy pot" because it's ... dangerous?Help me friends, I'm confused.Maybe it's the drugs and the fantasy they create.Or perhaps it's the strong dose of reality I read here everyday...Either way.. it's all f*cked up.sly in green, foxy in kind.-gf
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by dddd on April 04, 2001 at 23:30:38 PT
prices
That's a great idea MDG.Looks like each plant yeilds about 4 pounds accordingto the cops,and after a bust,we hear law enforcement say that pot goes for$8000.00 a pound,(my figures are obviously exagerated).......It should havethe same "value",put upon it when confiscated,when it is returned...Cash or Grass,,give it back!......dddd
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by MDG on April 04, 2001 at 22:40:53 PT
What they should do:
Monetarily reimburse those whose property was to be returned. Unfortunately for the police, they should pay black market prices, since that's how it would have to be purchased due to illegality. For example, the 20 pounds that was to be returned would be quite a nice chunk of change for the rightful owner. I'm not sure how much prices are so let's say $45/quarter ounce. Multiply that by four and again by sixteen then once more by twenty. That's $57,600, give or take bulk discounts. Better yet, they should pay the guy how much they said it was worth in court. That's guaranteed to be much higher than it really was, and in a civil suit, it might be admitted into evidence that the Narcs believed that's how much it was worth (as they probably testified under oath).Just a thought, since I'm no lawyer.Mike...
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by Sudaca on April 04, 2001 at 13:18:57 PT
No no no...
It's been sold already. I think this could be very embarassing for them cops.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by Robbie on April 04, 2001 at 13:13:09 PT
Various supply lines
You know, even if it were true that the pounds of marijuana have gone bad, the least this "sheriff" could do is take marijuana from other non-medical busts and re-supply this man with that supply.My view is that the "sheriff" doesn't have it any more. He probably had it sold within a week of confiscating it.
Smoke two joints, and call me in the morning.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by Cuzn Buzz on April 04, 2001 at 12:19:04 PT
A suggestion
Shame on them!With the law requiring the marijuana be returned is there no provision implied for the safe and proper care of the "evidence"?If I had some fine Cuban cigars {Gracias Tio Fidel} and they got nabbed, but I had acquired them legaly, would not the police or other confiscatory agency be required to act to preserve the value of my property?If indeed the nature and intent of the law is pure of motive and the presumption of innocence is in place, then every siezed item is to be protected, and preserved. Have you considered the price of walk in humidors these days?Just a thought.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 04, 2001 at 12:03:51 PT
Oh My My! dddd
That was just too funny and also a trip down memory lane!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by dddd on April 04, 2001 at 11:46:04 PT
Fungi
When I was a young hippie back in the late sixties,I was involvedin some groundbreaking research,that stemmed from a rumor that onecould take some run of the mill weed,and put it in a sealed container,andleave it in a dark place,or bury it for several months,and the mildewedand molded,rotten weed would supposedly pack quite a wallop.Unfortunately,the resulting moldy herb was extremely harsh,and no morestony than the original crap before we rotted it.....On the up side,,,me,and a circle of friends smoked massive quanities ofthis compost weed,and we are all still alive.I doubt that a bit of mold would have any toxic effects when incinerated,but Iwould not recommend ingesting such microbiological mysteries.Pot should never be "destroyed",,,,,,If nothing else we could write a backupversion of the Constitution on hemp paper,made from the moldy buds.....??....dddd
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by yo! on April 04, 2001 at 10:43:22 PT
hash oil ?
This might be one way to salvage such stuff . . .http://www.netcheats.com/drug-tests/celeb/julia.htmlI have a feeling that the reports of the "contamination" of the evidence are greatly exaggerated. And we get to take the piggies' words for it, too. Would be appropriate in this case to actually inspect the cannabis, and look for evidence of contamination on the cannabis itself. I have a feeling that "infested by mold" means "there could/might/may/possibly be mold spores somewhere in the room." 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on April 04, 2001 at 10:27:40 PT:
Mold and Health
"Feinland said he believes the mold isn't any more dangerous than what grows "in your refrigerator."Nobody should smoke moldy cannabis. Scopulariosis has been associated with disease in humans. Trust my good friend, John McPartland on the subject:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9141290&dopt=AbstractAltern Ther Health Med 1997 May;3(3):39-45 Related Articles, Books Medical marijuana and its use by the immunocompromised.McPartland JM, Pruitt PLVermont Alternative Medicine in Middlebury, USA.[Record supplied by publisher]BACKGROUND: Those immunocompromised by AIDS or cancer chemotherapy use marijuana to allay symptoms of their disease or treatment. Some researchers believe that marijuana may further suppress the immune system. A list of immunological hazards that may be present in marijuana was collated and assessed, and clinical recommendations regarding the use of marijuana by immunocompromised individuals were made. METHODS: Databases and other sources from 1964 to 1996 were searched using keywords (e.g., cannabinoids, cannabis, hemp, marijuana). This was supplemented by a manual search of bibliographies, nonindexed books, and journals, and by consultation with experts. All reports were analyzed for antecedent sources. Data validity was assessed by source, identification methodology, and frequency of independent observations. RESULTS: Substances implicated as potential immunological hazards in marijuana include endogenous constituents (cannabinoids, pyrolyzed gases, and particulates) and a longer list of exogenous contaminants, both natural (fungi and their metabolites) and synthetic (pesticides and adulterants). CONCLUSION: Burning of marijuana creates toxins of combustion. Particulate toxins (tars) are reduced by the use of vaporizer apparati. Gas-phase toxins are filtered by water pipes, but water pipes also filter some tetrahydrocannabinol, making this strategy counterproductive. Viable fungal spores in marijuana pose the greatest hazard to immunocompromised patients, though they can be sterilized by several methods. Pesticide residues and other adulterants may be present in black-market marijuana, but are absent in sources of marijuana that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.Publication Types: Review Review, tutorial PMID: 9141290 His terrific book, Hemp Diseases and Pests also addresses this:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0851994547/qid=986405991/sr=1-1/ref=sc_b_2/107-6022763-7564564
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: