Medical Marijuana and minors
Reason TV has a story about Owen Beck, a 17-year-old high school kid from California who got bone cancer and had to get his leg amputated. The medicine Owen was taking was making him very sick and and lost a lot of weight, so his parents decided to try medical marijuana. The marijuana greatly helped Owen, easing his pain and nausea.
The owner of the dispensary, Charlie Lynch, often gave the marijuana to Owen without charging his parents. But the local Sheriff (who doesn't like the fact that medical marijuana is legal in his town and the state of California) called the DEA. They raided the dispensary and arrested Lynch. He's now under house arrest, attached to an extension cord for 2 hours a day, and is facing 100 years in prison.
Owen's parents knew the idea of giving medical marijuana to a 17-year-old strikes many people as scandalous. Local Sheriff Pat Hedges even asserts that allowing medical marijuana is "not in the best interest of a community that prides itself on providing a healthy, family environment."Barack Obama has stated he will not use federal officers to raid dispensaries if he is elected. Will he reverse his stand before the election? Visit Predictify to vote.But the Becks weren't concerned about what other people thought; they were focused on helping their son. So with a written doctor recommendation in hand, they purchased medical marijuana for their teenage son. The new medication eased Owen's pain and nausea like nothing else had, and the Becks grew fond of Charlie Lynch, who would sometimes refuse payment because, says Steve Beck, "He was just a compassionate kind of a guy."
But one day, Owen's life took another abrupt turn. Federal agents and local sheriff deputies raided Charlie Lynch's dispensary, and seized nearly everything inside, including Owen's medicine. "He had a prescription from a doctor at Stanford, and they took his stuff!" says Debbie Beck. Federal agents cuffed Lynch, and put him behind bars. Even though state and local laws allow for it, medical marijuana is still illegal under federal law. And because he had clients like Owen who were under age 21, Charlie Lynch faces heightened penalties. In California the average first-degree murder serves 20 years behind bars; Charlie Lynch could face a sentence as long as 100 years in prison.
The trial of Charlie Lynch begins this July.
Raiding California: Medical Marijuana and Minors (Reason TV)
the latest
latest episodes
How can you take marijuana from a kid?!?
Oh for pete's sake. Absolutely sickening. These people are horrible human beings.
Jesus, man. Let it go. He's a fucking candidate, what do you expect? It's almost as if some people aren't old enough to be let down by a politician they support.
what an strange name to have considering he's being tried for a ridiculous non-crime.
The process of Lynching was named after a historical figure named Charles Lynch.
Billy Blight @2: "It's almost as if some people aren't old enough to be let down by a politician they support."
He's not letting me down. I never expected much from him in the first place.
Methinks perhaps that the DEA were upset that Mr. Lynch was giving the medicine away for free - that sort of thing sets a dangerous precedent...
Reading http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/viewadditionalresource.asp?resourceID=149
it seems that Obama's approach is sustainable with the will of the people, so it is unlikely he would reverse it (um, again). There is a nice contrast between the ballot measures (which are about 50/50) and the polls, which would sustain a veto (2/3rds). So, get out and vote!
This is obscene, and it hits close to home for me. Almost 20 years ago, my gf had a close family friend whose only son was dying of stomach cancer. He was 17 and when we visited him, we brought him THC cookies to help his appetite and reduce his nausea. He appreciated it and it seemed to help, but the cancer won out and these wonderful parents had to watch their only child whither away and die.
Until I became a dad myself, I could never begin to truly fathom the pain those people went through. It's awful that we must live (or die) with these medieval drug laws.
Posted anon to keep GWB's goons from throwing me into Gitmo, too.
I don't see how using the court time and law enforcement resources to fight medical marijuana is good policy when meth is epidemic.
Gateway schmateway. Coffee is the real gateway drug.
... Charlie Lynch, who would sometimes refuse payment because, says Steve Beck, "He was just a compassionate kind of a guy."
That's exactly what's wrong with marijuana ... it makes you nice. We can't have any of that around here. This is America, dammit. Now get back to work. And if I don't see a Dick Cheney snarl on half your face in ten minutes I'll know you've been smoking it too.
Why do I get the feeling that this idiot sheriff is an avid beer drinker?
I don't really understand why Marinol won't do, but this is absolutely reprehensible.
Today, again, I wish I believed in Hell.
"I don't see how using the court time and law enforcement resources to fight medical marijuana is good policy when meth is epidemic."
should we be fighting any drugs at all?
A lot of people out there are suffering a lot more in day to day lives than I suffer on my various chemical excursions.
Sure there will be casualties if drugs as a whole were legalized, but i doubt it would come close to the death toll of the 2 legal substances we tolerate now.
I hate to be picky, but there's nothing that California can ever do that will make marijuana legal. I agree it should be, and California should reign in its sheriffs, but California's laws can have no legal effect on the ultimate status of marijuana in the end.
so when pot finally does become legal, will they go back and retroactively prosecute all the lying bastards that falsified evidence and abused power to keep it illegal?
In Denver, the overwhelming majority of cops won't do anything if they find pot on you, especially if it's less than an ounce. They'll tell you it just a waste of their time and resources compared to all the real Goddamn issues out there.
Then again, Denver cops are pretty cool overall and not like this idiot CA sheriff in this story who apparently has nothing better to do than make sick kids miserable.
Though badly edited, The American Drug War is a doc with a lot of very good information about this issue, especially in the special features (complete story of Tommy Chong's debacle, for instance.)
Here's a short sampling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb4nr9ndYrA
Cowicide, the Commonwealth of MA is considering that as a law. We voters get to take it up in November. At some point, the illegality itself is the source of the profit.
When I was younger (20 years ago) I quit smoking pot when I became a "professional". But when I was diagnosed with cancer 3 years ago and went through cemotheropy and could not eat or drink for days on end due to nausia, I once again smoked pot. The pot greatly helped me get through the treatment and gave me the ability to eat and drink at such an important time. I have recovered from the cancer and once again, have quit smoking pot. I think it is a crime to raid these places and stop the distribution of medical marijuana. They should talk to the people involved in the cancer treatment (patents, nurses, and doctors) to find out the true story. Shame Shame.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSH6ofHbeUw
Now this would be an excellent use of Mr. Bush's Pardon power, methinks....it would also serve to confuse those who shall otherwise disparage him...your Prez has no reason to suck up (down?) to his "base" anymore, so a Grant of Mercy in this case for Mr. Lynch would seem entirely appropriate....and you know despite myself and my dislike for his policies etc etc GWB really doesn't at a personal level seem all that bad (if you can't swing the Sword you can't hold the Scepter if you're going to be the personification [in some sense] of a Great Nation so at a non-trivial level being an assh*le goes with the effective fulfillment of the Office, IMO)...at a human level, I think GWB actually does have a killer (no pun intended or offense meant) sense of humor...at least I think I've glimpsed some hints of it...tough to say with these Media prepped people, but in unguarded private repartee I'm sure he's a blast...or used to be...that job ages everyone who gets it...at least it looks like it does...
@15 "so when pot finally does become legal, will they go back and retroactively prosecute all the lying bastards that falsified evidence and abused power to keep it illegal?"
Ohh Takuan, you do make me chuckle sometimes. The Age of Accountability, if it ever existed, is no more. We can't even get our elected leaders to haul Karl Rove off in chains for contempt of Congress.
But thanks for the laugh; it did help my mood. ;-)
What the F !
bushie pardon power? Nahhh! That's only for WarofTerror Industry war-crimes (like he already pardoned himself for) WaronSomeDrugs Industry war crimes will just be put down to "experience".
Pondering...if the parents can somehow prove that the access taken away by this 'Sheriff' to the medicine he was taking has made his condition worse, can the Sheriff ALSO be charged. Since weight loss in his case may also hasten his death, charges could stem up as far as manslaughter (or attempted at least).
Of course, this would be in an ideal world that someone could be prosecuted for this, but hey, one can dream.
#21Ugly Canuck...
Yeah, he's got a ''killer'' sense of humor, especially as a mimic. Remember this: '"Don't kill me, don't kill me...'''
If it wasn't so horrible, I'd laugh.
"Local Sheriff Pat Hedges even asserts that allowing medical marijuana is 'not in the best interest of a community that prides itself on providing a healthy, family environment.'"
So, working to deny prescribed medicine to a sick boy whose parents are trying to ease their child's suffering is "in the best interest of a community that prides itself on providing a healthy, family environment?" Thanks, Dr Sheriff Pat!
At #21: He isn't pandering to his base, that's the real guy.
To Boing Boing: Please keep posting this sort of thing. At some point, there will be a large enough vocal minority that will split, then sway public opinion. At that point it's game over. Humanity wins.
Gonna be a while though.
UGLY CANUCK@21:
Though I admire your attempt to see the best in a person, in this case it would seem to be woefully unfounded. Remember, he's saving all of his pardons for all of the criminals who've been propping him up, anyway. Better chance of that from the Govornator (let's start lobbying him now!) After all, he's the one who was caught puffing on film.
Supplementary fact: When bush was Gov. of Texas, he executed more people than anyone in the entire history of the state.
@PHIKUS:
Supplementary fact: When bush was Gov. of Texas, he executed more people than anyone in the entire history of the state.
He was just warming up for Iraq.
over 800,000 american citizens were arrested last year for marijuana offences. over 700,000 for mere possesion. busting people for pot possesion is a big business in the for-profit prison system that has developed in this country. some countries have realised that drugs are a MEDICAL issue. they take away the profit, and use the proceeds to fund rehabilitation facilities for those who need it. in these few enlightened places, drug crime is practically nil. drug use among teens is markedly reduced. the spread of blood borne pathogens via shared needles, also practically non-exsitant. all this 'war on drugs(TM)' is a scam. human beings have always, and will always alter their consciousness. its a shame this sick young man and his compassionate care-giver have to pay the price for society's ( and especially sheriff pat hedges, a.k.a sheriff douchebag's) ignance.
#26: Oh come now, he was not trying to be funny on that occasion.
#21: That's certainly what his handlers want the base to think...
"Its not a war on drugs, its a war on personal freedom... keep that in mind at all times" - Bill Hicks
CANUCK@33:
Why are you replying to yourself?
I'm pretty sure this is the type of situation that the word "fucked" was created for.
smoke all the cigarettes you can, laced with poisonous chemicals, which harm even non-smokers. of which you buy from enormous companies. completely unregulated. with no benefits to the consumer. but its cool if you want to add to the death by cigarette stats.
drink all the alcohol you can, get plastered, its cool. you can go drive and add to the drunk driving death stats. also no benefits to the consumer or society.
but NEVER EVER use a naturally grown plant, of which studies say are beneficial to many illnesses. and benefit many who are going through terminal illnesses. even has little side effects, and little damage to society.
makes perfect sense. lets round up all the sick in around the US and throw them in jail! obviously they are criminals because they are seeking the best possible treatment for their illness.
Eh sympathy for the devil, I know. On topic:
Marijuana should be completely ignored by the Government...it is none of their business at any level and actually beneath the dignity of Government to deign to get involved..unless cash is involved ,and even then it ought only to be another species of commerce, subject to Income Tax, the usual sales taxes, BUT NO SPECIAL DUTIES.
Marijuana is ridiculously easy to grow. Legalization would lead to self-supply, by and large. Many would distribute surplus for free.
This causes fear amongst the many many people - from lazy politicians to petty personal tyrants - from the cops to the dealers in the crackhouse,- about the end of Power and Respect. "Free reefer! Free for the asking! While supplies last, more tomorrow!" is not what they want to hear.... but such would be so very easy to bring about, and bring so much happiness to so many ...
When and if you guys legalize, the emptying of your prison-houses should be a cause of National Celebration...
The Canadian Senate said all there was to say about it in a voluminous Report what- a hundred years ago? (More like 7 or 8). Result of Massive All-Party Study with heavy Public and Professional Input At Some Cost to the taxpayer: Unanimous all-Party recommendation for the complete and immediate legalization of Marijuana.
News Headlines: Cops Decry Senate Report (p 15B for what the Senate actually had to say);
Harper Calls For Reform of Senate, Demands mandatory Minimum sentences For Marijuana Offenses.
The marijuana users are not the criminals (ie wishing harm to others) in this scenario, you know...
Bah. i meant #28...
police would much rather bust a gentle, mellow pot smoker, than a tweeked out meth or crackhead anyday of the week. several cops have told me so. 9 out of 10 potheads will go peacefully, and without a lot of fuss.
Why are people shitting on Obama in this thread? He's not president (yet), he has no particular power in the state of California, and he didn't send those stormtroopers after Charlie Lynch.
who is pooping on b.h.o.?
I'll be curious to see how Pat Hedges re-election campaign goes ... what a bizzy-body loser ...
someone in that area of cali. should get on the "vote out sheriff douchbag" campaign. i would def. donate!
#14
That's true only if you accept the "interstate trade" argument that has let the US Fed pass very nearly any law they want in each nominally sovereign state. This even though the constitution pretty clearly sets out that what happens in a state is the business of that state and nobody else...
#18 posted by mdhatter:
Here's the current law in the city limits of Denver which allows possession for those 21 years of age and over. I love the way it's poorly worded... it makes it sound like you get punished for not having enough pot. XD
____________________________________________
Amend Art. 5, Div. 3, Sec. 38-175 (Revised Municipal Code)
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person UNDER THE AGE OF TWENTY-ONE (21) to possess one (1) ounce or less of marihuana. If such person is under the age of eighteen (18) years of age at the time of the offense, no jail sentence shall be imposed and any fine imposed may be supplanted by treatment as required by the court.
____________________________________________
Amendment 44 would have basically made this statewide, but lost to some of the hicks in the sticks. Otherwise it received majority support in Denver, Boulder, Clear Creek, Eagle, Gilpin, Gunnison, La Plata, Lake, Pitkin, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, San Miguel, and Summit counties.
I'm actually not a huge fan of pot for myself personally, but I'll be damned if I'm going to live somewhere surrounded by idiots that want to keep it illegal while alcohol stays legal.
You watch, this shit will be legal statewide by around 2010. The cops on the street are on our side and we will not be stopped.
Hicks don't mix with politics - RHCP
whoops, that wasn't the actual Denver code... I grabbed that from the wrong place, that was just the proposed code... I'll dig to find the actual code.
Must read Eric Schlosser's 2003 book 'Reefer Madness' ... you'll find 100 year sentences are not the exception.
http://www.amazon.com/Reefer-Madness-Drugs-American-Market/dp/0618334661
Cowicide, sounds just like what MA is going to be voting on. In terms of public health and safety issues, the stat's just don't justify the absolute prohibition.
"An American turbo-prop airplane went down in Venezuela last month, the second such incident in the past 45 days, the MadCowMorningNews has learned.
After making an emergency landing at the International Airport José Tadeo Monagas in Maturin, Venezuela, the pilot and co-pilot of the American-registered twin-engine Piper Cheyenne (N395CA) bailed out of the plane, leaving it sitting in the middle of a runway as they sprinted for the airport fence. Onboard were 28 suitcases stuffed with 700 kilos of cocaine, and 14 empty cans of fuel.
The busted drug flight joined a second American plane, also suspected of drug trafficking, and registered to a Houston firm widely thought to serve as a front to hide CIA planes, which was involved in a fiery crash near Caracas on April 28 that made international headlines.
One of the dead passengers onboard was revealed to be Alfredo Anzola, a 34-year old software engineer for a controversial Chavez-connected election company whose election code remains embedded in thousands of electronic voting machines in the U.S."
mad cow news rocks!
This is what I dug up for Denver:
At a Denver Marijuana Policy Review Panel meeting, Denver City Attorney Vincent DiCroce announced that the city would be changing its policy so that adults cited for marijuana possession would be able to pay their fines via mail and would no longer be required to appear in court.
The panel voted 5-4 in favor of the following recommendation:
The Marijuana Policy Review Panel shall, in its first report issued to the Denver City Council, recommend that in order to implement Denver City Ordinance 38-176 to the greatest extent possible, the office of the Denver City Attorney shall adopt the following policy: The office of the Denver City Attorney shall not seek conviction in a city prosecution for the petty offense of possession of one ounce or less of marijuana for adults 21 and older absent compelling reasons articulated on the record in open court.
Voting in favor
Phil Cherner, defense attorney and member of the Denver Crime Commission
Frank Moya, defense attorney and Denver public defender
Sandy Mullins, executive director of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar
Mason Tvert, executive director of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER)
Brian Vicente, defense attorney and executive director of Sensible Colorado
Voting opposed
Lt. Ernie Martinez, Denver Police Dept. and president of the Colorado Drug Investigators Association
Vincent DiCroce, Denver City Attorney's Office
Doug Linkhart, Denver City Council
Dora-Lee Larson, Denver Domestic Violence Coordinating Council
so it can be fairly said that:
Lt. Ernie Martinez, Denver Police Dept. and president of the Colorado Drug Investigators Association
Vincent DiCroce, Denver City Attorney's Office
Doug Linkhart, Denver City Council
Dora-Lee Larson, Denver Domestic Violence Coordinating Council,
all want children dying of cancer to suffer unnecessarily.
Jeez, there's so much unknown history here - the 13th C Holy Mother Church came out swinging against the "devil's weed" .
By an odd "co-incidence" the Monks, having glommed onto the Arab al-chemists' secrets as to the distillation of al-cohol (via the tortures imposed by the Normans' [yeah the same guys who conked England]) during the then-recent ethnic cleansing of Southern Italy of the Arab scourge? A conjecture...) were simultaneously introducing the first distilled spirits into Europe (Benedictine, the secret of the Monks) ...prior to which only wine and beer had been available...a commercial purpose for the ban wrapped in religious mumbo-jumbo?
Odd too that these early Arab al-chemists distilled al-cohol in a culture which explicitly banned wine.....no doubt working in deep secrecy....I guess the neuro-chemists are right we get a charge getting away with what is thought of as forbidden....
OT I heard that recently they've been elucidating the bio-chemical action of alcohol.
Turns out it poisons the processes of the mitochondria....which all come from yer mother...no wonder alcohol hits the ladies so differently...and your Mother is right to tell you not to drink, you're impairing her bio-chemical legacy, your cellular energy plants, when you use alcohol....
strictly outta curiosity, uglycanuck, what are the laws regarding hemp/cannabis up in the great white north? (eh?) i've read a lot of conflicting reports.
#52 : "unnecessarily" is an unnecessary modifier..."necessary" suffering is a very questionable concept, IMHO...scans better too less messy without that last word...more punch yet retains accuracy...
Mark,
I work for reason.tv, and I just wanted to thank you for posting this video. I was at Charlie Lynch's trial today, and I will be there tomorrow as well, covering it. We'll have people covering it until it's over, and you can expect some dispatches from us soon about the progress of the trial.
Thank you all for your support,
Seth Goldin
seth.goldin@reason.tv
send that there sheriff to 'fghanistan!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7523285.stm
Politically we've already de-criminalized, though not legally.
The Law is in flux...for several years there was no operative Law against marijuana possession in Ontario even though the cops still charged and guilty pleas were accepted by the lower courts....the Appeals court actually had to hear another case years later to say "yeah, that's what we did we struck it down, but now that you bring it up we'll resurrect it since the gov has in the meanwhile set up a way to get med marijuana"...or something to that effect... kind of a back-fire, from the liberalization standpoint.
That has since been shown to be somewhat of a scam on the part of the Gov (not a good faith try) so the Courts have started to strike the Law again...these cases are working thru the system....suffice to say that we have a rationality test for gov-dictated restrictions on our right to life liberty and security of the person...and the last time our highest court looked it said that the law "apparently" met that test...but the use of that word indicates to me that the question is still open for further evidence as it arises...Although the Courts would rather Parliament does things they will act if Parl continues to make life unnecessarily difficult for sick and dying people to get their medicine...and forcing them onto the black market for their meds is a deprivation of security...and why? Can the gov demonstrably justify in our free and democratic society that the total ban on commerce in and production of marijuana is a reasonable limit on the rights of her people to life liberty and security of the person? What do you think?
A little different than the USian system of Rights, but hey, we are resplendent in our divergence...and it looks like we canucks may in some ways be more secure against gov-enacted limits than our Am. cousins.....
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4639.html
This is shocking and sad. I wonder what goes through the minds of DEA agents raiding dispensaries? Do they really believe they are doing good? San Luis Obispo needs a new sheriff.
do they allow the growing of hemp for fiber, oil, biomass, etc...?
What goes through their minds? Pleasure and sexual excitement at breaking down doors into the homes of the defenseless and beating,chaining and sometimes killing who they find inside, smugly confident that the LAW is on their side and any act they wish to commit is permitted. Maybe a little looting and diddling too, if time permits.
cops and not-cops, that is the way most police/rent-a-cops feel is the division of humanity. getting to kick the fuck out of us with impugnity? priceless.
Oh yeah hemps no problem just need permits..industrial scale only, too regulated...the most useful plant ever...the court-driven liberalization is mostly a result of the medical use...a club to get the gov to make med weed properly available...the gov's having a tough time bettering our cottage-industry supplies for sick people...like the Courts say, it is as if the Gov does not really want to, or is dragging its feet for some reason, not really trying....oddly the thing does not seem so ...political...an issue up here, like abortion I guess...I mean a health issue is a health issue, it's just taking some time to work out the no-longer-tenable superstitions from our Laws...I know some smokers pissed that the gro-op guys aren't paying their fair share of taxes, not that they're growing weed...they'd like to see 'em busted but only for the tax evasion not the smoke...it is like they are not pulling their fair share of the load...
Yeah I stand with our August and Honorable Senators on this issue and defer to their Wisdom and Judgment. Legalize it, top to bottom, no regulations or restrictions whatsoever.....
Yeah, it varies a lot from place to place; here in L.A. supermarkets and convenience stores sell it, airplanes tow banner ads up and down the beaches all weekend touting Purple Urkle or whatever the flavor-du-jour is. And if the California Highway Patrol pulls you over and you ask the officer if he or she is holding, they are required by law (thanks, Arnold!) to sell you half their personal stash. Yeah, life is tough in Southern California...
hallelujah, home-slice! thanks for the info.
Hey. I am very far from denigrating the Cops for the Laws which they are called upon to enforce. The manner in which they enforce them, well...
Not the Cops, look behind and above...the politicians, they have the Power, and the Responsibility is theirs.
If the Cops enjoy their job, eh, so what? We should all be so lucky...they do not make the Laws (tho I'd wish that they as public employees not wear their Uniforms to partisan political events while there in a non-official capacity, but that's the Brit in me, I think...).
I have said it before...Americans need better leadership...
California - is that near the Salton Sea?
Wow, I just read Takuan's post at #64. I don't pretend to know what was going through their minds, but I know what's going through mine now.
Yeah, life is tough in Southern California...
But, dude - San Loser Obispo?
So very sad...
so very pathetic.
IT IS MEDICINE ASSHOLES!
I know it sounds appealing Eustace, but you're too good for that
Speaking as one who has lived in the Greater San Luis Obispo Metropolitan Area (for about 15 years, so I can kid) the county includes some pretty rural area as well, and that's where the Sheriff matters, not in the incorporated cities.
http://www.hr95.org/
I really like SLO, but I keep running out of work there! Then it's back to L.A., which has it's own charms.
Thx Takuan. I was kidding. Or, at least, I'm not confessing to anything.
http://www.november.org/thewall/wall/wall.html
Oh yeah if you've got the Form (whatever the Dr's scrip required) then you can deduct the cost of your medicine from your income for tax purposes I think...and we have Professors accommodated with smoking areas for their med tokery and they cannot bust you for impaired driving while you toke your meds provided you've got the right Form/Scrip and you are not actually showing signs of impairment in yer driving....also difficult with the Privacy Laws we have to know if that old coot smoking the Bong on his Patio next door does or does not have a Medical Certificate......of course our chronic and terminal care facilities also have smoking areas now...the stuff is medically efficacious....
Enforcement of the ban on "healthy" non-med toking varies from place to place. If yer stealing a car or fighting and its found you will be charged...it's used if available as kind of an add-on for our general anti-asshole laws...flagrant public use is not particularly well tolerated and you are taking a risk, depending as always where you are and who you're with...it has been a very long time since I have heard of a raid for simple possession of weed alone - it is always a gro-op or a coke/gun/MDMA/ecstasy bust with Marijuana just happening to be there...other than the gro-ops grass is never the primary target, even according to the cops.
Public opinion supports legalization in Canada by a bare majority - but a super-majority wants it decrimmed. As this may cause us external problems with a certain Country which I do not wish to name we keep the Laws on the Books....but show no great enthusiasm or zeal in their enforcement.
A new twist of late is our current Gov helping that Country get our citizens into their Jurisdiction to face trial for activities - "crimes"- allegedly having their impact primarily in that Country, but which activities carry a far lesser or no penalty under Canadian Law, and which were done on Canadian soil.
Agents of a foreign power? Once in a while, I guess....
Eustace@67:
"And if the California Highway Patrol pulls you over and you ask the officer if he or she is holding, they are required by law (thanks, Arnold!) to sell you half their personal stash. Yeah, life is tough in Southern California..."
Are you just pulling my stalk? I've not heard of that one. That would be a delightful reverse of how it is here in Texas, where they either just steal your stash (if they are being relatively cool) or bust you and steal your stash from the evidence room. (This happened to me personally, even though it was an illegal search.)
Just another example of the horrible balance issues we have with drug laws and penalties.
Hopefully Owen Beck doesn't suffer because of this. Cancer treatment and the after-effects are far from pleasant or cheap. Now his parents will have to foot the bill for some synthetic drug (or combination of drugs) to work on his pain and nausea. I'm not really 'for' marijuana however we understand the benefits and risks of it far better than any man-made drug due to it being around for so long so I'm more accepting of it in this kind of reasonable medical use.
This is ridiculous. This is some kid's medicine! Controversial, yes, but life-saving, definitely!
#80 yeah that's kind of an unofficial rule up here too, they have to share if you ask nicely...
CANUCK@83: Wow, you just re-affirmed my hope for the planet! Please say you guys aren't messing with me...?
GRIMM@81: Couldn't the family just go to another dispensary (or just ask Ponch and Jon?)
That still just blows my mind: Asking cops for bud and they have to sell it to you... I would ask very nicely!
Since SLO Co's Domain is co.slo.ca.us
and following normal email convetions,
I would say Deputy Pat Hedges' email would be:
phedges@co.slo.ca.us
those who line their pockets from the WaronSomeDrugs Industry don't care if people suffer, die or just have their lives ruined. It's their meal ticket. I dearly hope to see the DEA stand trial for war crimes one day.
(patrol car pulls someone over)
"Sir, could you step out of the car, please."
"Yes, sir. Did I do something wrong? I didn't think I was speeding..."
(looks over registration and insurance)
"-No, son, you were driving five miles above the speed limit. We were just concerned that you may not quite be high enough, and we brought reinforcements."
(officer ruffles through his stash)
"Oh, thank you officer! I really am glad you pulled me over."
(hands over nugs for cash)
"Ok, we'll just let you off with a warning this time, but next time, we expect you to be driving 5-10 mph below the speed limit, like other decent law abiding dope smoking Californians and Canadians. Carry on..."
(drives off into sunset)
#84 :Sorry me boyo I be pulling de leg...do not ask an Ontario Policeman to share his smoke, nicely or otherwise. (Although I would appreciate a video record of someone rudely demanding a cop to share out his weed...) They just won't, trust me.
CANUCK@88:
Awwww... (sob)
There goes my renewed hope for the planet...
-Say, why did you become Scottish all of the sudden?
@88: At least I've written the script for such a video now... =D
I see the Winnipeg cops tasered a 17 year old to death
What a buzz kill (ahem), TAKUAN.
newfie, not scots
(Dana Carvey doing Johnny Carson voice) I did not know that...
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=newfie
just so you don't forget
newfie
I heard that.
We are multi-kulti, but we are a proud member of the Commonwealth and have connections throughout the Old Empire...Fiji shares our Sovereign, as do many other nations...I thought it was Jamaican, mon...ya no in keepin 'wid de topic, mon...being the smoke, and all that...
Steam-methinks-meh.
@97: Ahh. I was thrown by the "me boyo" but I suppose they have that expression on a creative commons license...
me boyo would more Irish in derivation
Yeah anglo-influenced island speak at any event.
The war on some-but-not-all drugs must end. The main casualties are sanity and decency. Locking up a primate for chewing, ingesting or smoking a plant is insane. Locking up a primate for providing that plant to somebody suffering is indecent.
The old readers may recall that Timothy Leary was sent to prison in San Luis Obisbo for mere possession of marijuana for 10 years. This was also where he escaped from and was eventually abducted from Afghanistan (rendition, anyone) for the same escape.
Perhaps everyone could register as a dispensary and the sheer ratio of DEA to dispensaries would make it impossible for the feds to enforce the law. No arguments, just invalidate the law with complete disdain for it's enforcement.
@101: True. I guess I made the leap because of the commonalities in the Canadian and Scot pronunciations of out and about. I assure you it won't happen again.
(This is the tiniest capillary of digression I have visited yet, I think. Oh, hello Takuan!)
And they'll find a judge who will block certain evidence from the courtroom at the request of the prosecutor and a jury who will convict "a guy who sold 100 kilos of pot some to underage teenagers"
Prosecutor gets another notch on the belt and the system continues to chug along...
"Even though state and local laws allow for it, medical marijuana is still illegal under federal law."
Wait... what?
Two law systems? I thought the UK system was messed
up, but thats bad!
How do they choose? Default the most harsh, or out-of-a-hat?
"Boyo?" more like Welsh methinks
It sucks that we have to rely on the good will of a presidential candidate to stop our own government (employees) from being assholes.
Further proof that the government (in all its aspects) only cares about fighting wars, pushing the party agenda, "churching" us & keeping us under its thumb.
To be truly happy, comfortable & have the ability to expand our minds.... well, we can't have that. We might start thinking for ourselves.
someone tell this asshole what diamorphine, that other well-known drug used in cancer care is also known as...
(hint: it's heroin)
So its ok to prespribe scag for the going-to-die. but its not ok to prescribe weed for the might-just-get-through-it.
Seriously, WTF.
Bottom line:
legislatures are not physicians
cops are not pharmacists
marijuana is a drug
regulate if you must
but lay off the sick and suffering
ameliorating their condition
I've taken a cocktail of prescription drugs. I've experimented with illegal narcotics. Guess what? The pharmaceutical drugs I was legally prescribed did things to my body that illegal drugs never did. They made me feel worse.
My vision was blurred.
I lost sleep.
I had hot flashes.
My skin stretched.
I lost my balance frequently.
My back was sore all the time
I couldn't stand for long periods of time.
I was frequently delusional/giddy.
This was all from a legal precription drug called Prednisone. I took only what my doctor told me to.
Yet when I smoke marijuana recreationally, the worse thing I experience is extreme comfort and a bad case of the munchies.
I have to wonder what the governments of the world are on when they decided that some narcotics should be illegal while certain pharmaceuticals which are harmful are allowed to stay on the market.
Well, this pillock Hedges may get his comeuppance as a direct consequence of all this. He's getting sued by another medical marijuana user for breach of privacy and other things.
We need to stop this type of abuse and torture of sick and dying patients.
It's really sad that we live in a world where a kid has to get his leg amputated to save his life and people say "oh, that's too bad." But then the kid has to take some medicine that's been arbitrarily decided is "bad" and people say "OH MY GOD! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR KID?!"
We should be asking ourselves what kind of parent would NOT do that for their kid, if it was what helped.
to #109: That's exactly what I was thinking. Probably never occurred to Mr. High and Mighty Sheriff that very sick kids are prescribed opiates on a daily basis.
OK, now hear this. Only gonna say it once.
Marijuana is not illegal because it's a bad drug.
Marijuana is illegal because it's a way of outlawing hemp.
Hemp had to be outlawed because it was cutting into the profit margin of the timber industry. This effort was originally led by William Randolph Hearst, who in a just universe would be burning in Hell as we speak.
Heroin, you see, has no such problem. And now medical marijuana has another industrial opponent: the pharmaceutical industry (especially the makers of marinol, which is essentially prescription THC).
"Boyo": definitely Welsh.
#177: Ah the Welsh..there be some down old Shelburne way....
I've heard tell that of old the Welshmen would work in the slate mines
then go home to their slate-roofed homes
play pool on their slate pool tables
and then make love to their slate-hearted wives...
All under a slate-colored sky...
@#116: hahah! Was the pamphlet where you read this printed on hemp paper and handed to you buy a guy on campus wearing a Bob Marley t-shirt? Did he invite you to a sit-in to discuss the merits of hemp, and how it will change the world? And invite you to use hemp soap and hemp shampoo and wear clothes made of hemp?
Marijuana was outlawed for the same reason that talking on your cell-phone while driving is outlawed. Because amongst the millions of stupid things that people do every day, a few were shown to have a non-causal link with driving while talking (or getting high on marijuana). Then there's the public outcry, and the crusaders with money and influence, and a politician or two gets involved, and then BAM! There's a law.
And because there's a law, that pushes public perception, which in turn leads to the public viewing anyone who drives with their cell phone, smokes pot, or drinks on Sunday as being a delinquent and a criminal.
So yes, the reason that marijuana was and still is illegal is because of the perception (at first by few, and then by many) that it's a "bad drug" and it will make you do crazy things. The whole "lumber industry" conspiracy was put together by the same people who think that if they can get everyone to want hemp shoes, that it'll be just that much easier to sneak in a few of the shorter cannabis plants amongst the taller "industrial" ones.
I'm all for the legalization of marijuana. But I'd rather that people come to their senses and see that it's a harmless recreational drug with enormous medical benefits, rather than becuase "we can make stuff with it that we already make out of other stuff".
Actually hemp sailors' shoes are ace and would probably find a Market...such were used by the Tars of Nelson's Navy...and hemp rope as well has properties that are cheap and useful compared to the synthetic ropes...so it is a product by product thing, but fads i think are an ever present part of urban life and have been for millenia...I try to enjoy 'em while they last and they like all things human don't last that very long...fads, that is I think the shoes would last quite a while on deck...
Absolutely disgusting. That sheriff cares more about not having his outdated and idiotic moral sensibilities offended than he does about people suffering.
I am getting so gadamn sick of certain aspects of our country, that I am at a loss for words.
I can't even eloquently express my anger and disgust. All I can do is Growl! GGGGRRRRR
I live in a state in which some idiots are about to outlaw a currently legal plant that some people use for recreation, some for chronic pain.
I use it for my chronic pain. It works wonders, much better than taking addictive and sedating pharmaceuticals, and these ass clowns want to make it illegal.
Why?
Maybe our prisons aren't quite as full of otherwise law abbiding tax paying citizens as some would like.
I bet this sheriff went to a bar and downed a few shots to celebrate his single handedly preserving our way of life.
Way to go douche!
GGGRRRR
OTOH the Gov should endeavor to encourage industry and discourage vice - but this prohibition may be a discouragement too far , and may act to encourage the wrong sort of industry...this gov endeavor is too harsh IMO...more harm than good.
Perniciousness of prohibition peaks
When the policy brings the very Administration of Justice into disrepute
When rational men hold the punishments exacted to exceed the crimes alleged
Witness some of this thread
Good men despair...
Prohibition has been shown to be bad public policy
Persistence Is Futile
Where the policy is rotten
I get the feeling that Boingboing is filled with leftists, communists, pinkos and pinko-commie leftists.
Pause for a moment, and watch this documentary on the all-too-real dangers of the marihuana. Will you just sit back and let our society be destroyed by this, clearly the most dangerous of the drugs?
"Nay!" I say.
Who is with me?
I'll see that and raise ya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5TJApnJ8X8&feature=related
SamF: Logic...ur doin it rong.
Hemp is a renewable resource, especially compared to lumber.
Drunk driving is illegal, yet alcohol is not.
And as a close friend of someone who just got out of the hospital with a punctured lung he got from an accident caused by a driver who was talking on a hand-held cell phone...you know not what you talk about.
#105 Psymiley, Two law systems? I thought the UK system was messed up, but thats bad!
Actually there are 3 - local (city), state, federal (country).
For whatever the surface reasons that got the ball rolling, the prohibition remains because the gubernit doesn't want free thinking informed people active in our society and voting. They want easily manipulated sheep (as said by somone else far above in this thread.) Why else continue to make education a travesty in the US? Why else are all other psychoactive entheogens illegal? (Please click this link I posted yesterday in a related thread: Why is DMT Illegal in the United States?)
To quote (ok, paraphrase) Prof. Bill: "Alcohol and cigarettes kill more people each year in this country than all other drugs combined. Number of deaths from marijuana since the beginning of time: ...Zero!"
Hemp is also damn useful and actually superior as a fiber to cotton or timber in many ways, as well as easier to grow. It truly has thousands of household uses, but I'm not going to tell you this is the main reason all cannabinoids should be decriminalized. As much as I like it for recreation and creative mind expansion, that is still not the linchpin. It should be obvious from this article that the main reason it must be decriminalized is for its sundry medicinal uses, for which there is no effective substitute, no matter how hard the pharmaceutical companies try to re-manufacture it (so they can control and profit from that, as opposed to everybody growing their own easily and affordably.)
As for why the federal law is in conflict with state law: This is only because certain neo-cons who appropriated our government (namely the bush administration) have disregarded Article XII of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Unless we can convince the Supreme Court (even though they currently have a Republican appointed majority) to take a case that challenges this illegality, we are stuck with some states having decriminalized medicinal marijuana, and the feds coming in and busting people who are providing much needed medicine to sick and / or dying people like Owen Beck. Free Charlie Lynch!
You know those our my tax dollars you are spending on those prisons and the very real guns and bullets used in this stupid crusade against Marijuana. I've got a say...
I'm with the Canadian Senate on this one. And with our Courts.
And with our public opinion...I shall never refuse to hire simply because of a weed conviction, I shall not consider marijuana users criminal, nor shall I consider Public expenditure in that regard as money well spent.
I'll stamp my little foot...what else can ya do?
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-weed26-2008jul26,0,6418930.story
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/544/washington_supreme_court_car_marijuana_smell_arrest
further to #64
What's At Stake?
Enough is Enough: Petition to Stop the Reckless Drug Raids
In November 2006, 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston was killed by police during a raid conducted at the wrong house. Ms. Johnston fired at the police officers as they were breaking in through her living room window. Three officers were injured, but Ms. Johnston was struck 39 times and died at the scene.
In July 2007, Mike Lefort, 61, and his mother, Thelma, 83, were surprised and thrown to the ground when Thibodeau, Louisiana police burst into the wrong house with a "no knock" warrant. Thelma suffered from a spike in her blood pressure and had a difficult time overcoming the shock.
In March 2007, masked police officers in Jacksonville, Florida, mistakenly burst into the home of Willie Davis, grandfather of murdered DreShawna Davis, and his mentally disabed son. The pair were forced to the ground, where they watched helplessly as police tore apart the memorabilia from DreShawn's funeral. The drug sale that never happened was said to involve all of two crack rocks worth $60.
One would think after Atlanta police killed 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston, that they would get the idea, but they haven't. On Friday, 1/4/08, a SWAT team, serving an ordinary drug search warrant, invaded the Ohio home of Tarika Wilson -- an innocent woman -- shot and killed her, and shot her one-year-old son. "They went in that home shooting," her mother said at a vigil that night. The boy lost at least one of his fingers. Two dogs were shot too.
SWAT teams were created to deal with extreme situations, not routine ones. Yet police now conduct tens of thousands of SWAT raids every year, mostly in low-level drug enforcement. The result is that people like Wilson and Johnston continue to die in terror, with many thousands more having to go on living with trauma. But it's all for a drug war that has failed and can't be made to work.
It's time to rein in the SWAT teams. Please sign our online petition: "Enough is Enough: Petition to Limit Paramilitary Police Raids in America." A copy will be sent in your name to your US Representative and Senators, your state legislators, your governor, and the president. When you're done, please tell your friends and please spread the word wherever you can.
This is a first step. Take it with us today, and there can be more. Enough is enough -- no more needless deaths from reckless SWAT raids!
Visit http://stopthedrugwar.org/policeraids for more information about this issue, including our October Zogby poll showing that 66% of Americans, when informed about the issue, don't think police should use aggressive entry tactics when doing routine drug enforcement.
TAKUAN: Thanks for the above.
@SAMF, The History Channel has a wonderful 2 hour special detailing the WarOnDrugs from pre-ban on. Public outcry did not come first, and was completely manufactured through propaganda.
San Francisco I Am has a great video on whether illegal cannabis clubs are really hurting medical marijuana patients with California Attorney General's recent crackdown down on medical cannabis clubs.
You can check out the video here:
http://www.sanfranciscoiam.com/videos/0faa12024b6c
San Francisco Iam also got a lot of other interesting video journalism bringing us stuff that the mainstream media isn’t .
There's got to be more important things for the FBI to focus on than this.