Ok, today we're going to discuss Operation: Marijuana for the Masses. If you've read my myspace, www.myspace.com/drkiefreefer, you understand the basics. Let's get to the nitty gritty. Dr. Kief Reefer is in the house.
Operation: Marijuana for the Masses
Briefing- As has been the case throughout the 1990s, the overwhelming majority of those charged with marijuana violations in 2006 -- 738,915 Americans (89 %) -- were for simple possession. The remaining 90,710 individuals were for "sale/manufacture", an FBI category which includes marijuana grown for personal use or purely medical purposes. These new FBI statistics indicate that one marijuana smoker is arrested every 38 seconds in America. Taken together, the total number of marijuana arrests for 2006 far exceeded the combined number of arrests for violent crimes, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. In the last decade, 6.5 million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges, a greater number than the entire populations of Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming combined. (Thank you www.NORML.org for the statistics).
Order- To germinate all free seeds retained from any amount of personal cannabis you might have and to plant them in public places. People ought to see how rediculous the United States has become over a plant, as covered in the briefing. You will NOT plant these with the intent to harvest. You will NOT plant these on private property. Should you be captured by the enemy, our hearts go out to you. You are a true martyr for your people. Let's believe that the public will see our country's hipocrasy and change these laws which bind us in slavery!
To germinate: There are many different methods of germinating, and I will express the simplist of them, including my technique. It requires no special equipment.
You will need:
Seeds- as many as possible
*Water- bottled is best, for tap follow directions
Saucer- a plate. You got it.
Paper towel- about 6 squares standard size.
Plastic Wrap- only for select techniques.
Seeds need three things to germinate. Temperature, Air, and Water.
I. Identifying Seeds
A. Good Seeds
1. A good seed will be dark brown to grey in color. Often they are mottled, or striped. They can be big or small, but should be round and look "juicy". They will withstand squeezing between the thumb and forefinger with a decent level of pressure, don't squeeze too hard even good ones will pop.
B. Bad Seeds
1. A bad seed is much easier to identify than a good one. They will be cracked, flat, light brown to tan if underripe, dark grey to black if overripe. They will pop under slight pressure bettween the fingers.
II. Techniques
A. The Long Bath
1. On a saucer or plate, fold 3 pieces of paper towel over one another. Soak with water to saturation. Places seeds on paper towel. Cover them with 3 more layers and soack that. Tip the plate and let excess water drain. Cover with plastic warp to simulate a green house effect. Check on the paper towel twice a day for wetness. Add water as needed. In 2 to 20 days, all seeds that will germinate have germinated. A small root-like appendage will split the shell. This is the radicle. The moment the radicle is seen, it is ready for planting. Keep the plate in warm temperature, from 70-80 degrees. Do not exceed 80, auxin and hormone levels can be disrupted. Keep it dark, dim lighting may be used, nothing strong.
B.Scratch and Plant
1. Get a large household sized matchbox with a piece of sandpaper in it. shake the seeds in the box for 30 seconds. The outer shell will be slightly scuffed. This allows more water to wick inside the seed. Place on the saucer on top of 1 to 3 layers of paper towel and add water to saturation plus a little extra. Cover with plastic wrap and check water level. The water should reach halfway up the seed, but not cover it, or the seed with literally drown. Remember, seeds need air. Follow the rest of the directions for The Long Bath.
C. My Show
1. I use something similar to The Long Bath. I don't find a need to scuff the seeds. Seeds can attempt to germinate at even 20% humidity, but they will die trying, so keep them dry until ready. Place them in water halfway up the shell with no medium between them and the saucer. Copver with plastic wrap. After one, maximum two days (but still safe), take them out and place them in paper towels. Saturate the paper towels and hang them in a discreet spot where the seeds won't fall out, I like to keep them in my closet on a hanger. With selective seeds I have a germination rate of 85% from imported and/or pressed cannabis. When the radicle appears, plant and walk away!
* Water from a bottle is perfect. I've heard some people choose mineral water, but I have witnessed a difference. With tap, make sure the water sits in an open container for 24 hours to allow to chlorine to dissipate. Early in life, tap water has enough dissolved solids in parts per million to feed the plant for a couple weeks. Fresh tap has chlorine in too high amounts and it's use is discouraged by most growers without letting the chloring evaporate.
Payoff- Once you have selected a location, a public park, a small garden, a campus, in front of a courthouse or police department, whatever, plant your seeds discreetly as you do not want to get caught. Walk away and never intend to harvest. You may visit on occasion to see if it's still there, but do not make your intent obvious. We want many people to see this phenomenon, this plant which is more deadly than all drugs ever known to man and the scourge of the earth, the boon of Satan himself. Certainly the bain of the DEA.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Unfortunately, I have run out of time! I will not be able to detail germinating and planting practices today. Please check by tomorrow, as they will be fully explained. I hope to empower you all with the idealism behind Operation: Marijuana for the Masses. I go to smoke a joint and clean my house. Until tomorrow, goodbye!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Ok, the news blogs are too long. I'll just summarize them from now on, but trust I won't leave important details out. I refuse to bias my reports. Most of them come from NORML News weekly update, but are cross referenced with google news archives.
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DEA Steps Up Attacks Against California Medi-Pot Patients, Dispensaries
Federal law enforcement officials took unprecedented steps in 2007 to quash California’s medi-pot patient community. DEA officials raided a record number of dispensaries and mailed hundreds of letters to California landlords threatening them with arrest and up to 20 years imprisonment, as well as the forfeiture of their building, if they rented to medicinal cannabis clubs. Since DEA officials began mailing warning letters this summer, numerous high profile clubs across the state have ceased operations. Read the full story at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7452.
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Does anybody else think it's a major violation of our rights as Americans to be bullied by the DEA? Here's a toughy: Cannabis grower's spend anywhere from $100 to $10,000 putting together a grow setup. Average grower's are cordial to their neighbors, pay their bills on time, otherwise never break the law, drive street legal cars, and treat people with respect. At least, medical grower's and hobbyists do. Organized crime syndicates are worse, but let's compare. Organized crime also tends to sell harder drugs like heroin, cocaine, ecstacy. They carry firearms and commit violent crimes. They bully people who disagree with them, threaten their lives and livelihood, bribe the right people to get in the places the need to get to push their black market drugs. The DEA breaks into businesses, seizes assets without ever convicting a crime, bribes electric company's and phone companies for customer records which indicate drug activity. Sometimes they do it legally, sometimes illegally. They threaten jail time for landlords who have nothing to do with dispensaries but who might rent to one. Some companies, like At&t and Qwuest have refused to turn over customer records and are recieving pressure via legally compromising their business. (Seattle Times, 16 Dec 2007).
In summation, we see that organized crime syndicates and government law enforcement both use bully tactics, including violence, bribery, and blackmail. They both violate legal rights, one breaks the law with drugs, the other breaks the law by delving into our personal lives with no warrant whatsoever. Tens of millions of citizens across the United States are in physical fear of both of them equally.
Responsible cannabis grower's only break the law in possession of cannabis, a non-violent, no-victim crime. All the while the DEA leaves a derelict heap of victims all in it's wake.
Any thoughts?
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DEA Steps Up Attacks Against California Medi-Pot Patients, Dispensaries
Federal law enforcement officials took unprecedented steps in 2007 to quash California’s medi-pot patient community. DEA officials raided a record number of dispensaries and mailed hundreds of letters to California landlords threatening them with arrest and up to 20 years imprisonment, as well as the forfeiture of their building, if they rented to medicinal cannabis clubs. Since DEA officials began mailing warning letters this summer, numerous high profile clubs across the state have ceased operations. Read the full story at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7452.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Does anybody else think it's a major violation of our rights as Americans to be bullied by the DEA? Here's a toughy: Cannabis grower's spend anywhere from $100 to $10,000 putting together a grow setup. Average grower's are cordial to their neighbors, pay their bills on time, otherwise never break the law, drive street legal cars, and treat people with respect. At least, medical grower's and hobbyists do. Organized crime syndicates are worse, but let's compare. Organized crime also tends to sell harder drugs like heroin, cocaine, ecstacy. They carry firearms and commit violent crimes. They bully people who disagree with them, threaten their lives and livelihood, bribe the right people to get in the places the need to get to push their black market drugs. The DEA breaks into businesses, seizes assets without ever convicting a crime, bribes electric company's and phone companies for customer records which indicate drug activity. Sometimes they do it legally, sometimes illegally. They threaten jail time for landlords who have nothing to do with dispensaries but who might rent to one. Some companies, like At&t and Qwuest have refused to turn over customer records and are recieving pressure via legally compromising their business. (Seattle Times, 16 Dec 2007).
In summation, we see that organized crime syndicates and government law enforcement both use bully tactics, including violence, bribery, and blackmail. They both violate legal rights, one breaks the law with drugs, the other breaks the law by delving into our personal lives with no warrant whatsoever. Tens of millions of citizens across the United States are in physical fear of both of them equally.
Responsible cannabis grower's only break the law in possession of cannabis, a non-violent, no-victim crime. All the while the DEA leaves a derelict heap of victims all in it's wake.
Any thoughts?
Sunday, December 30, 2007
WOMAN LED FIGHT TO LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA by Karen Kawawada, Record Staff, (Source:Record)
29 Dec 2007
Ontario
KITCHENER - In recent years, when people saw Catherine Devries of Kitchener, they saw a tiny and obviously ill woman who needed to use a wheelchair when she managed to get out of bed at all. But her family and friends don't remember the trail-blazing medical-marijuana activist as frail. Anything but. "Cathy was a very, very strong fighter," said her father Carl Devries. "She would not give up even when her life was extremely difficult for her." Catherine died last Sunday in St. Mary's Hospital, at the age of 49. Most of her life, she had struggled with a host of health problems and pain. Her origins are a bit of a mystery. All Carl and Elly Devries know is that they saw an adoption ad in a Toronto paper in the late 1950s. In those days, it wasn't easy to find families wanting to adopt mixed-race children such as little Cathy, but Carl and Elly were more than willing. As Dutch immigrants, they knew about being outsiders. They had also just lost their second child. They took Cathy in at the age of 17 months. Later, they adopted a second mixed-race child, Tim. Cathy always got along well with both him and her older sister Linda, said her parents. Cathy was a happy, outgoing child. When she moved to Ottawa with her family at the age of nine, she immediately introduced herself to her neighbours. When the family went camping, as soon as the tent was set up, she'd be off making friends, remembered Elly. A five-week trip to Holland in her early teens started lifelong relationships with relatives there. Even in her last days, she treasured pictures of her long-dead grandparents. Young Catherine was athletic and excelled in track and field. But the way her parents remember things, it was an accident in a race that really set off her health problems. Catherine told The Record in 2005 the problems started at age 12, when she bent down and sudden pain shot through her leg. But the episode her parents remember was a few years later, when she crashed into a wall during a relay race, fracturing her spine. After that crash, she was in traction for six weeks, then had surgery, the first of several. But the surgeries may have hurt more than helped -- there were complications, infections and side effects from drugs, Carl said. Later she was diagnosed with inflammation of the arachnoid lining, which protects the brain and spinal cord. Arachnoiditis can be caused by spinal trauma or surgery, and it causes chronic pain and bowel problems. Her health problems didn't permit her to finish high school in the regular way. She got her diploma by correspondence as an adult, accomplishing a goal that was important to her, Elly said. There were better times and worse times, health-wise. During a better period, in her late teens and early 20s, she did some work as a wheelchair model. Her parents like to remember how beautiful she was in those days. Around that time, she moved from Ottawa to Kitchener, where she had friends. She seemed well on the road to being independent, Carl said. But more health problems interfered. Unable to work, she lived on a small disability pension. As far as her parents know, she was never in a serious relationship and her health was too fragile to consider pregnancy. Still, Catherine loved children and was friendly with several in the neighbourhood, Elly said. Catherine wrote several children's stories, which she shared with family and friends. The more public side of her was her activism. She was one of the first Canadians to be legally allowed to use marijuana for medical purposes. "Catherine fought very hard for that licence," said fellow medical-marijuana activist Alison Myrden of Burlington. "She was one of the first people to speak up about it and she should be recognized for that . . . "She knew cannabis worked for her. I watched the difference when I saw her smoke. She'd go from lying in bed and slumping over and falling asleep to sitting up and talking a mile a minute. It was incredible, the transformation." In 2000, police seized 21 grams of marijuana she had ordered from B.C.'s Compassion Club, which provides the drug to sick people. Devries went to court to get it back, and won. In 2002, Devries joined Myrden and seven others in suing the federal government for better access to quality pot. The activists argued it wasn't right for people legally allowed to use marijuana to have to buy from dealers. They also won, although Myrden says the situation now is still far from perfect. In the last few years, Catherine's health took a turn for the worse, but she kept fighting. Twice, doctors told her death was near, but she surprised them, Carl said. "She was such a positive girl, always saying, 'I can handle this; I will get better,' " Elly said. A few months ago, when Catherine was unconscious, Elly sat with her and sang her Dutch songs she had sung to her as a child. A few days later, Catherine called and sung them back to her, Elly said through tears. "It was unbelievable." More recently, doctors told her she might not make it to Christmas. Catherine told them she would, but for the first time, she was wrong. Her family will receive visitors at Kitchener's Ratz-Bechtel Funeral Home at 621 King St. on Saturday, Jan. 5, from 3 to 5 p.m.
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Is it not the most sad state of affairs when even a country which has legalized the possession still has not legalized the distribution except under the most strict and adhering protocol? It prevents people like Cathy from getting the quality of cannbis they need from anything but illegal sources. The United States government purports that crime will be raised from the legalization of marijuana, but I have a question for them. How can the black market and true criminals prosper, profit, and continue to commit crime if you take away the criminals very lifeblood? Policing does not work, cannabis has proven helpful for patients for the last 8,000 years, and you the government insist on letting them do crime. Is it possible the government may be in cahoots with extemely wealthy drug dealers? Let's not assume I'm paranoid, after all Reagan sold weapons to South American terrorists during the Iran-Contra affair, while publicly claiming on national television he was doing nothing of the sorts. George W. Bush has the lowest recorded I.Q. of any president in our history. During a State of the Union address, a stray hanging microhpone caught his attention and for five solid minutes he stared at it swinging while giving his speech! Who's to say a rich drug dealer didn't dangle something shiny in front of him? Corruption has existed on every level of our government since it's beginning, and it gets worse as time goes on. The DEA profits from the War on Drugs, the Pharmaceutical, alcohol, and tobacco industries all profit from pot being illegal, the United States government profits by creating all the branches and departments which are easier and more expensive to maintain than just legalizing. But the United States of America doesn't care about money. Not the way you and I think. If you were given a credit card with $1.3 trillion and told to buy different things, you would only care if that money had a way to get back to you! At least, you'd feel that way if you were a crooked politician, which there seems to be a lot of. So the DEA takes some of the $1.3 trillion, so does every other ant-marijuana group which recieves funds from the government, and the pharmaceutical companies, the alcohol and tobacco companies all see they're profits rise as long as marijuana remains illegal and damn those dying people. Fuck those people who have cancer, AIDS, medula gargantua, glycauma, and psychologically crippling disorders. Fuck all of us, right?
29 Dec 2007
Ontario
KITCHENER - In recent years, when people saw Catherine Devries of Kitchener, they saw a tiny and obviously ill woman who needed to use a wheelchair when she managed to get out of bed at all. But her family and friends don't remember the trail-blazing medical-marijuana activist as frail. Anything but. "Cathy was a very, very strong fighter," said her father Carl Devries. "She would not give up even when her life was extremely difficult for her." Catherine died last Sunday in St. Mary's Hospital, at the age of 49. Most of her life, she had struggled with a host of health problems and pain. Her origins are a bit of a mystery. All Carl and Elly Devries know is that they saw an adoption ad in a Toronto paper in the late 1950s. In those days, it wasn't easy to find families wanting to adopt mixed-race children such as little Cathy, but Carl and Elly were more than willing. As Dutch immigrants, they knew about being outsiders. They had also just lost their second child. They took Cathy in at the age of 17 months. Later, they adopted a second mixed-race child, Tim. Cathy always got along well with both him and her older sister Linda, said her parents. Cathy was a happy, outgoing child. When she moved to Ottawa with her family at the age of nine, she immediately introduced herself to her neighbours. When the family went camping, as soon as the tent was set up, she'd be off making friends, remembered Elly. A five-week trip to Holland in her early teens started lifelong relationships with relatives there. Even in her last days, she treasured pictures of her long-dead grandparents. Young Catherine was athletic and excelled in track and field. But the way her parents remember things, it was an accident in a race that really set off her health problems. Catherine told The Record in 2005 the problems started at age 12, when she bent down and sudden pain shot through her leg. But the episode her parents remember was a few years later, when she crashed into a wall during a relay race, fracturing her spine. After that crash, she was in traction for six weeks, then had surgery, the first of several. But the surgeries may have hurt more than helped -- there were complications, infections and side effects from drugs, Carl said. Later she was diagnosed with inflammation of the arachnoid lining, which protects the brain and spinal cord. Arachnoiditis can be caused by spinal trauma or surgery, and it causes chronic pain and bowel problems. Her health problems didn't permit her to finish high school in the regular way. She got her diploma by correspondence as an adult, accomplishing a goal that was important to her, Elly said. There were better times and worse times, health-wise. During a better period, in her late teens and early 20s, she did some work as a wheelchair model. Her parents like to remember how beautiful she was in those days. Around that time, she moved from Ottawa to Kitchener, where she had friends. She seemed well on the road to being independent, Carl said. But more health problems interfered. Unable to work, she lived on a small disability pension. As far as her parents know, she was never in a serious relationship and her health was too fragile to consider pregnancy. Still, Catherine loved children and was friendly with several in the neighbourhood, Elly said. Catherine wrote several children's stories, which she shared with family and friends. The more public side of her was her activism. She was one of the first Canadians to be legally allowed to use marijuana for medical purposes. "Catherine fought very hard for that licence," said fellow medical-marijuana activist Alison Myrden of Burlington. "She was one of the first people to speak up about it and she should be recognized for that . . . "She knew cannabis worked for her. I watched the difference when I saw her smoke. She'd go from lying in bed and slumping over and falling asleep to sitting up and talking a mile a minute. It was incredible, the transformation." In 2000, police seized 21 grams of marijuana she had ordered from B.C.'s Compassion Club, which provides the drug to sick people. Devries went to court to get it back, and won. In 2002, Devries joined Myrden and seven others in suing the federal government for better access to quality pot. The activists argued it wasn't right for people legally allowed to use marijuana to have to buy from dealers. They also won, although Myrden says the situation now is still far from perfect. In the last few years, Catherine's health took a turn for the worse, but she kept fighting. Twice, doctors told her death was near, but she surprised them, Carl said. "She was such a positive girl, always saying, 'I can handle this; I will get better,' " Elly said. A few months ago, when Catherine was unconscious, Elly sat with her and sang her Dutch songs she had sung to her as a child. A few days later, Catherine called and sung them back to her, Elly said through tears. "It was unbelievable." More recently, doctors told her she might not make it to Christmas. Catherine told them she would, but for the first time, she was wrong. Her family will receive visitors at Kitchener's Ratz-Bechtel Funeral Home at 621 King St. on Saturday, Jan. 5, from 3 to 5 p.m.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Is it not the most sad state of affairs when even a country which has legalized the possession still has not legalized the distribution except under the most strict and adhering protocol? It prevents people like Cathy from getting the quality of cannbis they need from anything but illegal sources. The United States government purports that crime will be raised from the legalization of marijuana, but I have a question for them. How can the black market and true criminals prosper, profit, and continue to commit crime if you take away the criminals very lifeblood? Policing does not work, cannabis has proven helpful for patients for the last 8,000 years, and you the government insist on letting them do crime. Is it possible the government may be in cahoots with extemely wealthy drug dealers? Let's not assume I'm paranoid, after all Reagan sold weapons to South American terrorists during the Iran-Contra affair, while publicly claiming on national television he was doing nothing of the sorts. George W. Bush has the lowest recorded I.Q. of any president in our history. During a State of the Union address, a stray hanging microhpone caught his attention and for five solid minutes he stared at it swinging while giving his speech! Who's to say a rich drug dealer didn't dangle something shiny in front of him? Corruption has existed on every level of our government since it's beginning, and it gets worse as time goes on. The DEA profits from the War on Drugs, the Pharmaceutical, alcohol, and tobacco industries all profit from pot being illegal, the United States government profits by creating all the branches and departments which are easier and more expensive to maintain than just legalizing. But the United States of America doesn't care about money. Not the way you and I think. If you were given a credit card with $1.3 trillion and told to buy different things, you would only care if that money had a way to get back to you! At least, you'd feel that way if you were a crooked politician, which there seems to be a lot of. So the DEA takes some of the $1.3 trillion, so does every other ant-marijuana group which recieves funds from the government, and the pharmaceutical companies, the alcohol and tobacco companies all see they're profits rise as long as marijuana remains illegal and damn those dying people. Fuck those people who have cancer, AIDS, medula gargantua, glycauma, and psychologically crippling disorders. Fuck all of us, right?
Saturday, December 22, 2007
This is my first post ever! Kief is extremely excited to have initiated this blog and open up the possibility for discussion into the subject of all things cannabis. Feel free to leave any comments, but respect people's opinion. I encourage open debate, I'm not squeamish over curse words, and "colorful dialogue" is totally cool. What I will not stand for is slanderizing. Don't call anybody anything racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. It's primitive, unintelligent, and cripples both scientific and creative thought. Just don't do it. That's my disclaimer, here's today's top story!
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MERCED COUNTY SUPERVISORS BAN MEDICINAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES by Corinne Reilly, Merced Sun Star, (Source:Modesto Bee)
writeNewsItems();
21 Dec 2007
MERCED -- Merced County officials passed an ordinance this week permanently banning medical marijuana dispensaries across the unincorporated county. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to support the ordinance, which mirrors ordinances adopted by the cities of Modesto, Ceres, Merced, Patterson, Atwater and Los Banos. Many other cities have moratoriums on dispensaries. Though there are no marijuana dispensaries in Merced County, officials said during the board meeting that dispensaries have been troublesome in other communities. Besides attracting crime, they can lower property values, disrupt nearby businesses and increase illegal drug use and demands on police, county planning officials said. Law enforcement officials spoke in support of the ban. Chris Gallagher, chief of the Los Banos Police Department, said robberies and violent crimes occurred regularly at dispensaries in the city of Arcata in Humboldt County, where he previously served as chief of police. "In my experience ... these dispensaries have been extremely disruptive," he said. Merced Police Chief Russ Thomas and Atwater Police Chief Richard Hawthorne also spoke in support of the ordinance. Three people spoke against the ban, including two medical marijuana patients. "What little compassion you have for sick people in this community," Atwater resident Ed Gassaway said. "It's appalling." Other critics of the ban said it will push patients to the black market to buy marijuana. They say instead of outlawing dispensaries, local governments should pass ordinances strictly regulating when, where and how they can operate. About 35 cities and counties across the state have taken that approach, according to a county report. Fifty-seven cities and three other counties have chosen bans, including Stanislaus County. "This is a huge mistake. It's a step in the wrong direction," said Merced resident Grant Wilson. For years, he urged county officials to issue identification cards for medical marijuana patients. In an attempt to avoid issuing the cards, the county in 2006 joined a lawsuit brought against the state by San Diego County. The counties argued that because federal law prohibits all uses of the drug, counties shouldn't be held to state laws requiring them to accommodate medical marijuana users. The counties lost. In May, Merced County launched a program to issue the identification cards to medical marijuana patients. Eleven have been issued. ID cards meant to help police In California, people with a valid prescription for marijuana are allowed to have as many as eight usable ounces of the drug and six mature pot plants. The ID cards are meant to help law enforcement officials determine whether a person found in possession of marijuana is using the drug in compliance with the law. Just under half of California's 58 counties issue ID cards, as required by a 2003 state law that expanded on Proposition 215. California voters became the first in the country to legalize medicinal marijuana when they passed the proposition in 1996. Since then, 10 states have followed suit. All marijuana users still can be prosecuted under federal law. Wilson, 51, suffers from hepatitis C. He was arrested in 2005 after police discovered pot plants growing in his home. Wilson said he still grows marijuana, but he doesn't have the greenest thumb. When his crop doesn't produce as he hopes, he is forced to travel to dispensaries in San Francisco and Oakland to buy the drug. "All I want is to get my medicine close to home," he said Tuesday.
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Chris Gallagher does say that marijuana dispensaries attract a high level of crime. With all due respect, Mr. Gallagher, I recognize your role as Arcata Police Chief and that you would be an excellent authority on the subject, however with so many political agendas for both sides one cannot simply take an experts testimony as truth anymore. For a Board of Supervisor's, or the United States Congress, or the parent of a teenager who smokes, testimony should be foundationalized in fact. Fact that is present and accounted for. In high school I took Lincoln-Douglas debate. If I were to stand before my judge and make a contention like "Besides attracting crime, [dispensaries] lower property values, disrupt nearby businesses and increase illegal drug use and demands on police", but I were to have no statistical evidence with the criminal and realty effects that are claimed, I would lose the round and be laughed out of the debate. How much more important is it in our legislative offices than in a high school classroom? What are your thoughts on the democratic process that these cities and counties have taken?
alternative sources:
Associated Press- http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7781315?nclick_check=1
American for Safe Access- http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/12/19/18467948.php
Merced Sun-Star - http://www.modbee.com/local/story/158805.html
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MERCED COUNTY SUPERVISORS BAN MEDICINAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES by Corinne Reilly, Merced Sun Star, (Source:Modesto Bee)
writeNewsItems();
21 Dec 2007
MERCED -- Merced County officials passed an ordinance this week permanently banning medical marijuana dispensaries across the unincorporated county. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to support the ordinance, which mirrors ordinances adopted by the cities of Modesto, Ceres, Merced, Patterson, Atwater and Los Banos. Many other cities have moratoriums on dispensaries. Though there are no marijuana dispensaries in Merced County, officials said during the board meeting that dispensaries have been troublesome in other communities. Besides attracting crime, they can lower property values, disrupt nearby businesses and increase illegal drug use and demands on police, county planning officials said. Law enforcement officials spoke in support of the ban. Chris Gallagher, chief of the Los Banos Police Department, said robberies and violent crimes occurred regularly at dispensaries in the city of Arcata in Humboldt County, where he previously served as chief of police. "In my experience ... these dispensaries have been extremely disruptive," he said. Merced Police Chief Russ Thomas and Atwater Police Chief Richard Hawthorne also spoke in support of the ordinance. Three people spoke against the ban, including two medical marijuana patients. "What little compassion you have for sick people in this community," Atwater resident Ed Gassaway said. "It's appalling." Other critics of the ban said it will push patients to the black market to buy marijuana. They say instead of outlawing dispensaries, local governments should pass ordinances strictly regulating when, where and how they can operate. About 35 cities and counties across the state have taken that approach, according to a county report. Fifty-seven cities and three other counties have chosen bans, including Stanislaus County. "This is a huge mistake. It's a step in the wrong direction," said Merced resident Grant Wilson. For years, he urged county officials to issue identification cards for medical marijuana patients. In an attempt to avoid issuing the cards, the county in 2006 joined a lawsuit brought against the state by San Diego County. The counties argued that because federal law prohibits all uses of the drug, counties shouldn't be held to state laws requiring them to accommodate medical marijuana users. The counties lost. In May, Merced County launched a program to issue the identification cards to medical marijuana patients. Eleven have been issued. ID cards meant to help police In California, people with a valid prescription for marijuana are allowed to have as many as eight usable ounces of the drug and six mature pot plants. The ID cards are meant to help law enforcement officials determine whether a person found in possession of marijuana is using the drug in compliance with the law. Just under half of California's 58 counties issue ID cards, as required by a 2003 state law that expanded on Proposition 215. California voters became the first in the country to legalize medicinal marijuana when they passed the proposition in 1996. Since then, 10 states have followed suit. All marijuana users still can be prosecuted under federal law. Wilson, 51, suffers from hepatitis C. He was arrested in 2005 after police discovered pot plants growing in his home. Wilson said he still grows marijuana, but he doesn't have the greenest thumb. When his crop doesn't produce as he hopes, he is forced to travel to dispensaries in San Francisco and Oakland to buy the drug. "All I want is to get my medicine close to home," he said Tuesday.
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Chris Gallagher does say that marijuana dispensaries attract a high level of crime. With all due respect, Mr. Gallagher, I recognize your role as Arcata Police Chief and that you would be an excellent authority on the subject, however with so many political agendas for both sides one cannot simply take an experts testimony as truth anymore. For a Board of Supervisor's, or the United States Congress, or the parent of a teenager who smokes, testimony should be foundationalized in fact. Fact that is present and accounted for. In high school I took Lincoln-Douglas debate. If I were to stand before my judge and make a contention like "Besides attracting crime, [dispensaries] lower property values, disrupt nearby businesses and increase illegal drug use and demands on police", but I were to have no statistical evidence with the criminal and realty effects that are claimed, I would lose the round and be laughed out of the debate. How much more important is it in our legislative offices than in a high school classroom? What are your thoughts on the democratic process that these cities and counties have taken?
alternative sources:
Associated Press- http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7781315?nclick_check=1
American for Safe Access- http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/12/19/18467948.php
Merced Sun-Star - http://www.modbee.com/local/story/158805.html
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