Aggressive Police Actions Taken Against SLO Medical Marijuana Delivery Services

[Jim Finnel]

A Narcotics Task Force (NTF) made up of local and state law enforcement agencies aggressively raided 5 collectively-run medical marijuana delivery services on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week, arresting at least 13 people on felony charges and holding them on bails of up to $100,000. Several of those arrested were charged with child endangerment, after Child Protective Services (CPS) removed at least 6 children from the homes of 3 different families. One of the people arrested on Monday suffered a heart attack because of the police raid and was taken to a local emergency room before being arrested. As of Thursday afternoon, at least four people were still in jail unable to raise bail.

Medical marijuana delivery services have increased in San Luis Obispo County -- up to 20 collectives by some estimates -- mainly as a result of local hostility, which has resulted in federal raids and prosecutions against storefront dispensary operators, further resulting in an absence of dispensaries in the county. Delivery services, as long as they are run in compliance with the 2008 Attorney General Guidelines, also serve a critical need for those patients that cannot travel to obtain their medicine. Helpful Remedies, Harmonic Alliance, and Trilogy Holistic Health Services were local collectives raided this week and which operate mainly out of Paso Robles and Pismo Beach. Most of the collectives raided were state-registered nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporations.

"It's wasteful to spend taxpayer dollars to aggressively raid state law-compliant collectives," said Kris Hermes, media spokesperson with Americans for Safe Access, the country's leading medical marijuana advocacy organization. "But, it's a greater tragedy that local officials would resort to taking people's children away because they don't agree with the state's medical marijuana law." Advocates are vowing to hold a protest at the first set of arraignments scheduled for Tuesday, January 11th at 8am in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. A second set of arraignments will be held the following day.

In 2007, a licensed storefront dispensary in Morro Bay was raided by the San Luis Obispo Sheriff and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), abruptly halting safe access to medical marijuana in the county. The dispensary operator, Charles C. Lynch, was later charged and prosecuted in federal court without a means to defend himself. Lynch was ultimately convicted and sentenced to a year-and-a-day, but is currently appealing.

In one report of this week's raids, the police kept people handcuffed face-down on the ground, including a grandmother and two children, who were later hauled off by CPS after their parents were taken to jail. In addition to seizing medical marijuana, money, and other property, police have also frozen some bank accounts. Undercover police also reportedly used legitimate and verifiable physician recommendations to obtain medical marijuana from the targeted delivery services.

Coordinated police raids on medical marijuana delivery services occurred earlier in the year in the San Jose area, based on an interpretation of state law similarly held by local San Luis Obispo law enforcement agencies, namely that everyone in a collective must participate in the cultivation and no money can exchange hands in the procurement of medical marijuana. "Now that we have stopped law enforcement from hiding behind federal law, hostile police agencies are stooping to flawed interpretations of state law and heavy-handed tactics to further undermine the effort of getting medicine to sick people," continued Hermes.




News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Americans for Safe Access
Copyright: 2008 Americans for Safe Access
Contact: info@safeaccessnow.org
Website: ASA : Aggressive Police Actions Taken Against SLO Medical Marijuana Delivery Services

 

[Cona]

I think there are way to many DEA agents with little to do but harass people who need cannabis to live....I say lets trim the fat and save some tax payers money. Fire all people involved in the war on marijuana.....this will save a ton of money. Next lets release all the people in jail/prison for personal use possession of marijuana...this would be millions in saveings plus would make room so we dont have to release all those armed robbers or rapists and murderers. It makes me sick to see on tv on the first 48 tv show where there is someone who murdered again for the third time..already released twice for murder.....yet there is people in prison for marijuana possession. Someone has their priorities messed up!!!

Just makes me see red everytime I think of it!!
Cona!!

 

[TzTaoBaron]

It is time that America wakes up. I have more than a need for MMJ but due to fear of attack by the DEA and my subsidized housing for the disabled privilege I won’t attempt to even call for delivery. This is what is called SS or Gestapo tactics. The only thing left for our government left to do is start the concentration camps for those who seem to go against the Controlled Substance Law when they use MMJ.

Oh wait a minute; they are using our federal prisons for that and throwing away the key on any semblance of the law when it suits them. The jack booted idiots must be stopped.

I call all Americans to write their Congressional and Senatorial Rep, your states law makers in your districts; nudge them into the wishes of the people before there is violence in the streets brought on by their refusal to support the people of this nation. End this wasteful spending now and stop enforcing laws arbitrarily to meet their needs.

Start by ending the financial support to all law enforcement agencies of funds to wage the WAR on Marijuana and all collectives. They have wasted your last dollar!

Our Federal Government selectively supports the Pharmacology System yet refuses to listen to those doctors who say they are hurting its citizenry. Nixon brought this war on drugs of any color based on HIS prejudices. The commission set to do the report for Nixon knew that what they had said in the report had been ignored by Nixon but said nothing.

We now live in a dictatorship based on Nixon’s belief system. Obama is just yet another cog in the federal system of systematic over through of the American liberties. Say one thing then do another, which is the political norm.

Hemp has been used to rape the American Taxpayer for way to long. Removing the laws against it is the only way out of this issue. Taxing food is against the law unless you eat out; and so it should be with Marijuana. If you grow your own tomato’s or spinage your not tax or arrested. If you make your own butter your not sent to prison for tax evasion. Why should it be any different with Marijuana?

I honestly believe in removing the stigma of Marijuana completely. No Taxes, No prison time for growing your own or personal use by any citizens over the age of 18 or 21 years of age. Remove felony charges to minors for possion but rather a reprimand back to the parent for discipline by the parent.

As for the Adults of this nation I honestly believe they know that driving under the influence is a crime; so extent that same law to Marijuana as well as the procurement for minors by adults should carry a stiff fine and suspension of that adults drivers license for no less than one year on the first offence and complete forfeiture of driving privileges after that one time on any other breach of this law. Sounds strict but all adults know that use by minors of alcohol is an issue in this nation. If allowed Marijuana can be made to look as the butt for need of frivolous new laws.