Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Editorial, Colorado Springs Gazette - District Attorney Dan May told The Gazette’s opinion department Wednesday that he contacted the landlord of a medical marijuana business because of a desire to get the business out of his neighborhood. City Councilman Sean Paige had criticized the phone call in an e-mail to The Gazette on Wednesday, characterizing it as part of a high-level campaign of “meddling and behind-the-scenes string pulling” to undermine the Colorado Constitution’s Amendment 20, which protects medical marijuana.
Paige said manipulation by May and Attorney General John Suthers nearly led the Colorado Springs City Council to impose draconian restrictions on medical marijuana sales Tuesday, with a proposed ordinance that would have shut down distributors established lawfully.
May said he recently called the landlord who rents to Pure Medical, a medical marijuana dispensary in the Rockrimmon neighborhood. May said he called the landlord because he doesn’t want the business in his vicinity and needed information.
“I don’t think I said anything that was intended to scare him into doing anything,” May said, explaining that he called to confirm whether the tenant was indeed running a dispensary.
He said he called the landlord “as a private citizen and resident of the neighborhood.” May asked the landlord, Jim Schwerin, to have the owner of Pure Medical call him.
“I gave him the number to my personal cell phone,” May said.
Pure Medical’s lawyer, Kevin Donovan, returned May’s call. He considers May's call to the landlord inappropriate.
“Dan May said he had called my client’s landlord as a concerned citizen and not as district attorney,” Donovan said. “Apparently, he has the ability to step out of one body and into another, make a phone call and then return to the body that belongs to the district attorney. That’s like getting a call from the IRS that says ‘I’m not here to look at your books, but where are your books?’ When the DA calls about your tenant, it sends a clear message that people with power are watching and can do you harm.”
Speaking of the IRS, not long after May called Schwerin, IRS officers paid a visit to Pure Medical. Company officials declined to elaborate on the visit and will speak to The Gazette only through legal counsel for fear of retribution from authorities.
Donovan said he invited May to tour Pure Medical, which has two locations in the Springs. May has not accepted.
“Dan May told me he was concerned about the children,” Donovan said. “There is a liquor store in the same shopping center. I explained a variety of greater risks facing children in the city. I invited him for an inspection, so he could determine for himself whether anything about this business was scary, or in any way threatening to children.”
May told The Gazette he has complained about Pure Medical to the city’s code enforcement officials, to the police department, to the regional building authority, to Vice Mayor Larry Small and Councilman Scott Hente. May said the business “doesn’t express the neighborhood’s values” and sends the wrong message. May insists he has identified himself as a “private citizen” in all complaints.
“If you’re the DA, and you don’t want the DA to call, why not have someone else call? Have a friend call, or the neighborhood association.” Donovan said. “You can’t be the district attorney and not be the district attorney.”
Paige shared a string of e-mails exchanged between Suthers, Councilman Bernie Herpin and a constituent. The constituent had complained to Suthers because Herpin told her state law protects medical marijuana dispensaries.
“Councilman Herpin is expanding the reach of Amendment 20 in claiming dispensaries are primary caregivers. 20 did not sanction commercial sale of the drug,” Suthers wrote.
Two of the state’s highest-ranking law enforcement officials — May and Suthers — have crusaded against the will of voters who chose to protect medical marijuana 10 years ago. Their opposition has little to do with practical concerns such as evidence of crime and mayhem and everything to do with ideology.
Their crusade is the reason Coloradans amended the constitution. Constitutional law protects individual freedoms such as gun rights and radical expression from likely attacks by authorities or citizen mobs.
The Colorado Constitution protects only one business in the strip mall in the district attorney’s neighborhood: Pure Medical. Like it or not, the constitution defends medical marijuana against those who oppose it. That means it protects the right to grow, sell and buy it. Anyone who doesn’t like that should try to amend the constitution, not circumvent it. — Wayne Laugesen, editorial page editor, for the editorial board
NewsHawk: User: 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: Colorado Springs Gazette
Copyright: 2010 Freedom Communications
Contact: Contact Us : Colorado Springs Gazette, CO
Website: OUR VIEW: DA calls landlord of pot dispensary | gazette, atto - Opinion - Colorado Springs Gazette, CO
• Thanks SoCoMMJ for submitting this article.
Paige said manipulation by May and Attorney General John Suthers nearly led the Colorado Springs City Council to impose draconian restrictions on medical marijuana sales Tuesday, with a proposed ordinance that would have shut down distributors established lawfully.
May said he recently called the landlord who rents to Pure Medical, a medical marijuana dispensary in the Rockrimmon neighborhood. May said he called the landlord because he doesn’t want the business in his vicinity and needed information.
“I don’t think I said anything that was intended to scare him into doing anything,” May said, explaining that he called to confirm whether the tenant was indeed running a dispensary.
He said he called the landlord “as a private citizen and resident of the neighborhood.” May asked the landlord, Jim Schwerin, to have the owner of Pure Medical call him.
“I gave him the number to my personal cell phone,” May said.
Pure Medical’s lawyer, Kevin Donovan, returned May’s call. He considers May's call to the landlord inappropriate.
“Dan May said he had called my client’s landlord as a concerned citizen and not as district attorney,” Donovan said. “Apparently, he has the ability to step out of one body and into another, make a phone call and then return to the body that belongs to the district attorney. That’s like getting a call from the IRS that says ‘I’m not here to look at your books, but where are your books?’ When the DA calls about your tenant, it sends a clear message that people with power are watching and can do you harm.”
Speaking of the IRS, not long after May called Schwerin, IRS officers paid a visit to Pure Medical. Company officials declined to elaborate on the visit and will speak to The Gazette only through legal counsel for fear of retribution from authorities.
Donovan said he invited May to tour Pure Medical, which has two locations in the Springs. May has not accepted.
“Dan May told me he was concerned about the children,” Donovan said. “There is a liquor store in the same shopping center. I explained a variety of greater risks facing children in the city. I invited him for an inspection, so he could determine for himself whether anything about this business was scary, or in any way threatening to children.”
May told The Gazette he has complained about Pure Medical to the city’s code enforcement officials, to the police department, to the regional building authority, to Vice Mayor Larry Small and Councilman Scott Hente. May said the business “doesn’t express the neighborhood’s values” and sends the wrong message. May insists he has identified himself as a “private citizen” in all complaints.
“If you’re the DA, and you don’t want the DA to call, why not have someone else call? Have a friend call, or the neighborhood association.” Donovan said. “You can’t be the district attorney and not be the district attorney.”
Paige shared a string of e-mails exchanged between Suthers, Councilman Bernie Herpin and a constituent. The constituent had complained to Suthers because Herpin told her state law protects medical marijuana dispensaries.
“Councilman Herpin is expanding the reach of Amendment 20 in claiming dispensaries are primary caregivers. 20 did not sanction commercial sale of the drug,” Suthers wrote.
Two of the state’s highest-ranking law enforcement officials — May and Suthers — have crusaded against the will of voters who chose to protect medical marijuana 10 years ago. Their opposition has little to do with practical concerns such as evidence of crime and mayhem and everything to do with ideology.
Their crusade is the reason Coloradans amended the constitution. Constitutional law protects individual freedoms such as gun rights and radical expression from likely attacks by authorities or citizen mobs.
The Colorado Constitution protects only one business in the strip mall in the district attorney’s neighborhood: Pure Medical. Like it or not, the constitution defends medical marijuana against those who oppose it. That means it protects the right to grow, sell and buy it. Anyone who doesn’t like that should try to amend the constitution, not circumvent it. — Wayne Laugesen, editorial page editor, for the editorial board
NewsHawk: User: 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: Colorado Springs Gazette
Copyright: 2010 Freedom Communications
Contact: Contact Us : Colorado Springs Gazette, CO
Website: OUR VIEW: DA calls landlord of pot dispensary | gazette, atto - Opinion - Colorado Springs Gazette, CO
• Thanks SoCoMMJ for submitting this article.
