The Ten Questions Police Use To 'Lock In' Medical Marijuana Patients

[The General]

Sometimes it pays to just shut up. This October, advocacy group Americans for Safe Access posted the latest training article from one the main opponents of medical cannabis in the state – the California Narcotics Officers Association. In the summer 2014 edition of the group's quarterly magazine, The California Narcotics Officer, an article detailed some of the more unsavory ways police attempt to discredit and imprison qualified medical cannabis patients.

Seth Cimino of the Citrus Heights Police Department wrote in the article, "The key is to lock your marijuana user into a statement. ... You are more than likely to get cooperation from qualified patients, primary caregivers, etc. if you use soft words. These people will normally talk to you." "We can then use their answer throughout our investigation. ... All right, let's get to it."

Here are ten questions police are using to strip a medical defense from a patient they stop.

1) How much marijuana are you carrying?
Under Prop 215, qualified patients can have as much is medically necessary. Officers look to poke holes in that medical necessity by proving you are carrying too much.

2) How much do you use on a daily basis?
An officer may try to use this amount, coupled with the next question to initiate an arrest.

3) How long are you going on your current trip?
How much you use per day, times the length of your trip determines what could be deemed medically necessary. Anything over that amount could be grounds for an arrest.

4) What's is your illness or disease?
The key here is to try to get you to say you do not have a serious illness.

5) Who's your doctor?
Failure to state your doctor's name could be used as evidence of lack of medical necessity.

6) Would you send your parents to this doctor?
The officer is trying to build a case the recommendation is invalid.

7) What time of day do you use?
Police can use this as evidence that you were driving under the influence.

8) How long does the dosage usually last you?
Again, can be used as evidence you were driving under the influence.

9) Who do you work for?
Officer Cimino makes sure to note that "an employer may terminate an employee who tests positive for marijuana."

10) Do you grow your own?
Patients sure of their rights might be tempted to admit they do. Officers can follow that up with: "How much?" and "What is your yield?" in order to widen the stop to a home search, and build a case you grew more than was medically necessary.

California attorneys who represent defendants accused of marijuana crimes said patients shouldn't be talking to the police about any of this. Police will not necessarily read you your rights during questioning. "Miranda warnings rarely happen when they are supposed to and are usually too late," states attorney Lauren Vazquez in an email.

"This article reinforces the need to not make any statements to law enforcement other than invoking your right to remain silent, not to consent to any searches, and requesting to speak with your attorney," states attorney Joe Rogoway. "Cops' jobs are not to discover the truth, but to investigate cases and forward them for prosecution with the goal of conviction and incarceration. Unfortunately, CNOA continues to put ideology ahead of science by ignoring the will of the voters while pushing an antiquated agenda funded through mass incarceration."

Los Angeles attorney Allison Margolin said police are also using this tactic on medical cannabis dispensary operators and collectives, decriminalization or not. "It hasn't gotten less aggressive. It's gotten more aggressive in Southern California."

News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Eastbayexpress.com
Author: David Downs
Contact: Contact Us
Website: The Ten Questions Police Use to 'Lock In' Medical Marijuana Patients | Legalization Nation | East Bay Express

 

[Pinkstardust]

This is a money operation. They do not care about people at all. They are human drones that are trying to destroy as many lives as they can while getting paid for it. We are nothing but a source of income and targets on their map.

 

[Nalaeyak]

I'm not sure how the police are making money here. If you ask police officers they would no doubt tell you they would rather fight actual crime rather than screwing with mm users. Just keep your mouth shut, that's your right...to remain silent!

 

[Governmentchz]

"Keep your mouth" shut is good advice, but for most of the people they corral, they can use tactics (like those above) to glean whatever they may find useful to facilitate their "rake" of property and money, and it's understandably hard for the uninitiated to say and do the right things under stressful circumstances...and they know it. It's a racket on a scale we, as Americans, should be ashamed of.

 

[Gfcollective]

in washington there is no registered state data base for medical patients as of right now.

if you get pulled over, the cop will only know if your medical if you tell him.

if you have under 28g in the car, that is legal by recreational law in washington state.

keeping your mouth shut is always number one. i learned that the hard way when i was a wee lad.

I&i

 

[Icemud]

Great article!


I wanted to share this video since it is somewhat on the same topic. The video seems a little older, but there are a lot of good points on ways to protect yourself, and this is coming from an ex narcotics officer. Either way its an interesting documentary that I did get a few tips out of

[video=youtube_share;CFpzQscMZ7Y]

r[/video]

 

[Lady Vadalon]

I was talking to a campus security guard a year or two ago and he told me to not say a word. He told me that if I am pulled over for a traffic violation and have pot in the vehicle to not mention it. Because if you do you just opened the door to hell. I was also, told my medical conditions are of no concerns of theirs. And if asked about growing tell them you get it from the dispensary. People get to nervous and put out the guilty vibe or their body language give them away. I personally feel that people should not smoke and drive.

 

[Lady Vadalon]

I should have been prepping for my quiz but that video was amazing

 

[gentlhart]

Great video, icemud, and thanks to Barry Cooper for producing it.