cannabisnews.com: Santa Cruz Council to Allow Marijuana in City Hall Santa Cruz Council to Allow Marijuana in City Hall Posted by CN Staff on September 12, 2002 at 08:10:54 PT By Josh Richman, Staff Writer Source: Oakland Tribune Santa Cruz City Council members will stage their own Boston Tea Party next week by letting patients receive medical marijuana in a City Hall courtyard. It is an act of defiance toward the federal government and its Drug Enforcement Administration, which one week ago raided the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM), just north of Santa Cruz and about 60 miles south of San Francisco. Riot-gear-clad agents toting assault rifles seized 167 marijuana plants and took WAMM co-founders Val and Mike Corral -- who helped write California's medical marijuana law -- into custody, but released them later the same day after federal prosecutors declined to file charges. The federal government still deems all marijuana growth, possession or use illegal, even though California voters approved medical use in 1996. Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon and Washington have similar laws. The Corrals will dispense free marijuana to some of WAMM's 250 physician-screened patients at 3 p.m. Tuesday outside Santa Cruz's City Hall; council members will stand with them in solidarity. "I'm shocked that the City Council would allow that to happen on their steps," Special Agent Richard Meyer, spokesman for the DEA's San Francisco office, said Wednesday. "I wonder what kind of message they want to send to our youth. Are they trying to tell youths and the rest of the U.S. that in Santa Cruz, you only have to obey the laws you like?" Santa Cruz Mayor Christopher Krohn scoffed. "Do they really think that medical marijuana is about the youth of America? I'm a teacher, and in my mind, it certainly isn't," he said. It's about California voters' will that seriously ill patients have access to medicine that alleviates their symptoms and keeps them alive, Krohn said. That's why the City Council voted 6-0 for a resolution supporting WAMM this week, he said. Meyer insisted the DEA will keep enforcing federal law. Asked whether it will act on Tuesday's event, he replied, "I won't be able to answer that question." U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-NY, wants to amend the Justice Department's funding bill to bar the DEA from conducting raids against medical marijuana facilities operating under state laws' protection. U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Santa Cruz, and House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, have indicated their support. And U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, on Monday became the 38th co-sponsor of a bill to move marijuana off the federal government's list of most-restricted drugs. Of the Bay Area's representatives, only Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, and Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, have not become co-sponsors. Newshawk: Leon C.Source: Oakland Tribune (CA)Author: Josh Richman, Staff WriterPublished: Thursday, September 12, 2002 Copyright: 2002 MediaNews Group, Inc. Contact: triblet angnewspapers.com Website: http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/News Articles on WAMM Raidhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/valc.htmOfficials Seek to Send Message on Medicinal Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14082.shtmlCouncil Invites Marijuana Users to Distribute Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14078.shtmlCounty, City Condemn DEA Marijuana Raidhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14077.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by Hope on September 13, 2002 at 10:42:15 PT I'm wondering why..... "And U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, on Monday became the 38th co-sponsor of a bill to move marijuana off the federal government's list of most-restricted drugs. Of the Bay Area's representatives, only Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, and Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, have not become co-sponsors." Why hadn't Honda signed on before now? Why these other cowards, apparently, haven't signed to help sponsor the bill? [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on September 12, 2002 at 09:52:07 PT: Notice something? The pols lining up in defense of this are mostly Dems:U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-NY...U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Santa Cruz...Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco... U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose...Seems the Dems have finally found an unassailable issue that they can use against the Repubs. A shame they didn't speak up sooner...then scores of people might still be alive. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Druid on September 12, 2002 at 09:23:56 PT: something to do when your bored Here are a couple of polls found using google today not sure how old some of them are though.http://www.infoplease.com/launchpoll.php3?poll=marijuana&format=standard http://www.youdebate.com/DEBATES/medical_marijuana%20.HTM http://www.misterpoll.com/3465560629.html http://www.youdebate.com/cgi-bin/scarecrow/topic.cgi?forum=10&topic=14 http://www.surveyitup.com/survey/poll_vote.asp?pollid=489 http://www.survey.net/sv-drug1.htm http://www.generationwoman.com/poll.php3?submit=viewbooth&question_id=54And a funny onehttp://www.funnywebsite.com/legalize.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by TecHnoCult on September 12, 2002 at 09:09:36 PT tastyvapor I read those articles on www.msnbc.com and voted on them with a 7. This is a good idea, we should do our part to keep this subject in the light.THC [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Ethan Russo MD on September 12, 2002 at 09:06:37 PT: Newsflash: DEA Knickers in a Twist "I'm shocked that the City Council would allow that to happen on their steps," Special Agent Richard Meyer, spokesman for the DEA's San Francisco office, said Wednesday. "I wonder what kind of message they want to send to our youth. Are they trying to tell youths and the rest of the U.S. that in Santa Cruz, you only have to obey the laws you like?"This is absolutely rich. If SA Meyer feels so strongly, he should appear in person and do something about it. He should not be surprised if he himself is arrested for obstructing justice as decided by the voters of California.The message being sent to youth is this: Cannabis is medicine, and your government is not infallible. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by tastyvapor on September 12, 2002 at 08:48:02 PT More MSNBC rating The Washington Post's story on Nevada's legalization has popped into the MSNBC's "reader's choice" along with the article on Canada's legalization effort. These articles are available from the MSNBC homepage. It's great to see these issues being focused on by the readers when the media isn't pushing them. Support these issues by voting them up at msnbc.com. Lets try to get "Panel backs legalizing pot in Canada" back into the #1 or #2 spot and keep it there for as long as possible. -tastyvapor [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by p4me on September 12, 2002 at 08:34:55 PT Can't they get it right And U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, on Monday became the 38th co-sponsor of a bill to move marijuana off the federal government's list of most-restricted drugs. Of the Bay Area's representatives, only Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, and Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, have not become co-sponsors.One big problem all along is that the DEA does not use its own guidelines in MJ's classification on the drug schedule. It is not a Schedule 1, nor a schedule 2 substance to start with. So either classify it correctly or remove it from the schedule just like they did with the governments drugs of choice, T&A.I realize the moving MJ to schedule 2 ends a big roadblock to MMJ but it is still the wrong classification. Has anyone ever heard the expression, "If you are going to do something do it right." 1,2 [ Post Comment ] Post Comment