cannabisnews.com: Border Crossers Fall Victim to Profit-Takers Border Crossers Fall Victim to Profit-Takers Posted by CN Staff on October 26, 2002 at 09:43:59 PT By Ernesto Portillo Jr., Arizona Daily Star Source: Arizona Daily Star Two border crossers are gunned down near Red Rock in Pinal County. A small band of gun-toting vigilantes in combat fatigues says it intercepted a load of smuggled marijuana on private land near Patagonia. So what gives? Nothing we haven't seen before. Death. Violence. Stupidity. These are the hallmarks of our border in Southern Arizona, ground zero for our inept immigration policy. But profit is the principal mark of illegal immigration. People on both sides of the border stand to make something from the inhuman treatment of border crossers. The cat-and-mouse game between smugglers and law enforcement has moved from Texas and California to Arizona. Southern Arizona is the Death Valley of illegal immigration. The death toll of illegal entrants climbs upward. Heat and dehydration claim nearly all the lives. Now money-grubbing smugglers may be taking them too. Pinal County sheriff's investigators' only explanation for the Oct. 16 shooting is that smugglers killed the two border crossers about 30 miles north of Tucson. It's possible. Smugglers are motivated by money. There's money to be made with the lives of illegal crossers who'll pay hundreds of dollars each. The more difficult it is to cross into the United States, the more money desperate people will pay to escape despair. Mexico also makes money from its citizens' fleeing their homes to make new ones here. Money sent home by entrants totaled more than $9 billion last year, providing Mexico with a key source of American dollars. There's more than money, however, to be made from the plight of border crossers. There's media attention and political grandstanding to be had. We have Ranch Rescue, the misnamed Keystone Kops group from Texas that saved us from a few bundles of marijuana. The group held on to dope long enough to summon news reporters and cameras. But the frustrated paramilitary clique couldn't save itself from embarrassment when the property owner, the Nature Conservancy, kicked the group off the property. In addition to the wannabe soldiers, we have wannabe spies. American Border Patrol, led by Glenn Spencer, is a group of border sleuths that promises to "uncover" the truth of illegal immigration. It will record the movement of people with infrared cameras and other high-tech gear. And the group will put its "discoveries" on the Internet, that fountain of always accurate information. Spencer came to Southern Arizona from Southern California where he was a well-known activist with a keen sense of grabbing media attention. The national media is now focused on Arizona. This is where the action is. This is where Spencer has come. For the past several months, Spencer has held meetings in Cochise County. He wants people's support for American Border Patrol. He wants their money too. Donations may be tax deductible if American Border Patrol gets its non-profit status, Spencer told a group at a September meeting in Sierra Vista. And then there are the American employers who give low-paying, under-the-table jobs to border crossers who manage to cheat death and the U.S. Border Patrol. Then the immigrants are cheated when they are hired. People will continue to illegally cross the border. They'll pay for it while other people cash in. Border crossers are providing something for nothing. * Ernesto Portillo appears on "Arizona Illustrated" on KUAT-TV, Channel 6 at 6:30 p.m. & 11:30 p.m. Fridays. Complete Title: Border Crossers Fall Victim to Profit-Takers, Grandstanders Source: Arizona Daily Star (AZ)Author: Ernesto Portillo Jr., Arizona Daily StarPublished: Saturday, October 26, 2002Copyright: 2002 Pulitzer Publishing Co.Contact: letters azstarnet.comWebsite: http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/Related Articles:Citizens Patrol Leaves Site of Busthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14508.shtmlArmed Citizens Capture Pot Load http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14490.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by FoM on October 26, 2002 at 22:31:52 PT Trystan here are a few links Is this what you are looking for?Supreme Court Sends Victory To Marijuana Patients: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13507.shtmlCalif. Court: No Prosecution for Medical Pot Users: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13497.shtmlMedical Pot Users May Be Immune To Prosecution: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13485.shtmlCourt: Medicinal Marijuana is Legal: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13469.shtmlCalifornia High Court Backs Medical Marijuana: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13466.shtmlState's Top Court Rules on Medical Pot Law: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13465.shtml Medical Marijuana Users Can Get Some Immunity: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13463.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Trystan on October 26, 2002 at 21:23:18 PT Supreme Court ruling Ken Magee, an assistant special agent in charge of Oregon's DEA operations, said it's a violation of federal law to possess, manufacture or cultivate marijuana. He said it's not a new policy that federal agents will seize marijuana plants grown for personal medicinal uses."We're not looking at this as a matter of policy, it's a matter of federal law," Magee said. "The U.S. government doesn't recognize marijuana as a medicine. It's a drug. Even our own U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that there's no medicinal value in marijuana."----- Reading the Supreme Court's decision in the Oakland's Buyers Co-op, they only upheld the Controlled Dangerous Substance Act and ruled there is no medical necessity provision in it to allow medical exceptions to be able to use marijuana. Completely different than saying that the courts found that marijuana isn't a medicine. Besides, why should the courts or even congress decide what is a medicine or not? Most of them aren't qualified as doctors or researchers. Is there another case that the SC ruled that, btw? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by canaman on October 26, 2002 at 15:44:52 PT rainbow the article has been posted October 24, 2002 at 10:38:37 PT I think the URL is to long thats why the page doesn't fit. http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/14/thread14549.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Rainbow on October 26, 2002 at 10:56:03 PT DEAth strikes again http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news/1035460673113620.xmlPubdate: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 Source: Oregonian (OR) Author: Matt SaboFederal drug agents seize man's state-allowed medical marijuanaThe daylight basement in Leroy Stubblefield's Sweet Home area house seems an unlikely battlefield for America's war on drugs.Stubblefield, a 52-year-old quadriplegic, and two of his caregivers were growing 12 marijuana plants in his basement in a state-licensed operation until Sept. 23, when a federal drug agent seized them in a drug raid. No one was arrested.It is thought to be the first time in Oregon that federal authorities have overstepped state law -- which allows cultivation of marijuana for personal medicinal purposes under a $150 annual license -- and raided a marijuana growing operation.Kevin Neely, spokesman for the Oregon attorney general's office, said the seizure raises an unfortunate conflict between state and federal law.Neely said the U.S. Department of Justice has traditionally not taken an interest in these small grow operations but ultimately they do have jurisdiction and are within the scope of the law to bust Oregon medical marijuana patients."They can't be prosecuted under Oregon law," Neely said, "but they could be prosecuted under federal law."In 1998, Oregon voters approved the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act, and about 3,600 people have a medical card to grow marijuana in the state. Voters in California, Arizona, Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Nevada and Washington approved similar ballot initiatives, and the Legislature in Hawaii passed a law allowing the use of medical marijuana.The federal government, however, does not recognize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes and still classifies it as a drug.Stubblefield was home with two of his caregivers, Steve Russell, 46, and Clarence VanDehay, 48, when members of a local drug enforcement team showed up at his front door shortly after noon. They said they had received a tip he was growing 100 marijuana plants and asked to see them.Stubblefield, who was in bed, consented. Stubblefield, Russell and VanDehay all have licenses to grow marijuana. The state allows license holders to grow three mature plants and four immature plants.After checking out the marijuana plants, Linn County Sheriff's Lt. Will McAnulty said, local law officers concluded that the operation was in compliance with state law.But a Drug Enforcement Administration agent accompanying the local officers said he was going to seize the plants under federal law.Ken Magee, an assistant special agent in charge of Oregon's DEA operations, said it's a violation of federal law to possess, manufacture or cultivate marijuana. He said it's not a new policy that federal agents will seize marijuana plants grown for personal medicinal uses."We're not looking at this as a matter of policy, it's a matter of federal law," Magee said. "The U.S. government doesn't recognize marijuana as a medicine. It's a drug. Even our own U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that there's no medicinal value in marijuana."McAnulty, commander of the Albany-based drug enforcement team that investigated Stubblefield's marijuana growing operation, said the DEA agent who seized the plants just happened to be in the office shortly before detectives drove to Stubblefield's home."It's not any effort on our part to circumvent state law," McAnulty said.A Portland nonprofit organization, The Hemp & Cannabis Foundation, has given Stubblefield replacement plants and free medicinal cannabis. The group also intends to file suit against federal, state and local law enforcement officials, executive director Paul Stanford said."It's a clear violation of state and federal law," Stanford said. "They're lying when they say they have a right to do this. (Local authorities) didn't say they had a federal officer with them."Local and state detectives failed to protect Stubblefield from an unreasonable search and seizure, Stanford said. And the U.S. Constitution said a state's medical practices are not subject to federal oversight, he said."I don't see how they could pick out a disabled, quadriplegic war veteran to single out in Oregon to start with (seizing marijuana plants)," Stanford said. "It just seems to be the height of absurdity.Stubblefield said he remains angry."I felt that we had been betrayed," he said. "What do they gain from this?"Stubblefield is filing a claim on the seized marijuana under his homeowner's insurance. Stanford estimated the value of the plants at $18,000 [ Post Comment ] Post Comment