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I'm Facing Years In Prison For Medical Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on February 13, 2015 at 10:30:08 PT
By Matt Ferner
Source: Huffington Post
Washington -- Larry Harvey, 71, thought he was doing everything right growing medical marijuana for his personal use. His home state of Washington legalized medical cannabis in 1998, and Harvey says his cultivation of plants with his wife, other family members and a close friend complied with the law.But in 2012, state and federal law enforcers raided the Harvey home and shut down their operation. Harvey; his wife, Rhonda; their son, Rolland Gregg; Gregg's wife, Michelle Gregg; and family friend Jason Zucker all face federal marijuana charges that could land them in prison for 10 years.
But Harvey may not live long enough to see prison, let alone serve out his sentence. In recent months Harvey has developed cancer of the pancreas that has begun to spread to his liver. The average life expectancy for a patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer is three months to six months.In the coming days, a federal judge will rule on a motion Harvey filed to dismiss his case because it conflicts with new medical marijuana protections in the recently enacted $1.1 trillion federal spending bill that says the Department of Justice shouldn't interfere with state medical marijuana laws. The judge may also drop charges against Harvey when he shows proof of his deteriorating health.Federal law classifies marijuana a Schedule I substance "with no currently accepted medical use." The judge has told the group they may not invoke their status as state-legal medical marijuana patients as a defense.This is Larry Harvey's story:I live about nine miles north of Colville, Washington. We have about 34 acres on the side of a mountain over there. My wife Rhonda grows a big vegetable garden and she cans and freezes everything out of that garden. We have wild game on the property here -- turkeys, grouse, we eat a lot of venison. We’re both hunters. We try to live off the land all we can.I’ve got a real banged up knee -- the meniscus is gone in my left knee and if I walk a quarter-mile, I’m crippled the rest of the day. I got it mostly from about 4 million miles from shoving a clutch, as well as some foolish things when I was younger.But about four years ago, a friend of mine gave me a marijuana cookie. I was sitting in my chair, my knee throbbing. I ate that little cookie and in about five minutes the pain was completely gone. It’s kind of like having a toothache. Every time your heart beats it kind of boings. It’s such a relief. I didn’t feel “stoned” or whatever at all. The cookie I had was small and all it did was relieve the pain. So I felt like we needed to grow some of this stuff.There were five of us -- my wife and I, her son Rolland and his wife Michelle, and then another family friend Jason. We all pooled together and we grew some pot. Everything was going good until the cavalry showed up.The Civil Air Patrol was flying in the area. They spotted our grow and they called the Forest Service. The Forest Service, of course, is a federal outfit, so they got a hold of the DEA and sheriff and all that and they flew over. But they didn’t say a thing about the white flag with a green cross I was flying above the grow. In fact, they are editing that green cross flag evidence out of my trial because they don’t want the jury in a federal court to know it was a medical marijuana grow. It’s federal court, and we’re not to mention that we are legal medical marijuana patients in the state of Washington.I was in Alaska when both raids happened, but my wife was at the home. The first time, the state authorities went up to the grow and pulled out enough plants to get our grow down to 45 plants. We had less than 75 and we’re legal to have up to that many, but they thought we were growing as a collective, instead of growing individually. After they pulled out the plants, they went away. That was it.About a week or so later, the feds came back with another warrant. They came up and beat on the door and showed their search warrant and started to tear the house apart. They took every weapon I have in the house. They took our car, 2007 Saturn Vue. They took both our motorcycles. They took our ATV. Rhonda had several hundred dollars saved up in her dresser drawer for a trip to Mexico. They took that. They took $200 from a cabinet -- that was our house money that we use for buying groceries. Numerous other things, and of course, all the plants and every bit of marijuana we had in the house.That was in August. They never arrested Rhonda, never gave her a ticket. I came home from Alaska and was expecting the long arm of the law at any time to come up and grab me. But nothing happened. Winter comes and goes. All of a sudden it’s March. Rhonda is up visiting her family in Alaska at this time. Then, one morning, around 8 a.m.. here come five carloads of cops, two cops in each car. They circled my house, jumped out with their rifles. And the U.S. Marshal shouts that I’m under arrest, handcuff me and stick me in the back of a car and take me to the a lockup facility at the Spokane federal building and a judge throws me in jail.I spent 17 long days in that jailhouse and now they’re trying to throw back in there again. I could spend at least 10 years in federal prison for medical marijuana. For me, 10 years would be a death sentence. They might as well take me out and execute me. Why put me through all the misery? I might as well jump off a bridge. I can’t shoot myself because I don’t have a gun.I've got stage four pancreatic cancer and I've got a spot of cancer on my liver. When they first discovered it, around my birthday, they gave me two months to six years to live. I beat the two months already, so now I'm going for the six years.I just hope I can beat this cancer and live a little longer. I'm 71, I've got a few good years in me after I get rid of this crap.I’ve got a nice place, I just wanted to enjoy my retirement, but they’re not letting me. They’re treating me like a criminal. It’s just bizarre. This country still thinks that marijuana is a nasty word. And until about 10 years ago, I did too, until I tried that cookie. The stuff we use is real low in THC. There’s all kinds, but the government doesn’t recognize that.I refuse to take any pain pills. I take blood pressure medicine, my heart or my gout, but as far as any pain meds, forget it. I’m not taking those damn things. Medical marijuana was a huge relief for my knee.They say they might let me off because of my health, but even if they do, they're still going to prosecute my wife. I need her. She's my caregiver. Without her I'm going to need assisted living or something. I need help. I'm getting beat up.This whole thing is taking its toll on everyone. We’re all getting worn down from it. It’s out of our hands now.I want people to know what I’m going through, what the government is doing here. We were not prepared for this kind of response. We thought what we were doing was legal. I never would have grown medical marijuana if I thought it was illegal. If we had an indoor grow we probably would have been fine, but we weren’t trying to hide anything. We got a rude awakening.We're innocent and we’re going to prove it. These laws have to change.Harvey's story has been edited for length and clarity.Learn more about the Harvey case and sign the petition calling for their release here: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/kettle_falls_5_petitionSource: Huffington Post (NY)Author: Matt Ferner, The Huffington Post Published: February 13, 2015Copyright: 2015 HuffingtonPost.com, LLC Contact: scoop huffingtonpost.comWebsite: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/mR1BSzG9CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #5 posted by Oleg the Tumor on February 16, 2015 at 07:21:21 PT
Best Quote Lifted From a saint, Elsewhere
"On February 15, 2015, at 12:11 PM, PhDScientist wrote: I'm a Scientist with a strong interest in Cancer research. The clinical evidence of the value of Marijuana as a life saving medicine is now so strong that the need to remove Marijuana from Schedule 1 has become a moral imperative. Google Medical Marijuana Testimonials. Google Medical Marijuana Cancer Patient Testimonials.This weekend over 3,000 Americans will die, in pain, of Cancer. Every day after that, 1,500 more Americans will die, after suffering horribly, from it. Every single minute another American dies of Cancer. Every American Cancer patient deserves the right to have safe, legal, and economical access to Medical Marijuana. Every single one.Americans who need Medical Marijuana shouldn't be used as "Political Footballs" Please call the Whitehouse comment line at (202) 456-1111 and ask that the President take immediate action to remove Marijuana from Schedule 1 so American Physicians in all 50 states can prescribe it.Oncologists have know it for more than a quarter of a Century that Marijuana is a "wonder drug" for helping Cancer patients.The American Society of Clinical Oncologists wants Marijuana removed from Schedule 1. So does the American Medical Association, the professional society of all Physicians. A strong majority of Americans want Physicians in all 50 states to be able to prescribe Medical Marijuana. So do their Physicians., Cancer patients can't wait.The need to immediately, completely, legalize Marijuana throughout the world is one of the most pressing moral issues of our time, because of its medical benefits and because of the damage prohibition causes to America and to the world.Complete legalization is critical -- its vital that there aren't "strings" or "hoops" that Cancer patients and others who need Medical Marijuana are forced to jump through."Charlottes web" is NOT the solution. Cancer patients and people who suffer from chronic pain need THC, not just CBD. The "Berkeley study", where 96% of stage 4 Cancer patients who had a wide variety of Cancers achieved remission, used high dose Medical Marijuana oil, 72% THC, 28% CBD, 1 gram/day (oral) over a 90 day course of treatment. It was a small study, and not placebo controlled, but those kinds of results are clearly remarkable, have been widely reported on in the press, and demand the need for immediate large scale clinical trials.More and more present and former members of law enforcement agree about the need to end prohibition, and have formed a rapidly expanding group of current and former undercover cops, FBI, DEA, prosecutors and Judges, from all over the world, calledLEAP -- Law Enforcement Against Prohibitionbecause they've seen the damage prohibition causes to America and the world.See http://www.leap.cc/I'm a Scientist. Not a politician, not a cop.But as a Scientist with a strong interest in Cancer research, I feel even more strongly about the need to ensure that no Cancer patient is denied it, because I'm so impressed with its benefits for Cancer patients.I urge everyone reading this to PLEASE call and email the Attorney General, the press, Congress and the President today.Medical Marijuana helps with Alzheimer's, Autism, Cancer, seizures, PTSD and chronic pain, and has helped many Americans, including many veterans, stop using Alcohol, and hard drugs, both legal and illegal ones.Every minute an American dies of Cancer.Every 19 minutes an American dies of a prescription drug overdose.Many vets become addicted to prescription opiates and die from them.NOBODY has ever died from smoking too much pot.Cancer patients are seeing remarkable results using high dose Medical Marijuana oil, in many cases achieving complete remission, even for stage 4 cancers -- there are many excellent articles on the web, and videos on youtube with patient's personal stories about their experiences with it -- and every Cancer patient that uses Marijuana to ease their suffering benefits greatly from doing so.It is immoral to leave Marijuana illegal, for anyone, for even a second longer.For Cancer patients, its a matter of life and death.Cancer patients can't wait.Medical Marijuana has an unmatched safety profile, and for people who suffer from so many diseases, of so many kinds, its a medical miracle -- and the scientific evidence behind it is rock solid.For Cancer patients, Medical Marijuana encourages apoptosis and autophagy of Cancer cells, while leaving normal cells untouched, is anti-angigogenic, anti-proliferative, and is anti-angiogenic.Its also synergistic with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, making both more effective.For many Cancer patients its meant the difference between life and death.For everyone else, its a far safer alternative to Alcohol, and infinitely safer than Cigarettes.Either take them off the market too, or legalize Marijuana right now.2016 is too far away, Its too long to wait. Every year we lose more Americans to Cancer than died in WWII.Between now and the 2016 elections, roughly 1 MILLION Americans will die of Cancer.And Its a horrible way to die."Well put, Doc!FREE THE PRISONER OF SCHEDULE ONE!
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on February 13, 2015 at 19:12:26 PT
Donald P. Scott comes to mind.
I suspect that Larry Harvey, like the ill fated Donald Scott, citizen of this country and land and home owner, also had something a greedy government agency or agent wanted to add to their assets.Remembering the Murder of Donald Scotthttp://www.lewrockwell.com/2012/10/william-norman-grigg/remembering-the-murder-of-donaldscott/
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Comment #3 posted by observer on February 13, 2015 at 14:54:36 PT
re: free pet stipends
Although sometimes the free pet allowances ($$$) go horribly wrong, like when this at-home "pet" viciously ripped the leg off Officer Friendly's four-year old:
"The 4-year-old son of a Rialto police K-9 handler had his left leg amputated just above the ankle after the dog attacked the boy at their Hesperia home ..."
http://www.pe.com/articles/anda-760195-jango-houlemard.html?page=1
Hey a little (taxpayer covered) collateral damage is more than acceptable, because, after all, this is war - drug war. The dog was trained for "narcotics and SWAT" (i.e. ripping the limbs and face off pot smokers). So a little at-home practice makes the dog all the more valuable in sic-ing him on those dopers, who, quite like the four-year-old, are likely to offer all the resistance of a rag-doll. When police dogs taste blood like that, their police handlers can really rev them up the next time the force is SWATing some grandmother taking her dope (her so-called "medical" marijuana). So, it is a win-win situation for all the stakeholders in government and corporation - a shining example to be followed of police, our dedicated public servants, upholding The Law in the face of terrorists, child molesters, and doper pot smokers. Think of the children!
http://drugnewsbot.org
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Comment #2 posted by observer on February 13, 2015 at 12:52:55 PT
But think of the (Officers') Children !
True, this man may feel the long arm of The Law - because of his crimes. But such men (and especially their money, property and slave labor) are the bread and butter of dedicated, heroic public servants, the police. And let's not forget the prosecutors and the whole court system that feeds on the substance of men like Harvey. Those police and prosecutors make good money! And let's not forget about the government-mandated benefits that accrue to such Law Enforcement "heros" - free medical care, free education, generous pension with all the bennies. And we're not even talking about the taxpayer-paid cross country trips to any high-profile politicized police funeral, protest or police "conference" or "convention" in some vacation spot like Hawaii, Arizona, Florida, or the Virgin Islands. Hey - police need to keep up on the latest, so who not take a taxpayer-paid week in Hawaii to bone up on the latest at that "Heroin, Handcuffs and Hollow-Points" Law Enforcement convention in Maui? And we haven't touched on the free college courses, free cars, free pet stipends, free meals (cops always get free meals for 'protection' - because, as the cops tell the poor shop-owner, "It would be a shame," say the cops, "if something should happen to your shop - or your pretty daughter...". So that's why we should support our Law Enforcement Heroes! They're dedicated public servants, put in a difficult position over pot. Let's not confuse them http://www.mintpressnews.com/can-someone-be-too-smart-to-be-a-cop/192106/ and keep it simple: pot is drugs. Drug are bad. Dopers go to jail. Any questions?
http://drugnewsbot.org
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on February 13, 2015 at 11:05:33 PT
What country is in Washington state?
It's frustrating because medical cannabis use in Washington is legal, they apparently had a white flag with a green cross on it and are not being allowed to state those facts in a fed court. -and the feds have indicated they'll leave people alone who comply with their state laws. And now cannabis is RE-legalized in Washington other than medical.Instructions to all Washington residents, don't find anyone guilty of nonviolent cannabis use. Period.
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