cannabisnews.com: High on Voters' Minds in Mendocino County





High on Voters' Minds in Mendocino County
Posted by FoM on October 29, 2000 at 14:08:28 PT
By Dan Reed
Source: San Jose Mercury News 
 Not exactly a shoo-in as next poet laureate of the United States, marijuana advocate Bruce Hering, a proponent of the November ballot measure in Mendocino County that would legalize recreational pot use, nonetheless did get this poem published in a local newspaper. It reads, in part:``A vote for yes on Measure G is a vote for marijuana sanity. It's not for shipping, nor for selling; it's just for you in your own backyard dwelling. To grow in your garden whatever you wanna; lettuce, roses, and even marijuana.''
Probably not verses that will be analyzed by future generations of literary scholars. But there are likely more than a few Mendocino County growers and stoners who read it and said, ``Beautiful!''Hering, the white-haired, goateed, skeletally thin yet ever energetic advocate for the decriminalization of pot -- not just for medical use but for pure fun -- is one of many Mendocino County residents plugging Measure G. It could be the first successful initiative in the nation to decriminalize small-time pot growing for personal use.The problem is this: State and federal laws supersede such county initiatives. So, while it may send a novel symbolic message to legislators, when it comes down to searches and handcuffs, the tougher longstanding laws will prevail. Nonetheless, the measure has caused a stir in a county known for its marijuana. It's one-third of the so-called Emerald Triangle -- Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties, which are about a 150 miles north of San Francisco -- the fertile pot-growing capital of California and, some say, the nation. Bruce Anderson, the irascible editor of Boonville's Anderson Valley Advertiser and an opponent of Measure G, said that in the 1970s the Mendocino County agricultural commissioner estimated marijuana as the county's No. 1 agricultural product -- apparently a politically unpopular declaration. ``He got retired for that one,'' Anderson said. Since then, no official estimate has been given about how important pot is to the local economy, although many locals believe it's the cornerstone.Green Party Initiative:Measure G is the product of a petition-gathering effort by the county's Green Party. It would allow residents to grow up to 25 plants for personal use. It would also instruct the district attorney and sheriff to make enforcement of pot laws against small-time users their lowest priority.While the Green Party started it, the initiative got a boost from NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which sent members to Mendocino to help collect signatures. All told, the forces gathered about twice the number needed.Norman Vroman, who once spent nine months in federal prison for failing to file his income taxes, is the district attorney of Mendocino County. And he is, according to many people randomly interviewed, ``a hell of a good lawyer.''His presence is everything Hollywood would want for a story about a rogue, unconventional DA. From his meaty handshake to his walking cane, from his snow-white beard to his braided leather suspenders, the bearish Vroman speaks plainly, or when he obfuscates, he does it with good humor.When asked how medicinal marijuana -- still illegal under federal law -- was working out in Mendocino County, he said: ``Very well.'' But when asked about the specifics, such as the operation of the Ukiah Cannabis Club, an obvious case for potential prosecution, he seemed purposefully lost. ``What are you talking about?'' he said as if he'd never heard of it, though it's in the white pages of the local phone book.Vroman made it clear Measure G would not relieve him or the local law enforcement of the mandate to prosecute marijuana growers, but he also said it's up to the locals to set priorities. ``Let's put it this way,'' he said, seated behind his desk on a day that had turned from gray and drizzly to brilliantly sunny. ``I ran on a platform of prosecuting crimes against people and property. If I have time left after that, I'll deal with other things.''Nathan Barankin, spokesman for the state attorney general, said Measure G would make no difference in the enforcement of the state law, which says marijuana use is illegal. In fact, the year 2000 CAMP initiative, an acronym for the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, confiscated 31,583 plants from Mendocino County, second only to the 59,015 plants pulled from Kern County.``It's symbolic for the people in Mendocino County,'' he said. Tired of War on Drugs:Maybe so, but most people in Mendocino County seem to have grown tired of government spending on the war on drugs, mainly against pot. Outside of Anderson, more than a dozen residents interviewed at random throughout the county all agreed small-time use and cultivation of marijuana should be legal.There is no argument against the measure on the official ballot. But few bumper stickers or signs can be found advocating it. Hering says most people don't want to put a ``Yes on G'' sticker on their cars, for fear of being a mark for police.A stroll along the quaint, postcard-perfect boulevards of Mendocino, a seaside hamlet of tourist shops and restaurants, turned up the following responses:Likely supporter Vincent A. Morlock, a homeless man with a bud of Mendocino marijuana in his hatband, said, ``I'm stoned right now.'' Self-confessed pot smoker Lee Edmundson, 50, who works in theater and politics -- his theatrical specialty is to stage fights, like sword battles -- called Measure G a ``grand symbolic gesture.''``Most people in the county are against corporate farming,'' he said, referring to the large-scale marijuana plantations that have drawn the state helicopters and intense enforcement of CAMP. ``I've been smoking since I was 18,'' he said. ``And I'm a responsible, contributing member of adult society.''Even 80-year-old Grail Dawson, a retired administrator for the federal Bureau of Reclamation, had no quarrel with Measure G, although he said he's never lit up himself. The irony, for many here, is that the area is also known for its vineyards. So what's the difference, they say, between relaxing after work with a glass of Mendocino County chardonnay or a pipeful of ``Mendocino Mellow,'' the bud's local nickname?Leather worker and volunteer firefighter Ed O'Brien, proprietor of Compass Rose Leather in Mendocino, said the hypocrisy of marijuana enforcement is illustrated every time the deputies drive to Dick's, a town bar, their cruisers full of confiscated pot: ``It's the damnedest thing to see the deputies pull up in front of a bar after a big harvest bust and go in to celebrate with a glass of beer.''Despite making many mom-and-pop growers outlaws, the pot trade remains a booming business. Mark Gowan, manager of the Anderson Valley Farm Supply & Nursery, strongly suspects pot harvesters are a part of his business. Now, just after harvest time, when the pot growers are trimming away the leaves from the plants' smokable parts, Gowan has seen a rush for clippers. ``In the last two weeks, at 16 bucks apiece, I've sold three cases of clippers,'' he said. Like the district attorney, most people expect Measure G to pass. In 1996, almost two-thirds of the local electorate voted for the state ballot measure approving medicinal marijuana use. Similar Alaskan Proposal:Alaskans will also be voting next month on a measure to decriminalize pot for personal use, but their measure goes so far as to include restitution to those who have served prison time for past pot offenses. The measure is facing strong opposition.Editor Anderson, a member of the Mendocino County Green Party, is one of the few publicly arrayed against the ballot initiative. Keeping to his colorful reputation, he uses his words as a sickle to slice and dice his party brethren. ``They put all this time and effort into a purely advisory measure because they are preoccupied with infantile pastimes, including dope, boogies and getting in big naked piles -- relics of the '60s.''The sheriff and the DA aren't going after small-time growers and ``kicking people's doors in,'' he said. ``It's a choreographed affair, with nobody getting arrested, nobody getting prosecuted and nobody going to jail, and a lot of people getting mortgage money and extra cash -- why tamper with it?''Sheriff Tony Craver, who signed the petition to qualify Measure G for the ballot, conceded he would be bound to enforce state and federal laws, even though they are a low priority for his deputies. The get-tough approach, he said, is not working. ``The risk of apprehension makes the price go up, enhances the value, and as the value goes up, it's a motivation for more people to grow it. It's a vicious cycle,'' he said. ``I would support an effective law, something that's good public policy. If we have a law that vast numbers of people choose to ignore, then it's not a valid law.''Staff Writer Patrick May contributed to this report.Note: Initiative Could Legalize Small-Time Growing For Personal Use.Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Author: Dan ReedPublished: Sunday, October 29, 2000Copyright: 2000 San Jose Mercury News Address: 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95190 Fax: (408) 271-3792 Contact: letters sjmercury.com Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/The Green Partyhttp://www.greenparty.org/No on G http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7485.shtmlMeasure G Won't Legalize Marijuana Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7484.shtmlPractical Pitfalls Of The Plebiscitehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7433.shtmlInterest High in Mendocino County Pot Measurehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7259.shtmlIllicit Weed May Find a Legal Homehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7211.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #2 posted by mungojelly on October 31, 2000 at 03:43:18 PT:
public resistance
Indeed, what would they do about any public show of resistance? Richard Cowan suggested a very tame one: everyone should go around all the time smoking herbal cigarettes that look and smell as much like marijuana as possible. How would they deal with that? Any show of resistance, any organized nose-thumbing of the war on cannabis, could bring this thing to its knees. But are people willing to make the sacrifice? Apparently not. They're not even willing to put bumper stickers on their cars. 
mungojelly
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #1 posted by fivepounder on October 29, 2000 at 14:41:42 PT
The press doesn't quite know what to say about G.
Its gonna pass, its gonna be great. I hope next time I drive thru Mendocino very store has a pot plant in the window. What would they do then?
[ Post Comment ]

Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: