cannabisnews.com: DEA Claims Green Harvest Rules Followed 





DEA Claims Green Harvest Rules Followed 
Posted by FoM on February 01, 2002 at 08:40:34 PT
By Tiffany Edwards, West Hawaii Today 
Source: West Hawaii Today 
When performing Green Harvest operations on the Big Island, agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) abide by the rules the county has imposed on its police. "The guys are mandated to adhere to what the County Council has requested, what the police department asks," said DEA Special Agent - In - Charge Tom Kelly, in the Honolulu District office. "It's a collective effort between all the agencies when they go out on the mission."
Kona Councilman Curtis Tyler raised the issue last week when the County Council reviewed a report from the county Police Department regarding one of the more recent marijuana eradication missions. In that report, the explanation for at least three complaints about low - flying helicopters was the helicopters are "owned by the (DEA) and no Hawaii Police Department personnel was on board. The telephone number to the DEA was provided."Tyler and other councilmembers, including retired police Captain Leningrad Elarionoff, who represents the Kohala District, maintain DEA should follow the rules that say they cannot fly below 1,000 feet unless probable cause exists. Tyler at a Finance Committee meeting last Wednesday noted county police were not present to answer his inquiry about DEA abiding by the county's marijuana eradication rules. Elarionoff said then and reiterated this week he does not believe the Police Department should be held accountable for DEA's actions. "I would have much more respect for the DEA if they respected the rules that were imposed on the police department," Elarionoff said. "If they're on a separate mission, I feel we have no right to impose on them. However, if our Hawaii County police officers are in the chopper on the same mission, I think they're obligated to comply," the Kohala councilman said. "Ownership of the helicopter does not allow for the non - compliance but the mission does."Lt. Robert Hickcox, of the Police Department's Vice Division in Kona, said everybody involved in the marijuana eradication abide by the county's rules. "If they are going to be working on our island, all the pilots abide by those guidelines," Hickcox said. He said those include helicopter pilots with DEA, the Hawaii Air National Guard and Department of Land and Natural Resources. Representatives from those agencies have joined with police in all four counties to form the Domestic Cannabis Eradication Suppression Program, which ultimately answers to Kelly.Hickcox said the Honolulu Police Department's helicopter also is used in missions, as are commercial helicopters rented for about $650 per hour.He said in a briefing before each eradication mission, the rules are reviewed with those participating in the mission.Hickcox and Kelly said Hawaii County is the only county that has imposed eradication rules. "We get criticized by the public about our operations, then we get questioned by other agencies, saying, 'Why this? Why that?' - We just say, 'It's what the council wants.'" "We just do what we're told," Hickcox said. "We don't have any of these issues anywhere else in Hawaii," said Kelly of the rules, and complaints about low - flying helicopters. "It's only over there (on the Big Island) that anyone has made issues of it.""That's the only place where people are testifying in front of the County Council about problems of marijuana eradication," said Kelly. "Maybe the people who are complaining have a vested interest," he said, before, "It's a combination of legitimate people who want their quiet environment and maybe some other people who've got something they don't want police looking in their backyards on." Kelly acknowledged that he has spoken to Mayor Harry Kim who has relayed the concerns from people who don't like listening to noisy helicopters hovering in their neighborhoods. He reasoned that having the pilots fly at 1,000 feet "makes it a little more difficult for guys to identify the marijuana" and means they "might have to hover in the area longer than if they were at a lower altitude."In any event, Kelly said, "We want to cooperate with the community as much as we can and still do our job to eradicate marijuana - which is an illegal substance."Source: West Hawaii Today (HI)Author: Tiffany Edwards, West Hawaii TodayPublished: January 31, 2002Copyright: 2002 West Hawaii TodayContact: wht aloha.netWebsite: http://westhawaiitoday.com/Related Articles:Discussion of Pot Rules Enforcement http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11643.shtmlPot Advocates: Police Omitted Users' Rights http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10542.shtmlBig Island Cutting Helicopter Marijuana Raids http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10281.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by Rev Jonathan Adler on February 01, 2002 at 13:08:36 PT:
Tom Kelly IS Cool! DEA has set Precedent!
Aloha Folks and Welcome to Hawaii. I have for years called each new DEA station chief and communicated sincerely about our religious and medical rights to use cannabis. The last DEA chief, Sidney Hayakawa is now #2 at Dept. of Public Safety and he acknowledges our medical rights now as a member of the same group who registers all medical approved patients (471 as of today). His permanent replacement; Tom Kelly is an impressive guy and he has done it again by recognizing the new HPD rules on eradiction; which specifically protect medical registered patients, their care-givers and religious use by those who have won their case in court on grounds of legitimacy, sincerity and mandate to use cannabis for sacramental purposes. God Bless you Tom. That means I have the federal recognition I have worked so hard to obtain. I have passed the court test and won. No if ands or buts. See more at wwww.adler4gov.com
Hawaii Medical Marijuana Institute
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Comment #2 posted by Patrick on February 01, 2002 at 11:12:14 PT
p4me hit the nail on the head.
It is easier to get new politicians than to change the minds of the ones we have. You do the math.
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Comment #1 posted by p4me on February 01, 2002 at 11:07:40 PT
time for change
We want to cooperate with the community as much as we can and still do our job to eradicate marijuana - which is an illegal substance."Eradicate MJ laws and make it a legal substance you bastards.Someone said at a previous comment that we should lobby the politicians. My approach is to tell them that I have already decided that I will be voting against them no matter what they do. It is easier to get new politicians than to change the minds of the ones we have. 
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