cannabisnews.com: Federal Government Says It Will Uphold US Drug Law
Federal Government Says It Will Uphold US Drug Law
Posted by CN Staff on October 01, 2002 at 15:13:09 PT
By Marisa Taylor, Union-Tribune Staff Writer
Source: Union Tribune
The dispute over medical marijuana has turned into a war of words, providing yet more proof of a deepening conflict between California and the U.S. Justice Department over whether medical marijuana providers should be left alone. Last month, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer complained about recent federal raids of California cannabis clubs in a letter to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and Asa Hutchinson, chief of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
In the letter, Lockyer called the raids "wasteful, unwise and surprisingly insensitive," because California law allows the use of marijuana for medical purposes. He said a recent raid in Santa Cruz demonstrated "a lack of good judgment" and that the federal government's approach threatened to derail the state's partnership with the DEA in fighting drug trafficking. Lockyer urged federal officials to meet with him in an attempt to reach a compromise. Copies of the letter were forwarded to all California U.S. attorneys, including San Diego's top federal prosecutor Carol Lam, and the heads of three DEA offices in California. Yesterday, Lockyer's office got a response showing that the federal government isn't about to back down from its stance that the distribution of marijuana – whether for medical use or not – violates U.S. drug laws. "Your repeated references to 'medical' or 'medicinal' marijuana illustrates a common misperception that marijuana is safe and effective medicine," Hutchinson wrote in a four-page letter provided to The San Diego Union-Tribune. "The scientific community has never determined this to be the case." Hutchinson also contended that California's law is "being abused" by traditional marijuana traffickers. The exchange of letters comes as medical marijuana activists are complaining that the DEA has increased the number of agency-backed raids in the last year. In San Diego last week, federal agents uprooted a pot garden grown by medical marijuana activist Steve McWilliams. Although no arrests were made, agents said the U.S. Attorney's Office could still decide to bring charges against McWilliams or his partner, Barbara MacKenzie. In 1996, California voters approved Proposition 215, which allows patients to grow and use marijuana for medicinal purposes. In July, a California Supreme Court ruling gave medical-marijuana patients limited immunity from prosecution. Seven other states also have adopted medical marijuana laws. In Hutchinson's polite but firmly worded letter, he agreed to meet with state officials. But he emphasized that the DEA has the authority to continue to confiscate marijuana plants unless the U.S. Congress decides otherwise. "In other words, when marijuana is observed in the ordinary course of law enforcement duties, (the) DEA is legally mandated to seize it, even if no prosecution results," Hutchinson wrote. Hutchinson said his agency's position is supported by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that held medical need can't be used in a defense against marijuana charges in federal court, no matter what state law has approved. Hallye Jordan, Lockyer's spokeswoman, said her office was still reviewing the letter but was pleased to get a response, no matter what the content. "The lines of communication are open," she said. "At least we're talking." Complete Title: Federal Government Says It Will Uphold U.S. Drug Laws Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA)Author: Marisa Taylor, Union-Tribune Staff Writer Published: October 1, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.Contact: letters uniontrib.comWebsite: http://www.uniontrib.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Americans for Safe Access http://www.safeaccessnow.org News Articles - WAMM Raidhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/valc.htmCounty Officials Consider Condemning Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14320.shtmlPot Advocates Ask For City Leaders' Helphttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14248.shtmlLockyer Assails Federal Pot Operationshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14033.shtml
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Comment #14 posted by Nuevo Mexican on October 02, 2002 at 23:22:42 PT
DANA, mayan: Never saw Duane Allman...
but Warren Haynes is like having Duane speak from the grave, literally. He is next best thing for sure! I like to think I 'channel' Jimi on guitar, not that I come close, but you have to shoot for the stars to land on the moon, and Warren makes you think Duane is up there playing, lick for lick, note for note, it is truly amazing! Whoever our muse is or are, whether they are living here or living on the other side, the effect of being inspired is the affect desired! The Allman Brothers, Steppenwolf and Jimi Hendrix were poster children for free thinking, music loving, pot smoking true Americans and Canadians. They were saviors in a time when being peaceful, nature loving earthlings were demonized en masse (only in preparation for the day when a 911 would be pulled over our eyes for good. Or so they have to think).
If anyone gets a chance to see Santana, he and his band were great last night, security weren't looking for anything except weapons,but corporate concerts leave everything to be desired, good music notwithstanding. His message is to nurture, be thankful, live in spiritual and musical harmony with all beings, and was well recieved in this area, truly loved by all! Guess what just came on the radio: Southbound by the Allman Bros! Where's that yamaha?Here my contribution to the temple of Steppenwolf, it goes perfect with the above article!
The Ostrich
Steppenwolf, 1st AlbumWe'll call you when you're six years old
And drag you to the factory
To train your brain for eighteen years
With promise of security
But then you're free
And forty years you waste to chase the dollar sign
So you may die in Florida
At the pleasant age of sixty nineThe water's getting hard to drink
We've mangled up the country side
The air will choke you when you breathe
We're all committing suicide
But it's alright
It's progress folks keep pushin' till your body rots
Will strip the earth of all it's green
And then divide her into parking lotsBut there's nothing you and I can do
You and I are only two
What's right and wrong is hard to say
Forget about it for today
We'll stick our heads into the sand
Just pretend that all is grand
Then hope that everything turns out okYou're free to speak your mind my friend
As long as you agree with me
Don't criticize the father land
Or those who shape your destiny
'Cause if you do
You'll lose your job your mind and all the friends you knew
We'll send out all our boys in blue
They'll find a way to silence youBut there's nothing you and I can do
You and I are only two
What's right and wrong is hard to say
Forget about it for today
We'll stick our heads into the sand
Just pretend that all is grand
Then hope that everything turns out okThanks for all the hard work FOM, Cannabis news is the best, and great things at work in the heavens in the near future are going to make it all worthwhile, (you already know) even though I share anyones' scepticism about the immediate future of the good intentions of the people running the world, the good always happens simultaneously to the 'bad' from my experience anyway.
We are making a difference, but we still have a long way to go, before sanity prevails. Thank you Canadian Senate for speaking the truth at a time when, as the band The Chameleons say on their latest album: 'The truth isn't truth anymore!'
NM
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Comment #13 posted by mayan on October 02, 2002 at 17:20:55 PT
canaman...
Warren Haynes is the guitarist's name. He is awesome! He has such a cool voice too! Unfortunately, I haven't seen the Allman Bro's but I did get to see Dicky Betts & Great Southern(his band)this summer. His band was great & they played tons of the Allman Bro's good stuff!
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Comment #12 posted by DANA on October 01, 2002 at 23:09:13 PT
canaman
..Thanks for posting the lyrics.I bought that album in the late 60s,and I still have it,along with almost every other Steppenwolf album....here's another one............................Monster...............................
Once the religious, the hunted and weary
Chasing the promise of freedom and hope
Came to this country to build a new vision
Far from the reaches of kingdom and pope
Like good Christians, some would burn the witches
Later some got slaves to gather riches But still from near and far to seek America
They came by thousands to court the wild
And she just patiently smiled and bore a child
To be their spirit and guiding light And once the ties with the crown had been broken
Westward in saddle and wagon it went
And 'til the railroad linked ocean to ocean
Many the lives which had come to an end
While we bullied, stole and bought our a homeland
We began the slaughter of the red man But still from near and far to seek America
They came by thousands to court the wild
And she just patiently smiled and bore a child
To be their spirit and guiding light The blue and grey they stomped it
They kicked it just like a dog
And when the war over
They stuffed it just like a hog And though the past has it's share of injustice
Kind was the spirit in many a way
But it's protectors and friends have been sleeping
Now it's a monster and will not obey (Suicide)
The spirit was freedom and justice
And it's keepers seem generous and kind
It's leaders were supposed to serve the country
But now they won't pay it no mind
'Cause the people grew fat and got lazy
And now their vote is a meaningless joke
They babble about law and order
But it's all just an echo of what they've been told
Yeah, there's a monster on the loose
It's got our heads into a noose
And it just sits there watchin' Our cities have turned into jungles
And corruption is stranglin' the land
The police force is watching the people
And the people just can't understand
We don't know how to mind our own business
'Cause the whole worlds got to be just like us
Now we are fighting a war over there
No matter who's the winner
We can't pay the cost
'Cause there's a monster on the loose
It's got our heads into a noose
And it just sits there watching (America)
America where are you now?
Don't you care about your sons and daughters?
Don't you know we need you now
We can't fight alone against the monster
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Comment #11 posted by canaman on October 01, 2002 at 18:55:54 PT
mayan
You are so right! I bought that 1st Hempilition (cassette) when it first came out. I've been impressed with their lead guitar guy since I saw him with the Allman Brothers 6 or 8 yrs. back (can't remember his name)...but also saw him with Phil Lesh and friends a while back. Very good show
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Comment #10 posted by mayan on October 01, 2002 at 18:26:15 PT
Also...
This is unrelated but very important news...CITIZENS GROUP IGNORES CONGRESS, LAUNCHES OWN INVESTIGATION INTO 9-11 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
THE PEOPLES INVESTIGATION OF 9/11 PRESS CONFERENCE: Friday, October 4th, 10am – noon, San Francisco Federal Building, 450 Golden Gate, San Francisco, CA We, citizens of the United States, declare a national emergency in uncovering what really happened on 9/11/2001 through an immediate call for an independent collaborative investigation worldwide. Unanswered questions, stonewalling and unsettling evidence suggest a government plan to allow these horrific attacks to happen. Current overt and covert US war plans and ever-increasing military and intelligence budgets are part a massive power grab which does not provide US citizens or the world any real security, particularly if and when terror is planned or allowed to happen from within our government. The Patriot Act, passed by a frightened Congress who did not read the 300+ page document the day it was presented and passed, is just one resulting curtailment of our civil liberties sold to us in the name of “security”. It is crucial that we act immediately. Teachers, students, firemen, lawyers, family members of victims, investigative reporters, media, researchers and anyone interested in discovering the truth behind the events of, leading up to and following the attacks of 9/11/2001, we need your participation. The congressional “independent” investigation and public hearings currently being held are limited in scope. The outcome of these hearings will likely be “intelligence failure” and a subsequent request for more funding. The People’s Investigation of 9/11 will have no central leadership, only a centralized online repository of research information. A non-partisan ad-hoc committee is being formed now to facilitate this collaboration of global research efforts. If interested in participating, send an e-mail to its notoncnn.com or call Mark Nemeth at 415.552.4652. Please attend the press conference.
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Comment #9 posted by mayan on October 01, 2002 at 18:23:30 PT
canaman...
Gov't Mule's version of that song is awesome too! It is on the first "Hempilation" recording. I "highly" recommend it! Thanks for the updates on the Colin Davies trial, p4me!unrelated - Mike Ruppert speaking in SAN FRANCISCO on Oct. 4th
and in SEBASTOPOL on Oct. 6th!!!
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/events.htmlHearings on 9/11 step up pressure on administration:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/news/nation/4179248.htm11 September analysis 'sealed':
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2288689.stmMilitary activates NORTHCOM:Anti-terrorist command center to open today at Peterson Air Force Base -
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_1450984,00.html
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Comment #8 posted by canaman on October 01, 2002 at 17:02:13 PT
Don't Step On The Grass, Sam
Dedicated to Asa, Ashcroft, Walters, the Prez and the rest of Uncle Sam's paid misinformers....Starin' at the boob tube, turnin' on the big knob...
Tryin' to find some life in the waste land...
Fin'ly found a program, gonna deal with Mary Jane...
Ready for a trip into Haight-land...
Obnoxious Joe comes on the screen...
Along with his guest self-righteous Sam...
And one more guy who doesn't count...
His hair and clothes are too far out...
While pushin' back his glasses Sam is sayin' casually...
"I was elected by the masses"...
And with that in mind he starts to unwind...
A vicious attack on the finest of grasses...
Well it's evil, wicked, mean and nasty (Don't step on the grass, Sam)...
And it will ruin our fair country (Don't be such an ass, Sam)...
Well, it will hook your Sue and Johnny (You're so full of bull, Sam)...
All will pay that disagree with me (Please give up you already lost the fight, alright)...
Misinformation Sam and Joe...
Are feeding to the nation...
But the one who didn't count counted them out...
By exposing all their false quotations...
Faced by a very awkward situation...
This is all he'd say to save the day...
Well it's evil, wicked, mean and nasty (Don't step on the grass, Sam)...
And it will ruin our fair country (Don't be such an ass, Sam)...
Well, it will hook your Sue and Johnny (You're so full of bull, Sam)...
All will pay that disagree with me (Please give up you already lost the fight alright)...
You waste my coin Sam, all you can...To jail my fellow man...
For smoking all the noble weed...You need much more than him
You've been telling lies so long...
Some believe they're true...So they close their eyes to things...
You have no right to do...
Just as soon as you are gone...
Hope will start to climb...Please don't stay around too long
You're wasting precious time(John Kay and Steppenwolf, 1968)It amazes me people have been calling these politicians on their lies for so long now and so little has changed. Their lies are bigger and more outrageous than ever. How many more will suffer before enough people stand and say ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!
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Comment #7 posted by afterburner on October 01, 2002 at 16:50:45 PT:
"The scientific community has never determined...
Obviously Asa Hutchinson, chief of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, did not read the preceding article, "Fresh Evidence That Cannabis Reduces Pain".
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Comment #6 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on October 01, 2002 at 16:34:24 PT
Today's Boondocks
This cartoon is almost as amusing as today's Doonesbury...
http://www.ucomics.com/boondocks/2002/10/01/
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Comment #5 posted by p4me on October 01, 2002 at 16:29:10 PT
Day 17 of the DEfenders trial
DE trial day 17 - jury are "out"Judge Fish duly gave his speech this morning - covering the various legal areas that the jury obviously needed guidance on (such as "medical necessity" and "management") and summing up the important evidence as he saw it.He made it clear to the jury that it is up to THEM to decide what facts are important, how much notice to take of each person's evidence, and to decide on the facts though he told them that they HAD to accept that his directions as to the law were correct.So, the jury were sent away before lunch and have spent about 90 minutes considering ther decisions so far. They have been told that they must consider each charge against each defendant seperately, which makes it 13 different things to make a decision about, and to start off with they've got to try to get unanimous verdicts on each charge! They may have spent some time selecting a "foreman" (who happens to be a woman in this case) - I wouldn't want the job - would you?Tomorrow, everybody gets back to court for 10.30pm, and Colin, the DEfendants, the judge, the barristers, the Cannabis Prohibition Service, Pestering Pester of the Stockport Dumb Squad and the media will spend another day(?) hanging around in their various quarters waiting for some sort of decision (even if its only that they can't reach one) from the jury [not to put any pressure on them if they happen to be reading this - naughty jurors].......Perhaps I'll get a chance to piss on the court tomorrow!woof, woof
Billy Barker
news'ound1,2
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Comment #4 posted by p4me on October 01, 2002 at 16:19:13 PT
Now class, let's test your brainwashing
In Hutchinson's polite but firmly worded letter:A)He agreed to meet with state officials.B)He said that the federal policy was a political position desired by the rich, and that if reason was not important why would discussion be.C)I do not want to go to California and be shouted at with terms of truth to remind me that I am lying when I know it even better than the ignorant and brainwashed.D)That the Christian ideology was very considerate of Utopia and that if it took forever, Utopia would be pursued no matter the expense, pain, death, legitimate rights under the Constitution and the will of the majority. The concept of tolerance does not apply where the monied are concerned and you should respect the position of the powers that be even if you think Utopia cannot be achieved.E)Busch is a dickhead and I have a place in the Caymens anyway. D -Don'tA -Abuse D -DrugsDAD1,2
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Comment #3 posted by Had Enough on October 01, 2002 at 16:08:38 PT
Just wondering
If the federal government does not allow California to allow medical use, could the state of California, and the other states that allow medical use, end up with a Lawsuit against the federal government to have all federal cannabis laws overruled, and removed ?
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Comment #2 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on October 01, 2002 at 16:01:07 PT
LTE
Sirs, John Walters can argue that marijuana is not medicine all he wants. But nothing he has ever said could possibly justify raiding a hospice center where sick and dying people believe otherwise.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on October 01, 2002 at 15:29:06 PT
Oops: Here's the Correct Title
Medical Marijuana Conflict Intensifies
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