cannabisnews.com: City Outlaws Outdoor Pot Growing City Outlaws Outdoor Pot Growing Posted by CN Staff on October 21, 2005 at 22:44:40 PT By Claudia Reed, Staff Writer Source: Willits News California -- An ordinance prohibiting outdoor growing of marijuana within city limits was unanimously adopted at the October 12 city council meeting. A network of medical marijuana patients, working through Oakland-based Americans for Safe Access (ASA), is threatening to sue. The ordinance in question, which adds the new chapter, Marijuana Cultivation to the Willits Municipal Code, outlaws outdoor growing as a nuisance contributing to unpleasant odors, air pollution affecting community health, and an increased risk of violent crime. The chapter does not outlaw indoor growing per se, but reserves the right to declare specific indoor growing operations a nuisance on a case-by-case basis. It does not restrict purchase of medical marijuana from a caregiver growing a supply elsewhere. Caregivers are still available, said Councilman Denny McEntire. Precluding marijuana growing in city limits doesnt preclude access to marijuana. Even those most fiercely opposed to in-city growing, including Laura McBride, who says she develops migraine headaches from pot-related air pollution during harvest season, voiced little opposition to the general concept of medical marijuana. Legalize it and move it out to the country where nobody has to smell it and tax the crap out of it! McBride said. Taxed or not, marijuana patients insist they cant afford to purchase their medicine or to grow it indoors. The majority of qualified patients wont be able to grow at all if they have to grow indoors, protested a woman identifying herself as Pebbles Triphead. Triphead said most lack the necessary expertise and cant afford the grow lights and other essential equipment. She added the fear of crime cited in the ordinance would be intensified by the fear of home invasion if indoor growing is the only option. She also threatened suit with the help of pro bono lawyers.One such lawyer, ASA attorney Joseph D. Elford, made the same threat in a Sept. 22 letter to City Attorney James Lance when the ordinance was still at the proposal stage: Because the...ordinance deprives those who cannot afford greenhouses or grow lamps of this right (to cultivate medicine), it is at odds with Californias medical marijuana laws and is, therefore, preempted.After passage of the ordinance, Elford told The Willits News: We would be a lot less interested in bringing suit if (the ordinance) set reasonable limitation on amounts within a certain residential area then to ban absolutely. It seems to me limitations on plant size and amount would solve the problem. Lance, however, told the paper he was guided by a state attorney generals opinion that a municipalitys ordinance that allows for a number (of plants) less than what the state law allows may be in contradiction of state law. That law, the Compassionate Use Act, allows cultivation of six mature or 12 immature plants per patient. State law does say a patient may grow, Lance adds, but doesnt say a patient may grow whatever he wants wherever he wants. We believe a city has the right to protect its community by limiting things that may be a nuisance.At the Oct. 12 meeting Councilwoman Karen Oslund pointed out agricultural activities in generally are limited or prohibited within city limits. I cant keep a cow in my back yard, she said. I will support this ordinance knowing we will be sued. If those who support this ordinance want to write checks for the legal defense fund we will all be grateful.I hope were not sued, said City Manager Ross Walker, a generally reserved man who spoke with great intensity. Think about what youre doing! Somebodys coming in from the outside telling us how local government ought to relate to its own citizens!Complete Title: City Outlaws Outdoor Pot Growing: Marijuana Patients Threaten SuitSource: Willits News (CA)Author: Claudia Reed, Staff WriterPublished: October 21, 2005Copyright: 2005 The Willits News Contact: editorial willitsnews.comWebsite: http://www.willitsnews.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Americans For Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccessnow.org/ Pot Ordinances: One Ready for Votehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21119.shtmlTo Grow or Not To Grow?http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20337.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #35 posted by FoM on October 24, 2005 at 19:20:03 PT Corrected ASA Action Alert CORRECTED ASA ACTION ALERT: CALL OR EMAIL YOUR REGIONAL HHS DIRECTOR ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2005. URGE RESPONSE TO THE DQA APPEAL! PLEASE DISREGARD THE LAST ACTION ALERT this alert includes the correct contact information for your regional director -- HHS ACTION ALERT: CALL OR EMAIL YOUR REGIONAL HHS DIRECTOR ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2005. URGE RESPONSE TO THE DQA APPEAL! In 2002, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) submitted a formal petition to the federal department of Health and Human Services (HHS) demanding marijuana be reclassified from a Schedule I drug. Following the submission of the rescheduling petition, ASA filed a Data Quality Act Petition (DQA), in October 2004, requesting that HHS correct information disseminated by the agency regarding the medical value of marijuana. After many delays, HHS denied ASA's petition under the DQA, and in May 2005, an appeal was filed with the agency. Although HHS was supposed to answer our appeal within 60 days, the agency is stalling and continues to send delay after delay. Meanwhile, patients across the country continue to wait in pain while the Bush administration plays politics with their medicine. On September 26, 2005, patients and advocates nationwide called their Regional HHS Directors to ask that they demand Secretary Leavitt answer ASA's Data Quality Act petition. These calls made a real impact and were heard all the way to Washington DC. Following these calls, ASA sent each Regional Director a sign-on letter to send to Secretary Leavitt.Time is up! The Regional Directors need to hear from their constituents. Call or email your Regional HHS Director on Wednesday, October 26, 2005. Urge your Director to sign on to a letter demanding Secretary Leavitt answer ASA’s Data Quality Act petition now!WHAT ACTION SHOULD YOU TAKE:1. CALL WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2005: Call on your Regional HHS Director to sign on to a letter demanding Secretary Leavitt to answer ASA’s Data Quality Act appeal and rescheduling petition. Find out “Who to call or email” and “What to say” below. 2. ATTEND A REGIONAL ACTION: Patients, doctors and advocates are invited to join us at local actions on October 26, 2005. For more information about the local actions, click here or email rebecca safeaccessnow.org (You can also scroll down to the end of this message for details on local actions in DC, Philadelphia, Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, San Francisco & Seattle.)3. SIGN AND CIRCULATE THE PETITION FOR RESCHEDULING: Sign the petition on line or download the petition to circulate in your community.4. SPREAD THE WORD: Forward this email to your friends, family and colleagues. Urge them to duplicate your efforts.WHO SHOULD YOU CALL OR EMAIL:IF YOU LIVE IN:CT, ME, MA, NH, RI or VT PLEASE CALL:Brian Cresta, HHS Regional Health Administrator, Region I Office: (617) 565-1500 Email: brian.cresta hhs.gov NJ, NY, PR or VI PLEASE CALL:Deborah Konopko HHS Regional Health Administrator, Region II Office: (212) 264-4600 Email: deborah.konopko hhs.gov DE, DC, MD, PA, VA or WV PLEASE CALL:Robert S. Zimmerman HHS Regional Health Administrator, Region III Office: (215) 881-4633 Email: robert.zimmerman hhs.gov AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, or TN PLEASE CALL:Christopher Downing Acting Regional Health Administrator, Region IV Office: (404) 562-7888 Email: chris.downing hhs.gov IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, or WI PLEASE CALL:Douglas O’Brien Regional Health Administrator, Region V Office: (312) 353-5160 Email: Douglas.Obrien hhs.govAR, LA, NM, OK or TX PLEASE CALL:Linda Penn Acting Regional Health Administrator, Region VI Office: (214) 767-3301 Email: linda.penn hhs.gov IA, KS, MO or NE PLEASE CALL:Fred Schuster Regional Health Administrator, Region VII Office: (816) 426-2821 Email: Fred.Schuster hhs.govCO, MT, ND, SD, UT, or WY PLEASE CALL:Joe Nunez Acting Regional Health Administrator, Region VIII Office: (303) 844-3372 Email: Joe.Nunez hhs.govAZ, CA, HI, or NV PLEASE CALL:Calise Munoz Regional Health Administrator, Region IX Office: (415) 437-8500 Email: Calise.Munoz hhs.govAK, ID, OR or WA PLEASE CALL:James Whitfield Regional Health Administrator, Region X Office: (206) 615-2010 Email: James.Whitfield hhs.govWHAT YOU CAN SAY:Suggested Phone Script:My name is __________. I live in ( City, State ). I am calling the office of my Regional Health Administrator to ask for help on behalf of countless cancer, AIDS, MS and other patients in our region who might benefit from medical marijuana.HHS Director, Secretary Leavitt, has delayed response to a Data Quality Act appeal filed by Americans for Safe Access over a year ago. This is not the first time Secretary Leavitt has delayed response to requests to reclassify marijuana and to correct information disseminated by the agency regarding the medical use of marijuana. The bottom line is marijuana is medicine. More than 6,500 reports and journal articles from around the world support the medical efficacy of marijuana. Even the Institute of Medicine, in the most comprehensive study of medical marijuana's efficacy, concluded that, “nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety…all can be mitigated by marijuana.” The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world continuing to classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug like heroine, PCP and GHB. Last week, Americans for Safe Access sent you a sign on letter. As my Regional Health Administrator, I am calling to urge you to sign this letter asking Secretary Leavitt to answer ASA’s Data Quality Act and Rescheduling petitions now!Thanks for listening to me. Have a great day.Download a copy of the sign on letter sent to the regional directors here: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/downloads/HHS_sign_on_letter.pdfSuggested Email Script:Dear ________________,My name is __________. I live in ( City, State ). I am writing to ask for help on behalf of countless cancer, AIDS, MS and other patients in our region who might benefit from medical marijuana.HHS Director, Secretary Leavitt, has delayed response to a Data Quality Act appeal filed by Americans for Safe Access over a year ago. This is not the first time Secretary Leavitt has delayed response to requests to reclassify marijuana and to correct information disseminated by the agency regarding the medical use of marijuana. The bottom line is marijuana is medicine. More than 6,500 reports and journal articles from around the world support the medical efficacy of marijuana. Even the Institute of Medicine, in the most comprehensive study of medical marijuana's efficacy, concluded that, “nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety…all can be mitigated by marijuana.” The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world continuing to classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug like heroine, PCP and GHB. Last week, Americans for Safe Access sent you a sign on letter. You can download a copy of this letter here: As my Regional Health Administrator, I am writing to urge you to sign this letter asking Secretary Leavitt to answer ASA’s Data Quality Act and Rescheduling petitions now!Thanks for considering this issue. Have a great day.Sincerely, Background/More Information:In 2002, Americans for Safe Access, as part of a larger coalition known as the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis, submitted a petition to the federal government demanding marijuana be rescheduled from a Schedule I drug. Schedule I is reserved for the most dangerous drugs, typically those with no accepted medical value and high abuse potential. Other Schedule I drugs include heroine, PCP and GHB. As evidenced by the more than 6,500 studies and journal articles from around the world marijuana does have accepted medical value, marijuana is not highly abusive, and it has been wrongly classified as a Schedule I drug.Last October, ASA activists gathered at the Health and Human Services (HHS) building in Washington DC to launch a Data Quality Act Petition (DQA), requesting that HHS correct information disseminated by the agency regarding the medical use of marijuana. The DQA requires federal agencies, like HHS, to ensure that the information it distributes is fair, objective and meets certain quality guidelines. HHS declined our requests under the DQA petition, refusing to recognize the mountain of evidence demonstrating marijuana’s medical value. In May, ASA filed an appeal. Although HHS was supposed to answer our appeal within 60 days, the agency continues to delay. On October 26, 2005, ASA activists will take action at seven regional HHS offices around the country. Call or email your Regional HHS Director to demand Secretary Leavitt answer ASA’s Data Quality Act petition now! Another year is too long for patients to wait for safe and legal access to medical marijuana. Local Action Details:Time's Up: Demand HHS Reclassify Marijuana Now!Wednesday, October 26th12 Noon Actions Confirmed in DC, Philadelphia, Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, San Francisco & Seattle:National Headquarters – Washington D.C. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201Contact Blair Brogan: blair norml.org, blairbrogan yahoo.comPHS - Region III – Philadelphia, PA The Public Ledger Building 150 South Independence Mall West, Suite 436 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106Contact Barry Busch: barry critpath.org or (610) 876-6750PHS - Region VI – Dallas, TX 1301 Young Street, Suite 1124 Dallas, TX 75202Contact Noelle & Karen: karen texansformedicalmarijuana.org or (512) 220-9209PHS-Region VII – Kansas City, MO 601 East 12th Street, Room S-1801 Kansas City, Missouri 64106Contact Jacqueline Patterson: medicalmaryjane hotmail.com or (816) 260-3359PHS-Region VIII – Denver, CO 1961 Stout Street, Room 498 Denver, Colorado 80294Contact Larissa & Thomas: (720) 338-1316 or llawrenceccc yahoo.com PHS-Region IX – San Francisco, CA 50 United Nations Plaza, Room 327 San Francisco, California 94102Contact Tony Bowles: tonebowles sbcglobal.net or (415) 283-7404PHS-Region X – Seattle, WA 2201 Sixth Avenue, M/S RX-20 Seattle, Washington 98121Contact Jim Greig: jimgreigads yahoo.com or (562) 774-6034- end of alert --- Rebecca Saltzman Field Coordinator Americans for Safe Access p (510) 251-1856 f (510) 251-2036 www.safeaccessnow.org Caren WoodsonCampaign DirectorAmericans For Safe Access 1322 Webster St., Ste 208Oakland, CA 94612888.929.4367510.251.1856 www.SafeAccessNow.org [ Post Comment ] Comment #34 posted by FoM on October 24, 2005 at 16:52:33 PT ASA Action Alert ASA Action Alert: Contact Your Regional HHS Director on Wed Oct 26th. Urge Response to the DQA Appeal! HHS ACTION ALERT: CALL OR EMAIL YOUR REGIONAL HHS DIRECTOR ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2005. URGE RESPONSE TO THE DQA APPEAL! In 2002, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) submitted a formal petition to the federal department of Health and Human Services (HHS) demanding marijuana be reclassified from a Schedule I drug. Following the submission of the rescheduling petition, ASA filed a Data Quality Act Petition (DQA), in October 2004, requesting that HHS correct information disseminated by the agency regarding the medical value of marijuana. After many delays, HHS denied ASA's petition under the DQA, and in May 2005, an appeal was filed with the agency. Although HHS was supposed to answer our appeal within 60 days, the agency is stalling and continues to send delay after delay. Meanwhile, patients across the country continue to wait in pain while the Bush administration plays politics with their medicine. On September 26, 2005, patients and advocates nationwide called their Regional HHS Directors to ask that they demand Secretary Leavitt answer ASA's Data Quality Act petition. These calls made a real impact and were heard all the way to Washington DC. Following these calls, ASA sent each Regional Director a sign-on letter to send to Secretary Leavitt.Time is up! The Regional Directors need to hear from their constituents. Call or email your Regional HHS Director on Wednesday, October 26, 2005. Urge your Director to sign on to a letter demanding Secretary Leavitt answer ASA’s Data Quality Act petition now!WHAT ACTION SHOULD YOU TAKE:1. CALL WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2005: Call on your Regional HHS Director to sign on to a letter demanding Secretary Leavitt to answer ASA’s Data Quality Act appeal and rescheduling petition. Find out “Who to call or email” and “What to say” below. 2. ATTEND A REGIONAL ACTION: Patients, doctors and advocates are invited to join us at local actions on October 26, 2005. For more information about the local actions, click here or email rebecca safeaccessnow.org (You can also scroll down to the end of this message for details on local actions in DC, Philadelphia, Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, San Francisco & Seattle.)3. SIGN AND CIRCULATE THE PETITION FOR RESCHEDULING: Sign the petition on line or download the petition to circulate in your community.4. SPREAD THE WORD: Forward this email to your friends, family and colleagues. Urge them to duplicate your efforts.WHO SHOULD YOU CALL OR EMAIL:IF YOU LIVE IN:CT, ME, MA, NH, RI or VT PLEASE CALL:Michael Milner, HHS Regional Health Administrator, Region I Office: (617) 565-1505 Email: mmilner osophs.dhhs.govNJ, NY, PR or VI PLEASE CALL:Robert W. Amler, MD, MS HHS Regional Health Administrator, Region II Office: (212) 742-7036 or 264-2560 Email: ramler osophs.dhhs.gov DE, DC, MD, PA, VA or WV PLEASE CALL:Dalton G. Paxman, PhD HHS Regional Health Administrator, Region III Office: (215) 861-4631 Email: dpaxman osophs.dhhs.gov AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, or TN PLEASE CALL:Clara H. Cobb, MS, RN Acting Regional Health Administrator, Region IV Office: (404) 562-7894 Email: ccobb osophs.dhhs.gov IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, or WI PLEASE CALL:Steven R. Potsic, MD, MPH, FACPM Regional Health Administrator, Region V Office: (312) 353-1385 Email: spotsic osophs.dhhs.govAR, LA, NM, OK or TX PLEASE CALL:Ronald Banks, MD, MPH Acting Regional Health Administrator, Region VI Office: (214) 767-3879 Email: rbanks osophs.dhhs.gov IA, KS, MO or NE PLEASE CALL:Linda Vogel Regional Health Administrator, Region VII Office: (816) 426-3291 Email: lvogel osophs.dhhs.govCO, MT, ND, SD, UT, or WY PLEASE CALL:Jane Wilson Acting Regional Health Administrator, Region VIII Office: (303) 844-7859 Email: jwilson osophs.dhhs.govAZ, CA, HI, or NVPLEASE CALL: Ronald Banks, MD, MPH Regional Health Administrator, Region IX Office: (415) 437-8096 Email: rbanks osophs.dhhs.govAK, ID, OR or WAPLEASE CALL: Patrick O'Carroll, MD, MPH, FACPM Regional Health Administrator, Region X Office: (206) 615-2469 Email: pocarroll osophs.dhhs.govWHAT YOU CAN SAY:Suggested Phone Script:My name is __________. I live in ( City, State ). I am calling the office of my Regional Health Administrator to ask for help on behalf of countless cancer, AIDS, MS and other patients in our region who might benefit from medical marijuana.HHS Director, Secretary Leavitt, has delayed response to a Data Quality Act appeal filed by Americans for Safe Access over a year ago. This is not the first time Secretary Leavitt has delayed response to requests to reclassify marijuana and to correct information disseminated by the agency regarding the medical use of marijuana. The bottom line is marijuana is medicine. More than 6,500 reports and journal articles from around the world support the medical efficacy of marijuana. Even the Institute of Medicine, in the most comprehensive study of medical marijuana's efficacy, concluded that, “nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety…all can be mitigated by marijuana.” The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world continuing to classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug like heroine, PCP and GHB. Last week, Americans for Safe Access sent you a sign on letter. As my Regional Health Administrator, I am calling to urge you to sign this letter asking Secretary Leavitt to answer ASA’s Data Quality Act and Rescheduling petitions now!Thanks for listening to me. Have a great day.Download a copy of the sign on letter sent to the regional directors here: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/downloads/HHS_sign_on_letter.pdfSuggested Email Script:Dear ________________,My name is __________. I live in ( City, State ). I am writing to ask for help on behalf of countless cancer, AIDS, MS and other patients in our region who might benefit from medical marijuana.HHS Director, Secretary Leavitt, has delayed response to a Data Quality Act appeal filed by Americans for Safe Access over a year ago. This is not the first time Secretary Leavitt has delayed response to requests to reclassify marijuana and to correct information disseminated by the agency regarding the medical use of marijuana. The bottom line is marijuana is medicine. More than 6,500 reports and journal articles from around the world support the medical efficacy of marijuana. Even the Institute of Medicine, in the most comprehensive study of medical marijuana's efficacy, concluded that, “nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety…all can be mitigated by marijuana.” The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world continuing to classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug like heroine, PCP and GHB. Last week, Americans for Safe Access sent you a sign on letter. You can download a copy of this letter here: As my Regional Health Administrator, I am writing to urge you to sign this letter asking Secretary Leavitt to answer ASA’s Data Quality Act and Rescheduling petitions now!Thanks for considering this issue. Have a great day.Sincerely, Background/More Information:In 2002, Americans for Safe Access, as part of a larger coalition known as the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis, submitted a petition to the federal government demanding marijuana be rescheduled from a Schedule I drug. Schedule I is reserved for the most dangerous drugs, typically those with no accepted medical value and high abuse potential. Other Schedule I drugs include heroine, PCP and GHB. As evidenced by the more than 6,500 studies and journal articles from around the world marijuana does have accepted medical value, marijuana is not highly abusive, and it has been wrongly classified as a Schedule I drug.Last October, ASA activists gathered at the Health and Human Services (HHS) building in Washington DC to launch a Data Quality Act Petition (DQA), requesting that HHS correct information disseminated by the agency regarding the medical use of marijuana. The DQA requires federal agencies, like HHS, to ensure that the information it distributes is fair, objective and meets certain quality guidelines. HHS declined our requests under the DQA petition, refusing to recognize the mountain of evidence demonstrating marijuana’s medical value. In May, ASA filed an appeal. Although HHS was supposed to answer our appeal within 60 days, the agency continues to delay. On October 26, 2005, ASA activists will take action at seven regional HHS offices around the country. Call or email your Regional HHS Director to demand Secretary Leavitt answer ASA’s Data Quality Act petition now! Another year is too long for patients to wait for safe and legal access to medical marijuana. Local Action Details:Time's Up: Demand HHS Reclassify Marijuana Now!Wednesday, October 26th12 Noon Actions Confirmed in DC, Philadelphia, Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, San Francisco & Seattle:National Headquarters – Washington D.C. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201Contact Blair Brogan: blair norml.org, blairbrogan yahoo.comPHS - Region III – Philadelphia, PA The Public Ledger Building 150 South Independence Mall West, Suite 436 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106Contact Barry Busch: barry critpath.org or (610) 876-6750PHS - Region VI – Dallas, TX 1301 Young Street, Suite 1124 Dallas, TX 75202Contact Noelle & Karen: karen texansformedicalmarijuana.org or (512) 220-9209PHS-Region VII – Kansas City, MO 601 East 12th Street, Room S-1801 Kansas City, Missouri 64106Contact Jacqueline Patterson: medicalmaryjane hotmail.com or (816) 260-3359PHS-Region VIII – Denver, CO 1961 Stout Street, Room 498 Denver, Colorado 80294Contact Larissa & Thomas: (720) 338-1316 or llawrenceccc yahoo.com PHS-Region IX – San Francisco, CA 50 United Nations Plaza, Room 327 San Francisco, California 94102Contact Tony Bowles: tonebowles sbcglobal.net or (415) 283-7404PHS-Region X – Seattle, WA 2201 Sixth Avenue, M/S RX-20 Seattle, Washington 98121Contact Jim Greig: jimgreigads yahoo.com or (562) 774-6034- end of alert - -- Rebecca Saltzman Field Coordinator Americans for Safe Access p (510) 251-1856 f (510) 251-2036 www.safeaccessnow.org [ Post Comment ] Comment #33 posted by afterburner on October 24, 2005 at 11:18:14 PT And "Legalize it and move it out to the country where nobody has to smell it and tax the crap out of it! McBride said."This "tax the crap out of it!" comment shows an underlying hostility toward medical cannabis, not just a grudging support. [ Post Comment ] Comment #32 posted by afterburner on October 24, 2005 at 11:10:13 PT I Hope Someone from Americans for Safe Access... is reading this thread. It seems to contain abundant evidence to fight these misguided smell prohibitions. [ Post Comment ] Comment #31 posted by runderwo on October 23, 2005 at 17:54:39 PT Laura McBride is an idiot Point by point:- "What are you doing with the other 23 plants?" Hmm, maybe half of them turn out to be males? Maybe I'm storing some for the winter? Why is it any of your business besides to make an unsubstantiated connotation that they are selling weed on the side?- "damage your plants smell is doing to our health?" Please quantify the damage. Compare and contrast with ragweed, dogwood, grass that has gone to seed, etc. Just because you can smell it doesn't mean it is damaging your health. If it is annoying, you should have supported an ordinance that would have allowed you to report annoyances and have them cut down if an examiner agreed, not to ban outdoor growing altogether.- "our concern is being shot in the process of someone stealing your plants" Has this EVER happened? What about people who leave nice lawn furniture outside? A big screen TV accessible through a porch door? Tools? Gardening equipment? Come on. I pay property taxes so that the police are appropriately funded to protect property, I don't see any implication of my possessions on your life besides that.- "there are other medicines on the market you can use" Thanks for playing doctor, but no thanks. There is only one medicine with the same general effect (Sativex) and it is unavailable here and expensive. The others all suffer from a combination of expense, ineffectiveness, and side effects for the maladies that people commonly use whole cannabis for.- "children with marijuana under their noses isnt in their best interest" Is being disabled in the children's best interest? What harm can this "marijuana under their noses" possibly lead to? Heck, this way the forbidden fruit mystique is removed too.- "It has been proven secondhand smoke is worse on the people in the room than the smoker" Thanks, but if you had a brain cell, you'd realize this is because of the FILTER on cigarettes. And anyway, no permanent harm from smoked marijuana has ever been quantified. Does it cause asthma in children like cigarette smoke? Perhaps, perhaps not. What volume of smoke is exhaled by the typical cannabis smoker in a day compared to the typical cigarette smoker. What about the fact that cannabis smoke anecdotally ALLEVIATES asthma?- "how much damage will be done to the unborn child" A study of Jamaican mothers showed that the children of cannabis smokers were as healthy as any others. Unlike nicotine which tends to cause low birth weight, and alcohol which causes birth defects.- "Low-income people are making almost more money than we people who work for a living. The extra marijuana you grow must be bringing in enough money to allow you to pay your electric bill for an indoor growing system."What a snide and senseless comment. If you really feel that lower-class people must be kept in their proper place, legalize marijuana and cackle gleefully while you watch their fortunes drop.The rest of it is just aimless crap as far as I can tell. One of her neighbors should fill his lawn with manure so then she would not have to smell the EEEVIL cannabis flower smell anymore, that "wrecks more lives than it helps". Or better yet, dump a truckload in her yard.Again, if she wants to be an overly sensitive little drama queen, that is her right, but why shouldn't she be the one that has to move out to the country? If I'm allergic to gasoline vapors can I prevent all my neighbors from mowing their lawns or driving cars? If everyone around her truly is growing cannabis, it certainly sounds like she is in the minority there and she should be the one making a concession. The right of self-determination does not include forcing others to accomodate you... except in drugwar, where any anti stance that feels good will be a winner. [ Post Comment ] Comment #30 posted by runderwo on October 23, 2005 at 17:19:34 PT toker00 "This is how brainwashed prohibitionists are, even in the light of day. They believe that prohibition will make people who want to do drugs, drug free. And they believe that the drug laws keep people who don't want to do drugs, drug free."I think your view of prohibitionists is a bit flattering. More likely than not, prohibitionists don't like people who use drugs because of the counterculture they are associated with, or because they resent anyone having more fun than them on their watch. Drug prohibition is a means to the end of putting those hated groups in jail, nothing more. As a side effect, maybe or maybe not more people will be drug free, but don't confuse side effects or claimed motives with their real motives. It is only coincidence that drugs are easier to demonize and marginalize than tie-dye, rock music, or peace symbols. (Sexual liberation runs a close second, but HIV largely made that self-limiting.)Anyway, according to the published NIDA statistics, it appears that prohibition fails at keeping people drug-free even if that were the motive. At various points in time, either enforcement is uneven, so one illegal drug is used as a substitute for another when enforcement on the one drug is given attention; or enforcement is strong across the board, in which case people just (ab)use legal (alcohol, tobacco, pharms, solvents) intoxicants more. And how harmful are alcohol, tobacco, pharms, and solvents compared to natural psychedelics and herbs?Prohibition is such a joke. It has no basis in harm reduction, the supposed shared value of individual freedom, or in any form of science or honest inquiry into the matter. It is an expensive failure, arbitrarily enforced, propagated by politicians who have thumbed their nose at self-determination and responsible government and who express a distaste for anything related to honest debate on the subject. It disgusts me on a daily basis that such backwards and capricious thinking is the status quo in the US.At the risk of sounding campy, I wonder what will be the agent that provides the same collective awakening today that LSD provided in the 1960's. It certainly appears that we need something to get our heads out of our collective asses. [ Post Comment ] Comment #29 posted by siege on October 23, 2005 at 07:09:28 PT Toker00 when I had to go to NYC and get the grandkids after 911 they had some bad allergies, and after about 90 days they started go away and the cannabis pollen was in the house about 1/2 that time and now they don't have those allergies, but still have some like from pine trees real bad here at times, rag weed, it seams to be going away they don't take as much med. I would say less med less allergies... [ Post Comment ] Comment #28 posted by siege on October 23, 2005 at 06:45:33 PT state bills From this point on when there is a Bill for a state on marijuana it should be a part about the stealing of cannabis in it and the punishment be the same as if they stold from pharmaceuticals... or WE go in and get a Business License for ( Home pharmaceutical Business ). and wake the LEO up... Is there any one here know any thing about this... and if it could work. [ Post Comment ] Comment #27 posted by cloud7 on October 23, 2005 at 06:11:45 PT From the letter "It is said you who smoke marijuana are peace-loving people. Then why is there crime involved with your growing?"Um, because people like you are doing everything in your power to keep marijuana growing illegal. [ Post Comment ] Comment #26 posted by Toker00 on October 23, 2005 at 05:38:05 PT This woman is sickening. (Laura McBride) This woman is so full of **it. I'll bet she has a permanent smirk on her self-righteous face. She not only is damning cannabis, she is damning the poor, too. Typical Republican conservative a**hole. I'm not apologizing to Republican conservatives. They are all the same. This woman is a prime example of class-ism and bigotry. I apologize to those who have allergies and are affected by cannabis pollen. Can anyone with asthma or allergies confirm that cannabis is a nuisance? And does it affect you more than other pollens?Did she ever stop to think that her migraines might come from the smog she breathes in her "fresh air"? Or some other source or reason entirely? Laura McBride, you are a bigot. Or a hypochondriac. Or a bigoted hypochondriac. Yeah. That's it. But I do sympathize with you about the migraine pain. No one deserves that.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! [ Post Comment ] Comment #25 posted by AOLBites on October 23, 2005 at 01:09:20 PT this the Grass? well, men at least... http://tinyurl.com/9pgxfhttp://tinyurl.com/chmxehttp://www.perfumebay.com/men-s-j-jovan-grass-oil-for-men.htmlhttp://www.1stperfume.com/rmehta20022002-shop/jovgoilmecsp3.htmlhttp://store.perfumedistributor.com/jovgoilmecsp3.htmlcant find the womens version anywhere, other than it was relesed in '74 [ Post Comment ] Comment #24 posted by FoM on October 22, 2005 at 21:06:14 PT Thanks siege One or two a year for one medical marijuana patient? Maybe if each one is about 25 feet tall and real bushy. [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by siege on October 22, 2005 at 20:58:55 PT Letters to the Editor: Laura McBride Medical marijuana Letters to the Editor We respect your right as medical marijuana patients to grow your pot. We do, however, feel you are infringing on our rights to have fresh air to breathe.I have been told on many occasions by other users of medical marijuana that all you really need is one or two plants to last you a whole year. What are you doing with the other 23 plants?Laura McBrideWillitshttp://www.willitsnews.com/Stories/0,1413,253~33095~3097986,00.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #22 posted by boballen1313 on October 22, 2005 at 13:50:30 PT I GET A SUPER THROBBING Buttache when i have to breathe the stench of Bush with every passing gas guzzling SUV! So i reckon on the scale of pain... stopping to smell the bud doesn't even begin to hit the pain of inhaling the effluence from Laura McBride, who says she develops migraine headaches from pot-related air pollution, when she sails by in her "own little world". [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by FoM on October 22, 2005 at 12:23:30 PT siege The long url was making the comment section off center so I shortened. [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by siege on October 22, 2005 at 12:15:04 PT 3rd term Legal Problems Dog Bush's Inner Circle (((Where we when the laws where changed)))No more then two Terms for the president Office! Cheney has said he is not interested in pursuing the Republican nomination for president in 2008. So Bush's choice to replace his running mate would tip the president's hand on his preference for(( 2008)). Florida governor and first brother, Jeb Bush?http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051022/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_replacements [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by FoM on October 22, 2005 at 12:02:42 PT siege Yes sir you are so right. [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by siege on October 22, 2005 at 11:55:47 PT are/smell They are the same!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by FoM on October 22, 2005 at 11:47:17 PT Chicken Houses That's what truckers call a weigh station. lol [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by siege on October 22, 2005 at 11:42:22 PT CNews CNews has a lot good thing about it for one! I made a effective carbon filter from CNews, around the (centrul air) works good. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by Hope on October 22, 2005 at 11:04:56 PT Chicken Houses Oh no, Siege. Commercial chicken houses that close. That's sad. I'm so sorry. Dairies, which we have a lot of around here can be bad, but I prefer the barnyard smells to the chicken coop smells. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by siege on October 22, 2005 at 09:47:51 PT Hope orchids in the wild OMG Hawaii over powering, we have a neighbor that moved in about 4/10th of a mile from us here. all most 3 years ago He put in 4 chicken house's OMG it is dead all the time and in the summer you can't out side for it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by Hope on October 22, 2005 at 09:40:53 PT The what happened with the perfume at work story is here, if anyone wants to know what happened that doesn't already. http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19811.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Hope on October 22, 2005 at 09:32:00 PT The cannabis scent. I don't know. But I have a feeling that that scent...that vapor might really be good for a person that was not allergic to it...as many are not. I can easily imagine it's gases being beneficial...perhaps even for the skin and hair and the health of the lungs and body.Might make one's nose less dry or "infected", and healthier. I think I'd like it. Jovan once made a cannabis scented perfume, Grass. I still have a partial bottle of it. I liked it...until it got noticed at work. The perfume, I mean. I didn't know it was THAT kind of grass. The bottle shows blades of grass...not cannabis leaves. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Hope on October 22, 2005 at 09:21:34 PT " SH*T on the lawn!!" My dear neighbor to the South and East, and he is dear...very dear, a few years ago decided to take advantage of a cheap and natural fertilizer deal he ran on to, in fertilizing the meadows that surround us. Organic? Sounded great to me. We always get blow off from what they do to those meadows. Like my orchard one year. Gone to a herbicide spraying around the fences. That was cruel.But back to what I started to say...about the harsh reality of the spreading of that stuff. It very nearly killed us and made their lovely meadow view pretty nasty looking for a long long time. The cows didn't love grazing it, either. The neighbors to our North may not have even realized why the air had turned so foul.Took our entire fall season from us. It was supposed to rain right after the ground chicken waste, including bones and bits of feathers, and chicken manure? something powdery...had been spread over the surrounding meadow. It didn't rain, as I recall, for at least two months, a stiff Southern breeze all the while.My sinuses throb at the remembrance of it. The only time in my life I ever suffered from bronchitis was that winter...for three months. My husband was out in it more than I was. He developed a staff infection around his neck. Boils.Whew!But sue them? No way! They're my neighbors and they've been absolutely wonderful neighbors for many, many years. (Like the morning we were leaving for a week long trip, only to discover that one of our daughters hadn't taken her goldfish over to be babysat. We woke them at 4:30 to receive our goldfish into their care on a moments notice.) I like them. I love them. They are truly dear to me.(Hint: We don't talk about the fertilizing incident. It's one of those things we'd rather put to the back of our minds...keeping only as a reminder to never do it again.)Siege, I know that smell you are talking about. I think it has a lot of ammonia in it and something extremely heavy in the way of gaseousness. It smells bad and poisonous and heavy. I've seen it make parks uninhabitable. I shudder at the remembrance of it. One of my daughters lived in an idyllic old creek area..."Bottoms"... homestead on the outskirts of a small town nearby in an area that was once heavily farmed...cotton mostly. The smell of wash off fertilizer was hideous there until you got used to it. It was worse sometimes than others. It flooded there regularly. It was a lush place...very lush. The floods brought other things besides wash off fertilizer. An unbelievable amount of broken glass. I mean a virtual carpet of it. FoM, onions do have big beautiful global lily like flowers. In fact...onions might be in the lily family, I'm not sure. They are fragrant though. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by siege on October 22, 2005 at 07:27:24 PT OR about the nasty smelling TREES the city plants to beau·ti·fy [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by siege on October 22, 2005 at 07:14:08 PT lawns Ever smell that SH*T on the lawn!! when half the community puts it on there lawns. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on October 22, 2005 at 07:10:04 PT Hope Onions what an excellent idea! LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Hope on October 22, 2005 at 06:56:49 PT A fragrant garden. Gardenias. Jasmines. Cannabis. Lilac. Honeysuckle. Sage. Lemon Balm. Cannabis. Nicotania (flowering tobaccos). Roses chosen for frangrance. Lavender. Heliotrope. Cannabis. Verbena. Mignonette, and the list goes on.Cannabis gardeners with neighbors close by, should perhaps make sure their gardens have plenty of strong scented plants to go with the cannabis. Oh...and before the gardenias and roses get big...perhaps a nice bed of tall growing flowering onions between the upwind cannabis and the downwind neighbor. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by siege on October 22, 2005 at 06:49:41 PT burden Think about what youre doing! Somebodys coming in from the outside telling us how local government ought to relate to its own citizens! (Then how is it that you let the Fed. prohibitionists come and do the same to your town). and put more burden on the citizens. in being caged and there homes taken away and there family's torn a part, or is this what you respect! taking the childern away from there parents and put that burden on the community. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by potpal on October 22, 2005 at 06:16:04 PT migraines Irks me that they'll (prohibitionists) jump to 'believe' that someone can actually get a migraine from the scent of cannabis yet fail to 'believe' the countless patients that claim mmj relieves their pain and suffering. And this said, institute a law immediately without debate to avoid such an occurance for this one person.Seems that the dark side likes the word 'pollution', as if a plant's scent can have a detrimental effect on the environment. The real pollution here is the air that prohibitionists exhale when they open their mouths. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by cloud7 on October 22, 2005 at 06:07:08 PT ... This is a great way to ensure that those people with the least means will not be able to grow their own medicine or obtain it at a minimal cost. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Toker00 on October 22, 2005 at 05:18:36 PT The darkness Why do they drill down into the depths and withdraw the darkness?Don't they know that by bringing it up here, they are creating darkness where there is light?It's down there for a reason. So it won't hurt us up here.But THEY have brought it up here. It has been hurting US, since.We live up here where there is light, not down there where it is dark. Why did they bring the darkness into the light?We must return the darkness to it's depths. We must focus instead on reaching for the light, since that is where we live. Cannabis grows well in the light. Cannabis is up here where we live, we won't have to drill down into the darkness anymore. And cannabis will not hurt us up here. I just love the smell of cannabis in the morning!Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Toker00 on October 22, 2005 at 04:48:25 PT You'd think after sixty-eight years... This is how brainwashed prohibitionists are, even in the light of day. They believe that prohibition will make people who want to do drugs, drug free. And they believe that the drug laws keep people who don't want to do drugs, drug free. They believe that just because there is a law on the book that says you can't, it means you can't. THIS IS SO STUPID. Right now, even with all the laws prohibiting illegal drug use, any person who wants to take drugs, any drugs, legal or not, can, and easily. You are even encouraged to take the legal ones. So, these laws are doing what? Destroying the lives of those who get caught breaking them. Do the laws do what they were intended to do? Keep people drug free? Not no, but HELL no! Prohibiting something only enhances it's appeal. These laws only encourage drug use. Prohibition must be replaced with education and acceptance of drug use, with treatment for drug abuse. I think drugs abuse people more than people abuse drugs. This is why I differenciate between drugs (man-made concoctions) and natural medicine. You may possibly abuse cannabis by succombing to it's relaxing properties and neglecting what you need to be doing, but cannabis (natural) does not abuse you. Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by mayan on October 22, 2005 at 03:11:47 PT Evil Weed/World? The ordinance in question, which adds the new chapter, Marijuana Cultivation to the Willits Municipal Code, outlaws outdoor growing as a nuisance contributing to unpleasant odors, air pollution affecting community health, and an increased risk of violent crime.Unpleasant odors? Like from the factories,trucks,sewers and power plants?Air pollution affecting community health? Like the sources of the above mentioned odors?An increased risk of violent crime? Like the risk created from a policy that has made cannabis to be worth it's weight in gold and a lucrative commodity for black market bandits?This world is upside down and the emperor still hasn't figured out he's butt naked!A pleasant,fragrant flower should be the least of our worries. C'mon. Let's be real. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment