cannabisnews.com: Valley Resident Off To D.C. on Quest for MMJ





Valley Resident Off To D.C. on Quest for MMJ
Posted by CN Staff on June 19, 2006 at 07:13:51 PT
By K Kaufmann
Source: Desert Sun
Washington, D.C. -- The words on the medical report seem impenetrably abstract - bilateral recess encroachment, stenosis, foraminal encroachment. What they mean to Sky Valley resident Garry Silva is pain.Excruciating, continuous pain in his back and legs, which, said Silva, a legal medical marijuana user under California state law, is the result of injuries he suffered when federal drug agents raided his home and confiscated several dozen medical marijuana plants in March.
And though he'll need a wheelchair to do it, today and Tuesday he will be on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., lobbying lawmakers - especially Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs - to pass the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment.The amendment, put forward by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, N.Y., and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, would ban the federal Drug Enforcement Administration from making raids on medical marijuana patients in states, including California, that have legalized medical use of the drug.Bono, who is up for re-election in November, voted for the amendment in 2003 and 2004 but voted against it last year.Silva is scheduled to meet with Bono on Monday afternoon."We need to discriminate between drug addicts and patients," he said. "Right now, it's all the same. We need to change the law."Kimberly Collins, a spokeswoman for Bono, said in an e-mail Thursday that Bono changed her vote after last year's Supreme Court decision in Raich vs. Gonzales, which ruled that federal drug laws take precedence over state medical marijuana laws."Prior to the ruling, Congresswoman Bono voted in favor of Hinchey-Rohrabacher out of respect for states rights and the will of California voters," Collins wrote in the e-mail. "Given the Supreme Court ruling, she respects the supremacy of federal law and the Supreme Court's recent interpretation of the federal government's role in enforcing national drug policy."A vote on the amendment is expected around June 27 or 28, said Caren Woodson of Americans for Safe Access, a patient advocacy group, which is paying for Silva's trip to Washington.David Roth of La Quinta, Bono's Democratic opponent in the election, did not return calls asking for his position on the amendment. Medical Marijuana Laws At the time of the raid, Silva was growing medical marijuana for patients at a collective dispensary, CannaHelp in Palm Desert. Collective growing is allowed under California's medical marijuana laws, passed in 1996 and 2003, and Silva made no profit off the plants, both he and CannaHelp owner Stacy Hochanadel said.But the DEA enforces federal law, under which growing or using marijuana of any kind is illegal.On the morning of the raid, Silva said, he was opening his front door for the agents but got hit by the door as they tried to push it open. He was knocked to the floor, he said, and his left shoulder was dislocated and broken.Now, he relies on heavy pain medications, including the narcotic fentanyl, and has had to drastically reduce his work installing custom and commercial window coverings.Silva was not arrested, but the agents confiscated about 37 plants.Sarah Pullen, DEA spokeswoman, said: "Our agents used proper procedures during the execution of the (raid). As of yet, there's been no formal complaint filed with our agency."Pullen said the raid on Silva's home was part of an ongoing investigation but did not provide further details.Silva will not say whether he is planning legal action against the agency.Note: Reform push looks to defund raids on patients.Complete Title: Valley Resident Off To D.C. on Quest for Medical WeedSource: Desert Sun, The (Palm Springs, CA)Author: K Kaufmann, The Desert SunPublished: June 19, 2006 Copyright: 2006 The Desert SunContact: http://tinyurl.com/ob9lwWebsite: http://www.thedesertsun.com/Americans For Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccessnow.org/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on June 19, 2006 at 11:00:27 PT
Related Article from NBC 4
Medical-Marijuana Grower Lobbies Washington Lawmakers For Protection *** June 19, 2006SKY VALLEY, Calif. -- A Sky Valley man will be in Washington, D.C., on Monday and Tuesday to lobby lawmakers, especially Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs, for protection for himself and other medicinal-marijuana users in California.Garry Silva will lobby for passage of the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment, The Desert Sun reported.The amendment, put forward by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, N.Y., and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, would ban the federal Drug Enforcement Administration from making raids on medical marijuana patients in states, including California, where medical use of the drug is legal.Bono, up for re-election in November, voted for the amendment in 2003 and 2004 but against it last year. Silva is scheduled to meet with Bono this afternoon, the Desert Sun reported. 
 A spokeswoman for Bono said in an e-mail to the Sun Thursday that Bono changed her vote after last year's Supreme Court decision in Raich vs. Gonzales, which ruled that federal drug laws take precedence over state medical-marijuana laws.A vote on the amendment is expected around June 27 or 28, said Caren Woodson of Americans for Safe Access, a patient advocacy group, which is paying for Silva's trip to Washington, told the Desert Sun.Silva, who is confined to a wheelchair, said he suffers from continuous pain as a result of injuries he suffered when federal drug agents raided his home and confiscated several dozen medical-marijuana plants in March.At the time, he was growing medical marijuana for patients at a collective dispensary, CannaHelp in Palm Desert. He was not arrested, but the agents confiscated about 37 plants, according to The Desert Sun. Copyright: 2006 by NBC4.TV City News Service contributed to this report. http://www.nbc4.tv/news/9392165/detail.html
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on June 19, 2006 at 09:11:37 PT
Wake Up, Congresswoman Bono 
"Prior to the ruling, Congresswoman Bono voted in favor of Hinchey-Rohrabacher out of respect for states rights and the will of California voters," Collins wrote in the e-mail. "Given the Supreme Court ruling, she respects the supremacy of federal law and the Supreme Court's recent interpretation of the federal government's role in enforcing national drug policy."Under the Constitution the Federal Government has no legal authority to regulate a national drug policy, only over Interstate Commerce in the transport of "drugs." Medical practices are reserved for the States by the 10th Amendment. Only through dishonestly enacted International Treaties does the Federal Government have any authority over drug policy. And the treaties expressly allow the use of banned drugs, or substances, for medical purposes.Congresswoman Bono, please rethink your position! You are the Federal Government! 
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 19, 2006 at 08:07:14 PT
Video: West Hollywood May Ease MJ Enforcement
WeHo City Council Votes On Pot Resolution Monday***June 19, 2006(AP) WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- West Hollywood City Council will vote Monday on whether to instruct deputies patrolling the community to ease up on enforcing marijuana laws.Officials say the resolution would make tell the L-A County Sheriff's Department not to target adults who possess small amounts of pot or smoke it in private.The council has already approved dispensaries of medical marijuana.Councilman John Duran says he supports the marijuana enforcement resolution, but that it might be a tougher sell than the dispensaries to other council members.The council decided to take up the issue after a marijuana advocacy group began pushing for a ballot initiative regarding pot use.Duran says the ballot initiative would cost the city thousands of dollars. Advocates have agreed to drop the initiative if council approves the resolution.Copyright: 2006 The Associated PressVideo: http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_170073117.html
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