cannabisnews.com: MMJ: Battle Brewing Over State Pot Law





MMJ: Battle Brewing Over State Pot Law
Posted by CN Staff on August 31, 2007 at 06:55:43 PT
By Steve Terrell, The New Mexican 
Source: New Mexican
New Mexico -- Gov. Bill Richardson lashed out at the Bush administration on Thursday over this week's arrest of a wheelchair-bound Eddy County man who was certified by the state Health Department to possess and smoke marijuana for medical reasons.The Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, a multiagency law enforcement group in Southern New Mexico, raided the Malaga, N.M., home of Leonard French, who is one of 38 patients approved to participate in the state medical-marijuana program. The program started in July after a new state law went into effect. Officers seized several marijuana plants.
The federal Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI are members of the task force, which also includes state, county and local police agencies. No state charges have been filed against French, though the task force has said federal charges are possible.The task force also has said its officers did not know French had state permission to use marijuana at the time of the raid.``I'm very concerned that the Bush administration, instead of going after drug dealers, are going after people who are suffering from cancer and paraplegics,'' Richardson said at a news conference when asked about the arrest.French, according to The Associated Press, lost the use of his legs following a motorcycle crash about 20 years ago.The governor, who is running for president, pledged to fight for the medical-marijuana program he helped get through the New Mexico Legislature, saying it's a matter of state sovereignty. ``We're preparing legal options,'' he said, though he didn't specify what those options are.All eight Democratic presidential candidates have pledged to stop federal raids on medical marijuana patients in the 12 states with laws allowing the use of marijuana to treat medical conditions.Earlier this month Richardson sent Bush an open letter urging the administration to change its ``misguided policy and wasted resources spent to intimidate states trying to implement medical marijuana programs.''Richardson was asked about comments this week by Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya, who said the state law ``sends a mixed message to young people'' and pledged to use his elected position to prevent government-sanctioned cultivation or distribution of marijuana in Santa Fe County.Montoya also referred to $50,000 in contributions to Richardson's re-election campaign last year from a political action committee associated with the Drug Policy Alliance -- a group that for years has fought for the medical-marijuana program -- and billionaire George Soros, the DPA's founder. Richardson praised Montoya as a ``good public servant.'' ``He represents a portion of the county that is wracked with drug problems,'' Richardson said. ``I am not for decriminalizing marijuana or legalizing drugs.''The medical marijuana law was ``tightly drafted'' to prevent abuse, Richardson said.The state Heath Department announced earlier this month that it would not implement the law's provisions for the agency to oversee the production and distribution of marijuana to eligible patients. This was due to concerns over the potential for federal prosecution of state employees.Richardson subsequently ordered the department to resume planning for a medical-marijuana program, and a public hearing on the matter is planned this fall.Material from The Associated Press was included in this report. Source: New Mexican, The (Santa Fe, NM)Author: Steve Terrell, The New Mexican Published: August 30, 2007 Copyright: 2007 The Santa Fe New MexicanContact: webeditor sfnewmexican.com Website: http://www.freenewmexican.com/Related Articles:MMJ: Drug Bust Sparks Questions Over Law http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23293.shtmlMulti-Agency Drug Task Force Wastes Money http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23292.shtmlFeds Should OK Medicinal Marijuana Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23287.shtml
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Comment #19 posted by tintala on September 02, 2007 at 21:39:34 PT:
It's a fact that BUSH USED TO SNORT COKE!
As MOST politicians have! Bush used to snort loads of coke! what's a junky doing running the USA and busting ppl for cannabis!?!?!
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Comment #18 posted by Toker00 on September 01, 2007 at 05:08:22 PT
Altogether now...POLITICAL ACTION:
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP MAXIMIZE THE SEPT 15 MOBILIZATION Besides the main demonstration in Washington on Sept 15 in support of 
impeachment, activists are organizing local events all over the 
country. The most critical aspect of these events will be using them 
as a springboard to keep expanding the circle of activism. Our 
effectiveness in making sure that all who attend these events are 
fully connected to other ongoing impeachment initiatives will 
determine the swiftness of our success. That is why we want you to have an "IMPEACH CHENEY?" cap, just like 
the other 10,000 impeachment mobilizers we have already shipped one 
to. And we will still send you one for no charge, and all you have to 
do is email us back with your mailing address. However, if you CAN 
make a donation however modest, please use the form below to make 
your request, for it is only your kind donations that have allowed us 
to ship so many free caps to all those who truly cannot afford 
anything. IMPEACH CHENEY? CAPS: http://www.usalone.com/impeach_cheney_cap.php Please get your request in by this Saturday, so we can be confident 
we can get your cap delivered in time for the Sept 15 events. Let 
these demonstrations not be just one time events, but let them have 
lasting impact by virtue of the organizing opportunity they 
represent. A couple of our participants have inquired as to why there is a 
question mark on the cap. Very simply, it is because the cap is a 
mobilization tool TIED into the National Cheney Impeachment Poll, 
with now 105,000 submissions to Congress (with more than 99% voting 
Yes to impeach). Wearing one of these caps will naturally motivate 
people ASK you about it. That's when you produce a vote gathering 
sheet and say, "It's a poll, here, vote." IMPEACHMENT POLL SHEETS: http://www.usalone.com/cheney_votesheet.php Each voter in the poll we must make a cap wearer. Each cap wearer we 
must in turn make back into a vote gatherer. We already know that the 
compelling majority of our fellow citizens are in favor of 
impeachment. Our mission is to reach out to all those who are not yet 
speaking out, to ASK them to join us in transmitting their vote to 
Congress, and AFTER we manifest the true number of impeachment 
supporters and activate them, Congress will have no choice but to 
act. Because we have been focusing primarily on Cheney impeachment, some 
other people have written us to ask, "What about Bush?". We agree 
with Dennis Kucinich, when he proposed H.Res. 333, that Cheney is the 
most immediate and pressing danger, the prime mover in still pushing 
for an unprovoked attack on Iran that would make the Middle East 
quagmire dramatically worse. But in our last alert we also threw it 
out to our participants, asking who should be impeached first, 
Cheney, Bush, or both. WHO TO IMPEACH FIRST?: http://www.usalone.com/impeach_first.php We already could anticipate the results (33% Cheney first, 3% Bush 
first, the rest both), because we have done individual action pages 
on all these options, and from your responses to those actions we 
knew that the strongest sentiment was for Cheney impeachment. This is 
matched by conventional polls which have for months shown a majority 
of Americans supporting Cheney impeachment. And it is our view that 
once Cheney starts to cave, Bush will quickly get pulled in as well. 
So this again validates the strategy of building the first national 
consensus on Cheney, to break the ice of Congressional cowardice and 
inertia. IS DENNIS KUCINICH OUR HERO OR LIKE WHAT? No sooner had the news broken yesterday that Bush was going to demand 
ANOTHER 50 billion (that his own Secretary of Defense knew NOTHING 
about) for the no win situation in Iraq, than Dennis Kucinich 
demanded that Congress finally put an end to the appropriation 
insanity. Who else is taking such strong stands on all the issues we 
care about. Won't you make a donation to Dennis to encourage him to 
keep speaking out in this way? KUCINICH DONATIONS: http://www.usalone.com/donations_kucinich.php MORE INFO ON SEPT 15 IMPEACHMENT EVENTS If you need transportation, visit http://answer.pephost.org to locate 
a transportation centre nearest you. September 15 March on Washington committees are being set up in 
communities around the country. The impeachment movement is uniting 
again with the anti-war movement to demand Bush's Impeachment and to 
end the war. Tens of thousands will descend on Washington DC at the 
very moment that the national and international media will be 
focusing on General Petraeus' report to Congress, which is being 
issued on September 15. Iraq war veterans and their families will make up a huge front 
contingent of the September 15 March on Washington. At the very 
moment that Congress will be debating the war in mid-September, the 
people will gather in an historic action demanding that Bush and 
Cheney be impeached for inciting a war of aggression, authorizing 
torture, and conducting a massive spying program on U.S. Citizens. Visit for more details: Sept15.org, ImpeachforPeace.org Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed 
to be ours, and forward this message to everyone else you know.Toke.
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Comment #17 posted by Toker00 on September 01, 2007 at 04:54:40 PT
To Dark to See.
What's it gonna take, Mayan, to stop it? Only one thing. Every American Soldier doing their sworn duty. Protect our Constitution by overthrowing those who attack it. All veterans and current military personnel need to start arresting all private security personnel involved with Blackwater Security, Haliburton or any organization with ties to Cheney and Demons. The People will die in mass graves when they Resist Adolf Cheney. And we will. Folks, how much longer before enough of us join together, create and ENORMOUS set of balls, and present them to Congress under armed Regulated Militia Escort? They say we have no Rights or even a National Constitution any more. Are they right?Toke.
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Comment #16 posted by mayan on September 01, 2007 at 04:27:53 PT
Getting Dark
Scholars Endorse Kennebunkport 'Warning' - Report Ominous Signs Of A Privatized Takeover Of The Nation:
http://rense.com/general78/scholars.htm
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Comment #15 posted by RevRayGreen on September 01, 2007 at 02:57:52 PT
I'd like to own
an Earthship someday. I drove past some once west of Toas years ago. very cool..........
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Comment #14 posted by nuevo mexican on September 01, 2007 at 00:45:24 PT
The rest of the story, though en Espanol ONLY!
Lots of New Mexican Cannabis news, finally, after all these years at C-news, since Gary Johnson left the Govenorship to Bill Richardson, who has done admirabily, though is still too timid, though he should get more spine to go with his big balls! LOL!Operation Northern Twister establishes new approach to Medical Marijuana with botched bust, victorious patient, and 2,000 worth of damage from the helicopters I believe, though the translation was helpful from Babblefish, it's still hard to get the full picture. Anyone care to transcribe it for us?I will call the paper Tuesday and ask what happened to the English version, and why the story was buried.Or maybe someone will find the English version of this revealing article, though I tried, on the battle of Bill Richardson, the Medical Marijuana law, law enforcement, the media, and the bush ordered attack on New Mexico and a victory that needs to be 'catapulted!'Strange though, I couldn't find this reported in English, only Espanol! In the back of the online, and print editions.http://taosnews.nm.newsmemory.com/Is that weird or what, do they thing the 'anglos' can't read or translate? Don't know? Maybe I missed the English version, a friend told me this just happened.I translated a paragraph, which sums up the gist of the Medical Cannabis law in New Mexico, and how Robbie was in possession of his prescription, and they respected it!!!!!!
50-60 various law enforcement officers, no bust and how much money did they waste on this guy!They are now the laughing stock of the STATE, not just the mesa and town this took place in1By the way, Govenor Johnson, the last Great Govenor (Republican too, and made Demorats look weak, til Bill, though he says' in the article he is AGAINST 'de-crinalizing marijuano! WTF, someone here has a major point!
He may have part-time residence in the vicinity, due to the skiing as well, I'd like him to speak out, if and when he's ready, which should be soon!So just use babblefish to translate the article, it can be googled at translation programs....From the article: Bòsqueda para marijuana no resulta en arrestados
 Operaciòn de varias agencias financiado por Gobierno Federal resulta en muy poca yerbaPor Chandra Johnson Publishing note: Although Act requests were given of Freedom of Informaciòn, pertinent documents were dispo­nibles for the hour of closing last Wednesday. Friday, in the evening, (17 of August), was not the first time that the house of Robbie Gordon in Three Ears hab'a be inspeccio­nado by means of helicòp­tero and the State Polic'a of New Mexico, but it was the first time that respected their medical card. Gordon is one of 34 people in New Mexico who have the card of the department of state health for medical marijuana that Gordon obtained by result of a wound that causò gives-or neurolò­gico him in its back. Segòn the Department of Health of New Mexico, is legal for people as Gordon to grow and to maintain or four plants mature of mari­juana, three bushes just sali­das, or not to have more than six ounces of marijuana in its residences.And the same week this took place 75 campers and Rainbow family campers, (dozens of bikers gather everywhere, for various things, 25,000 every memorial day, NEVER a permit needed for them to camp, so this is good ole 'hippies' are for harrassment folks'.....The latest controversy in El Norte : is it the the 'last gasp' of the freedom=pot=hippies=peace=love=our current reality of war+death+hate+neo-cons+boozing+hypocrites, that seems to be the chosen alternative.http://taosmediacenter.wordpress.com/2007/08/03/
rainbow-gathering-roust-out/from somewhere on a recycled planet: (these guys surprised Dennis Kucinich to a rally stop, the best welcome he had had at that point 3 years ago, btw)!
Now look at him, they can't and won't keep Dennis down, or his lovely wife!http://taosmediacenter.wordpress.com/author/thetaosnews/Three peaks is mostly off-the-grid, poor, homesteading alternative-lifestyle, eco-friendly types.Check out Earthship.org for inspiration FOM, though only a few Earthships are in Three Peaks area, or Three Ears to the initiated, they are plentiful in the county overall!Another World is possible, (or planet perhaps!)
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on August 31, 2007 at 23:43:05 PT
"...instead of finding Ossama"?
Hmmmm. Maybe it's because they don't want to?"Let's go after a paraplegic with weed!" What a brilliant idea.
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Comment #12 posted by mykeyb420 on August 31, 2007 at 22:16:54 PT
did they have a warrant?
if so,,was it signed by Alberto? was his phone tapped illegally? why was the federal government spying on its own civilans smoking pot in a wheelchair,,instead of finding Ossama?
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Comment #11 posted by mayan on August 31, 2007 at 17:37:09 PT
Didn't Do Their Homework!
The federal Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI are members of the task force, which also includes state, county and local police agencies.If state,county and local agencies took part in the raid then they should have checked to see whether or not French was a ligitimate patient under state law. If not then they are extremely incompetent and should be held accountable. THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...The History Channel – The conjuring of the neo-truth!
http://www.muckrakerreport.com/id495.htmlThe History Channel takes on 9/11…and fails: 
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20070831123413547Dublin Club cancels David Ray Griffin's 9/11/07 lecture Due to Threat of Protest:
http://911blogger.com/node/10991Reviews of David Griffin’s Debunking 9/11 Debunking: 
http://mujca.com/debunkingreviews.htmQuestion of the Day - 9/11 Conspiratorial Can o' Worms:
http://www.myleftwing.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=185929/11/07 - GENERAL STRIKE:
http://www.strike911.org/9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB - OUR NATION IS IN PERIL:
http://www.911sharethetruth.com/
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on August 31, 2007 at 15:17:00 PT
OverwhelmSam 
I am amazed that they would be considered at all after all that they've done. I am very glad that I spent most of my life not interested in politics because I don't get it. 
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Comment #9 posted by OverwhelmSam on August 31, 2007 at 15:03:46 PT
DEA is Completely Despicable
eeeF the DEA! Despicable - So worthless or obnoxious as to rouse moral indignation. ~ Merriam WebsterArresting wheelchair bound citizens for pot is so despicable that I really don't see how the DEA even have a conscious anymore. These are rabid dogs that should be put down for the good of humanity.Frankly, this all happens under a neo-Republican administration. I don't know why Republicans are even running for office. Their platform: Keep the war going and attack Iran, no privacy, no protection from the government, arrest the sick for pot, do as we say, not as we do. What kind of person votes for these Devils?
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Comment #8 posted by dongenero on August 31, 2007 at 13:22:19 PT
NM paraplegic raid
"The federal Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI are members of the task force, which also includes state, county and local police agencies."If state, county and local officials were involved in this raid, perhaps they should be resigning those positions now?Go get a job with the Feds if you can't abide by the laws of your employer!
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on August 31, 2007 at 12:35:20 PT
Press Release from The Drug Policy Alliance
New Mexico Patients Under AttackFriday, August 31, 2007The DEA and a regional narcotics taskforce raided the home of a paraplegic medical marijuana patient in what appears to be a cruel publicity stunt designed to intimidate New Mexico patients and policymakers. 
 URL: http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/083107nmpatients.cfm
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on August 31, 2007 at 10:55:24 PT
Press Release from Granite Staters 
Fixture on the Campaign Trail: Granite Staters for Medicinal Marijuana  
 August 31, 2007 
http://campaignsandelections.com/NH/articles/?ID=597
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Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on August 31, 2007 at 08:06:22 PT
nice words
Y'all think I don't like him - on the contrary, I don't have an opinion of Richardson yet. People's words mean absolutely zilch to me. Let's see some action. Are you kidding? All he's done is promise "legal options" and y'all are ready to give him a big bear hug.Let's see where we are in 1 year in New Mexico. What are Bill's "legal options"?? I can't wait to hear. How about jail time for any state official who takes part in any way in attacking medical MJ patients? Oh yeah, I guess jails are just for those of us NOT in the political class who break the law. Jails are for those of us who are choking and spitting and getting sick on Big Pharm's meds. Funny how the sick and dying always seem to end up jail, but never anyone from the political class who breaks the law.I hope Richardson comes through. I really do. He seems good so far. But so far this looks very much like grandstanding to me. Why is he verbally attacking the Bush administration, when it's officials in his home state that attacked Mr. French? There's not a damn thing he can do about the Bush administration, is there? But he's supposed to be the boss of the state level people. Why isn't he railing against them?It's awfully easy for any Democrat to pick on Bush right now. Governor is a powerful position, my expectations are high for Richardson, let's see him actually deliver.
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Comment #4 posted by dongenero on August 31, 2007 at 07:52:16 PT
I meant NM law....
I need to slow down......hmmm what might help with that.
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Comment #3 posted by dongenero on August 31, 2007 at 07:50:37 PT
not the greatest at sound bytes
Richardson was asked about comments this week by Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya, who said the state law ``sends a mixed message to young people''
Richardson praised Montoya as a ``good public servant.'' ``He represents a portion of the county that is wracked with drug problems,'' Richardson said. ``I am not for decriminalizing marijuana or legalizing drugs.''I wish he has said something about the message it sends to conduct SWAT raids on the terminally ill and paraplegics who are trying to find some comfort. What message does it send to tell kids drugs are bad and then push alcohol on every sporting event the kids will watch on TV?Gov. Richardson is doing great things with this NW law and I hope he drives the thing straight to Washington where everyone is forced to see it and discuss it.
But, he's not the greatest at the off the cuff, one line responses. His staff needs to be predicting these questions and then asking him/coaching him, so that he will have his ideal responses in his pocket, ready to go.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on August 31, 2007 at 07:36:16 PT
OverwhelmSam
I really like Governor Richardson too. 
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Comment #1 posted by OverwhelmSam on August 31, 2007 at 07:22:52 PT
Richardson's Balls
They're huge! They're massive! They're the biggest I've ever seen...We need more politicians like Richardson. One man can make a difference.
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