cannabisnews.com: MMJ Group Seeks Investigation in Yakima County





MMJ Group Seeks Investigation in Yakima County
Posted by CN Staff on September 20, 2007 at 06:37:51 PT
By The Associated Press 
Source: Associated Press
Selah, Wash. -- A group of medical marijuana patients plans to petition the state attorney general to investigate whether authorities in Yakima County are following the state's medical marijuana law.Washington's medical marijuana law was approved by nearly 60 percent of voters in 1998, closely behind California in the first wave of similar measures around the country.
CannaCare, a medical marijuana patient advocacy group, says officials in Yakima County are not following the law.Documents show that Yakima County Sheriff Ken Irwin has refused to follow the law for nine years, and Prosecutor Ron Zirkle has been complicit in violating the law, the group said."Medical marijuana patients are expected to obey the medical marijuana law in the state of Washington, but the sheriff and prosecutor in Yakima County apparently believe that they are not required to follow state law in their county," Steve Sarich, executive director of CannaCare, said in a statement Wednesday.The group said it would petition state Attorney General Rob McKenna to investigate and prosecute Irwin and Zirkle if they have violated state laws. CannaCare also said it would pursue a civil case against the county on behalf of any patient that has been unjustly arrested, prosecuted or jailed.Irwin said Wednesday night that because the state has not determined what the allowed amount of marijuana is, he refers all cases to the county prosecutor. Washington has never set a specific limit for the amount of pot each patient is allowed to have, only calling it a "60-day supply.""I don't have a problem with medical marijuana as long as they follow the rules," Irwin said. "We have not been provided all of the rules at this time, so we refer it on to the prosecutor."Zirkle did not return a call seeking comment.Under Washington's law, doctors are allowed to recommend marijuana for people suffering from "intractable pain" and several serious diseases, including cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis.Marijuana patients still can be arrested and prosecuted, but may avoid conviction by proving a legitimate medical need. However, nothing in state statute shields a patient from prosecution under federal law, which does not recognize medical uses for marijuana. Eleven other states protect medical marijuana users from a state criminal conviction.The state Health Department has been conducting a series of meetings across the state to try to spell out how much marijuana would constitute the "60-day supply."Complete Title: Medical Marijuana Group Seeks Investigation in Yakima CountySource: Associated Press (Wire)Published: September 19, 2007 Copyright: 2007 Associated Press Related Articles:Weed for Medicine: Regulate The Crophttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22833.shtmlACLU, Some Patients at Odds Over WA Measurehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22807.shtml
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Comment #16 posted by Hope on September 21, 2007 at 17:09:46 PT
"Woe to the makers of unjust laws..."
"What's worse than wet weight is the federal guidelines which counts the weight of every live cannabis plant as 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds, whether seedling or full grown."
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Comment #15 posted by BGreen on September 21, 2007 at 16:08:08 PT
What's worse than wet weight
What's worse than wet weight is the federal guidelines which counts the weight of every live cannabis plant as 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds, whether seedling or full grown.Since it is extremely rare to ever get even a quarter to half pound per plant indoors unless you grow a monster size plant (the average according to breeders is a little over an ounce per plant,) you're charged with a quantity That is insane. That is inhumane. That is an abomination to the miraculous plant and it's Creator.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on September 21, 2007 at 08:19:58 PT
Hope
Very good information. How many people are in jail because of wet weight being used as a measure of volume.
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on September 21, 2007 at 07:52:26 PT
And...
that's "NET" weight. It excludes the paper it's rolled in.
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on September 21, 2007 at 07:50:58 PT
And that can weight
is bone dry. Dryer than dry as most of us know it. The government stuff is actually freeze dried.So, normal dried, would be heavier than that. I would imagine that it would be considerably heavier for the same amount of normally air dried substance since ALL moisture has been removed, through mechanical FREEZE DRYING, from the government supplied can.
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Comment #11 posted by Steve Sarich on September 21, 2007 at 07:24:21 PT:
Crooked cops and hopeless Democrats
Chances are these crooks will never see the inside of a jail cell, but Sheriff Ken Irwin is up for election and he's already extremely unpopular. The governor, Christine Gregoire, has to bear responsibility for the actions of these rogue law enforcement officers around the state. When she was the attorney general she essentially gave them carte blanche to do whatever they liked in their counties when it came to medical marijuana and that's what they've been doing for the last nine years. But she's up for re-election in 2008 and she's extremely unpopular here, even among party-line Democrats. We will make sure that every medical marijuana patient, and all of their friends and relatives, get out and vote in 2008. The Democrats in this state have been a major disappointment here in Washington State. Like many other states, it's hard to tell them from the Republicans. Our next step here will be to reschedule medical marijuana in Washington State to a Schedule III. I believe that, once it has "accepted medical use in treatment in the United States", the US Attorney General can be forced to reschedule it on a federal level. Then this madness may finally end and marijuana will become a prescription drug. We will be petitioning the Washington Board of Pharmacy next week.Steve Sarich, RC
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Comment #10 posted by afterburner on September 20, 2007 at 22:32:31 PT
More than 3000 Ounces in 22 Years
Irv Rosenfeld Celebrates 22 Years of Government-Sponsored Medical Marijuana Use 11/19/04 
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/363/irv.shtml
"Ever since 1983, Rosenfeld has received a monthly shipment of marijuana amounting to about 300 joints from the US government's Mississippi marijuana farm. That adds up to more than 3,000 ounces smoked over the decades. The weed helps alleviate the pain from a rare bone disorder Rosenfeld suffers from called multiple congenital cartilaginous exostoses, which is marked by bony protrusions in the body's long bones." 
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Comment #9 posted by afterburner on September 20, 2007 at 22:22:51 PT
'Splain This
{
The truth about medical marijuana:In the end, it's really quite simple. Here's what you say to those who would deny medical marijuana.1. When they say there's no proof that it works, ask them to explain that directly to a medical marijuana patient. 2. When they say that marijuana is dangerous, ask them to explain Irv Rosenfeld. 3.When they say they're worried about the message that's sent to children, ask them to explain the fact that in states that have passed medical marijuana, recreational use by teens has dropped. 4. And finally, ask them: "Why do you want to throw sick people in jail for following the advice of their doctor?"
}
Irvin Rosenfeld and the Compassionate IND -- Medical Marijuana Proof and Government Lies.
http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2005/02/18/irvRosenbergAndTheCompassi.html"You see, Irv Rosenfeld is one of a small group of patients who actually gets medical marijuana legally from the federal government -- yep, that same federal government that sends storm troopers to arrest California patients doing the same thing. He is part of the Compassionate IND (Investigational New Drug) program and gets about 300 marijuana cigarettes in a metal tin prescribed to last 25 days."He was a real hit at the Illinois House Committee hearing yesterday[2005/02/17]. The press was particularly fascinated by the notion that someone could be legally carrying around a tin of marijuana in the State Capital. (seen here examining Irv's tin and supporting letters)"
http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/images/2005/02/18/press_pot.jpg
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on September 20, 2007 at 19:31:57 PT
Hope
Thank you. That would come close to a pound every 60 days if my math is correct. 
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on September 20, 2007 at 19:13:48 PT
The can... 300
Pretty sure thats about 220 g..
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on September 20, 2007 at 16:18:43 PT
Afterburner
That's right! How much does a 300 count weigh?
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Comment #5 posted by afterburner on September 20, 2007 at 16:13:20 PT
How about Using those 300 Joint Cannisters...
sent to the surviving members of the federal Compassionate Investigation Program as the standard!
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on September 20, 2007 at 14:43:40 PT
aolbites
I would think a pound in 60 days should be a good amount but I'm just guessing.
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Comment #3 posted by aolbites on September 20, 2007 at 14:34:53 PT
duh
Its how much the patient has to use in 60 days .. how is this hard?
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Comment #2 posted by Truth on September 20, 2007 at 09:41:05 PT
Runruff
Long may you run.....Glad you'll be home soon.
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Comment #1 posted by PatrioticDissension on September 20, 2007 at 09:34:44 PT
busted
If that sheriff and his lackies get convicted for breaking state mmj laws maybe it will start a chain reaction in other mmj states that have been abused by people like this.
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