cannabisnews.com: LA Sheriff Says Almost All Pot Clinics Criminal
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LA Sheriff Says Almost All Pot Clinics Criminal
Posted by CN Staff on September 03, 2010 at 15:03:31 PT
By Thomas Watkins, The Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
California -- The Los Angeles County sheriff has escalated his war of words against California medical marijuana dispensaries, saying as many as 97 percent operate as criminal enterprises.Some of the pot shops get marijuana from Mexican drug cartels, and most dole out pot to people with no medical need for it, Sheriff Lee Baca said. "Millions of dollars are being made for profit, and it's all illegal," the sheriff said this week.
Baca presented no evidence to support his claim. His comments coincided with a recent announcement that he would lead efforts against a November ballot measure to legalize marijuana for personal use in California.Critics said his claims about the dispensaries were politically motivated and untrue."When they run out of scare tactics, they come out with stuff like this," said Michael Backes, a board member of the Cornerstone Research Collective, which provides marijuana to patients in the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles.Backes stressed there was no need to buy pot from Mexican cartels because more than enough quality marijuana is legally grown in California to supply the dispensaries.Drug Enforcement Administration spokeswoman Casey McEnry, who works in the San Francisco office, said it was difficult to substantiate or refute Baca's claims because of challenges in determining where pot found in dispensaries was produced.Baca, however, said chemical analyses of pot confiscated during drug raids against street dealers showed similar pesticide content and other characteristics as marijuana sold in dispensaries.Allegations of criminal activity involving pot shops increased after a string of deaths, including the Aug. 26 slaying of three men in West Hollywood who police suspect had been buying up bulk quantities of high-grade marijuana from dispensaries and reselling it on the street.The suspect in that case confessed to killing the men when he didn't have enough cash to complete a transaction, police said.In addition, two workers at different dispensaries have been killed during robberies in recent weeks."It is no surprise that people are going to get killed ... drugs and violence go together," Baca said.Despite his concerns about the way dispensaries operate, Baca has been a longtime advocate of medical marijuana use by AIDS patients and people with other chronic conditions.The 1996 law approved by California voters allows collectives to grow medicinal marijuana, though they are not supposed to make profits and can only charge enough to cover operating expenses.Baca said the intent of the law was good but had been corrupted almost beyond recognition with most "patients" producing spurious notes from doctors describing vague ailments that don't need to be treated with marijuana.Thirteen other states have legalized medical marijuana, and many jurisdictions around the country have decriminalized marijuana to the point that low-level possession offenses aren't prosecuted.Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Thomas Watkins, The Associated PressPublished: Friday, September 3, 2010Copyright: 2010 The Associated PressCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help
Comment #19 posted by greenmed on September 05, 2010 at 13:04:24 PT
Hope
You're very welcome, Hope, and thank you for sharing your journey with us.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #18 posted by Hope on September 05, 2010 at 09:40:09 PT
Thank you, Greenmed.
Thank you so much.
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Comment #17 posted by John Tyler on September 05, 2010 at 09:00:08 PT
banks and violence
People come to rob banks and kill people sometimes in the process too. Maybe banks are too dangerous to and should be banned also. You know, whenever you have money, violence is sure to follow.
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Comment #16 posted by greenmed on September 04, 2010 at 23:21:36 PT
Hope
"The cytotoxic activity of Taxol in primary cultures of tumour cells from patients is partly mediated by Cremophor EL"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2033622/Paclitaxel alone is water-insoluble, so it needs to be administered with a solvent like ethanol and/or CrEL to move freely through the bloodstream. The other option is human albumin (extracted from donated blood) which is a group of large proteins normally circulating in the blood to which many drugs and hormones attach.An interesting fact is that CrEL was used as a solvent for paclitaxel before it was realized better results, specifically including against solid-tumor breast cancer, were obtained than with ethanol alone as the solvent. That makes two plant-derived substances working against the cancer and might be why you're not getting the albumin-bound paclitaxel.Hope, I want to say that you're giving us a prime example of how courageously to tackle cancer. Your posts are as clear, cogent and focused as ever. I have a good feeling for your complete cure.
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Comment #15 posted by Hope on September 04, 2010 at 19:49:35 PT
Yep
I'm getting the one that's a "solvent"."...a solvent called Cremophor EL (polyoxyethylated castor oil)"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000419#a607070-specialDietaryAnd something about "human albumin".It sounds awful.:0(Great.
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Comment #14 posted by Hope on September 04, 2010 at 19:13:57 PT
Then again...
it might be a "solvent". Or maybe both. It seems like it has something to do with castor oil. It's difficult to understand all this stuff... even a little.:0(
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #13 posted by Hope on September 04, 2010 at 15:45:34 PT
Taxol
A plant alkaloid, is the cancer killing chemical they are infusing me with now.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #12 posted by Hope on September 04, 2010 at 15:11:25 PT
Just realized that the date today
is one of those "Four Twenty" days. September 04, 2010.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #11 posted by FoM on September 04, 2010 at 07:36:12 PT
runruff
That is very cool. Have a great holiday!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #10 posted by Hope on September 04, 2010 at 07:15:04 PT
Very cool, Runruff...
Your great wit goes over my simple head often.... but the donut seeds... that's hilarious.Thanks for the laugh.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #9 posted by runruff on September 04, 2010 at 07:04:44 PT
....."God-given plant.
Cops still think the one god given plant is the doughnut tree. They think you get doughnut trees from planting little doughnut seeds called cheerios!They can't understand whenever they plant their doughnut seed all they get is rows and rows of Maltomeal! It is why they cop instead of farm.High all, I am still at the beach. My wife is letting me type on her laptop I bought here last Xmas and she never even decided on which one to buy until about a week ago. She brought it with and the resort has WiFi. Pretty cool huh?
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Comment #8 posted by Paint with light on September 03, 2010 at 22:41:24 PT
OT
I found this while looking for something else.http://www.topix.net/issue/marijuanaI like the abundance of the color green.Legal like alcohol.
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Comment #7 posted by Paul Pot on September 03, 2010 at 21:38:30 PT:
the rest of the article.
This is the rest of the article above. Says it all.Craig Reinarman, professor of sociology and legal studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said law enforcement officials usually oppose drug legalization efforts because they are interested in maintaining the status quo and holding onto federal drug-fighting money associated with it."They have to use rhetorical strategies of invoking the frightening specter of Mexican drug cartels," Reinarman said. "I don't see any reason to see this as anything other than a completely self-interested claim that can't be substantiated."
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Comment #6 posted by Paul Pot on September 03, 2010 at 21:27:40 PT:
Back up Baca
Police are not supposed to have a political agenda. They are supposed to obey the law and the will of the people not coerce it. This man is obviously corrupt, if not criminally then morally. When prohibition is finally over, and pray sooner rather than later, people will be able to come forward and give evidence and testify against corrupt police. Is that what Baca is trying to prevent.
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Comment #5 posted by nooitsmee on September 03, 2010 at 20:15:02 PT:
Umm...isn't it the point?
As with any medication, isn't it the point to make profit? Why is making profit illegal? I could see if these places weren't paying their taxes or keeping insurance or whatever the sheriff's department would like to nit-pick them to death with but this isn't the case. And what about all these pill dispensaries who cover themselves up as "pain management clinics"? Shouldn't their profit be just as illegal? Oh I forgot, doctors write out those prescriptions. Wait, doctors write out prescriptions for medical marijuana, too! Especially in states that IT IS MEDICALLY LEGAL in. Whhhaaaaaa Cry me a freakin river, man.
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Comment #4 posted by Storm Crow on September 03, 2010 at 19:19:45 PT
And as usual.......
"Baca presented no evidence to support his claim." How can he produce any real evidence? He's spouting some of those "97% of statistics that are made up off the top of someone's head"! All I'm seeing is just more "hot air" from someone who fears for his (cushy, over-paid) livelihood!
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Comment #3 posted by Paint with light on September 03, 2010 at 18:25:20 PT
comment 1
"It is no surprise that people are going to get killed ... drugs and violence go together," Baca said.I immediately thought that ought to read,It is no surprise that people are going to get killed...prohibition and violence go together.Legal like pork.
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on September 03, 2010 at 18:11:23 PT
Put the cops to work.
Nothing the election in November can't fix.If and when voters make cannabis legal, they will also be putting cops back to work protecting them against honest violent crime.Cops should not be spending resources thinking about cannabis.And the word in the media is, California doesn't have the resources for cops to spend time even talking about the God-given plant.
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Comment #1 posted by GeoChemist on September 03, 2010 at 17:14:41 PT
Like I Say
Most cops aren't smart enough to man the counter at McDonalds: "It is no surprise that people are going to get killed ... drugs and violence go together," Baca said.The violence has nothing to do with probition or the outrageous profits spawned by said prohibition; it's the demon weed...............
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