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Fee
Hike Means Agony for Oregon Individuals
Will Suffer and We, the People, thru the State, will Pay for it All |
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Salem, Oregon, USA: Basic Fees for registering with the Oregon Medical
Marijuana Program will double, from $100 per year to $200 per year, due to Budget
Bill SB-5529 that passed the Oregon State Legislature last session. They also
approved a new $50 fee on growers who are not already patients, and imposing
a new $100 fee for Replacement cards. Further, the $20 discount for poor folks
is only available to people on social security (SSI) and those receiving food
stamps (on SNAP) and state medical coverage (OHP) will now be gouged $100 for
the privilege. The
Gain – the $7 million raised will reportedly go to other programs within the
cash-strapped Oregon Health Authority, including clean water, emergency
medical care, and school health centers. The fee increases went into effect October
1, 2011. The Cost - will be those who can’t afford to be
legal and will suffer medications that don’t work – spending ten times the
amount in some cases - or go illegal and suffer arrest, prosecution and possibly
jail. <continued
on page 3 > |
ATF Seeks
Piece Of
Medi-Pot-War
Pie; Bureau Targets Sick and Dying for the Porkbarrelled Boondoggle Washington, DC, USA: Federal law prohibits
a person from legally possessing a firearm if they use marijuana, even if he
or she uses cannabis for medicinal purposes in accordance with state law,
according to a memo issued last week by the US Department of Justice,
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The
ATF's September 21 memo, titled 'OPEN LETTER TO ALL FEDERAL FIREARMS
LICENSEES,' states: "Federal law ... prohibits any person who is an
'unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance ... from shipping,
transporting, receiving, or possessing firearms or ammunition. Marijuana is
listed in the Controlled Substances Act as a Schedule I controlled substance,
and there are no exceptions in federal law for marijuana purportedly used for
medicinal
purposes, even if such use is sanctioned by state law." <continued
on page 5 > |
Forced Closure Of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries Associated
With Localized Increases In Crime
Santa Monica, CA, USA: The closing of medical
marijuana dispensaries are associated with an increase in the incidents of criminal
activity in those locations, according to an assessment of crime statistics published this week by
the RAND Corporation. Researchers analyzed Los Angeles crime data for the ten days prior to
and the ten days following June 7, 2010, when the city ordered the closure of
more than 70 percent of the city's 638 medical marijuana dispensaries. Authors limited their analysis to ten days
because court challenges prompted some closed dispensaries to reopen. "Studying crime both before and after a
large number of dispensaries were shut down in Los Angeles, researchers found
that incidents such as break-ins rose <continued on page 5 > |
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* Volume 8, Issue 10 * October * 2011
* www.MercyCenters.org *
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* The MERCY News * |
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_____________________ The MERCY News Report is an
all-volunteer, not-for-profit project to record and broadcast news,
announcements and information about medical cannabis in Oregon, across
America and around the World. For more information about the MERCY News, contact us. Via
Snail Mail: The MERCY
News 1469 Capital
St. NE, Suite 100, Salem, Ore.,
97301 503.363-4588 E-mail: Mercy_Salem@hotmail.com Or
our WWW page: www.MercyCenters.org Check it
out! ___________________________ MERCY On The Tube!
in Salem,
Oregon area thru Capital Community Television, Channel 23. Call
In – 503.588-6444 - on Friday at 7pm, or See us on Wednesdays at
06:30pm, Thursdays at 07:00pm, Fridays at 10:30pm and Saturdays at 06:00pm.
Visit – http://mercycenters.org/tv/ |
About MERCY
– The Medical Cannabis Resource Center MERCY is a non-profit, grass roots organization
founded by patients, their friends and family and other compassionate and
concerned citizens in the area and is dedicated to helping and advocating for
those involved with the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP). MERCY is based in the
Salem, Oregon area and staffed on a volunteer basis. The
purpose is to get medicine to patients in the short-term while working with
them to establish their own independent sources. To
this end we provide, among other things, ongoing education to people and
groups organizing clinics and other Patient Resources, individual physicians
and other healthcare providers about the OMMP, cannabis as medicine and
doctor rights in general. The mission of the organization
is to help people and change the laws. We advocate reasonable, fair and effective
marijuana laws and policies, and strive to educate, register and empower
voters to implement such policies. Our philosophy is one of teaching
people to fish, rather than being dependent upon others. Want to get your Card? Need Medicine Now? Welcome to The Club! MERCY – the Medical Cannabis Resource Center
hosts Mercy Club Meetings every Wednesday at - 1469 Capital
Street NE, Suite #130, Salem, 97301 – from 7pm to 9pm to
help folks get their card, network patients to medicine, assist in finding a
grower or getting to grow themselves, or ways and means to medicate along
other info and resources depending on the issue. visit – www.MercyCenters.org
- or Call 503.363-4588 for more. The Doctor is In ... Salem! * MERCY is Educating Doctors on signing for their
Patients; Referring people to Medical Cannabis Consultations when their
regular care physician won't sign for them; and listing all Clinics around
the state in order to help folks Qualify for the OMMP and otherwise Get their
Cards. For our Referral Doc in Salem,
get your records to – 1469 Capital Street NE, Suite
#100, Salem, 97301, NOTE: There is a $25 non-refundable deposit
required. Transportation and Delivery
Services available for those in need.
For our Physician Packet to educate your Doctor, or a List of Clinics
around the state, visit – www.MercyCenters.org
- or Call 503.363-4588 for more. Other Medical Cannabis Resource NetWork
Opportunities for Patients as well as CardHolders-to-be. * whether Social meeting, Open to public
–or- Cardholders Only * visit: http://mercycenters.org/events/Meets.html ! Also Forums - a means to
communicate and network on medical cannabis in Portland across Oregon and
around the world. A list of
Forums, Chat Rooms, Bulletin Boards and other Online Resources for the
Medical Cannabis Patient, CareGiver, Family Member, Patient-to-Be and Other
Interested Parties. * Resources > Patients (plus) > Online
> Forums * Know any? Let everybody else know!
Visit: http://mercycenters.org/orgs/Forums.html and Post It! |
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<continued from FEE HIKE,
page 1 > There is a severe
feeling of exasperation because MERCY and other activists will now have to
spend almost as much time and energy helping non-cardholding folks with
Affirmative and Medical Necessity Defenses as we did before OMMA. And the People of Oregon are going to pay in
numerous ways - not just the direct costs of warring on these sick and dying
folks but indirect ones like loss of productivity (taxes) and property crime
costs because the medi-pot-heads aren’t the ones breaking into houses and
cars and such. MERCY and other
advocates objected to the fee increases on the following grounds: >
The fee increases are a steep, new tax upon vulnerable patients, more than a
third of whom qualify for low-income assistance of some type, and all of whom
suffer from some documented, qualifying illness or disability. >
The fee increase language was determined without any input from the Advisory
Committee on Medical Marijuana (ACMM) or any other segment of the affected
community. >
It is also the first time that I've heard of a tax on medical patients based
on the specific medication they are using - I find that patently
discriminatory and unfair. >
And while the supposedly generated by this fee increase is already allocated,
the budget document does not seem to take into consideration the large
numbers of patients who will flee the program, and instead turn to the black
market. This will reduce projected revenue from the fee increase, and
re-criminalize thousands of patients who would prefer to follow the law, not
break the law. > We understand that the legislature is seeking
new monies; but to raise that money in the form of a steep tax increase on
the backs of some of Oregon's poorest and most vulnerable medical patients is
unconscionable. Advocates
and activists successfully stopped work on nearly two dozen bills this
session designed to limit or roll back the OMMP, but were surprised when the
Joint Ways and Means Committee passed SB 5529 in a late session on June 8,
2011. OMMP staffers knew of the impending fee increases, but at a June 6,
2011 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Medical Marijuana staff
deliberately avoided informing committee members of the plan. Instead, OMMP
staffers informed the committee of the fee increases only after the
information had been published on OregonLive.com - well after the budget |
had
been approved by the Joint Ways and Means Committee. "This
appears to be a violation of the statue that requires program staff to keep
the committee informed," said Todd Dalotto, Vice-Chair of the ACMM.
"This continues a pattern of deceit and manipulation of the committee by
the program staff." Interim OMMP Director Barry Kast defended the deceit
in an email to advocates. "To have said more to the ACMM on June 6 would
have been as irresponsible as saying nothing at all and could have
jeopardized the relationship of the program with policy-makers in
Salem," wrote Kast. And, then
the State pretended to have public sessions where folks could have input and
hopefully minimize the harm from the change with things like a ‘sunset’
clause that would have backed the hike off after 2 years. But it was another mean little joke by the
Powers That Be. Word came from on
high – the max would be paid in full and forever. “We
have received clarification from legislators on the ACMM's request to sunset
the proposed fee increases. The Ways & Means Human Service Subcommittee
Co-Chairs have advised that there was no intent to decrease fees when revenue
targets were met. Their direction to the agency was to institute the fee
schedule that was articulated during the full Ways & Means hearing. As such, the OMMP does not intend to extend
the rule for comment and the following fees will go into effect on October 1st"
wrote Jody Ann Noon, OMMP Administrator in reply to complaints and alternative
suggestions. “We
will keep you informed if there are any further changes. However, at this time,
we do not believe there will be any.
After the new fees become effective, we will monitor the impact of the
fee changes and provide both the ACMM and the legislature reports.” Visit
- http://mercycenters.org/news/2011/OMMP_Fees_Double.html
- for more on the process. More About SB5529 | Senate
Bill 5529 authorized the two-year budget for the Oregon Health Authority,
which contains the OMMP. This
was a budget bill that called for dramatically increased fees for medical
patients in the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program. Program advocates were
caught by surprise by the budget item because program staff deliberately
withheld information on the hikes from the Advisory Committee on Medical
Marijuana. The bill then went <continued on next page> |
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<continued from previous page> to the House, and was
subsequently signed by the Governor. "Medical
marijuana patients are sick, disabled, and very often poor. This stealthy tax
is nothing more than a bedside shakedown of some of the most vulnerable
people in Oregon," said Robert Wolfe, Director of the Oregon Marijuana
Policy Initiative, which represents marijuana advocacy groups statewide.
"It's a dastardly maneuver by cold-hearted politicians to balance their
budget on the backs of the sick and poor." And to
feed peasants to the Special Interests they serve and work for. How They Voted Some
folks strongly recommend contacting the three legislators responsible for
adding these fees as well as directing the OMMP to screw the Patients to the max
and for and eternity: > Rep. Tim Freeman > Rep. Tina Kotek > Rep. Jeff Barker -
and remembering them next election time.
Of the ‘nays’, Holvey
was the only one who stood up to say he was voting no. Boone said she was
originally going to be a no, but is now a yes, because they
"reduced" the high fee of 200 for low income to 100 (only a 500%
increase). Even Greenlick who opposed nearly EVERYTHING else the last three
days supported SB 5529. Freeman basically said that the highest fee proposed
was "only" 20 per month and therefore "not much money at
all" - but fails to recognize that it is a 500% - 2000% increase. Send
Holvey your kudos - he actually said what needed to be said. Here's the list
of Nays on SB 5529 if you care to take the time and thank them:
Representatives: Bailey, Bentz, Brewer, Cannon, Conger, Holvey, Kennemer,
Krieger, Lindsay, Olson, Parrish, Sheehan, Smith G., Smith J., Sprenger,
Thatcher, Wand, Weidner. Senate
vote tally - Ayes, 19; nays, 11--Boquist, Ferrioli, George, Girod, Kruse,
Olsen, Prozanski, Shields, Starr, Thomsen, Whitsett. NOTEs: Morse,
Shields granted unanimous consent to change vote from aye to nay and Chip
Shields |
changed
his vote to 'no', making it 19-11.. Shields also declared potential conflict
of interest. Floyd
Prozanski also voted no and pointed out the concerns over OMMP fees. Floyd
also tried for the clarification that we were looking for - that SB 5529 is a
SPENDING bill, not a FEE bill, and makes no requirement for the OMMP to
change the fee structure. However, the budget in the bill reflects the
spending that is to come from OMMP fees. The new OMMP fees should have been
handled administratively. Visit - http://mercycenters.org/legis/2011/SB5529.html
- for more on SB5529. The New Fee Structure * Basic Cardholder new application and annual renewal fees are $200; * or, a reduced application and annual renewal fee of $100 is available for persons receiving SNAP (food stamp) or if
Oregon Health Plan (OHP) cardholder; * or, the reduced application and annual renewal fee of $20 is still in effect for persons receiving Social Security Income
(SSI) benefits; * Plus, a $50 fee is to be charged for grow sites when Patient not the Grower. * And, a $100 fee for Replacement
registry cards. MERCY is assuming Reduced fees also apply for
Replacement Cards, and will verify and let people know as can. To qualify for the reduced fees, applicants must
submit documentation that verifies their participation: OHP: “Oregon Health Plan” means the medical
assistance program administered by the Department under ORS chapter 414. Eligibility in the Oregon Health Plan is
demonstrated by providing a current, valid eligibility determination
statement from the Department’s Office of Medical Assistance Programs. To
qualify for a reduced fee, a copy of the patient’s current eligibility
statement must be provided at the time the patient submits an application. SSI: “Supplemental Security Income” means the
monthly benefit assistance program administered by the federal government for
persons who are age 65 or older, or blind, or disabled and who have limited
income and financial resources. Eligibility
for Supplemental <continued on next page> |
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<continued from previous page> Security Income is demonstrated by providing a copy
of a receipt of a current monthly benefit. To qualify for a reduced fee, a
copy of a receipt of a current Supplemental Security Income monthly benefit
must be provided at the time the patient submits an application. Food Stamps: means the monthly benefit assistance program
administered by the federal government for person who has limited income and
financial resources. To qualify for the reduced fee, a copy of a current Food
Stamp benefit (SNAP) proof must be provided at the time the patient submits
an application. The Department may
verify the patient's current Food Stamp benefits through the Department or
the Department of Human Service's Children and Family Services Department. Visit -
http://mercycenters.org/omma.html
- for more on Fees and Getting Your Card.
Contacting the OMMP: call (971) 673-1234 -or- write to OMMP, P.O. Box
14450, Portland, OR 97293-0450 – or- visit their website: http://public.health.oregon.gov/DiseasesConditions/ChronicDisease/MedicalMarijuanaProgram/Pages/index.aspx _____________________________________________________________ <continued from ATF, page 1 > The
memo affirms: "Therefore, any person who uses or is addicted to
marijuana, regardless of whether his or her state has passed legislation
authorizing marijuana use for medicinal purposes, is an unlawful user of or
addicted to a controlled substance, and is prohibited by federal law from
possessing firearms or ammunition. ... Further, if you are aware that the
potential transferee (of a firearm) is in possession of a card authorizing the
possession of marijuana under state law, then you have 'reasonable cause to
believe' that the person is an unlawful user of a controlled substance. As
such, you may not transfer firearms or ammunition to the person." Noteworthy,
to date no state or federal court has yet ruled whether medical marijuana patients are disqualified
to own a firearm. While
campaigning for the Presidency, Barack Obama had pledged that he would "not ... be using Justice
Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this (the medical
marijuana) issue." For
more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director
or Keith Stroup, NORML Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500. Source - http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=8693 |
<continued from DISPENSARIES, page 1 > in Los Angeles, researchers
found that incidents such as break-ins rose in the neighborhoods of closed dispensaries
relative to dispensaries allowed to remain open, at least in the short
term," the RAND Corporation summarized in a press
release. "In the blocks with the closed dispensaries, the study
observed crime up to 60 percent greater than comparable blocks with open
dispensaries, but the effects were not apparent across a wider area." Said
the study's lead author: "If medical marijuana dispensaries are causing
crime, then there should be a drop in crime when they close. Individual
dispensaries may attract crime or create a neighborhood nuisance, but we
found no evidence that medical marijuana dispensaries in general cause crime
to rise." Previous
analyses of crime statistics in Denver, Los Angeles,
and Colorado Springs also found no data supportive of the
notion that the locations of dispensaries are associated with elevated
incidences of criminal activity. For more information, please contact
Allen St. Pierre,
NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500 or Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy
Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the RAND Corporation study,
"Regulating medical marijuana dispensaries: An overview with preliminary
evidence of their impact on crime," is available online at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2011/RAND_TR987.pdf. Source - http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=8689 _____________________________________________________________ Study: Crohn's Patients Who Use Cannabis Report Fewer Surgeries, Are
Less Likely To Use Prescription Drugs
"All
patients stated that consuming cannabis had a positive effect on their
disease activity" Tel Aviv, Israel:
Cannabis <continued on next page> |
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<continued from previous page> the Journal
of the Israeli Medical Association. Investigators at the Meir Medical
Center, Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology assessed 'disease
activity, use of medication, need for surgery, and hospitalization' before
and after cannabis use in 30 patients with CD. Authors reported, "All
patients stated that consuming cannabis had a positive effect on their
disease activity" and documented "significant improvement" in
21 subjects. Specifically,
researchers found that subjects who consumed cannabis "significantly
reduced" their need for other medications. Participants in the trial
also reported requiring fewer surgeries following their use of cannabis. "Fifteen
of the patients had 19 surgeries during an average period of nine years
before cannabis use, but only two required surgery during an average period of three years
of cannabis use," authors reported. They
concluded: "The results indicate that cannabis may have a positive
effect on disease activity, as reflected by a reduction in disease activity
index and in the need for other drugs and surgery. Prospective
placebo-controlled studies are warranted to fully evaluate the efficacy and
side effects of cannabis in CD."
Researchers at the Meir Medical Center are presently evaluating the safety and efficacy of inhaled
cannabis for patients with CD and Ulcerative Colitis in a double-blind,
placebo-controlled trial. Crohn's
disease and Ulcerative Colitis are inflammatory bowel diseases. According to survey data published
earlier this year in the European Journal of Gastroenterology
and Hepatology, an estimated one-third of patients with colitis and
one-half of subjects with CD acknowledge having used cannabis to mitigate their disease
symptoms. For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML
Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Treatment of
Crohn's disease with cannabis: an observational study," appears in the
Journal of the Israeli Medical Association. The study also appears online
here: http://www.ima.org.il/imaj/ar11aug-01.pdf.
Source - http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=8687 _____________________________________________________________ DEA Issues 'Final Order' Rejecting Private Production Of Cannabis
For FDA-Approved Research
Washington,
DC, USA: The
United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has |
issued its final order rejecting a 2007 ruling from the
agency's own Administrative Law Judge that it would be 'in the public
interest' to grant the University of Massachusetts a license to grow
marijuana for federally regulated research. The
rejection preserves the monopoly held by US National Institute on Drug Abuse
(NIDA) on the supply of marijuana for Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated
research. In 2010, a spokesperson for the agency told the New York Times, "We generally do
not fund research focused on the potential beneficial medical effects of
marijuana." In
2007, after extensive hearings, DEA Judge Mary Ellen Bittner opined in favor
of allowing a researcher at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst legal
permission to cultivate marijuana for use in FDA-approved clinical trials.
She determined:
"[T]here is currently an inadequate supply of marijuana available for
research purposes. ... I therefore find that Respondent's registration to
cultivate marijuana would be in the public interest." DEA director Michele Leonhart initially set aside
Judge Bittner's ruling in 2009. The agency's ruling may be appealed in the First Circuit US Court of Appeals. For more information, please
contact Keith Stroup, NORML Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500, or visit the
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) online at: http://www.maps.org/. Source - http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=8672 _____________________________________________________________ Cannabinoid
Shown To Be Neuroprotective In Model Of Acute Alcohol Withdrawal
"[T]hese
observations Caen, France: The
administration of the synthetic cannabinoid agonist HU-211 decreases nerve
cell death in an in vitro model of ethanol withdrawal, according to data
published online in the journal of the Public Library of Science (PLoS
ONE). <continued on next page> |
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<continued from previous page> An
international team of investigators from the INSERM medical research center
in Caen, France and Complutense University in Madrid, Spain assessed the anti-excitotoxic
effects of the synthetic cannabinoid HU-211 in culture. Researchers
demonstrated that cannabinoid administration protected neurons from cell
death in an experimental model of ethanol withdrawal. By contrast, the
administration of a cannabinoid antagonist (rimonabant) during ethanol
withdrawal greatly increased the likelihood of cell death. "[T]hese
observations show, for the first time, that the stimulation of the
endocannabinoid system could be protective against the hyper-excitability
developed during alcohol withdrawal," investigators concluded. "By
contrast, the blockade of the endocannabinoid system seems to be
counterproductive during alcohol withdrawal." In
humans, the abrupt cessation of alcohol in dependent subjects may be
associated with tremor, delirium, brain damage, and death. Separate
pre-clinical studies have previously documented that the administration of
the non-psychotropic organic cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) in laboratory
animals is neuroprotective against cerebral infarction and ethanol-induced neurotoxicity
(alcohol poisoning). In
2009 and 2010, a pair of studies conducted by investigators at the University
of California at San Diego reported that the consumption of cannabis may
offset certain alcohol-induced brain abnormalities, including the loss of white matter integrity and memory, in human
subjects with a history of both alcohol and marijuana use. For more information,
please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org.
Full text of the study, "Pharmacological Activation/Inhibition of the Cannabinoid
System Affects Alcohol Withdrawal-Induced Neuronal Hypersensitivity to
Excitotoxic Insults," appears online in the journal PLoS ONE. Source - http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=8674 _____________________________________________________________ Congressman's Letter To Drug Czar: "Marijuana Does Not Belong
On Schedule I Of The Controlled Substances Act"
Washington,
DC, USA: Representative
Steven Cohen (D-TN) is urging the Obama administration to reclassify cannabis
under federal law and to acknowledge its therapeutic utility, according to a
September 12 letter
sent by the Congressman to the |
White
House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). States Rep. Cohen in
his letter to Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske: "Marijuana does not belong on schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)
alongside hard drugs as ... heroin. There is no evidence that marijuana has
the same addictive qualities or damaging consequences as these harder drugs
and it should not be treated as such. Similarly, the so-called 'gateway drug'
theory has been thoroughly discredited with respect to marijuana. Marijuana
ought to be placed at the lowest end of the CSA in accordance with its true risks." Under
federal law, all substances classified as Schedule I drugs under the CSA must
possess a 'high potential for abuse' and have 'no accepted medical use in treatment.'
Representative
Cohen adds: "I was particularly disappointed that the [ONDCP] dismissed
the medical benefits of marijuana. ... We should not deny the thousands of Americans
who rely of marijuana ... the benefits _____________________________________________________________ Federal Medical
Cannabis Patient Hassled by Local Yokel in Oregon As Russ reports: "Early Thursday morning
(9/15/11), Oregon State Police detained Elvy Musikka, one of
four remaining federal medical marijuana patients, along with other state
medical marijuana registry cardholders following a town hall meeting on
medical marijuana in the eastern Oregon / Idaho border town of Ontario. According to Joey Nieves, clinic manager at 45th Parallel, a medical marijuana
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<continued from FEDERAL MEDICAL CANNABIS PATIENT HASSLED BY LOCAL YOKEL IN OREGON, previous page> a state trooper had staked out the co-op to harass
cardholders as they left the building. Members of the co-op were
detained by the trooper who issued citations, including a $1,000 ticket for
"residue" to a grower whose patient had left behind an empty pipe. Musikka was in town as part of the 45th
Parallel's Town Hall Meeting, which took place at the Clarion Hotel earlier
Wednesday evening." The meeting was designed to discuss the benefits of
medical marijuana, and supporters of medical marijuana use in both Oregon and
Idaho outweighed those opposed to the idea. (learn more about the
Meeting) *(Full disclosure: the story reporter was a speaker at the
event. He is also a registered Oregon cardholder and can verify that 45th
Parallel vigorously checked his credentials before he was even allowed
inside. He had to give a copy of his OMMP card and Oregon ID and initial
numerous statements indicating his understanding of Oregon law.)* "At
the hotel, an Oregon State Trooper sat parked just down the street from the
public's entrance to the Clarion's parking lot and the reporter strongly
suspects, though he has not yet verified, it was the same trooper that
stopped Elvy and the others." [Eds NOTE: Heck, he could've called for
back-up; it was a bunch of those "Reefer Mad" pot-heads, after all]
"Nieves reports Musikka was detained for over an hour in a squad car,
and then her federal paperwork and medicine was confiscated, as the trooper
did not believe her story and papers entitling her to possess and use her
federally-produced medical marijuana anywhere in the United States. video, which has been seized by the state
police. Nieves, a former Army counter-narcotics specialist, told Russ
Belville of the NORML Stash Blog that
the trooper "got much more polite" once Nieves identified himself
as a former soldier, but stonewalled when Nieves pointed to the actual law
allowing the grower to be in possession of that pipe. Patients on the scene recorded the encounter on Nieves
reports that the trooper also denied requests for the video and the state
police are giving him the runaround regarding the paperwork needed to recover
the video." You can hear more from Joey Nieves (and possibly Elvy
Musikka) as guest/s on Russ's NORML SHOW LIVE, part of The NORML Network, on
Ustream at - http://live.norml.org/. |
UPDATE: Elvy Musikka reports that she has her
stuff back - the police took her ID and her prescription and summoned her to
court on October 5th, but now case dismissed. Still, she had to find medicine
that nite, had to get a ride there to get it back when she shouldn't have AND
there's the other victims. An AP reporter was already working on a story
about Elvy and in the process of getting the return of Elvy's prescription
and ID, they learned that the state troopers were being ordered by the
federal Department of Justice to engage in these seizures from state-legal
patients. Elvy is one of 4 remaining federal medical
cannabis (marijuana) patients from the Compassionate Investigational New Drug
(CIND) program that was begun in 1976. Due to the growing number of AIDS
patients throughout the late 1980s and the resulting numbers who joined the
Compassionate IND program, the Special Interests That Be panicked and
directed their tool - Sadly, harrassment of the CIND folks by local, pot-head-hating
yokels is not new and Elvy's is not the first case of state officials
hassling federal medical cannabis patients because they can - but by our
efforts should be the last. Irvin Rosenfeld, another CIND Program
participant, was messed with for testifying in Illinois in 2005. ("The
two cops took it upon themselves to detain this person," said state
state Rep. Larry McKeon, D-Chicago, sponsor of House Bill 407. "It is
a clear example why we need this legislation." ...). And these are
just the cases we know about, the ones that got press. To Learn more, take
Action and/or comment, visit - http://mercycenters.org/news/2011/Fed_Med_Cann_Pat_Hassled.html |
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>
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