Seattle Police seize medical marijuana, patient records

[Newsjock]

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Police searched a medical marijuana cooperative in the University District on Tuesday evening, seizing 12 ounces of marijuana and more than 500 patient medical records, medical marijuana advocates said.

... Nobody was smoking inside the cooperative when police officers arrived, said Douglas Hiatt, a lawyer representing the cooperative.

... Under a state law passed by voters in 1998 and amended last year, patients are allowed a 60-day supply of marijuana if a physician allows it.

... Hiatt and Martinez said they begged police not to search the property, but officers did it anyway after consulting with a prosecutor.

... Patients' medical records, especially those of medical marijuana patients, deserve special protection because of their sensitivity, said Doug Honig, an American Civil Liberties Union spokesman. He said the ACLU was looking into the situation.

Read more: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/371114_pot17.html

[Webster Green]

1. Disgusting!

Usually its the DEA thugs stealing medicine from patients. These were local cops.

Fucking assholes. I'm glad the cops around here are cool about medicinal pot.

[Truth4Justice]

12. This would not have happened in Oregon.

[WriteDown]

34. The same Oregon...

where private police forces are rounding up the homeless?

[WheelWalker]

45. That's a bit

pejorative. Can you provide a citation please?

[1monster]

2. I don't understand. If it is legal under state law, local and state police have no

basis for searching, consficating, or seizing medical records in medical marijuana
co-ops.

It is up to the Feds to enforce federal law, not the locals.

[Newsjock]

3. Smoking on-premises isn't allowed

And the police used that (incorrect) suspicion to justify their action.

[Truth4Justice]

8. Fact: the police can and do make up "probable cause" all the time.

there is no penalty for them if they make a mistake.They can kill innocent Black men in NYC and walk home free, as well. Don't you folks know that you are living in a real, live police state yet?

[Mythsaje]

23. Been that way for a long time...

The iron fist in the velvet glove. Everything is backed up with the (mostly) subtle threat of violence.

[Truth4Justice]

27. In my many years I have known cops to abuse their authority with little provocation.

But then without the back up of their department, the DA and the courts, they MIGHT be more reasonable when dealing with the public.

[aspergris]

37. all your rhetoric aside

because if you study the testimony in the NYC shooting case, which I am assuming you are referrign to - the GJ did the right thing. There was NOT sufficient evidence for a true bill, especially with the conflicting witness testimony, etc.

Seattle police are usually pretty cool about mj in general. Seattle city council actually passed a resolution making it a "low priority"...

Medical MJ *is* legal under state law.

What probably happened here is that the cops raided the clinic based on evidence that the clinic was violating the LAW regarding medical mj. iow, just because medical mj is legal does not mean you can't violate the law if you don't follow procedure in prescribing it, etc.

Just as cops have raided dr's offices who illegally prescribe all sorts of drug.


Personally, I think MJ should be legal PERIOD, and I am 100% against the war on drugs. But I suggest there's a lot of kneejerking here. If the cops raided the clinic, I would wait to see WHAT the PC for doing so WAS, before assuming it was bogus.

[Ignis]

44. Even then, there's NO cause to seize medical records.

That's the part of this incident that really burns me up. :mad:

[Truth4Justice]

30. Its all just one big happy family of LE agencies now. Didn't you get the notice?

[Mythsaje]

4. I thought Seattlites voted for the police to make marijuana

the cops' "lowest priority" recently. This doesn't sound like they're obeying the will of the people.

[sasquatch]

5. Well lets look at the mental make up of your average beat cop

You didn't want to go to actual college because that involved reading and other "fag" stuff so you became a cop. No you've got a gun, a badge, a solid middle class job with benefits and job security. No they actually expect you to do something so here's your choices:
-Go after big time violent criminals
or
-Harass a bunch sick people.


Cops are people and people are simular to electricity in the fact that they follow the path of least resistence.

[Mythsaje]

6. Oh, I am treading lightly here. My personal issues with law enforcement

(not due to any recent clashes with them, I assure you) have offended more than one DUer in the past. I acknowledge that they're human, and that they're entitled to make ordinary human mistakes, and some of them are decent people. But I consider the profession as a whole to be ethically and morally challenged for a variety of reasons.

[Truth4Justice]

9. The police are a double-edged sword. Also a sort of gang of sorts with their own "brotherhood". nt

[freeplessinseattle]

10. interestingly, I had an "ethics" class

with half the class in the Crminal Justice program, the other half psych students, a required class for both disciplines. fun mix, as you can imagine.

It was scary to witness the mindset of these future cops-the instructor was new and getting frustrated because so many people wouldn't follow the basic debate and critical thinking guidelines for dealing with the topics. she kept trying to explain that just supporting your argument with "it's the law" or "because God says so" type of replies doesn't say shit, and some people were getting pissed that they were actually failing because they couldn't think beyond that. of course these were all the cop students, except for a couple religous girls I got randomly assigned to do anti-abortion with. that was great fun. I simply read the procedures out loud, that was my entire report, and you could imagine what they had to say. ended up having the class yelling at us, lol.

[Truth4Justice]

14. I wish i had been there. I'd chew the cop wannabes up. what fun that would be.

most cops have an IQ that just barely allows them to debate, much less understand critical thinking. If they had those skills they would not become boring police officers.

[Mythsaje]

22. You know, they must decide from the jump who's likely to ever

attain higher rank...like detective. Can't be stupid and do that job worth a damn.

[Truth4Justice]

28. Who said they do? Lots of unsolved cases remain in the cold files, while innocent men rot in prison.

with no reparations for all the years lost, incarcerated for nothing, while the guilty run free.

[Truth4Justice]

11. You are in plenty of good company in that view. It seems to be taboo to mention it, however.

I guess some people just cant stand the truth?

[Truth4Justice]

7. We need to bring back the 55mph speed limit so the cops can ignore severe crimes and harrass drivers

again. We can't have people driving 70 anymore.Its just getting too easy for the donut-munchers as it is and they need more money in their coffers so they can waste more gas in their gas-hog patrol cars. :sarcasm:

[pnwmom]

13. We need to bring back the 55mph speed limit because it saves fuel --

significantly.

[merwin]

15. We don't really need that extra 3-4 MPG.

It's not like we're in a fuel crisis or anything.

[Truth4Justice]

29. My econo-box gets less MPG at 55MPH then 65MPH. I have checked and rechecked it.

[pnwmom]

40. I'm sure there are individual cars that are exceptions. But overall, the savings

would be significant if we reverted to the 55MPH limit.

[JeanGrey]

32. Gee that was one of the stupidest widespread ideas about

cops and their education I've ever read. Congrats.

[crimsonblue]

20. the cops just solved everything else

homicide? gone. rape? gone. shitty coffee drinks? gone. the only thing left was those evil midnight tokers.

[Truth4Justice]

25. "To protect and serve" " "Service without boundaries"=STFU and do as I tell you to do, or else!!

So much for "service" ! :puke: :puke:

[JackInGreen]

16. Honestly

Given current state laws, and the standards for prosecution (ie, as stated, being the lowest priority) this makes NO sense what so ever. Were they bored? Is there THAT little to do?

I've been a resident of the puget sound area for 8 years now (for all my fellows, I'm another "goddamn california import"), I've been to hemp fest, and the World Rhythm Festival SEVERAL times, and on each occasion, smoke was relatively casual, with Seattle PD walking in the MIDDLE of the crowd advising everyone to stay safe, and be discreet. What the HOLY HELL is happening here?

[Mythsaje]

21. Somebody got stupid?

It's obviously some sort of political move, and I'm not sure the timing could be worse for the "law and order" types. Shit like this can really piss off people who don't ordinarily vote.

[JackInGreen]

24. If this is a

political move, I agree. This was a bonehead maneuver. With Seattle PD already under heat for "contempt of cop" cases (someone actually WON a brutality case recently, first one in 20 years me thinks) the new fella in charge AND the proposed budget cutbacks that have been discussed, this is simply further evidence that most funds in drug enforcement are wasted.

[Sanity Claws]

17. Shocking -- Seattle is liberal

Can you imagine what's happening in redder parts of the state, like east of the Cascades?

[JackInGreen]

18. I could see

this happening in Spokane, or perhaps Tri-Cities...but the U-DISTRICT, and Medical MJ to boot? What gave this priority over patrolling downtown of filing reports?

[JackInGreen]

19. Or for that matter

trying to find the some of our local ninnies that like to graffito cars in downtown parking lots and garages?

[WriteDown]

36. Seattle is also....

A very "white" city. Much like Portland, gentrification has been priority #1 for many years. I am never surprised by things like this.

[JackInGreen]

26. Heres the SeattleTimes piece

Notice the differences in tenor.

Pot raid angers medical-marijuana supporter

To whit, the report about the odor came from a neighbor who indicates that the odor was "warding away customers"
and she has THIS to say....

"It sucks they are sick and that they have to take medical marijuana — I wouldn't wish that on anyone," she said. "But it sucks that they're affecting an entire building."


Ma'am. If you read this, I hope you understand the gravity of what you've done. Several dozen people will be in pain for the next couple days because you've assisted in removing their source for pain killers. You have caused Mr.Martinez embarrasment, as well as his clientelle, and you have exacerbated a larger problem.
Sleep well.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008056143_medpot17m0.html

[jeff30997]

31. I hope that this woman...

Gets an IRS "visit".Hey,you never know,a neighbor could give them an anonymous call.:evilgrin:

[glitch]

39. Kicking people with cancer, how low can you go?

Talking to the hideous woman, not you JackinGreen. Everybody will know someone with cancer, eventually. And they will want to do whatever they can to ease their pain and nausea.

Guess what, marijuana works. My 77 year old mother used it. She had it in her tea. It worked better than her incredibly expensive anti-nausea drugs. edit: actually, she needed it on top of those drugs, so I can't really say it worked better, just that the drugs she was taking worked better when she added marijuana.

Rot in hell all you people who deprive them of it. You cops, snitches, politicians. All of you.

ROT IN HELL

[JackInGreen]

41. Didn't think for a second

you were talkin at me, but THANKS!

My experience came learning to roll a joint at my daddies knee while he taught by 54 year old grandfather how to do it. I watched the jaundice go away, I watched him start eating, putting back on muscle. I watched him grin like he used to.
I got my first contact high watching saturday morning cartoons in his living room.....and realized that maybe all the "just say no" was more adults not telling the truth, like about the tooth fairy.

As to anyone that would have hurt my grandfather and shortened the old mics life considerable. I understand that there is a speacial place, someplace for the busybody, someplace for those that are incurious and betray their fellow man without consideration.

100 years is a long time between coffee breaks when you're upside in a pit of fire and merde.

[glitch]

42. Grrrr. Hey, forgot to say welcome to DU!

Tears were pouring down my face when I wrote that post. I am still LIVID that the Seattle (my former and beloved home town) police allowed themselves to be used that way.

But I forgot to mention, it's not just cancer marijuana helps, it's MS, Aids, and no doubt a whole bunch of other ailments.

The SPD and the chief of police and whoever else involved in the raid need to be held accountable, including being fired and fined. And that goes for the mayor too. :mad: :grr:

But for you: :hug:

[yellowcanine]

33. If I lived in Seattle I would be so comforted knowing the LAW is busting hard core criminal gangs

like that. Seattle can sleep peacefully at night it seems, with the dope squad on the job.
:sarcasm:

[WriteDown]

35. They should just ban it completely....

as well as trans fats. Then they could have a joint marijauna-trans fat task force to handle these illegal operations.

[Prefer]

38. That's a HIPAA violation

Punishable by fines and jail time.

Those medical records are private and protected according to HIPAA.

[High Plains]

43. Seattle police and prosecutors have some explaining to do.

Medical marijuana is legal under state law.

Seattle voters approved a "lowest law enforcement priority" initiative in 2003 that instructed police and prosecutors to basically ignore adult marijuana possession offenses.

Why did this happen?