Jerry Brown gets tough on medical pot clubs

[Newsjock]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

California Attorney General Jerry Brown has ordered a crackdown on medical pot clubs that are selling the drug for big profits.

The move puts the state a bit more in line with the feds in dealing with the explosion of questionable marijuana dispensaries since the passage of Proposition 215 more than a decade ago.

The first target was Today's Health Care club in Northridge (Los Angeles County), which agents from the state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement raided over the weekend. The club owner and an alleged middleman were booked on drug-dealing charges.

Brown said Tuesday he would "not be surprised" to see similar raids here in the Bay Area.

... "We are not out to harass legitimate clubs," Brown said. "The targets are those clubs that are part of a larger criminal operation where medical marijuana winds up being sold on the street and contributing to crime and violence."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/26/BA4212IJ74.DTL&tsp=1

[Trajan]

1. Gov. Moonbeam ....

DECRIMINALIZE Jerry ....

LEGALIZE Jerry ....

Think '33rd Amendment' Jerry ....

[Betsy Ross]

2. Just bleeping great.

How is a patient to know if they are buying from a criminal outfit, besides the price I mean. Seems it may be safer to buy the old fashion way: on the street.

[Proletariatprincess]

3. Say it isn't so, Jerry.

Please don't give any support to the DEA and it's draconian attacks on our rights and liberties. I dont care who profits from the sale of Marijuana...it should be legalized and regulated anyway. Dont waste a moment of your time on this...go after the real criminals...the corporate criminals who are destroying the middle class and the Labor Movement.

[skooooo]

4. violent marijuana crime?

:wtf:

[savistocate]

6. If violence--only because it's illegal. Out with Gov Schwrtzan.

Gov's approval rating is only 39%..only superficially helps enviro. Only criticism of Rbt Kennedy Jr. makes large statements of/on.
Gov will soon be out..goooood.


Stores sell with Dr's reccomendation..when not struck by Federal. A lot of that.

[sourmilk]

12. Dorito abuse and suchlike, I guess.

[Wizard777]

5. He's trying to keep the prices down. I think that's a good move.

The only thing I disagree with is marijuana contributing to crime and violence.

[Oldenuff]

9. What a joke.

If marijuana were legalized,then the crime related issues surrounding it would vanish.Keeping it illegal perpetuates crime.Cannabis should be a non-issue anyway,what I choose to do in the privacy of my own home should be my choice,not the governments.

I get so dam* sick and tired of politicians giving me that "it's dangerous" bullshi*.I have zero (zero) respect for any politician who doesn't know the facts...or if they do,they lie about it anyway.


Stick it Jerry!

[Wizard777]

18. "The war on terrorism will be a lot like the war on drugs." Bush's 9/11 speech.

He was right. Many lies have passed Congress as fact. There has been no recourse or redirection when the lies are proven to be exactly that. We've settled for the way it is. Now we need to fight for the way it should be. When Michelle said that. That whippoorwill of freedom zapped me right between the eyes. She captured the spirit of all my agreements. Now I'm hearing. Philadelphia freedom. Shine on me. I love ya. Shine a light through the eyes of the ones left behind. Shine a light. O' shine a light. Won't you shine a light? Philadelphia freedom. I love you. Yes I do!

One day they will actually make it a crime to lie to Congress, even with the best of intentions, and provide consequences to those who do. But until then we will continue to be straddled with Republican declared wars destructive to our best interests.

[Trillo]

7. Is this action hypocritical?

Far be it from me to call AG Brown "Spartan" a hypocrite, but how does one reconcile this action of his with all the FOR PROFIT health care and insurance corporations? It seems a veritable corporatist greedfest out there, particularly in healthcare, and for one sub group, medical-marijuana suppliers, to be singled out for anti-greed perfection, seems a bit rough if one isn't also going for the many others in the health-care corporate-money chain.

[Trillo]

25. A little more info from the Marijuana Policy Project

It has been quite an eventful summer for medical marijuana policy in
California! There are three recent statewide developments that should
be of interest to medical marijuana patients and advocates:

California patients win major legal victory

California's compassionate medical marijuana laws recently received
major vindication in the courts. In the case County of San Diego v.
San Diego NORML, et al, San Diego County -- along with San
Bernardino County -- sued the state in an attempt to overturn
most of the provisions of the state's medical marijuana laws. Both
counties refused to comply with state law by issuing ID cards to
qualifying patients and caregivers and asserted that doing so would
violate federal drug laws, which ban all marijuana use.

The California Attorney General's Office argued that for counties to
issue ID cards to medical marijuana patients is not a violation of any
federal law and that failure to do so would amount to a violation of
state law. Patient advocacy group Americans for Safe Access, the
American Civil Liberties Union, and the Drug Policy Alliance all
intervened in the case on behalf of patients.

After the trial court ruled against the county and upheld the state's
medical marijuana laws, the county appealed to the Fourth District
Court of Appeals. On July 31, 2008, the appeals court unanimously
upheld the lower court's decision that federal law does not preempt
the ID card program. It ruled that the counties did not have legal
standing to challenge the other aspects of the state's medical
marijuana laws.

Both counties have decided to seek an appeal in the state Supreme
Court.

The state ID cards are voluntary for patients and caregivers but prove
very helpful during law enforcement encounters. The county-issued ID
cards offer legal protections from arrest anywhere in California,
while physician recommendations and private ID cards do not.

Visit the California medical marijuana program Web site to find out
more about the ID cards and how patients and caregivers can apply for
them:
http://control.mpp.org/site/R?i=CmdLN5sB8r32XDVbTxMxWQ..

If you live in a county that isn't issuing the cards, contact me at
{...snipped...} to find out how you can help bring this important
program to your area.

Patient employment rights bill advances

A.B. 2279, state legislation that would protect medical marijuana
patients from being terminated or denied employment for testing
positive for marijuana, will soon reach Gov. Schwarzenegger's desk.
Both houses of the legislature have approved A.B. 2279 --
authored by Assembly Member Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and sponsored
by Americans for Safe Access. Because it was amended in the Senate to
exclude caregivers from exemptions for drug testing, the bill needs to
go to conference committee in its house of origin (the Assembly) for
final approval before being sent to the governor.

Stay tuned for future e-mail alerts to find out how you can help MPP
and our allies to pressure Gov. Schwarzenegger to sign this bill into
law.

Attorney General's Office issues medical marijuana guidelines

Earlier this week, California Attorney General Jerry Brown issued
"Guidelines for the Security and Non-Diversion of Marijuana Grown for
Medical Use," which seek to clarify the state's medical marijuana law
for
patients, caregivers, dispensing collectives, and law enforcement
personnel.

The guidelines note that, under existing law, collectives and
cooperatives of patients and caregivers are allowed, but that they may
not operate forprofit. They also include recordkeeping guidelines and
provide that marijuana cannot be obtained from sources other than
patients and caregivers who are part of the collective. The Attorney
General also made recommendations that should help prevent the arrest
of bona fide patients, including a recommendation that state and local
law enforcement officers "not arrest individuals or seize marijuana
under federal law" if they determine that the activity is protected by
state law.

Click here to download a PDF copy of the guidelines:
http://control.mpp.org/site/R?i=2ynkNudlPSZQR1rtMzHQuw..

Thank you for supporting MPP. Please encourage your friends and family
to visit our Web page and sign up for our free e-mail alerts so that
they too can keep abreast of state and local marijuana news.
http://control.mpp.org/site/R?i=_bRdB6EhRLKs8fSfH_cgGA..

Sincerely,

Aaron Smith signature

Aaron Smith
California Organizer
Marijuana Policy Project

It seems that Jerry "Spartan" Brown is just following the law, so any charges of hypocrisy should be directed elsewhere. Who would write such a non-profit clause into the law when there is so much profit in healthcare?

[Stern21]

8. Way to go, Jerry! I know the first thing I want to do after smoking a doob...

is to sit down in front of a B movie and eat potato chips.

Err. Crimes and violence? What? (Jerry, legalise the whole damned thing and you won't have the undercurrents you refer to)

[LaPera]

10. You grow pot the Feds are coming after you....and the Feds are fucked to be in ones face....

and life!

BushCo knows a lot of pot money goes to help liberal causes and progressive candidates and the republicans aim is to stop it.

[noonwitch]

16. It's more than just that.

The criminal justice system makes a lot of money off of prohibition. They get federal funds to fight marijuana, to incarcerate users and dealers, and so on.

I prefer it to be legalized and taxed, so that the money can still be used to support law enforcement efforts against the sale and manufacturing of hard drugs, like cocaine, meth and heroin. The revenue can be used for a lot of other things, too, like supporting schools and health programs in poor communities.

[Mabus]

22. and that's where the corporations come in to the picture

Because we are incarcerating so many non-violent offenders states are turning to companies to run jails. Wackenhut, or its current incarceration, is one of them. The privatized prison system needs the drug war to stay in business.

I agree with you. Legalize it and tax it. The revenue could be used to finance a lot of things. Heck, if let people grow their own and you'll end up with them having more "disposable" income. If someone isn't spending their money in the underground market they'll have it available to spend on other things. Let's say you spend a hundred every couple of months, that's six hundred dollars that you can spend elsewhere.

[OneBlueSky]

11. funny . . . I remember the joke that was going around when Brown . . .

was running for the Democratic nomination back in 1992 or so . . .

when asked if he'd ever used pot, Bill Clinton famously replied "yes, but I never inhaled" . . .

Jerry Brown, on the other hand, answered "yes, but I never exhaled" . . .

[grannie4peace]

14. he's worse than i knew him to be!!!!!!

[grannie4peace]

13. what crimes & violence ????

[Pathwalker]

20. There was once a Lil Debbie's truck that was highjacked.

According to the driver, the thieves were very apologetic, but had a "terrible case of the munchies".
:rofl:

[Mabus]

24. We gave him money

for what we ate. :smoke:

[Mabus]

23. Sounds like someone is having flashbacks to old episodes of "Dragnet"

Joe Friday is living rent-free in Jerry's head.

[Cal Carpenter]

15. How about big pharma with its big profits?

Pretty lame Mr Brown..

[Peace Patriot]

17. Yet another issue on which common sense does not prevail.

And he's running for something--governor (again) maybe? Can't make Big Pharma, the military/police state "war on drugs" profiteers, the Corpo media, and the fuckwads who control it all happier than to dump a load on the innocent weed.

Disgusting, Jerry. And I know you used to smoke it.

[High Plains]

19. Jerry Brown used to be a progressive.

[LuckyStrykes]

21. Jerry, get a job!

I can't believe the nerve of this man. I was a Brown delegate in '92 and knew some people who smoked with him. Nothing worse than an ex-smoker!!

He's been living off the taxpayers dole too long.