Drug Warriors Goose-Step Across Oregon in Crusade against Medical Cannabis Activists
Due to their failure to get what they want and to distract people from their budget games, Law Enforcement is conducting another set of Raids across the state on Medical Cannabis organizations. They are happening in Medford, where SO NORML, the Green Compass, and Puffin Stuff, as well as and a place in Eugene, The Greener Side.
A Eugene area activist emailed “Just went to the Greener Side. The door is locked, one cameraman and reporter from KVAL who were not interested in interviews, except for the cops. They were filming through the front door. The officer who came out and said he couldn't say anything for four hours, because there were several of these going on and things might change by then. He was from the Interagency Narcotics Task Force.”
It was MADGE of Jackson County, RADE of Josephine, CODE from Central Oregon, and a couple other towns, 70 officers in all, but I think the charges are all local, no federal charges. The charges in their press release were 22 counts each (Lori and Lee at SO NORML) for delivery within 1000 feet of a school.
They may have trouble getting out of jail before Tuesday, and bail was set at 550,000 each, and Friday is a furlough day, apparently. We will need 110,000 to get them out.
More on Cops On Campaign, Raids Across Oregon Relative to Legislature, Budgets
It is no coincidence these folks were on TV, testified at hearings and otherwise publicly spoke out and exercised their 1st Amendments rights. LEO will undoubtedly be hoping to paint this places as major drug traffickers, hoping to derail SB 3460, if not 281 as well. It would be great to have patients will be hurt by these raids front and center.
Of course, one could say Oregon Prohibitionist LE is only emulating what their Drug Warriors across America are doing – violate peoples Civil Rights under the color of Authority. In Boise, Idaho police wait til activists take a trip and sweep in to snatch their kids. In Florida, a Medical Cannabis patient is followed home after a bill is introduced in her name and raided by police that same day.
In any case, what a waste of tax dollars and resources. Watching this, the cartels have to be laughing their cuticles off and running down to the schoolyard with more dope to sell.
This demonstrates the importance of passing HB 3460 (and HB 3371) so law enforcement will concentrate on real crime and not consistently go after pot-heads instead of rapists because it is so much more fun and profitable.
Also might be a good time to start organizing our raid responses. http://www.safeaccessnow.org/section.php?id=457
Sign up for instant text messaging raid alerts: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/downloads/raid_text_alert_signup_sheet_2011.pdf
This sounds like a good idea at this time. Also I would like to say that when I just called the DoJ AGs office I got asked to select what division I wanted to speak to, the old info recording of the call in run around. One of the selections however was the Consumers Division which gave me a list of #s for various grievousness. As patients those of us who are who are reading this, maybe we should be complaining that our problem is with the fact that these raids are taking away our source of medicine. This number gets you started . . (503) 378-4400 So lets launch as many complaints as possible against the LEOs involved in these raids as the ones taking the medicine we need from us. raid on the Duckworths - http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2013/05/another_oregon_medical_marijua.html
Drug task farce raids several local marijuana operations
An area drug task force has raided several local marijuana operations, including a new business in Gold Hill that was featured in a May 20 story in the Mail Tribune.
According to a release from the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement task force, police officers served eight state search warrants in Southern Oregon "to investigate three separate marijuana drug trafficking organizations."
The release said local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies participated in the raids. The release also said that three organizations involved are alleged to have sold marijuana from store fronts located in Jackson County.
Among the sites raided was a Gold Hill business operated by Medford resident Mike Schanno, who described it in an earlier story as the region's first medical marijuana wellness center. Schanno also operates The Green Compass, a medical marijuana business off Medford's McAndrews Road.
Schanno said the Gold Hill site offers medical marijuana for patients with state-issued medical marijuana cards, along with classes on growing marijuana and services such as massages using cannabis-infused oils.
A press conference is planned for 3:30 p.m. today at the Medford Police Department, where additional information will be released. http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/NEWS07/305230348
Officers raid marijuana clinics in Eugene, Medford http://www.kval.com/news/local/DEA-confirms-Medford-marijuana-raids-unaware-of-Eugene- action-208732041.html
EUGENE, Ore. - Officers led two women led out of a Eugene medical marijuana dispensary in handcuffs on Thursday after a search the same day as law enforcement in Medford executed search warrants on 3 similar organizations there.
Sgt. Erik Fisher with Oregon State Police said the raids were "separate but related." He declined to elaborate. Fisher said the local Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team executed a search warrant at The Greener Side, 1601 Oak Street, as part of an investigation into unlawful delivery of marijuana.
Fisher told KVAL News it's against the law to sell marijuana for a profit. Investigators think The Greener Side was profiting from marijuana, Fisher said.
He said two women were in custody and that officers were looking for a man.
The DEA confirmed that their agency was working with local law enforcement in Medford. KTVL-TV reports law enforcement there executed 8 search warrants on three marijuana organizations there. http://www.registerguard.com/rg/news/local/29915653-75/marijuana-medical-state-county- fisher.html.csp
A team of drug detectives seized marijuana while serving a search warrant at a medical-pot "resource center" near downtown Eugene.
Two people were arrested in connection with the investigation that led detectives to The Greener Side at 1601 Oak St., state police Sgt. Erik Fisher said.
The suspects are identified as Jill Marie Tanner, 32, and Chelsea Nicole Hopkins, 25. They are being held in the Lane County Jail on charges of delivering marijuana.
Fisher said Tanner and Hopkins are accused of selling pot at the resource center.
"It's a business," Fisher said. "It's kind of hard to argue that they're not selling it."
Cops Chose Pot-Heads Over Rapists in Budget Games
Sad and interesting that it's a day after the election results with the unfortunate outcome in Lane County of more money to the criminal (in)justice system. For months Lane County jail has been releasing violent offenders due to budget cuts. Evidently funding the LINT to go after MMJ is more of a priority. What a distorted concept of Public Safety. Now they got their budget to open more jail space, and who's going to fill it? MMJ dispensary operators. All around the state we are seeing what the enforcers really want, and it's sick.. etc...
Anyone been hearing these radio ads: http://www.oregonafscme.com/docs/NoPrisonClosure.mp3
"In response to the potential of prison closures and other issues surrounding the Department of Corrections budget, Oregon AFSCME is also airing a one-week radio blitz next week (May 20-24) urging lawmakers to properly fund public safety budgets. Those ads will run heavily in the Ontario, Pendleton and Hermiston markets, home of the large state prisons, as well as in the Portland/Salem radio market." http://www.oregonafscme.com/?zone=/unionactive/view_page.cfm&pageaDlerts
These raids (and other enforcement efforts that have been stepped up all around the state in the last few weeks) are also job-preservation techniques. The radio ad (fighting to prevent a 40 million budget cut in public safety budgets - for the sake of comparison, the CITY of Beaverton had 37 million in education cuts) basically claims that while there are many difficult budget decisions to be made, keeping public safety budgets funded is an "easy decision" and the only "responsible" decision and links the reductions solely to prisoners getting "get out of jail free cards".
An activist writres “I believe here in the South end where the bonds at least in Curry County failed, because they didn't want to fund a law enforcement. Due to the lousy and anti people stance they take. Some think that these agencies in Jackson are grabbing all the overtime they can because this is where the real money for the cops adds up... so it is get it while they can mode. Amanda Marshall and the DOJ have had these places in their crosshairs for months and it is a travesty that good people have to go down being servants to the sick and dieing. Their are no coincidences here only planned executed by the realities of what The People want.”
For those interested
OR spends $30,000/ year per inmate (2011)
OR spends less than $10K per student and spending runs almost 10% less than the nat'l avg (2011)
911 Dispatcher Tells Woman About To Be Sexually Assaulted There Are No Cops To Help Her Due To Budget Cuts http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2013/05/23/911-dispatcher-tells-woman-about-to-be-sexually- assaulted-there-are-no-cops-to-help-her-due-to-budget-cuts/
*JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. (CBS Seattle)* - An Oregon woman was told by a 911 dispatcher that authorities wouldn't be able be able to help her as her ex-boyfriend broke into her place because of budget cuts.
Oregon Public Radio
"Uh, I don't have anybody to send out there," the 911 dispatcher told the woman. "You know, obviously, if he comes inside the residence and assaults you, can you ask him to go away? Do you know if he's intoxicated or anything?" Budget discussion in OR
Budget Town Hall
Please join me, Representatives Phil Barnhart, Peter Buckley, Paul Holvey, John Lively, and Senators Lee Beyer and Chris Edwards for a town hall on Oregon's budget. Share your thoughts on the budget and get your questions answered.
Click here for a Map
LCC Downtown Campus
Tuesday, May 28 6:00 to 8:00 pm Lane Community College Downtown Campus Room 112-114 101 West 10th Avenue
THIS event should be flooded with as many activists, patients, etc as possible to point out the ridiculous wasteful spending to attack a voter-approved program while we struggle to figure out how to fund the rest of our budget needs....there are a lot of reps in that room and a lot of the public coming to talk about their concerns - THEY need to hear why we are falling short and where our priorities are.
Southern Oregon Cannabis Community Center | 332 W. 6th St., Medford OR 97501 * (541) 779-1448 * Fax (541) 779-1665 * www.so-norml.org the Green Compass | 1709 E Mcandrews Rd, Medford, OR 97504 * 541- 690-1990 * visit - http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/The.Green.Compass.541-690-1990
Puffin Stuff – OMMP Services | 1040 Crater Lake Ave #A Medford, Oregon 97504 * (541) 499-0489 * visit - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Puffin-Stuff/123395441070281?v=info
The Greener Side | located in downtown Eugene Oregon at 1601 B Oak St (Inside the Oak Building) * visit - keepeugenegreen.org