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Mark Leno
By DEREK MOORE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
A state senator with North Bay ties on Wednesday denounced the federal government’s raids on pot dispensaries as an “ambush” that will harm patients.
“At a time when resources are precious and few, federal officials have chosen to waste time and money in an ambush that will harm countless patients who will no longer be able to safely access doctor-recommended treatments,” Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, stated in a press release.
Leno, whose district encompasses southern Sonoma County as well as Marin County and part of San Francisco, called on the federal government to stop the raids, which he said will “have detrimental impacts on our state’s economy by forcing more Californians into unemployment.”
The state’s four U.S. Attorneys announced the crackdown on the medical marijuana industry, which they said has become a smoke screen for operators of dispensaries to make money illicitly.
Last Thursday, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agents raided a medical marijuana cooperative that holds a Mendocino County sheriff’s permit to grow medicinal pot.
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Like all weeds, weed needs to be sprayed with weed killer and those that use the stuff, stuffed. Only in the haze of Sonoma County do people believe weed is a “medical” drug.
It is no more a medical drug than bubble gum is a food group.
Inforce the law and arrest the guilty. Burn the weed found in the weed houses, farms and forests. It is bad mojo.
If mj is a medicine,then is should be sold like all others, at a pharmacy, with a prescription from a Doctor.
If mj is a socially consumed recreational drug, like alcohol, then sell it and regulate it like alcohol.
Mj is sold to just about anyone now a days for just about any possible ailment, including but not limited to sleep issues and backaches. While mj may have real and useful uses for terminally or seriously ill patients, it’s just been turned into a profit mill for collective and independant growers to sell to people who get scripts after 10 minutes with a Doctor (another profit mill) at a presription mill, and the real use is social and recreational, like alcohol. So, lets decide what it is really and then regulate it and tax it accordingly and require real and regulated/professional production of it, not this backyard situation we have currently.
And Leno should be ashamed of himself, asking the Feds to “not” enforce the laws they’re required to, but it won’t be the first or the last time he takes that position. It would be a tad more professional in my opinion for him to instead, begin a movement to change the law, if he so strongly opposes it, rather then just advocate or non-enforcement.
Money Grubber-once pot is farmed it is no longer a wild plant. In fact, the plants aren’t wild anyway because they are hybrids of the wild plant to make them more potent.
I know lots of people who smoke dope. Some do because thet are sick, going through chemo, have glaucoma, or incredible pain and they don’t want to take prescription pain pills. I know some who smoke it because they get pleasure from it.
It needs to be federally legalized and taxes paid on it. Once it’s “farmed” it is a farm product and gets taxed all down the line from grower, distributor, to seller just like other “farmed” products. I should be legally controlled with the same laws as alcohol. We don’t want stoned drivers out running over people.
Farming marijuana will bring down the price. If it’s legalized all over the country smuggling it will no longer be a problem. Selling it through legal sources will make it no longer financially attractive for criminals and crime will be reduced. Those same criminals will not be in our wilderness areas polluting the environment and shooting anyone that happens to come along. Then our police can concentrate on the real problems: hard drugs like meth (a scourge in this country)and pills.
Maybe I can go huckleberry picking and mushroom hunting again without being the risk of being shot.
I do believe AB32 took effect a couple days ago. So it is real and it is here now.
If Leno is so concerned about the clinics closing and losing jobs, why isn’t he talking about AB32? California’s own Cap and Trade energy bill that will drive large employers out of the state. Grandstanding is expected of politicians. But choose the hill you want to fight on. AB32 will be the final shot in California’s war on business. The Bay area has been hit hard enough, but AB32 will kill off the rest. But hey, let’s talk about pot clinics.
how many of these would be applicable to weed
Alcoholic Beverage Tax (sections 32001-32557)
Ballast Water Management Fee (Marine Invasive Species) (section 44000-44008, 55001-55381, Public Resources Code sections 71200-71271)
California Tire Fee (section 55001-55381, Public Resources Code section 42860-42895)
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Fee (sections 43001-43651, Health and Safety Code section 105310)
Cigarette and Tobacco Products Tax (sections 30001-30482, Health and Safety Code sections 104555-104558)
Cigarette and Tobacco Products Licensing Act of 2003 (Business and Professions Code sections 22970-22991, Government Code section 15618.5, Penal Code section 830.11)
Diesel Fuel Tax (sections 60001-60708)
Electronic Waste Recycling Fee (sections 55001- 55381, Health and Safety Code sections 25214.10- 25214.10.2, Public Resources Code sections 42463- 42485)
Emergency Telephone Users Surcharge (sections 41001-41176)
Energy Resources Surcharge (sections 40001- 40216)
Hazardous Substances Tax (sections 43001-43651, Health and Safety Code sections 25174-25174.11, 25205.1-25205.23)
Integrated Waste Management Fee (sections 45001-45984, Public Resources Code sections 48000-48008)
International Fuel Tax Agreement (sections 9401- 9433)
Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax, including Aircraft Jet Fuel Tax (sections 7301-8526)
Natural Gas Surcharge (sections 55001-55381, Public Utilities Code sections 890-900)
Occupational Lead Poisoning Prevention Fee (sections 43001-43651, Health and Safety Code sections 105190, 105195)
Oil Spill Response, Prevention, and Administrative Fees (sections 46001-46751, Government Code sections 8670.40, 8670.48)
Private Railroad Car Tax (sections 11201-11702)
Publicly Owned Property (sections 1840-1841)
State-Assessed Property (sections 721-868, 4876- 4880, 5011-5014, 5148)
Tax on Insurers (sections 12001-13170)
Timber Yield Tax (sections 38101-38908)
Underground Storage Tank Maintenance Fee (sections 50101-50162, Health and Safety Code sections 25299.10-25299.51)
Use Fuel Tax (sections 8601-9355)
Water Rights Fee (sections 55001-55381, Water Code sections 1525-1560)
of course if your a lib none
The problem is the smoke screen of “medical” marijuana. It may have those properties, but that is not why people some it. They smoke for the same reason I drink. They enjoy it. Lets do away with the “medical” BS and just regualte as we do any other vice, with tax and law. As for Leno, lets boot his butt outta politics for being too lazy to lead and too foolish to hold a day job.
I know a lot of people who smoke/use pot, and they are not stupid, lazy, druggies. Everyone I know who does so has a fulltime job and/or goes to school fulltime. People who need to use medicinal marijuana don’t have to look “sick”. Many people who suffer from migraines use it, and you don’t have to LOOK sick when you’re going to the dispensary. Also, who calls it dope anymore? When people speak of “dope” wouldn’t that be referring to meth, or heroin, which are WAY worse than marijuana. I do know what I am talking about, I have seen a lot of people close to me ruin their lives by using hard drugs. The thing I have not seen is marijuana ruin the majority of peoples’ lives. I’m sure, and I know it does happen and can be addictive, but not as much as opiates and meth. Stop acting like everyone who smokes pot is a loser, or some low life. There are many medicinal benefits, one being for chemotherapy patients, and who are YOU to tell a cancer patient they can’t use marijuana to feel better? Yes, there are some negative effects, but many LEGAL, PRESCRIPTION DRUGS have a lot of bad side effects, and some of those are VERY addictive, and have ruined lives. If you take any type of narcotic pain killer, you are STONED when you are taking it, so why is it okay to be stoned on that, but being stoned on marijuana is horrible?! Some of the things I’ve heard about this are just ridiculous.
In my opinion alcohol is worse than marijuana, but of course that is legal. Oh yea, and the person who said, ” book those you find in there buying dope and running the place.”….really? So you want to fill all our jails with people who are smoking pot? I thought our government was in “debt”, but yet they find the money to go after medical marijuana dispensaries? How about pull our troops out of the middle east, like they said they would, instead of going after something that IS legal under state law. And yes, I know federal law trumps state law, so no need to write a reply and tell me that. I think there should be certain restrictions, and there are, just like with alcohol. I also don’t think teenagers should be using marijuana, since your brain is still in the developing stages. I just think people should do some more research, instead of saying that we should put people in jail for buying medical marijuana, or should I say “dope”.
Ricand wants to give the government the right to “tax” pot.
Why should anyone be taxed for the right to grow a wild plant on their own property?
Answer: Don’t give government the right to tax pot once its legalized. They waste enough of our money as it is. They don’t need any more “tax” on anything.
Leno is a joke, whats next free government pizza’s for the pot patients.
There is a Pot dispensary next to a sandwich shop I frequent for lunch. That stuff must really work well because none of the “patients” look in the least bit sick. In fact most are collage students from the nearby SRJC.
They must be stocking up for the ongoing protests at City Hall.
There is a reason they call it Dope.
Time for a little law and order has been watching too much Hawaii 5 O. lol.
Thank you Mark Leno for standing up for our rights! As a 60 year old grandmother and patient I am concerned about the raids. Does the Federal government have nothing better to do?
Marijuana should be legal, regulated and taxed. The medicinal benefits are vast and more being discovered everyday!
Close em all down Dano, and book those you find in there buying dope and running the place. If you find Leno near one of the places, book him too.
“Leno called on the federal government to stop the raids, which he said will “have detrimental impacts on our state’s economy by forcing more Californians into unemployment.”
So shutting pot clinics will force more Californians into unemployment but the MASSIVE, OVERREACHING regulations and taxes on CA businesses aren’t a concern in terms of unemployment?? What about the businesses that leave the state because of them?
David is absolutely correct. A doped up, dependent mass will always vote Democrat. Why do you think “medical” marijuana was approved by the elected idiots, the vast majority being Democrats?
The democrats count on a stoned electorate to keep them in office.
Leno knows very well that most customers at marijuana stores are not buying for medicinal purposes. He’s not that dumb.
Guess what, federal law trumps state law. But if he wants to return to a truly federal system, with state law respected in broad areas, I’m all for it. But one can’t pick and choose which federal laws apply and which don’t.