Marijuana Policy Project Update

[Pam]

MPP Update #29

The Federal War on Marijuana Becomes a War on Children

2007-09-10 >> legal category >> MPP Update

 

By Dan Bernath

 

Automatic weapons. Check. Helicopters. Check. Dogs. Check. Bulletproof vests. Check.

 

You may not buy the government's characterization of its campaign against medical marijuana patients as a "war on drugs," but increasingly violent, militaristic tactics in recent months offer a troubling glimpse into the federal law enforcement community's mentality: To them, this is war.

 

Raids on medical marijuana dispensaries throughout California July 17 by federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents, often with local law enforcement officers in tow, seemed designed to send a clear signal that the feds were deliberately escalating their war on medical marijuana patients.

 

The enemy, then, are people like Ronnie Naulls, a Riverside medical marijuana patient who owned two of the dispensaries raided that day.

 

A church-going family man who used medical marijuana to ease chronic pain from injuries sustained in a 2001 car accident, Naulls already had two successful businesses – one as an IT consultant and another as a real estate property manager – when he established the Healing Nations Collective to save fellow Corona patients the hours-long drive to Los Angeles for medicine.

 

By all accounts, Naulls ran his collectives with exemplary scrupulousness. He maintained strict dress codes and professional standards for all employees. He paid state taxes on the dispensaries – amounting to several hundred thousand dollars a year – even when loose tax regulations allowed other dispensary owners to slip through the cracks. Profits from the dispensaries went to local and national cancer organizations.

 

Nevertheless, at 5:50 a.m., July 17, Naulls' home and businesses were invaded by DEA agents armed with shotguns, automatic rifles – even helicopters. They seized everything he owned: His businesses. His property. All of his accounts.

 

But that wasn't the worst of it. County child protective services came along on the raid and took Naulls' three daughters, aged 1 to 5, and charged him and his wife with child endangerment. They weren't even accused of breaking any state laws.

 

When Naulls spoke to his children in their foster home, the oldest said, "Daddy, we're ready to come home now, we promise to be good."

 

Of course they were too young to understand that they were victims of the strong-arm tactics of drug warriors whose goal was probably to make Naulls regret helping fellow patients receive their medicine in a safe, compassionate environment. Who cares if that means ruining a family financially, imprisoning the parents, and traumatizing the children?

 

Federal drug warriors have shown no sign of letting up since then, as dispensary raids have continued steadily in California and Oregon. The DEA has even found creative ways to open new fronts in its war by threatening to go after landlords who lease property to licensed dispensaries.

 

But why now? Why risk provoking the American public's outrage by escalating its war on medical marijuana patients? Here's one possible explanation: They're losing, and they know it.

 

While federal law enforcement agencies are busy wasting time and money harassing innocent citizens like Ronnie Naulls and his family, the rest of the country shows increasing impatience with the government's bullying tactics.

 

In fact, thanks in large part to the efforts of MPP's Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana, every single Democratic presidential candidate has come out against federal intrusion in medical marijuana states. Two Republican candidates, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, have also voiced strong support for the rights of states to establish medical marijuana laws.

 

These candidates understand that the vast majority of Americans oppose the federal government's war on medical marijuana patients.

 

Then again, if the late comedian Bill Hicks was right when he said a war means two armies fighting each other, then this was never really a war anyway. After all, the ranks of suffering Americans, though large, are hardly an imposing threat to the well-equipped federal forces bent on their destruction.

 

Instead of calling it a war, perhaps there's a more accurate phrase to describe what we've witnessed from federal law enforcement this summer. How does "pogrom on medical marijuana patients" sound?

 

Those wishing to contribute to the Naulls family's legal defense fund can do so at http://www.green-aid.com/defensefunds.htm

 

 

Dan Bernath is the Marijuana Policy Project’s assistant director of communications, www.mpp.org. Email him at dbernath@mpp.org.

[jojothepotfiend]

To be honest I have no problems with the 5-0 harassing Christians

 

[WantDaChronic]

this guy's whole life has not only just been ruined by those raids, his entire family will go down the drain and thousands of people will be suffering as a result because the feds decided to give out gangster type punishments as a deterant to other people who want to pay all their taxes and donate the profits to charity

[Nooby]

And dont forget the feds and their political masters are simply the pawns of big business. The love of money truly is the root of all evil.

 

And good point jojo, I wonder why the local Church community hasn't spoken about this outrage? Or have they?

[blackheartedprofit]

i'm afraid i am in agreement with jojo, i find it hard to have any sympathy or empathy for christians being harrassed by quasi christian-military powers that be, also by separating the cannabis community into " medicinal", "commercial", "personal", "religious" etc, groups, all comes back to the well know and well proven axiom, "divide and conquer", I fail to see what makes this guy so much more special than hundreds of thousands of other users that have been treated in the same appalling manner

[67Special]

Fair point bhp, but it is a bit confusing when their state government gives permission to sell pot and happily reaps tax$ from it, yet they stand by and allow the feds to incarcerate their citizens for doing so A bit like giving a dog a bone and then flogging the mongrel every time it tries to chew on it

 

If it's true that the guy was paying taxes and donating profits to cancer funds, well he's a saint imo, christian or not.

 

Considering the copycat mentality of our law-makers here in Oz, I wouldn't be surprised if we see similar stupidity here in the future

 

[freddie]

To be honest I have no problems with the 5-0 harassing Christians

 

I don't see why the fact that he's a Christian should have anything to do with this. Anyone doing this should have the support of the cannabis community. Wish we had individuals such as this in Australia.

 

If it's true that the guy was paying taxes and donating profits to cancer funds, well he's a saint imo, christian or not.

Well said 67.

[Pam]

I posted this because I'm a member of the MPP, and I just felt sick to think the kids believe they've been taken away because they were bad. I know Australia has some crazy shit like that going on to take children away forever...

 

I am no lover of Xians especially Southern Baptists which can be very ignorant and cruel to those that don't agree with them, but...

I have to point out that in the US to say someone is church going simply implies that the person is a family man with no ties to criminal activity. It's misleading unless you live here, and it's offensive even to some of us that do, but the media seems unaware of that.

I'm at a loss as to why they chose this particular club except that they were donating all the profits to charities and making the Feds look like fools. How can they say that these compassion clubs are only in it for the money and are nothing but common drug dealers when you have people like this?

But I think this time the DEA cut off their nose to spite their face.

 

There was another news piece that I thought about posting that shows one of our presidential candidates exclaiming that:

"Our government does not arrest the dead and dying, we are just not that kind of society!"

But it involved youtube, and I figured America is enough of a joke without making it worse...

Fair warning though, if this country does start arresting the dead, I'm coming there!

[jojothepotfiend]

And dont forget the feds and their political masters are simply the pawns of big business. The love of money truly is the root of all evil.

 

And good point jojo, I wonder why the local Church community hasn't spoken about this outrage? Or have they?

 

Exactly

 

 

i'm afraid i am in agreement with jojo, i find it hard to have any sympathy or empathy for christians being harrassed by quasi christian-military powers that be, also by separating the cannabis community into " medicinal", "commercial", "personal", "religious" etc, groups, all comes back to the well know and well proven axiom, "divide and conquer", I fail to see what makes this guy so much more special than hundreds of thousands of other users that have been treated in the same appalling manner

 

This is what I'm talking about. Which religion has been the main force behind the war on drugs?? and wants to get a monopoly on all highs? The fucking Christians. Now don't get me wrong I don't loathe Christians that much, some of my family are Christian. But I find it highly amusing that the religion he follows doesn't support his business interests.

 

Anyway I think this guy would get the minimum sentence and probably not be slammed like a non Christian who wasn't such a "saint".

 

[freddie]

This is what I'm talking about. Which religion has been the main force behind the war on drugs?? and wants to get a monopoly on all highs? The fucking Christians. Now don't get me wrong I don't loathe Christians that much, some of my family are Christian. But I find it highly amusing that the religion he follows doesn't support his business interests.

 

A guy who runs a medical marijuana dispensary gets raided by heavily armed feds: his assets are seized, and his kids get taken away and you make an issue of him being Christian??? After one mention in the article of him being described as a church goer. I don't get it. Are Christian smokers not worthy of sympathy?

 

i'm afraid i am in agreement with jojo, i find it hard to have any sympathy or empathy for christians being harrassed by quasi christian-military powers that be, also by separating the cannabis community into " medicinal", "commercial", "personal", "religious" etc, groups, all comes back to the well know and well proven axiom, "divide and conquer", I fail to see what makes this guy so much more special than hundreds of thousands of other users that have been treated in the same appalling manner

 

Aren't you dividing the cannabis community into Christian stoners and non Christians?

 

By the way I am not Christian or religious in any way. I just think your making a connection between this persons beliefs and the Christian Right which seem to be separate issues here.