12 arrested in Covelo Task Force marijuana raid

[wiseinfive]

Truth you do not speak the truth...been into that mj way too long buddy

[mendo]

CAH wrote:

<quoted text>
Most trimmers in the remote areas are not allowed to leave untill their job is done. The growers provide food and shelter for them and once the job is done they are paid. Once paid they go back home to the state they came from

mmm helllo? that is exactly what i am saying but people still buy luxury items with their money, either they go to town or someone does for them. I think you read to much drama most growers I hear about hire people who live locally and come and go daily. These people can be at least trusted and put the money back into the local economy.

[Get real]

Senceless!,useless. Maybe we should just burn the tax dallors

[hate liars]

Police officers should not tell blatant lies. To think that all money leaves the county with the trimmers is unrealistic. They eat, they shop and they drink at the bars while in town same as the pear pickers. Besides the fact that the money they do leave with did not come from this county anyway as it was most likely brought here by courier from some other city. Without the mj there would be no couriers coming with money. Drug warriors suffer from a lack of credibility and attempting to justify their jobs with lies and vilify all associated with mj does nothing for their own credibility. If they can not tell simple truths then why should any truth be expected.

[your daddy]

The money they get paid with almost never comes from this area, so what is their complaint? Other areas should be complaining that Mendo is taking all the money away from their local economies. RIGHT? This area would be about the poorest in the state if not for pot. Thank god for the pot! Praise our lord Jesus Christ.

[Wait N Watch]

Growing Medical Marijuana Industry Sparks Debate in California
By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
11 November 2009
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-11-11-voa...
California is one of 14 states that allow people to use marijuana for medical reasons, and a thriving cannabis industry has developed in the West Coast state. Federal officials say the use and sale of marijuana is illegal, but the Obama administration recently said it will not prosecute marijuana dispensaries that follow state laws.
Marijuana clinics are spreading in California, which has some people calling for a crackdown, and others demanding that marijuana be legalized.
In Oakland, California, the state's largest marijuana dispensary, called the Harborside Health Center, serves 600 patients a day. It provides marijuana for a wide range of ailments, from cancer to difficulty sleeping. "When a patient comes to us for the first time, we first, of course, verify that they're a legal medical cannabis patient. And then we ask them to sign an agreement. And in that agreement, they elect to become a member of our collective and they authorize all of the other members of the collective to grow cannabis on their behalf," said Steve DeAngelo, the center's founder and chief executive officer.
California voters authorized the medical use of marijuana in 1996, when they approved Proposition 215, known as the Compassionate Use Act. It allows patients with a doctor's recommendation to grow and possess marijuana for personal use. The law was later expanded to let patients share the drug through collectives and cooperatives.
The Harborside Health Center has 30,000 registered members and annual revenues of $20 million.
Members line up and clerks help them with their purchases of marijuana strains with names like Blue Dream and Train Wreck.
Bill Britt, a medical marijuana user in Long Beach, California, says the drug gives him relief. He had polio as a child, and says using marijuana lets him reduce his use of other medications. He "medicates" several times a day with a marijuana vaporizer. "I would probably be using pain killers, some kind of muscle relaxers, some kind of anti-spasmodics, some kind of anti-nausea [medication], some kind of kind of antidepressant. There's just so many lists of drugs," he saId.
Richard Lee tends marijuana plans
Richard Lee tends marijuana plans
Marijuana clinics are sprouting throughout the state. People wanting to set up their own can learn how it is done at Oaksterdam University, founded by Richard Lee. Lee is a local entrepreneur who operates a coffee shop and marijuana dispensary, which have helped to revitalize this part of downtown Oakland. Thousands of students have come to one of his three campuses to learn the marijuana trade. "Once they take their politics and legal issues, then they can go on to take courses on horticulture, cooking with cannabis, hash [hashish] making, bud tending, management, starting your own business, incorporating, things like that," he said,
Los Angeles has more than 800 cannabis clinics, more than Starbucks coffee shops, or public schools. Some clinics are licensed by the city, while others have opened under a loophole in the law and some city officials say they are illegal. The officials promise a crackdown on unlicensed clinics, but so far, most remain in business.

[Wait N Watch]

The California Police Chiefs Association opposes the spread of the clinics. Chief Kim Raney of the city of Covina says marijuana may help some sick people, but he says it is probably a tiny number - no more than two percent of users. "The people with cancer, MS [multiple sclerosis], a variety of medical conditions. There are certain components inside of marijuana that probably provide them some relief. We take no issue with that. The challenge is the other 98 percent, by our information, that it's just turned into a way to legitimize recreational marijuana use," he said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said marijuana has no proven medical benefits, but some California doctors, including David Bearman of Goleta, California, say marijuana helps their patients.
"Some of the people have had amazing stories. I had one fellow who was paraplegic who had excruciating pain," he said.
Doctor Bearman recommends marijuana for a variety of conditions, including chronic pain.
Marijuana advocates agree that recreational users are taking advantage of provisions in the law for medical marijuana, but they argue that the drug should be legalized. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, held a recent conference in San Francisco, attracting advocates, users and clinic operators. The group's founder, Keith Stroup, says marijuana should be approved for recreational users. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the responsible use of marijuana. It should be of no interest or concern to the government. Frankly, we need to stop arresting and start respecting responsible marijuana smokers," he said.
Marijuana advocates say the drug should be taxed and regulated like alcohol and tobacco, which is already happening in the city of Oakland.
But opponents say marijuana should not be legalized without a needed national debate. They says the drug's long-term effects are uncertain, and that alcohol, a legal intoxicant, already causes more than enough problems.
Both supporters and opponents of marijuana agree that current laws governing the use of medical marijuana are confusing, and they say it is up to the courts to decide how widely available marijuana will be in the future.

[whatever]

so out of town trimmers are let go? why do u guys arrest locals we spend our money here. u guys suck

[huh]

"...said it will not prosecute marijuana dispensaries that follow state laws."

This has nothing to do with what is ILLEGALLY going on in Medo Co.

[huh]

Excuse me, Mendo Co.

[fellow trimmer]

Sitting in a chair 10 hrs a day concentrating is hardly what I would call something that lazy unmotivated people do. People from all walks of life, this article shows people from all over the country come and try their hand. Not spending money in the county? Ask any store when is the busy season? And who can live a year off 3 grand? Have fun being a mendo local stay off the crack!

[outsider]

First, I am an outsider, so what. This is America and your politics should never curb my freedom.

Whether money is spent in Wilits, Covelo, SF, or MickeyD's does not make it right or wrong to arrest and abuse people, destroy their property, or STEAL their money. We have rights, police protect rights, and they cross the line when they abuse their power to intimidate, cause injury and rob people. If you think the Task Force is not robbing people, than you are mistaken. If you think that a police force robbing people is okay, than I assume you will not complain if it happened to you.

As far as money being spent at local businesses, forget about the pizza shop or those awesome tacos in Willits! I wonder how much is spent a year at the FOUR PAGES of GARDEN SUPPLY STORES IN MENDO!
I wonder where all the money for generator fuel, electricity, building supplies, pots, dirt, etc... ends up. I dont think anyone is shipping htese things in?

Also, look at the record of the members of the task force! You will definitely find some shady histories.

If the state did legalize weed, perhaps you wouldnt see the need for the county to "tax" it through arrests, courts, and jail occupancy. Until then, certain powers that be will line their pockets through the previous means. And remember this, as stated above; The people paying for these dirty cops, court fees, defense and prosecution, jail beds, and the works, are the tax payers of California! So, if your are really tired of wasting your tax dollars, STOP prosecuting innocent growers!

[local]

Hell who cares, been in Tahoe for 30 years and there's always been pot for sell somewhere, they waste their time on this while the wet backs and rich steal from the good residents. Not to mention the city council who steal anything from anybody.
Pot should be legal, get over the BS, get stoned, and forget your unemployment problems,bum some cash from the papert staff.