Judge Says It’s "High Time" We Legalized Marijuana

Sen. Webb puts marijuana legalization 'on the table'

Dutch marijuana coffee shops brace for smoking ban

In July 2004, Lester Eugene Siler, 42, was brutalized by five rogue police officers in his Duff, Tennessee, home. Siler, who is illiterate, was beaten and held at gunpoint, had his head held underwater in a toilet, and was threatened with shooting and electrocution after refusing to sign a search consent form that he could not read. The officers also threatened to attach a battery charger to Siler's testicles and to burn him with a lighter. Siler is a convicted drug dealer serving 11 years of probation and had previously agreed to act as an informant for the county sheriff's office. The unofficial raid was prompted after neighbors suspected he might have resumed selling drugs. All five officers were fired when Siler's wife revealed she had captured 45 minutes of the torture on audiotape. In July 2005, the officers received sentences ranging from four to six years in prison for their involvement in the assault. With out that tape they would have got away with this.........In Hilo officer John Weber and others get away with unbelievable actions..........

Don Nord

On October 14, 2003, 57-year-old Don Nord was arrested when a DEA task force raided his Hayden, Colorado, home and seized three marijuana plants, some loose marijuana, pipes, and growing equipment. Nord is a disabled, wheelchair-bound, state-registered medical marijuana patient. He has battled kidney cancer, diabetes, lung disease, a neck injury, and other conditions, and grew his own marijuana out of medical and financial necessity. Though Colorado allows seriously ill people to use marijuana with a doctor's approval, DEA agents follow federal law, which forbids the use of marijuana for any purpose. The task force that raided Nord's house was composed of a DEA agent and eight county law enforcement officers deputized by the DEA to enforce federal law. A county judge dismissed the charges against Nord in November 2003, and ordered the task force agents to return his marijuana and equipment. The officers returned his growing equipment the following month, but refused to return his marijuana or pipes. In January 2004, the officers were held in contempt of court, but the U.S. attorney for Colorado then transferred the case to a U.S. district court. In July 2005, the court found that the agents are immune from state prosecution and therefore are not required to return the marijuana and pipes that they confiscated from Nord. They busted a real bad guy.............to bad they can't catch Bin laden.......hey he shoots back........

Clayton Helriggle

On September 27, 2002, 23-year-old Clayton Helriggle of West Alexandria, Ohio, was shot and killed by police conducting a no-knock raid of his home in search of marijuana. A convicted felon had informed Preble County prosecutors that Helriggle, who worked in his family's garage door business, was dealing marijuana from his rural farmhouse, which also housed four other roommates. Based on this tip, the nearly 30-member SWAT-style team, clad in body armor and riot shields, raided Helriggle's house on a Friday evening, using a battering ram to open the front door and detonating stun grenades to disorient the occupants of the house. Helriggle had been napping in his bedroom; when he heard noises from the raid, he grabbed a gun he kept in his room and went downstairs to investigate. An officer shot Helriggle in the chest. He died within minutes, slumped in roommate Ian Albert's arms. Police eventually seized a small amount of marijuana, a bong, and rolling papers from the house. News reports also cited the seizure of "packaging items used in the distribution of marijuana" (plastic sandwich baggies found in most kitchens) and "pills" (a roommate's prescription pain medication for a knee injury). The Helriggle family later filed a civil suit against Preble County and 20 named individuals involved with the raid, for wrongful death and violation of Clayton Helriggle’s civil rights. Later, one of his roommates admitted to selling approximately one ounce of marijuana from the house each week, which led the police informant to tip off police about the farmhouse. Under Ohio law, possession of less than 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of marijuana is considered a civil citation and brings only a $100 fine and no jail time or criminal record. Possession of between 100 and 200 grams of marijuana (3.5 to 7 ounces) is considered a misdemeanor but brings only a variable fine (around $250) and no jail time. Death penalty no trial.......hey it was a crime.......well a civil violation........the pot head had it coming.........

Confined to a wheelchair for more than two years because of an injury, paraplegic Jimmy Montgomery used marijuana to stimulate his appetite and to control the muscle spasms typical of spinal cord injuries. Montgomery was arrested for possession with intent to distribute two ounces of marijuana — his personal medical supply, which had been found in the back of his wheelchair. Police then attempted to seize his home; because it belonged to his 62-year-old mother, Thelma Farris, she was also charged in connection with his marijuana offense. In court, the only evidence of any intent to distribute was the testimony of a sheriff's deputy who claimed he had never seen anyone with two ounces who was not a major dealer. The deputy was later convicted on three counts of embezzlement of seized drug property and money. Additional damning testimony came from an acquaintance whose own sentence for a cocaine conviction was reduced in exchange for the statement against Montgomery. Montgomery's mother testified that doctors recommended marijuana to her son to relieve his severe muscle spasms. "When Jimmy smoked marijuana, he didn't have to stay belted to his chair," she reported. Montgomery was eventually found guilty and given a life sentence, which was later reduced to 10 years. After a year in prison, Montgomery nearly died twice after receiving inadequate medical treatment. He was later released on an appeals bond in 1993. In April 1995, Montgomery was re-imprisoned. Rather than allow him to use medical marijuana, the government provided muscle relaxants, opiates, and tranquilizers. He was frequently placed in solitary confinement and handcuffed to a prison bed without adequate medical treatment for the antibiotic-resistant infections in his lower body. Friends watched his condition deteriorate as a prosecutor blocked his release. After considerable public pressure, Montgomery was released on medical parole on July 27, 1995. He later lost a leg from an ulcerated bed sore he developed in prison. Are you starting to get the picture.........

Esequiel Hernandez

On May 20, 1997, 18-year-old Esequiel Hernandez came home from school and hiked onto his family's isolated property on the Texas-Mexico border to graze his herd of 45 goats. Hernandez, a high-school student with no criminal record, dreamt of becoming a U.S. Marine or park ranger. Like most of the other residents of tiny Redford, Texas, Hernandez frequently carried a gun, occasionally firing it into the air to scare off animals that bothered his goats. Unbeknownst to Hernandez or the 90 other residents of his town, U.S. Marines were stationed along the town's border to patrol for drug smugglers from Mexico. As he followed his flock of goats into the desert that day, Hernandez saw something move in the distance. Thinking it was wild dogs or a snake, he fired two shots into the air with his World War I-era shotgun. As he prepared to shoot again, the Marines — who, in camouflage, were likely the source of movement — shot Hernandez in the back. They waited more than 20 minutes to call for medical assistance, and Hernandez bled to death within sight of the house he grew up in. Hernandez was the first U.S. civilian to be killed by U.S. armed forces since the 1970 political protests at Kent State University in Ohio. The practice of sending troops to patrol U.S. property for drug smugglers escalated in the '80s when President Reagan loosened the Posse Comitatus Act, which had prevented the practice. The U.S. government later settled with the Hernandez family for $1.9 million, and in 1999, the Pentagon announced that U.S. armed forces would no longer routinely patrol the U.S.-Mexicoborder for drugs. 18 years old........if this was your son what would you do?

The Naulls Family

A church-going family man who used medical marijuana to ease chronic pain from injuries sustained in a 2001 car accident, Ronald Naulls already had two successful careers – one as an IT consultant and another in real estate – when he established the Healing Nations Collective in Corona in 2006 to save fellow patients the hours-long drive to Los Angeles for medicine. Healing Nations was widely considered a model medical marijuana collective. It followed state and local law. It maintained strict dress codes and professional standards for employees. It paid state taxes – amounting to several hundred thousand dollars a year – even when loose tax regulations allowed other dispensaries to slip through the cracks. Proceeds from the dispensary went to local and national cancer organizations. Nevertheless, at 5:50 a.m., July 17, 2007, DEA agents invaded the Naulls family's home and the collective. Naulls was arrested and now faces federal prosecution for distribution of medical marijuana. County child protective services also took Naulls' three daughters, ages 1, 3, and 5, and charged him and his wife with child endangerment, even though they weren't accused of breaking any state laws. The children were put in foster care for nearly a month before they were returned to their parents. Because the DEA seized all of their property, assets, and accounts, the Naulls family has no way to properly defend themselves against the state and federal charges they face. Those wishing to contribute to the family's legal defense fund can do so here.

Cheryl Noel

On the morning of January 21, 2005, Cheryl Noel was sleeping in her home in Dundalk, Maryland. Noel, 44, worked at a local water waste treatment facility and led a bible study group during her lunch breaks. At 5:00 a.m., county police officers with a drug warrant detonated a "flash-bang" device intended to stun and temporarily deafen the home's residents and swept through the house. Noel, woken by the noise of officers storming through her house, grabbed a handgun when she heard people approaching her bedroom door. One of the officers saw her in the doorway with a gun and fired three shots, killing her. Noel's husband was later charged with possession of marijuana and of drug paraphernalia, as well as two counts of possession of black powder, a substance used in sport shooting. Noel's 19-year-old son and his friend were each charged with possession of marijuana and of drug paraphernalia. What would you do if this was your wife or Mom?

In July 2004, Lester Eugene Siler, 42, was brutalized by five rogue police officers in his Duff, Tennessee, home. Siler, who is illiterate, was beaten and held at gunpoint, had his head held underwater in a toilet, and was threatened with shooting and electrocution after refusing to sign a search consent form that he could not read. The officers also threatened to attach a battery charger to Siler's testicles and to burn him with a lighter. Siler is a convicted drug dealer serving 11 years of probation and had previously agreed to act as an informant for the county sheriff's office. The unofficial raid was prompted after neighbors suspected he might have resumed selling drugs. All five officers were fired when Siler's wife revealed she had captured 45 minutes of the torture on audiotape. In July 2005, the officers received sentences ranging from four to six years in prison for their involvement in the assault. With out that tape they would have got away with this.........In Hilo officer John Weber and others get away with unbelievable actions..........

In July 2004, Lester Eugene Siler, 42, was brutalized by five rogue police officers in his Duff, Tennessee, home. Siler, who is illiterate, was beaten and held at gunpoint, had his head held underwater in a toilet, and was threatened with shooting and electrocution after refusing to sign a search consent form that he could not read. The officers also threatened to attach a battery charger to Siler's testicles and to burn him with a lighter. Siler is a convicted drug dealer serving 11 years of probation and had previously agreed to act as an informant for the county sheriff's office. The unofficial raid was prompted after neighbors suspected he might have resumed selling drugs. All five officers were fired when Siler's wife revealed she had captured 45 minutes of the torture on audiotape. In July 2005, the officers received sentences ranging from four to six years in prison for their involvement in the assault. With out that tape they would have got away with this.........In Hilo officer John Weber and others get away with unbelievable actions..........

Jonathan Magbie

On September 24, 2004, 27-year-old Jonathan Magbie died while serving a 10-day sentence for marijuana possession in a Washington, D.C., jail. Magbie, a quadriplegic since a drunk driving accident at the age of 4, was a first-time offender. D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith E. Retchin defied a presentencing recommendation that Magbie be given a term of probation — a sentence that even the prosecutor found acceptable. Retchin imposed the sentence because she didn't like Magbie's attitude, and the car in which Magbie was riding when apprehended had a loaded gun and cocaine. Magbie had told Retchin that marijuana made him feel better and that he didn't think there was anything wrong with using it. A miscommunication between jail, hospital, and court officials gave Retchin the impression that the D.C. jail could handle Magbie's medical needs — primarily, a near-constant need for ventilation to help him breathe. In fact, the jail could not accommodate him, but by the time Magbie reached a hospital, he was dead. Ironically, D.C. voters passed a medical marijuana initiative in 1998 with 69% of the vote. The initiative has never taken effect because Congress blocks its implementation. Had the law been in effect, Magbie might have been able to present a medical defense in court, and might be alive today. Another death penalty possession.. a dead pot head... he deserved it!

Unnamed Florida college student

On June 6, 2003, a 19-year-old Alachua County, Florida, college student was raped by his cellmate as he served the first of four weekend sentences for delivering marijuana, a felony offense. (The student's name has not been released.) He had been placed in a cell with a violent offender who had been in the county jail for 11 months awaiting trial on sexual battery charges.  The two men were sharing a cell because the jail was overcrowded. Typically, inmates are classified according to offense, criminal history, gender, and/or age, among other factors, when assigned to their cells. Because certain offenders need to be isolated for safety reasons, a jail's capacity is in reality much lower than the number of beds it houses. While the Alachua County jail could theoretically hold 920 inmates, in reality it could only accommodate an average of 782 inmates on any given day because of the need to separate certain offenders. On the day the college student was raped, the jail contained 918 inmates, far exceeding capacity. Such overcrowding had been typical in the jail since 1998. Though the two men would normally have been separated, they were grouped together because delivering marijuana and sexual battery are both considered felonies. According to Alachua County Sheriff's Sergeant Jim Troiano, "If there was space available, absolutely we would rather keep the weekenders in a pre-designated area. But because we don't have much space available we have to do with circumstances on hand." That will teach that pot head.

Carter Singleton

65-year-old Carter Singleton began chemotherapy in 2003 to treat non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Shortly thereafter, his six-foot, 230-pound frame began to wither away. Unable to eat, he lost 80 pounds in five months and was so weak he could barely move. After a friend suggested that he try marijuana, Singleton found that it stimulated his appetite. Marijuana allowed him to gain weight, which gave him the strength he needed to beat the cancer. In 2003, he was arrested for cultivating medical marijuana in his home. "I was starving to death," he says. "I did what I had to do." Singleton was fortunate to have a sympathetic judge who did not subject him to jail. His cancer is now in remission. Take that chemo but do not smoke a joint it will kill you...........