By Ron Orenstein
Article Launched: 02/29/2008 12:04:49 PM PST
As the June ballot for Measure B approaches, we will see a lot of words written about marijuana, both pro and con.
Marijuana supporters will present arguments trying to show that legalizing the crop and taxing it will put much-needed revenue into the pockets of local merchants and local governments. It's well known pot money already plays a role in the local economy to a point. As George Atwood pointed out in his commentary last week, most of the money spent by the growers goes toward buying big boy toys, most of which by the way they don't buy locally. The most significant contribution the growers make to the local economy is eating at local restaurants, or buying clothes or gifts at local stores. While this is a good thing for a few merchants, it hardly rises to the level of actually supporting the local economy.
In a county that is so environmentally conscious, it seems strange there is little mention of the impact of marijuana growing on our precious water supply. Water, as we all know, is a very serious topic in these parts, with local and county governments, as well as private citizen groups, investing a lot of time trying to figure out how to stretch our water resources to supply our needs.
Being the curious type, I did some research on the internet and found 526,000 sites about marijuana water requirements. No specific figures are given, it depends on the soil, temperature, etc, but it seems to be important the plant roots are kept moist. A member of the sheriff's marijuana eradication team had mentioned in a presentation that a pot plant requires about 15 gallons of water per day. When I used this figure at a board of supervisors meeting, I heard some snickering in the background, so maybe without having empirical knowledge, I think it's reasonable to lower the estimate to between one and five gallons per day per plant as a working number.
According to the sheriff's department, 334,000 pot plants were eradicated last year, and this is generally estimated to be anywhere from 10 and 25 percent of the total crop grown in the county each year. Using the conservative figure of 25 percent, that works out to more than 1.3 million pot plants each year.
Requiring five gallons of water per day during a growing season of four months means the marijuana crop uses 780 million gallons of water per year, or 2,394 acre feet compared to 886 acre feet used by Willits water customers each year. If someone wanted to argue that point, we could lower the daily usage figure to one-gallon of water per plant, and still come up with almost 479 acre feet used to grow pot.
Many people have been advocating growing more of our food locally, but one of the constraints has always been the amount and availability of water needed to irrigate the crops. But at least that water would be used to grow food, not some cash crop that is used to "improve" someone's day. Remember, if it was really about medical use, there wouldn't be anywhere near this amount of pot needed.
But if the amount of money that pot growing brings to the local economy is the most important argument in favor of legalizing pot, maybe we need to get ambitious and grow even more valuable crops such as cocaine. Some Third World countries seem to have a monopoly on this, and maybe it's time that we got our share, don'cha think?
Of course, that raises other issues of self-image, which is still kind of important to some folks. Just how far down the road do we want to go to be known as the marijuana/or other drug capitol of the world?
The image issue brings me to another commentary that was printed in last week's The Willits News.
Don Forest, who moved to Willits from a large metropolitan area several months ago wrote a piece entitled "You know you're in Willits when " I don't know about you, but after living here for only a few months, I was feeling like I learned something about Willits if I was able to drive from one end of town to the other without going on Main Street and without getting lost. But I guess coming from the Big City enables Don to get into the soul of Willits fairly quickly, although he claims "you can't find the police station and the Chamber of Commerce is usually closed." (Don, the police station is next to city hall right behind the big sign that says "police," and the chamber of commerce is not usually closed!)
There's an old saying: "I can say anything I want about my wife/husband, but you can't!" meaning you need to get to know the subject, have a relationship and get invested before criticizing. And one of the best ways to be accepted in a new town, especially a small one, is definitely not to make fun of it.
We are all aware of the "warts" in our community, and we joke about them because there's only so much that can be done, and sometimes it's best to grin and bear it. But they don't define us. Don can't be aware of the many efforts underway to improve our town's image because he hasn't been here long enough, or apparently, gotten involved.
Am I being overly sensitive? Probably, but I just get so tired of hearing people bad-mouthing our community, especially when they don't have a clue what they're talking about. Contribute something to our community, then you might have earned the right to be critical.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ron Orenstein is a Willits resident and a former city councilman.
Friday, February 29, 2008
95490: Self and otherwise
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Man who asks officers to protect him arrested on marijuana charges
The Daily Journal
Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 02/27/2008 08:48:42 AM PST
While responding to reports of an assault on Sherwood Road Monday, law enforcement officers discovered a large marijuana grow.
According to a news release from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, Willits Police Department officers were investigating an alleged assault around 3 p.m. Monday and summoned sheriff's deputies for help.
When they arrived, sheriff's deputies spoke with John J. Mayock, 39, of Willits, who told them he had been conducting a commercial marijuana grow with two other men at his home in the 24100 block of Sherwood Road.
The three got into an argument over money, during which the other two men allegedly attacked Mayock, according to sheriff's reports.
Mayock asked sheriff's deputies to travel with him to the Sherwood Road house and stay while he removed his belongings from the house because he feared the men would attack him again if he returned, according to sheriff's reports.
Sheriff's deputies accompanied Mayock to the home, where they smelled the odor of marijuana and saw several signs indicating marijuana cultivation, according to sheriff's reports.
Mayock said there had been several medical marijuana recommendations in the home, but that they had expired. When deputies asked to search the home, Mayock refused and the deputies got a search warrant.
Inside the house, sheriff's deputies found more than 200 marijuana plants, scales, packaging materials, receipts for marijuana and a firearm, according to sheriff's
reports.
Mayock was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale and was booked into the Mendocino County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
Home-invasion robbers using bogus police gear
By Linda Williams/TWN Staff writer
Article Launched: 02/27/2008 11:56:10 AM PST
Fake police gear confiscated at the Ruddick-Cunningham Road residence on...
A February Ukiah raid on a Ruddick-Cunningham Road residence netted police more than the methamphetamines and marijuana they were seeking, officers also found counterfeit law enforcement gear such as a black "POLICE" and "NARCOTICS" bullet proof vest and cap, a badge and similar equipment. This outfit was similar, say police, to one found at another drug raid and investigators theorize it could be linked to several recent home invasion robberies in the Boonville and Ukiah areas. While this is one of the first confirmed cases in Mendocino County, similar crimes are much more common in the Bay Area, say police
"We are very concerned about this development," says Mendocino County sheriff's Lt. Ron Welch, "The next time we go out and serve a search warrant in uniform, the resident might believe they are being robbed and react violently, putting deputies and themselves at risk of injury."
Armed robbery of pot grow residences appears to be a growing problem in the north county as well, according to police sources, even if most are not being reported.
"It is becoming well known in the Bay Area that you can drive up to Mendocino County and drive to the end of any dirt road until you come to a house and those inside will have pot and money," says one officer.
Home invasion robberies involving marijuana are becoming more common, according to Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force Special Agent in Charge Robert Nishiyama, with many finding it easier to steal the marijuana than grow it. Since the growers are involved in an illegal business, they seldom report a robbery to the police, in part due to fear of retaliation from the robbers.
"These home invasion robbers are very violent people," says Nishiyama. "If the growers report them, they know where the growers live, making retaliation a concern."
Regarding the use of fake police gear, "If a dope dealer sees police at the door, he figures he is busted and usually opens the door. If he sees someone he doesn't know he doesn't open the door," says Nishiyama. "This has been an ongoing robbery method in the Bay Area but has been hard to confirm before now in Mendocino County."
More pot busts
By Linda Williams/TWN Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/27/2008 11:51:36 AM PST
"We are going to continue to go after large commercial growers," said Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman when asked about the number of recent pot busts in the north county.
Two Willits area residents are in custody following a search of their Blackhawk Road residence by the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force. The search reportedly found 134 mature plants, five pounds of processed bud marijuana, 5.7 grams of methamphetamine, $5,000 in cash, a vial of liquid LSD, psilocybin mushrooms and 2 firearms.
Kimberly Dawn Lansing, 36, of Willits, was arrested on suspicion of possession and cultivation of marijuana for sale and carrying a concealed weapon.
Scott Steven Selzer, 37, of Willits, was arrested on suspicion of cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale, being armed during the commission of a felony and possession of a controlled substance.
Former Willits resident Robert Archie Winiger, 49, of Ukiah was arrested on February 11 following the search of his Ukiah home where the MMCTF reportedly found more than $10,000 in cash, 7 pounds of processed bud, 771 plants and three firearms in an indoor marijuana grow. Winiger was arrested on suspicion of cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony.
Environmental Concerns
This photo shows a pit in the ground on Shimmins Ridge Road that a commercial marijuana grower used to dump waste oil from his generator. Cleanup could cost $1 million.
The Yes on B Coalition wants limits on marijuana growers to help protect us from abuses like this.
Another marijuana find
By Linda Williams/TWN Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/27/2008 11:51:35 AM PST
A significant marijuana grow was discovered during the execution of a search warrant at the home of Jon Bixler at his Sherwood Road home at 11 a.m. on Friday by the Mendocino County sheriff's deputies.
Deputies had arrived at the home earlier that day on other business and noted the strong smell of pot at the residence and requested a search warrant. According to deputies, 14 pounds of processed marijuana was discovered during the search, along with an estimated 50 more pounds of marijuana in the process of being dried.
Bixler was not arrested and the evidence has been forwarded to the Mendocino County District Attorney's office for review.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Hamburg hearing set for Thursday
By ROB BURGESS and BEN BROWN The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 02/26/2008 08:18:49 AM PST
The preliminary hearing for Ukiah resident Laura Hamburg has been set for 9:30 a.m. Thursday in Courtroom B of the Mendocino County Courthouse.
Hamburg, a local medical marijuana activist, has been charged with possession of marijuana for sale, cultivation of marijuana for sale and renting a building for the purposes of marijuana cultivation in connection with the service of search warrant on her Boonville Road home by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office on Oct. 25.
According to court documents, sheriff's deputies were on the property to serve an arrest warrant on Hamburg's brother Matt Hamburg. While on the property, deputies saw marijuana plants in Hamburg's garden and swore out an affidavit to get a search warrant for the house.
The Sheriff's Office reported seizing 50 marijuana plants from the home, as well as 50 pounds of processed marijuana.
Hamburg's attorney Keith Faulder, who was at the home when the search warrant was served, said he counted 39 marijuana plants in Hamburg's garden.
Faulder has said that Hamburg was operating a legitimate medical marijuana garden, growing marijuana for three people, all of whom have valid medical marijuana recommendations which Faulder said he showed to sheriff's deputies.
Rob Burgess can be reached at udjrb@pacific.net.
Ben Brown can be reached at udjbb@pacific.net.
BREAKING NEWS: Memo Parker arrested again on marijuana cultivation charges
By BEN BROWN/The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 02/26/2008 10:22:17 AM PST
Memo Parker was arrested on marijuana charges Monday after a search of his Garden's avenue properties revealed close to 300 marijuana plants and more than 30 pounds of dried marijuana.
Ukiah Police Department Officers, working with members of the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force served a search warrant on houses at 106 and 130 Garden's Avenue Monday after receiving repeated complaints from Parker's neighbors, said UPD Chief Chris Dewey.
"They had a enough probable cause to serve a search warrant," Dewey said.
Officers seized 297 adult marijuana plants from the house as well as 34 pounds of dried marijuana.
"One house had been completely converted into a grow facility," Dewey said.
Parker was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale and cultivation of marijuana.
The house at 130 Gardens Avenue had been completely converted for marijuana processing, Dewey said. Half the rooms were set up to grow marijuana and the other half were being used to dry and process marijuana, Dewey said.
Parker was also growing marijuana in a shed in the back yard of 106 Gardens Avenue next door. Dewey said electricity had been diverted from 130 Gardens Avenue over the fence to power grow lights in the shed. Dewey said there are pending charges of building code violations against Parker from the City of Ukiah because of the electricity diversion.
Dewey said the electricity to 130 Gardens Avenue was shut off by the city Monday because of the electricity diversion.
When confronted by officers, Parker told them he presented one medical marijuana recommendation and said he was growing the marijuana for the Green Cross medical marijuana collective in San Francisco.
"He told the officers he was growing it and selling it," Dewey said.
Under Mendocino County law, a medical marijuana patient can only grow 25 plants per parcel. California State law allows medical marijuana patients to grow medical marijuana for other medical marijuana patients.
This is Parker's second brush with the law over marijuana. In October of 2006, Parker was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana for sale and possession of marijuana for sale after a search warrant served on the same two Gardens Avenue homes turned up 190 adult marijuana plants, 262 smaller "clone" marijuana plants and 170 pounds of dried marijuana, according to police reports.
Parker's brother, Mark Parker, was also arrested in the October 2006 raid and both were tried on marijuana charges. The trial ended in a hung jury and has been rescheduled for April 21, 2008.
Mark Parker was not arrested Monday.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Indoor grow busted in Laytonville, couple arrested
By Linda Williams/TWN Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/20/2008 11:03:05 AM PST
An indoor marijuana grow in Laytonville was raided on Branscomb Road on February 12, netting 50 pounds of processed marijuana, $70,000 in cash, 721 pot plants and eight firearms.
The County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team assisted a Redding-area taskforce from the California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement in executing a search warrant. The BNE requested the warrant as part of an ongoing investigation.
Michael and Rebecca Campbell, both 53, of Laytonville were identified as suspects for cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale, pending charges to be filed with the district attorney's office, according to police reports.
Clearlake assault suspect arrested
By THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
A Mendocino County resident being sought since December on suspicion of participating in a drug-related assault and kidnapping that took place in Clearlake was arrested early Wednesday morning at a home north of Willits.
Scott Anthony Cape, 41, was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, said Clearlake Police Lt. Mike Hermann.
In December, Cape and two other men allegedly beat a man, bound him with zip ties and put him in the trunk of his own rental car, Hermann said.
Two suspects, Priest Martinez, 34 and James Miller, 21, both of Redwood Valley, were arrested soon after the incident. They allegedly said they planned to take him out of the county but abandoned the car as police searched for the victim, who had called them from a cell phone, Hermann said.
The beating and kidnapping are believed to have stemmed from a dispute over drugs, Hermann said.
When Cape was arrested, items used to manufacture methamphetamine and 15 pounds of marijuana were found at the Sherwood Road area home, said Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force Commander Bob Nishiyama.
-- Glenda Anderson
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Former sheriff stands by pot policies
Craver blames voters for law that's led to widespread marijuana cultivation
By MIKE GENIELLA
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
In the face of a public backlash to soaring marijuana cultivation, former Mendocino County Sheriff Tony Craver is defending enforcement policies during his seven-year tenure.
Craver, who has been retired since December 2006 and is living in Idaho, acknowledged that the county's pot production is "clearly out of hand."
But he said it's local voters and not lax law enforcement that's to blame.
In 2000, Mendocino County voters by 58-32 percent passed Measure G, a landmark ballot proposition that was the first in the United States to decriminalize growing of up to 25 marijuana plants for personal use. The outcome put political pressure on local officials to ease marijuana enforcement, solidifying the county's national reputation as a haven for pot growers.
"Well, the voters spoke and they got what they got," Craver said in a telephone interview.
In the upcoming June primary election, the issue will be back before county voters. They'll decide whether to repeal Measure G and direct law enforcement to follow more restrictive state guidelines that limit marijuana growing to medicinal purposes. The state, like the federal government, prohibits marijuana cultivation for personal use.
Craver said he's always opposed marijuana use. But because he's no longer a county resident, Craver said it would presumptuous to take a public stance on the fate of Measure G.
Nonetheless, Craver's pot policies while sheriff and his role in the first Measure G election are figuring prominently as the debate unfolds.
Craver acknowledged that he signed a petition to place Measure G on the ballot, a move widely touted then by marijuana advocates.
He said he later campaigned "vigorously against it."
Despite law enforcement opposition, Craver said voters chose to buy into "the hype that they heard from advocates of the measure."
"They voted for it because what they heard coming from the opposition sounded like something out of 'Reefer Madness,' " he said, referring to a 1936 film that exaggerated the risks of marijuana.
After Measure G passed, Craver and the late District Attorney Norm Vroman modeled their medical marijuana policies on it as well. They were widely lauded by medical marijuana advocates for their decision to implement the first county medical marijuana identity card program in the state for users and growers.
Craver later became honorary chairman of an activist-organized Mendocino Medical Marijuana Advisory Board. He remains so even though he now lives out of state.
Craver said he will continue to "allow my name to stand on the board and act as a consultant" despite the growing controversy over marijuana cultivation since Measure G's passage.
Pebbles Trippet, chairwoman of the advisory panel, did not return phone calls over a week requesting comment.
Craver said he has no problem furthering the board's stated goals of seeking "middle ground, win-win solutions to a serious and growing problem."
Craver said he's been assured by board members that his name "will not be used to influence the electorate either way on this issue."
Sheriff Tom Allman, Craver's successor, said he doesn't intend to take a position in the current Measure G debate.
"That's for the voters to decide," Allman said.
Friday, February 15, 2008
7 arrests, 5,000 pot plants in second raid
By BEN BROWN/The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 02/15/2008 09:09:38 AM PST
Seven people were arrested and more than 5,000 marijuana plants seized in Dos Rios Wednesday in an early morning raid by local, state and federal law enforcement officers.
Law enforcement officers served a search warrant on a remote ranch near the Eight Mile Bridge in Dos Rios at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday and seized 5,275 plants, ranging from seedlings to full-grown budding plants, as well as 100 pounds of processed marijuana, $20,000 in cash, two handguns and five rifles.
Officers also arrested: Kite Isaac Finds the Feather, 29, and Amanda Lee Wood, 28, both of Dos Rios, on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and child endangerment.
When officers arrived on scene to serve the search warrant, the suspects fled in a Jeep down a dirt track toward the Eel River, taking three children, ages 6, 5 and 2 years old, with them.
After the subjects were arrested, the children were turned over to Child Protective Services as per the drug endangered children protocol.
Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Lt. Rusty Noe said it was not clear whose children the kids were; Wood and Finds the Feather were living together in Dos Rios.
Officers were led to the ranch through investigation into a separate case by the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team and the Drug Enforcement Agency, which is ongoing.
"This was a spin off of that," Noe said.
COMMET, assisted by DEA agents, officers from the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement and
deputies from the Sonoma County Marijuana Eradication Team, served the search warrant.
After the suspects were arrested, officers searched the ranch and found an extensive marijuana growing operation, Noe said.
Two structures on the property were being used to grow marijuana, according to sheriff's reports. One was a barn that had been converted into a grow room; the other was a starter room and processing shed.
The starter room contained 271 grow lights run by a 400-kilowatt generator. Noe said the generator was three or four times the size of a car.
"It was one of the most extensive grows I've ever seen," he said.
Officers also found a second 350-kilowatt generator at the ranch as well as 25 gallons of waste oil and a large plastic tank containing fuel for both generators. Officers called the Mendocino County Department of Public Health to investigate any possible environmental hazard.
When officers were leaving the scene, a Mendocino County sheriff's deputy saw a man walking on Highway 162 one mile from the scene and questioned him.
The man, Romero Juan Agudo, 24, was one of the people who had fled the house. Agudo told deputies that he was one of seven men living on the property who had been working in the marijuana garden, according to sheriff's reports.
On Thursday morning, sheriff's deputies arrested four more men who are alleged to have been part of the operation. One of the suspects, who had left his wallet at the scene, was identified as Antonio Alfonso Agudo, 21; the other men have not been identified.
All five men were arrested on suspicion of marijuana cultivation and were booked into the Mendocino County Jail on no-bail immigration holds. Noe said it is not uncommon to find illegal immigrants working in illegal marijuana gardens.
Wood and Finds the Feather were booked into jail and are being held on $500,000 bonds each.
Others facing marijuana charges
Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 02/15/2008 09:09:40 AM PST
The Daily Journal
Two Branscomb residents were arrested on marijuana charges after a search of their house Tuesday revealed 50 pounds of marijuana and more than 700 marijuana plants.
According to reports from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, deputies with the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team, assisted by the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, served a search warrant on 2001 Branscomb Road at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
During the search, officers found 721 marijuana plants in the house as well as 50 pounds of processed marijuana. Officers also seized eight firearms and $70,000 in cash.
Officers identified Michael Campbell and Rebecca Campbell, both 53 of Branscomb, as suspects, and charges of cultivation of marijuana for sale and possession of marijuana for sale have been filed against them with the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office.
They were not arrested.
Later on Tuesday, a traffic stop on Highway 1 led sheriff's deputies to more than 9 pounds of marijuana.
According to sheriff's reports, Seneca John Bertovich, 27, of Fort Bragg, was stopped on Highway 1 near Fort Bragg for alleged reckless driving at 11:20 p.m. Tuesday.
Sheriff's deputies arrested Bertovich on reckless driving charges and searched his car, coming up with 9.36 pounds of processed marijuana, according to sheriff's reports.
Bertovich was further arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana and transportation of marijuana for sale and was booked into the Mendocino County Jail on a $25,000 bond.
BREAKING NEWS: Drug raid reveals police impersonations
By K.C. MEADOWS The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 02/14/2008 11:32:47 AM PST
The county's drug task force served a search warrant at a home on Ruddick-Cunningham Road expecting to find methamphetamine and marijuana and found not only the drugs but evidence of a drug thieving operation which includes costumes with which the thieves are impersonating drug enforcement officers.
A black ball cap and bulletproof vest labeled "POLICE" and "NARCOTICS" along with handcuffs, a badge, holsters, hoods and a pair of black tactical pants were among the items seized from the three-bedroom home where two arrests were made.
Veronica Vega Sandoval and Juan Carlos Garcia Arreguin, both 35, were arrested at the scene. A person who lived at the house is being sought by police.
Children living in the home were at school at the time of the arrests.
Officers, with the help of the Task Force drug search dog found more than one quarter ounce of suspected methamphetamine in the house as well as two one-pound bags of trimmed marijuana buds and an estimated 10-pounds of untrimmed marijuana filling a blue plastic tub, approximately 20 gallons in size. Officers also seized a rifle.
According to Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force Commander Bob Nishiyama, the police-style costume is the same as one found in at least one other drug raid, and investigators believe it is linked to numerous home invasion robberies involving marijuana including several in Boonville and the most recent on Cow Mountain in December.
Nishiyama said these robberies are becoming more common.
He said people involved in drugs have found it is easier to steal marijuana than grow it themselves.
"They'd find who was finished harvesting, who had the bulk marijuana, and rob them," Nishiyama said. He said he believed there were many more home invasions of drugs than were reported, especially among victims who are Hispanic and don't feel comfortable contacting law enforcement.
Mendocino County Sheriff's Det. Sgt. Greg Van Patten, on hand with other sheriff's deputies to assist at the scene, said the impersonation of officers is particularly disturbing.
"Not only do the victims think it was us, but when we go on our lawful seizures, will people think they're being robbed?" he said.
The scene outside the home - which investigators say was a Section 8 HUD rental for low income residents - was littered with pieces of equipment, car parts, at least five vehicles, two boats, a horse trailer, trampoline, children's bicycles and go-carts, all in varying states of repair.
Also on the property were a flock of hens, several geese and at least two suspected cock-fighting roosters. The house was equipped with a security camera.
Pot growers are sellers
Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 02/14/2008 08:59:32 AM PST
To the Editor:
Well it appears we're hearing again from the pro marijuana people. They're telling us that there is nothing wrong with pot; it's just some of the people who grow it. I keep hearing about these alleged "good pot growers" that stay within the number of plants and don't sell any. I've never met a single grower in my 21 years in this county that didn't sell what they grew. In my opinion, a "good person" who really needed THC, would take one look at the damage being done to our schools, our county and to our nation by those in the pot industry, and switch to the pill form of THC. Americans have the right to try to change the laws if they don't like them, but the also have the obligation to obey the laws till they are changed.
Frankly I seriously wonder about the priorities of all these people that say with their actions, "The heck with all the people that are hurt by uncontrolled pot growing, I want my medicine (my money)."
The pro pot people are also saying again that it should be legalized and taxed. It's illegal to sell pot at all. And most of the billions per year that come into this county from these illegal pot sales, come directly from the pockets of kids. I would venture to say, that today, I could go to any High School or Junior High School in this nation and buy as much pot as I wanted. All these growers are making sure that this remains profitably true.
Now we have some good hearted and well-intended people that want to make our county laws as strict as the state regulations for med pot. I know two things are true. 1.) Pot smoke is far more carcinogenic than medicinal, and 2.) The people who grow pot have never obeyed any poorly enforced laws or regulations at all since the beginning. The problem here isn't one of insufficient laws, the problem is in our policies behind law enforcement. Recently, former Mendocino County Sheriff Tony Craver came out of retirement just long enough to state in a letter to the editor, just how innocent from the problems that pot has created he and former District Attorney Norm Vroman are and that he believes that the pot situation in Mendocino County is out of control.
No comment!
The growers and the pro-pot people want the rest of us to believe that the "War On Drugs" is lost. The truth is that this isn't just a war on drugs; this is a war against crime. As long as there are people out there that cut corners, break laws and hurt others to get ahead, we need to maintain a campaign against them. We have been fighting the war against murder since the dawn of civilization. Have we done away with murder? No! Should we give up the campaign against murder? No! Should we give up our on going fight against rape, bank robbery or child molestation just cause they're still around? No! We need to stop listening to the propaganda put out by drug dealers and start prioritizing the rights of the good citizens that work hard for society and not just criminally for themselves.
Marc Parsley
Willits
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Urgent appeal for help
Measure B won't happen by itself.
We need your help now.
Ballots will be mailed to voters in only 98 days!
Volunteers are needed to set up local committees in outlying towns, to make phone calls, to distribute signs, to set up speaking engagements, and all the other tasks of a county wide electoral effort.
WE NEED MONEY NOW to pay for a mass mailer to alert voters to what Measure B is about, why it should pass, and to invite them to contribute financially to the rest of the campaign. The cost of this initial mailer is projected at $7,000!
Please mail all contributions to:
Yes on B Coalition
759 S. State Street #114
Ukiah, CA 95482
*note*
All contributions of $99 or less are confidential.
Checks for $100 or more will be listed on our campaign finance reports, and donors must state occupation and employer.
Thanks for your support!
please email yesonb@yahoo.com if you have any questions
Mendocino County News - NEW June 2008 Ballot Measure - Measure B
Restore Mendocino/Repeal G Coalition is now Yes on B Coalition
On January 22 the group concerned about the impact of commercial marijuana cultivation on Mendocino County changed its name to "Yes on B Coalition."
This conforms to state requirements for the name of a committee that seeks to pass a ballot measure.
The measure that has been placed on the ballot by the Board of Supervisors is called "Measure B."
A Yes On B vote in June, will make Mendocino County's medical marijuana limit the same as the general California statewide limit - (6 mature plants)
Measure B will also repeal Measure G that was passed in 2000 which attempted to prevent any law enforcement action against less than 25 plants.
Duane Wells, former county assessor, was elected as chairman of the Yes on B Coalition. A co-chair from the coast may be added soon. James Sligh, a certified public accountant from Ukiah, was elected treasurer. A 12-person steering committee was installed that will be augmented by new members from outlying areas of the county.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Marijuana grows take toll on local environment
By ZACK SAMPSEL The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 02/06/2008 08:33:30 AM PST
Marijuana cultivation is much more than just a stink in the air, and Jim Harrison, Hazardous Materials specialist with the Mendocino County Department of Environmental Health, is prepared to prove it tonight.
"I think that everybody has been lulled into the untruth that the marijuana world is a fuzzy, mom-and-pop world that would ease ill people's pain," Harrison said. "It's basically a non-narcotic remedy to a painful situation, but in reality it's a commercial endeavor. The people doing this endeavor are ruthless and have no ownership in our environment and neighborhood."
At tonight's meeting of the Ukiah City Council (6 p.m., 300 Seminary Ave.) Harrison, a Hazmat specialist for 12 years, will make a presentation of the environmental effects of commercial marijuana growing in Mendocino County. The presentation will begin shortly after 6 p.m. following the roll call and Pledge of Allegiance.
Harrison said the public would learn an awareness about what is going on in the county with commercial marijuana growing -- both indoors and out. He said he would use photos to explain how the mishandling of water, fuel, pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers could lead to future problems.
"It's about an awareness of what's going on in the county," he said. "I feel some of the problem is in the mishandling of hazardous waste and material like diesel fuel and oil."
In other marijuana-related business, the council will discuss whether or not to take a position on Measure B,
which will be on the June 3 ballot. Measure B, which made the ballot following the Jan. 8 meeting of the Board of Supervisors, would repeal Measure G and adopt the minimum state limits for medical marijuana. The state limits allow six mature plants per medical marijuana patient or a greater amount if recommended by the patient's physician.
Measure G, adopted by voters in 2000, has provided protection for anyone growing 25 or fewer plants. Critics of Measure G contend that 25 plants is a commercial growing operation and that the high plant count per patient has created a permissive atmosphere that has encouraged commercial growing in Mendocino County.
During its special meeting in January, the council previously supported placing the repeal of Measure G as well as adoption of the state limits on the ballot, and it is expected the council will support Measure B.
To view a complete agenda or to read the staff reports, visit the Civic Center, 300 Seminary Ave., or on the Internet at http://www.cityofukiah.com.
Zack Sampsel can be reached at udjzs@pacific.net.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The future to the stoners?
Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 02/05/2008 08:30:07 AM PST
The future to the stoners?
To the Editor:
I read on the front page of the Sunday paper that local businesses don't notice the recession. Well "Duh." So many of Mendocino County residents are growing and selling pot! And most of those people are shopping locally. So we have a whole county partially funded with illegal money. I am sure if pot was not legal, as the rest of the country, we would see the recession. I'm unsure if this is a bad thing or good thing. I myself do not use pot. If you're dying, use whatever you can. If you have a headache take an aspirin. I pray as my kids grow they don't get wrapped up in the whole system of things. How sad: The future of Mendocino County goes to the stoners!
Tiffany Martin-Williams
Ukiah
