Measure B wins a victory over out-of-county marijuana lobby

In Our Opinion

Now that the June 3 election results are final we want to thank all the voters and committed volunteers who voted to pass Measure B to help this county restore safe communities and an economic future by pushing back on the commercial marijuana industry here.

On Friday, CalNORML sent out a press release claiming that the marijuana industry's loss on Measure B was still a "moral victory" for marijuana growers.

We beg to differ.

While 52 percent "Yes on B" majority to turn around Mendocino County's marijana policy is a great result, we feel it's important to have it on the record that our community was able to do this despite the outrageous activities of the opponents.

The most visible manifestation of the underhanded practices was theft and vandalism of at least 400 Yes on B campaign signs--a supression of election free speech that's unprecedented in the recent history of Mendocino County.

Financed by large contributions by the out-of-county marijuana lobby, the No Campaign also set out to change the composition of Mendocino County's electorate. Paid employees were hired to find and register the mostly young seasonal work forced associated with the marijuana industry as trimmers, growers or drivers.

The Yes on B Coalition estimates that about 1,400 new voter registrations were generated by the opposition in this way, and the new registrations show a pattern of registration law violations. The records at the county election office show new voters who haven't yet reached the minimum age of 18, voters who registered at non-existent addresses, or voters who put down the No on B mail drop address as their residence. These transients have no interest in our community except to try to keep it as a drug haven, and none of them are likely to ever vote here again.

To further their all-out campaign, the marijuana industry spent tens of thousands of dollars on mailers and radio to spread falsehoods about Measure B. Sincere people can disagree, perhaps, about the No on B claim that Measure B will "criminalize" sick medical marijuana patients and "deny their medicine," but no one can claim that the six phony slate mailer put out on behalf of No on B were anything except lies.

These slate mailers were deliberately designed to deceive voters into believing that law enforcement, the Republican Party, and the Democratic Party all endorsed "No" on B, when the truth is that every law enforcement leader or organization endorsed "Yes," as did the local Republican Party, while the local Democratic Party took no position.

According to campaign disclosure statemens, NORML put $13,800 into the No campaign plus a personal contribution of $11,413 from NORML's California director, Dale Gierenger of Berkeley. (This doesn't include the thousands spent on the phony slate mailers which No on B is pretending it knows nothing about and may never be traced, in clear violation of election laws.)

A moral victory?

We believe the moral victory lies with the citizens of Mendocno County, who successfully resisted the lies and the money of the "no-limits" out-of-county marijuana industry and took a courageous stand to take back Mendocino County.

(Editorial by Ukiah Daily Journal June 22, 2008)

In our opinion - Vote YES on Measure B- Yes on Mendocino County

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff

Article Last Updated: 06/02/2008 08:01:53 AM PDT

Tuesday is the last day voters in Mendocino County will have to cast some very important votes.

In supervisor districts there are numerous candidates on the ballot and opportunity for change in both the 1st and 2nd District races in which we have endorsed Carre Brown and John McCowen respectively.

One of the most important votes on the ballot we believe however, is a Yes vote on Measure B. It is vital, even if you think Measure B will pass, or you have no supervisor race where you live, that you still make sure to use your mail ballot or go to the polls and vote Yes on Measure B. It is vital that we not only pass Measure B but pass it with a margin big enough to send the message that is at the core of Measure B's importance: Mendocino County is no longer a place where greedy pot growers are welcome to come and take advantage of our neighborhoods, our compassion for the truly sick and dying and our desire to live in a safe and generous community.

Measure B does two simple things: it repeals Measure G, the 25 plant per person personal use ordinance that led this county down the path to a commercial marijuana industry most who voted for Measure G had no idea would be the result. All we tried to do was give people an opportunity to grow a few plants in their back yard if they smoked a little dope. But Measure G, combined with new medical marijuana laws giving anyone with a medical marijuana card (now available on practically any street corner) provided a license to grow hundreds and thousands of plants under the guise of "compassionate" caregiving. In fact, however, those growers are selling their pot to the highest bidder and have created a marijuana industry that has brought a horrendous increase in crime and a breakdown of our rural county's security and economic future.

Last minute controversies over court decisions on the state's medical marijuana regulations make passing Measure B that much more critical. We are convinced that the state will prevail in the need to have uniform medical marijuana growing limits and it is important that our own county repeal Measure G now to put aside the idea that 25 plants is some magical number for our citizens. It is a number pulled out of the aIr by the Measure G proponents who admit is was simply the highest number they thought they could get away with.

Down to the very end of this election season we are still hearing the same tired misinformation from No on B:

The Measure B will make "criminals" out of medical marijuana patients. Medical marijuana patients are completely protected by Measure B under state regulations already in place in the majority of other California counties.

That Measure B will impede law enforcement. Over and over the No on B campaign has falsely made this claim even in the face of virtual unity in the law enforcement community that Measure B is an important tool for them to crack down on the commercial marijuana growing masquerading as medical marijuana. In fact, the No on B campaign so blatantly misused Sheriff Allman's comments on marijuana to imply that he opposed Measure B that he decided to endorse Measure B to make it clear that Measure B would in fact be good for law enforcement.

Measure B is simple, logical and necessary.

If you are among those who want our county back, vote Yes on Measure B.

In our opinion - No on B means to mislead & confuse voters

With only one week to go before the June 3 election we want to point out to voters that there’s another misleading mailer going around, this one implying that the Republican Party - and again, Sheriff Allman - is opposed to Measure B.

The mailer, from California Voter Guide - also a misleading title - has “Attention: Republicans” on the front with a big American flag. (Having heard from local Republicans who are astounded at this misinformation, we have tried to get the publishers of this mailer to explain their shenanigans, but they don’t answer the phone nor do they respond to phone messages.)

These so-called “slate mailers” are common at each election. Here’s how they work: They pick a slant, Republicans, Democrats, “COPS” or other groups people identify with or support in large numbers. They put one or two legitimate candidates on for free and then they let any candidate or issue backer buy onto the mailer if they want those groups to vote their way.

In this case, the “Republican” mailer first urges a vote for Jim Pell, the Republican running against Wes Chesbro for the 1^st District Assembly seat. This is the freebie, a name they picked right off the ballot to give the mailer “legitimacy.” Then “No on B” is listed below Pell’s name on this “Republican” listing - or slate of voting recommendations, with the same use of Sheriff Allman’s name that led him to endorse Measure B.

This paid listing is intended to trick Republicans into thinking their party is against Measure B and the Sheriff is against Measure B. No on B denies having anything to do with this mailer and claims a Los Angeles supporter did it as a financial contribution without their knowing. But then they say they don’t know who the LA contributor is.

It’s all meant to mislead and No on B should be ashamed to be a part of it and should be loudly apologizing to the voters.

Ukiah Daily Journal - A-6 – SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2008

Sheriff says "Yes on Mendocino County Measure B"

In our opinion

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff

Article Last Updated: 05/15/2008 08:15:29 AM PDT

Sheriff rightly outraged

It was a difficult decision but we are grateful that Sheriff Tom Allman has decided to endorse Measure B.

Sheriff Allman has spent the controversial campaign trying to be neutral on Measure B but felt he had to come forward and endorse the measure after the No on B campaign printed and sent out a voter mailer which made him a key part of their opposition campaign, deliberately using his photo and statements he has already explained were taken out of context by No on B.

Sheriff Allman was rightly outraged.

The No on B campaign is clearly getting major funding from marijuana advocates outside the county and this week saw the effects of letting out-of-county controllers make the decisions for them.

The No on B campaign on Tuesday first trashed Sheriff Allman for taking a stand and then, realizing their misstep had cost them serious political capital, got their Oakland consultants to accept blame for the mailer "error."

Sheriff Allman has always made it clear that he will continue to make violent crimes, large commercial marijuana grows, methamphetamines and any marijuana crimes that affect the health and safety of our neighborhoods and the environment his priorities.

The No on B campaign has tried to convince voters that Measure B will somehow force law enforcement into chaos.

However, with Sheriff Allman's endorsement Measure B is now endorsed by law enforcement throughout Mendocino County from the DA to sheriff's deputies, to police chiefs and retired rank and file officers both current and retired.

The No on B campaign's other plan of attack is to claim that the truly sick and dying who compassionate voters in Mendocino County still support, will somehow be devastated by Measure B. Instead, scores of physicians in the county have endorsed Measure B as completely adequate to safeguard the needs of legitimate medical marijuana patients, including just this week the Mendocino-Lake Medical Society.

The reason Measure B has the support it does is because it is a reasonable and effective way to say "Enough!" to the commercial marijuana growers who have made our county their playground and are trying still to convince us that we won't be able to survive without them.

But we are convinced that the voters of Mendocino County know better and we need them to vote yes on Measure B in big numbers. This is one time when the margin really counts. We need to send a message to the world that we mean it when we say we want our county back.

In our opinion - Don't let them fool you

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 05/13/2008 08:22:07 AM PDT

Don't let them fool you

And so it begins.

The No on B campaign has sent its first large scale mailer out to voters with just the kind of misinformation we knew was coming.

Basically their message is: the passage of Measure B will prevent the sick and dying from getting their medicine.

The mailer tells five stories of medical marijuana patients or caregivers who, according to No on B, would be made into "criminals' by Measure B.

Not so.

The No on B mailer wants voters to believe that cancer patients and survivors, glaucoma and arthritis suffers and their caregivers will not be able to grow or access medical marijuana.

In fact, Measure B gives this county's medical marijuana patients the very same protections that thousands of medical marijuana patients up and down the state of California also have under state regulations.

That's not enough, says No on B.

However, Measure B also allows under California Health and Safety Code 11362.77:

(b) If a qualified patient or primary caregiver has a doctor's recommendation that this quantity (six mature or 12 immature plants) does not meet the qualified patient's medical needs, the qualified patient or primary caregiver may possess an amount of marijuana consistent with the patient's needs.

In other words, as much as they need.

Ah, says No on B, but doctors won't prescribe more than the six/12-plant limit under state regulations because they fear reprisals from the federal drug enforcement agencies.

That sounds good, but actually the U.S. Supreme Court has let stand a Ninth District federal court ruling which specifically protects physicians from prosecution for recommending medical marijuana.

Measure B is the most sensible and direct way to curtail the excesses of the commercial marijuana industry in this county which has exploded under the guise of "medical" marijuana.

Measure B is not and never has been about the merits of medical marijuana. No on B knows that, but they'd rather use these patients' stories to scare people with compassionate hearts into allowing the no-limits marijuana growing to continue.

Don't let them get away with it. Vote yes on Measure B.

Mendocino County DA says "Measure B will help"

April 19, 2008

At a Measure B forum before the Employers Council of Mendocino County Friday, Mendocino County District Attorney Meredith Lintott (who was in the audience, not part of the forum) said the passage of Measure B "will make my job easier." She said that defense attorneys regularly use Measure G (the 25-plant personal use ordinance that is at the root of all the excesses of the commercial marijuana industry in our county and which Measure B will repeal) as a defense on behalf of large scale marijuana growers. She also said that Measure B will likely help bring more law enforcement funding into the county from grants that we have been unable to tap as long as our laissez faire attitude about commercial growing continued.

The speakers at the forum were Ross Liberty for Yes on B and Laura Hamburg for No on B;. Ms Hamburg, who said she is a personal use gardener, made a couple of No on B's major points that were refuted on the spot by Ms. Lintott and Sheriff Tom Allman, who was also in the audience.
Ms. Hamburg said that among her fears of Measure B's effect is that it would make it too easy for sheriff's deputies to go after the low hanging fruit, the smaller growers like herself (although I don't call the 75 plants Ms. Hamburg claims to be able to grow legally a small grow) the people with more than the 6-plant limit Measure B would allow under the state's regs. Sheriff Allman stood up in the audience and said that simply wasn't going to happen. He said his department does not have that staffing to do more than he has always said he can and will do: go after large grows and go after grows that are causing a health and safety problem (which would include the in-your-face grows popping up in what used to be safe neighborhoods). Although he is maintaining his neutrality on Measure B, he did say it will make his job easier in that he believes a lot of people growing 25 plants now for whatever use, will cut back to six plants voluntarily if the measure passes.

He also said, for the record, that in the past few years (Measure G passed in 2000) a "horrendous number" of outside marijuana growers had flocked to this county. He said that there is "no question" that the marijuana growing in this county had created crime and environmental problems. As he put it, "there is a violence associated with greedy people growing marijuana."

Ms. Hamburg also said that since the county supervisors had already voted to limit the number of plants per parcel to 25, Measure B is now unnecessary. But Ms. Lintott told the audience that she knows defense attorneys are planning to challenge that as an illegal limit - presumably using the same Measure G excuses.

The No on B campaign - ably led by Ms. Hamburg, who is a personable and intelligent speaker - has made a large part of its campaign the claim that Measure B will cripple law enforcement in this county. But now both the DA and the Sheriff say that' not so.

No on B's other big argument is that Measure B will hurt medical marijuana patients. This week a group of 40 local physicians came out in favor of Measure B as protecting medical marijuana patients.

The Yes on B campaign believes that passing Measure B will send an important message to the world that Mendocino County is no longer the place to move to in order to abuse our community and environment for the sake of greed. Sheriff Allman cemented that for me Friday when he told me that he had lunched with Attorney General Jerry Brown on Monday and that Mr. Brown had told him that people throughout California were watching what happens here in Mendocino County on June 3.

Measure B is not anti-pot and it's not about medical marijuana. The vast majority of people supporting Measure B, including myself, believe that people ought to be able to grow and smoke a little pot and that medical marijuana is, in fact, helpful to the truly sick.

But now we feel like dupes for having tried to do something progressive and seeing the hoards arrive to laugh in our faces. We sent the wrong message with Measure G. Now we need to admit it was an experiment that went very wrong and bring some sanity back to our county.

Posted by K.C. at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In our opinion Ukiah City Council should endorse Measure B too

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 04/14/2008 08:44:31 AM PDT

Ukiah City Council should endorse Measure B too

Opponents of Measure B, tacitly acknowledging its popularity with voters, are trying anything they can now to keep it off the June ballot.

Two lawsuits have been filed in an attempt to nitpick the ballot measure's legality, attempts we believe will fail.

These courtroom contests show that the opponents of Measure B - which will repeal Measure G and give Mendocino County medical marijuana patients the medicine they need and protection from prosecution under the state's medical marijuana law - are having a hard time coming up with good reasons why the voters should oppose it unless they agree that uncontrolled commercial marijuana growing is a good thing.

They also can't find any good reason why the voters shouldn't be given a chance to change their minds, eight years after Measure G was passed, about an experiment in marijuana decriminalization that has gone very wrong.

All Measure G, passed in the year 2000, has done is serve as a magnet for marijuana growers and dealers from all over the country to our rural county to grow as much pot as they can and cash in.

That is why the city councils of Fort Bragg and Willits have whole heartedly endorsed Measure B. They have seen the problems in local neighborhoods where home invasions are on the rise, and they see too many armed camps with vicious dogs springing up where quiet, safe rural neighborhoods used to exist.

We hope the Ukiah City Council - whose members have unanimously endorsed Measure B individually - will also vote as a group this week to make it clear that they too are fed up with the excesses of Measure G.

Don't let the opponents of Measure B fool you. This is not and never has been about medical marijuana. Measure B supporters are compassionate people. They just want their county back.

Meth-pot link interesting

To the Editor:

I would like to thank the female (recently released from county jail) panel member who honestly answered the question asked by KZYX Access Program radio host, Norman DeVall in a live interview on March 7, with Sheriff Tom Allman.

In response to a caller’s statement that “marijuana funds meth labs,” DeVall asked Sheriff Allman “have you found an interconnectedness?”

The female panel member spoke up and said, “the connections I’ve seen with methamphetamine and marijuana is about five years ago or so I was doing runs down to the city with pounds of weed to trade straight across for methamphetamine that I was bringing back, so to say ‘yes’ it does fund some of the methamphetamines that are coming into this county. Because to trade straight across I mean, we’re bringing huge amounts back for no cash. We are just growing weed and trading it.” Allman clarified, “I understand that, now you’re not talking about trading a pound of green for a pound of white?”

Another inmate panel member answers “No way.”

Female panel member “no, it’s equaled out though, to the cash value.”

I find it very telling that the female panel member is stating that she “transported marijuana to the city to trade” as opposed to just trading marijuana for methamphetamine within our county. This leads me to the conclusion that “for profit” marijuana growers are producing huge quantities of marijuana “to trade” for methamphetamine, which is “allegedly” the greatest concern in Mendocino County.

When we open the door to “commercial” marijuana growing we are not choosing marijuana over methamphetamine -- we are choosing both.

E. Koski
Redwood Valley

http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/frontpage
March 17th, 2008

Isn't Measure G already illegal?

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 03/03/2008 08:55:00 AM PST

To the Editor:

Hasn't our constitutional right to petition been denied by the clerk recorder being told not to count the the petition signatures of a petition?

If it is unconstitutional for the supervisors to direct law enforcement to raise priority of the enforcement of a law, would it not seem reasonable that it is unconstitutional for that same body to tell law enforcement to lower priority enforcement of that same law or not enforce state or federal law? Therefore, it seems Measure G would be invalid also.

How do you tax something that is illegal to sell under current law?

SB420 describes what a primary caregiver is, and under sec11366 and 11366.5 seems to make a dispensary illegal under current law.

I personally believe in compassionate use, and that legalization and taxation, much like alcohol is a better way than what is happening now.

If my interpretation of the Constitution or the letter of the law is flawed, please inform me as I am willing to learn.

Bill Nash
Redwood Valley

From Yes On B Coalition:
For more info read the FULL Text of Measure G
&
Scroll to bottom of blog to read FULL text of Measure B

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

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