Owner of L.A. marijuana dispensaries arrested - Raid sparked by death of driver, paralyzation of CHP officer.

By Scott Glover, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
1:23 PM PDT, May 27, 2008

The owner of six Los Angeles-area medical marijuana dispensaries and his wife were arrested by federal agents early today following an investigation sparked by a traffic accident in which a man allegedly high on one of the dispensaries' products plowed into a parked car on the shoulder of the 101 Freeway, killing the driver of the vehicle and paralyzing a CHP officer.

Virgil and Psytra Grant, the proprietors of the clinics, are facing a host of federal charges, including operating dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools and churches. The pair are expected to appear before a judge later this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. Authorities are seeking a third defendant, who allegedly sold a pound of marijuana out of the back door of one of the clinics.

scott.glover@latimes.com

We don't have 56 doctors endorsing "Yes on B" - We don't have 72 either.

The correct number is 80

Our direct mail, newspaper and radio advertising have used different numbers to report how many local doctors have endorsed Measure B. The reason for the difference is that we keep getting more endorsements. The medical community is closing ranks to answer claims made by opponents that passage of Measure B would somehow interfere with the legitimate use of medical marijuana by real patients who need it. As Dr. Robert Werra says in his radio spot: "I work as a hospice medical director. The opponents to Measure B are telling us that we have to put up with all the harmful impacts of unlimited marijuana production or else sick patients won't be able to get the medical marijuana they need. "I want you to know this is untrue. In California, any patient is allowed all the medical marijuana their doctor recommends. The medical community is very unhappy with the fraudulent misuse of the compassionate medical marijuana program as a front for the rampant commercial growing of marijuana for profit. That's why 72 Mendocino County physicians have joined me in endorsing Measure B on the June ballot. "Please join us in voting Yes on B to restore some honesty to the compassionate medical marijuana program. Vote Yes on B."

Here's the list of doctors who endorse Measure B as of May 23. Thanks to all of them for coming forward to speak out on this important issue.

Jorge Allende MD
Bruce Andich MD
Margaret Arner MD
Aldis Baltins MD
Randall Bivens MD
Robert Blackwelder MD
Walter Bortz MD
Kristin Bradford MD
Sandy Brown MD
Fredrick Burris MD
Patty Cabaniss MD
Brian Cable MD
Robert Calson MD
Michael Carnevale MD
Theron Chan MD
Lynn Coen MD
Andrew Coren MD
Pablo G Cortina MD
Donald Coursey MD
David DeBooy MD
Gary DeCrona MD
Jordan De-Paz MD
C Evans MD
Larry Falk MD
Gary Fausone MD
Bob Gitlin MD
John Glyer MD
Sam Goldberg MD
Herschel Gordon MD
Monita Green MD
Richard Guthrie MD
Iyad Hanna MD
Ziad Hanna DO
Brian Hanson MD
Russell Hardy MD
Laurence Hartley MD
Carl Henning MD
Kenneth Hoek MD
Chris Ives MD
Paul F. Jepson MD
Jay Joseph MD
Tanya Kalmar MD
Thomas Kilkenny MD
Jonathan Kreger DPM
Trieneke Kylstra MD
Bernard Lemke MD
Rick Lodge MD
Mark Luoto MD
Paul MacDonald MD
Norma Marks MD
Jack Mason MD
Angus Matheson MD
Harry Matossian MD

Sidney Maurer MD
Richard McClintock MD
Dale Morrison MD
Jon Portnoff MD
James Pretorius MD
Geoffrey Rice MD
John Rochat MD
Glen Rogers MD
Robert Rushton MD
B Sheppard MD
Philip Smith MD
Laurie Spence MD
Joseph Stetz MD
Philip Tamanaha MD
Guy Teran MD
Jonathan Travis MD
Jason Trent MD
Marvin Trotter MD
Vincent Valente MD
Jens Vinding MD
Robert Werra MD
Kirsten Whelan MD
John Williams MD
Laura Winkle MD
Steve Wirth MD
Randall Woesner MD
Ronald T. Zimmerman MD

Supports Measure B - Vote YES on B

Vote YES on Measure B

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff

Article Last Updated: 05/26/2008 08:35 AM PDT

To the Editor:

The pot growers who have been referred to as a "new cottage industry," have -- and are doing a very serious irreparable damage to our environment by destroying, fisheries, pollution beyond description in processing of marijuana and meth. This does not take into account the huge irreparable damage to our children of our area who are exposed to these drugs.

Politically, the Green Party immediately went to court to stop the people from even voting on this issue. This is pure socialism, when the leaders (Johnson and Hamburg) "know what is best." Their stance is that they have to "protect" the Green Party of this equation (not the same as "green" referring to protecting the environment), which is the tremendous revenues that are generated when there are no taxes and no rules.

It is impossible for me to explain how serious I think this situation is that these people want to deny me my right to vote. This is the mentality that we see in the "No on B" campaign.

You can see this same mentality when you see the "Vote Yes on B" signs being destroyed by these same people.

Gil Mossi
Ukiah

To the Editor:

Have you noticed the missing and defaced "Yes On B" signs? It seems the "pro-grow" folks don't believe in the First Amendment either. This is not an official number, but I am led to believe over 15 percent of signs have been stolen or defaced. To do so is a criminal act. But if you live a life of crime, I guess another misdemeanor doesn't mean much. I reference "life of crime" in the context of selling excess pot grown under the guise of medical marijuana. The hoax continues! It is a well known fact that Mendocino County has many individuals that don't abide by the laws as they pertain to medical marijuana cultivation and use.

Dennis Smart
Ukiah

NOTE: from YES on Measure B - The total signs taken to date is well over 360 - which is more than 50% of the Yes on B signs that were distributed - an unprecedented attack on free speech in Mendocino County.

To the Editor:

I find it less than useful for someone to appeal to the public about their friends when supporting the defeat of Proposition B, I don't think any of us have friends next door that are being arrested for growing marijuana. A perfect example is the warehouse that was discovered where commercial marijuana was being grown. The reason, the growers gave is they wanted to get out of debt. Wow, isn't that a great benefit to the rest of us? Someone is found to be illegally searched and seized because there were a whole bunch of marijuana cards that supported the growth of marijuana on the property. Boy, am I convinced it is all innocent.

The voters of Mendocino County knew, a little late, that they had been convinced growing marijuana for your own use for camouflaging whatever problems you had was so wonderful and sensitive a thing to do they passed a law making it legal. Doesn't matter that the Federal law was slapped in the face it was for the sick people and they did a good thing. They then realized they had been hornswaggled and decided it was not a good thing. They got more than enough support to put Measure B on the ballot to vote back to the State level. Never mind that the State also slapped the Federal law in the face when it decided to let doctors prescribe it.

It was, I would hope, not the intention of the legislators that doctors became a joke and wrote anyone a prescription for any complaint. It is a reflection if how deeply marijuana has reached

into our society. I am not offended by anyone that wants to use it but they should do it honestly. They should not attempt to slip one' by everyone that doesn't care to use it with "sensitive, compassion, caring, understanding" Mists of Avalon and goofy things that are, at best, huckster material. Smokers of marijuana are not closet' smokers. I have friends that use it and I love them no less than my friends that do not. I can honestly say I don't smoke it but I have inhaled. I have never said to them, "I would rather that you didn't" because it is none of my business. I don't smoke, except for a cigar once in a while, and I used to smoke a pack or more a day. I quit in 1969 and haven't picked up a cigarette since but I am not a rude person so I walk away from smoke if it bothers me. I never challenge a smoker because it is none of my business. The only thing I challenge is subterfuge and misleading methods to gain anything.

Chas Moser
Ukiah

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

Weed: The glory and the wonder

Seems like every last person in Mendopecino County has an opinion about marijuana, and that every last one of them wants me to write it for them. Some folks want me to endorse converting Masonite into a hemp processing facility and some want me to take a strong, passionate stand on Measure B, and they all want to know why I don’t write more about pot. Because everyone else does, that’s why.

That said, here are a few weed-related observations: What’s so swell about marijuana anyway? Supposed “medicinal” properties aside, how does it benefit the user? Does smoking pot make a person smarter or sharper or help furnish greater insights into his or her life? What evidence is there that marijuana is anything other than a stupefying soporific that induces lethargy and saps motivation?

I can think of dozens of writers and scores of books that have been fueled by alcohol, and these would include some of the greatest writers and best books ever written. Faulkner, Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, Dylan Thomas, Hunter Thompson – all brilliant writers and all famously hard drinkers. Now show me the towering accomplishments of potheads. List the books and poems and paintings that have arisen from the vision and the diligence produced by marijuana use. I predict your list will be both short in length and thin in quality. I will grant you that pot has inspired some musical innovations, but I think both of them were used up and discarded by Pink Floyd 35 years ago.

* * *

Where O Where is our local Robin Hood? Who amongst the Mendocino Marijuana Bandito Brigade is giving to the poor? Who, in this entire dope industry, is doing a single thing to help the sick or cure the lame or assist anyone suffering anywhere from any of the usual human miseries? Where can we look to see the glorious benefits that our magnanimous pot barons are bestowing upon the community? You plantation masters who spend your winters in Hawaii and have second homes in Bali – can you tell us what you have given back to the community that enables you to live in such fine and regal fashion?

We review U.S. history and see the trail other tycoons blazed: Carnegie public libraries all across the land (including Willits and Ukiah) from a Pennsylvania steel industry captain; John D. Rockefeller put many billions of dollars into medical facilities and colleges; Bill Gates donates to world health and education. No one is asking the Laytonville Cartel to contribute at so grand a scale. But would some financial help with salmon restoration projects, or money to paint a local church exceed the scope of what’s possible for drug lords who bring in millions of dollars a year and pay no taxes?

* * *

My nomination for First Family of Mendouana County has to be the Keegans. Susan Keegan heads the American Cancer Society office in Ukiah and thus part of her job is to emphasize that “smoking-cigarettes-is bad.” She pitches the hard line: inhaling burning tobacco fumes will kill you, your pets, everyone in your family and all the actors on the TV shows you watch. Then there’s her husband, Peter, one of the most vocal and well-credentialed zealots on behalf of the pro-marijuana junta. He’s here to tell you, as a medical doctor no less, that there are few things in this sweet land of ours more beneficial than inhaling burning marijuana fumes. Peter’s of the opinion smoking marijuana makes you smarter and cooler and healthier. He also thinks pot cures heart attacks, broken bones and blindness.

(Confession: I’m exaggerating a little bit here. Dr. K doesn’t really believe smoking pot will heal cavities or bullet wounds to the chest suffered in a home-invasion robbery of a pot grower by six masked and armed patients from Vallejo in need of medicine.)

I don’t know how much difference there is between smoking tobacco and smoking marijuana, but the Keegans appear to believe it is enormous – you can bet your life on it.

Tommy Wayne Kramer is a longtime Ukiah resident;
Tom Hine voted No on Measure B for reasons he really doesn’t want to talk about.

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

No on B backed by NORML money - Pot advocates contribute to Mendocino County campaign

By MIKE GENIELLA

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Friday, May 23, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, May 23, 2008 at 6:08 a.m.

UKIAH -- A surge in cash contributions from Bay Area marijuana advocates has narrowed the money gap in a hard-fought campaign over Mendocino County's liberalized pot guidelines.

Repeal proponents under the banner of "Yes on Measure B" had a nearly 5-1 spending edge in the early weeks of a campaign aimed at ending the county's national reputation as a haven for marijuana growers.

But a total of $26,900 in new contributions, including an $11,413 personal loan from the director of the San Francisco office of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (known as NORML), has closed the gap for opponents of Measure B.

"We're struggling to keep up, but we're finding growing support in the final days," said Laura Hamburg, organizer of the "No on Measure B" campaign.

So far the No campaign has raised about $33,000, compared with a total of about $40,000 raised by the Yes group, according to financial documents filed Thursday by both campaigns.

Yes chairman Ross Liberty, a Ukiah businessman, said he personally has made $10,000 in cash and "in-kind" contributions in efforts to replace the county's current guidelines with a more restrictive state standard.

Liberty said another major contributor has been businessman Ron McGeehee, who put up $5,000. Supporters of Measure B, who are rallying behind the slogan "Take Back Our County," include business leaders, law enforcement agencies, city and county officials, school administrators and even some former advocates of the county's liberal guidelines.

Adopted by voters in 2000 by a 58 percent-42 percent margin, current guidelines allow individuals to possess up to 25 plants or 2 pounds of processed marijuana. Federal law doesn't recognize the local standards, but state and local law enforcement agencies do.

Since 2000, however, some county residents have grown angry over surging marijuana production and related crimes and environmental damage.

Critics of Measure B argue that it unfairly targets small growers and medical marijuana users, and provides no real ammunition for local law enforcement to go after large commercial-growing operations.

The No on Measure B campaign is being largely underwritten by NORML, and its executive director, Dale Geiringer. NORML has pumped in $12,000 in cash, while Geiringer has made a personal loan of $11,413. In addition, Geiringer recently made a $500 cash contribution.

Geiringer said his organization supports "sensible regulations to address the problems of illicit growing in Mendocino."

"But we oppose the meat-ax approach of Measure B," said Geiringer in a statement.

You can reach Staff Writer Mike Geniella at 462-6470 or mgeniella@pressdemocrat.com.

Supports Measure B - Vote YES on B

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff

Article Last Updated: 05/23/2008 08:26:01 AM PDT

To the Editor:

I am not a doctor, but you can add my name to the people who don't believe in the medical value of marijuana. But, I have seen people that needed bubble gum to survive.

For this reason, I voted for and still support the idea that some people have a personal need for marijuana.

But, and this is a big "But," I did not vote for what has become a very ugly serious problem.

Everything about this situation is ugly. We, the people of Mendocino County, have lost our standing in the law. You have not seen -- nor will you see -- any jury conviction for pot growing unless there is a drastic change in the laws. And that is the reason we have to vote "Yes on B"

I want to thank our Sheriff and the Ukiah Chief of Police for the recent inroads on this problem, but, unless we give them the laws to protect us, their hands are tied. Because both the Federal and State have stopped funding these departments, and there is such a tremendous amount of money in the drug culture, that they could easily bankrupt this county. This is the reason for the "Save the Mendocino County" campaign.

If we don't aggressively protect what we have, we will lose it.

Protect your neighbors and yourself by voting "Yes" on B

Mark Grover
Ukiah

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff

Article Last Updated: 05/23/2008 08:26:03 AM PDT

To the Editor:

In a letter published in the May 18 edition of the Ukiah Daily Journal, Gary T. Moraga states that "we have Prop. B placed on the ballot at the urging of a handful of ultra conservatives" I am one of those folks who passionately support the placement of Measure B on the June ballot. Indeed, I cannot wait to cast my vote. But what I'd like the opponents of Measure B to understand is that I am not an ultra conservative. What I am is a fourth generation Mendocino County resident -- a lifelong Democrat. I have supported and volunteered for Senator Boxer's and Feinstein's campaigns, donated to Hillary Clinton's campaign, volunteered for Planned Parenthood. I have demonstrated against the war in Iraq. I would pay higher taxes to fund programs in our schools. I voted for Proposition 215 in 1996. But guess what? Like most Mendocino County residents, I am dismayed by where Proposition 215, SB 420, and Measure G have left us. The bottom line is, my "neighbors" are armed and growing hundreds of marijuana plants, and because of that, my kids can't explore and play in the same woods in which I spent my childhood. And sadly, my situation is not the exception -- it is the reality for many, many residents across the County.

I'd love to invite our state's legislative representatives and opponents of Measure B to sit on my deck during an evening in August (and take a deep whiff while doing so). I'd like them to walk my property line with my kids. I'm certain that we'd agree on two things: 1) that we will continue to support medical marijuana for those in true need, but 2) we require a different, common-sense solution for providing those in need with access to their medicine.

This is why bleeding-heart liberals like me support Measure B.

Jennifer Schuster
Willits

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff

Article Last Updated: 05/20/2008 08:10:18 AM PDT

To the Editor:

Having long supported the decriminalization of pot use and growing, I am very frustrated with the anti-social outcome of Measure G. My past liberal support of legalized pot use has backfired and now our county and communities are dominated by commercial pot growing. Many people are moving to Mendocino County to grow dope. Criminal organizations are moving in. Public land is abused. Natural habitat is destroyed. Wildlife killed. Streams dewatered. And ironically many members of our community depend on the money from dope growers to make a living, with some politicians influenced by pot money. This has tended to promote hypocrisy amongst us. The State law allowing six pot plants per person with a medical need is more than sufficient. Six plants is a lot of dope. Almost anyone can obtain a medical marijuana card. Mendocino County should not be at a higher level of allowed possession of marijuana compared to other counties. A higher legal tolerance level of pot possession attracts more dope growers and associated crime, and undermines that moral of law enforcement, with ever greater commercial operations and criminal activity. It is an explosive situation. Let's get back to normal, to the State standards of medical marijuana provision and possession, and vote yes on Measure B.

Bob Whitney
Willits

Don't be fooled by: Mailer to Republicans urging No on B' a mystery

By BEN BROWN The Daily Journal

Article Last Updated: 05/23/2008 08:25:53 AM PDT

A political mailer sent out earlier this month marked to the attention of Republicans contains an endorsement for No on B, but neither local Republicans nor the No on B Campaign appear to have heard of it.

Margie Handley, 3rd District representative for the Mendocino Republican Committee, said they haven't. At least, not locally.

"I know the central committee has endorsed Measure B," she said.

The mailer contains ads for Mendocino County's Measure B, as well as two statewide ballot measures, Propositions 98 and 99, and for 1st District state Assembly candidate Jim Pell.

Several people in the county have expressed confusion as to why Republicans would be against Measure B.

Laura Hamburg, spokeswoman for the No on B campaign, said the ad did not come from the campaign and that she had not yet seen it.

"We didn't put the ad in," she said.

Hamburg said the ad was a donation from a Los Angeles organization that wanted to spread the message of No on B.

"I honestly don't know who they are," she said.

A disclaimer in the lower right corner of the ad reads that the mailer was not prepared by an official political party organization.

"Appearance is paid for and authorized by each candidate and ballot measure," the disclaimer reads

Repeated calls to the California Voter Guide, which published the mailer, were not returned at press time.

"Anytime we're able to get the No on B message out there, we think that's great," Hamburg said.

Measure B, which was placed on the ballot by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors in January, would repeal Measure G and set medical marijuana limits in Mendocino County at the state limit of six mature or 12 immature plants and eight ounces of dried marijuana.

Measure G, which was passed by Mendocino County voters in 2000, instructed law enforcement to make the prosecution of marijuana gardens of 25 plants or fewer the lowest possible priority.

The election is June 3.

Ben Brown can be reached at udjbb@pacific.net.

Press Democrat endorses Measure B

Yes on B

Mendocino marijuana rules have too many bad side effects

Published: Friday, May 23, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, May 23, 2008 at 8:20 a.m.

Mendocino County voters launched a bold, some would say radical, experiment eight years ago when they approved an initiative that allows people to grow marijuana for recreational use.

The law authorizes possession of 25 mature plants -- enough to produce about $75,000 worth of high-grade marijuana. The initiative also said enforcement of marijuana laws should be the lowest priority for the sheriff and district attorney, within the 25-plant limit.

Some counties -- Sonoma among them -- allow more plants. San Francisco and Berkeley long ago made enforcing marijuana laws a low priority for police and prosecutors.

What sets Mendocino County apart from the rest of the state is that its law isn't limited to growing marijuana for medicinal use. The first sentence celebrates recreational use.

That distinction is a primary cause for many of the issues that led to Measure B, a proposal on the June 3 ballot that would repeal the Mendocino County law and adopt the state's medical marijuana rules in its place. We support Measure B.

Supporters such as Willits Councilwoman Karen Oslund describe homes "taking on the look of fortresses, with tall fences and intimidating dogs" to protect valuable crops. Others say the skunk-like odor of maturing plants has become pervasive in the late summer and fall.

Mendocino County already was a magnet for large-scale marijuana growers when the law was passed in 2000, and the attraction has only grown. Few question assertions that pot is the county's leading crop, producing a bounty estimated at $500 million to $1.5 billion a year.

Opponents say Measure B is misdirected. They blame large-scale commercial growers for the problems and say they won't be stopped by Measure B. Perhaps not, but that's hardly an argument for encouraging backyard growers to get in on the action.

Opponents also warn that medicinal users growing more than six plants would be subject to arrest if Measure B passes.

Measure B doesn't restrict medicinal use of marijuana. The state rules that would be implemented leave room for cities and counties to accommodate medicinal users.

Eight counties already allow medicinal users and their caregivers to grow more than six plants. Sonoma County, for example, allows 30 and hasn't experienced problems on the same scale as Mendocino County.

One reason for that is tighter regulation in Sonoma County. The city of Ukiah also adopted its own rules, banning marijuana gardens from residential areas and requiring that plants be grown indoors.

If Measure B passes, Mendocino County supervisors would have the same ability to craft local rules benefitting medicinal marijuana users and their neighbors.

The Press Democrat recommends a yes vote on Measure B.

Marijuana defendant convicted of a felony

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 05/22/2008 08:17:41 AM PDT

The Daily Journal

A Mendocino County jury deliberated eight hours before finding Russell Rexrode, 41, of Fort Bragg, guilty of felony marijuana cultivation Wednesday.

Rexrode was arrested Oct. 17, 2005, after California Department of Fish and Game law enforcement Lt. Lynette Shimeck found evidence of marijuana cultivation while investigating reports that Rexrode had a mountain lion cub at his Old Caspar Railroad Crossing property.

A search warrant served on the site by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office revealed 119 pounds of processed marijuana, 60 growing marijuana plants and $3,600 in cash, according to law enforcement reports.

During the trial, Rexrode, his wife, Sara, and several other character witnesses testified that Rexrode was working as a caregiver for a number of medical marijuana patients. The defense also brought in marijuana expert Chris Conrad, who testified that the weight of seized marijuana was only 20 percent of that claimed by law enforcement.

"This was an extremely important case for our office," said District Attorney Meredith Lintott. "Commercial marijuana growers who hide behind the medical marijuana laws are now advised they can be convicted of a felony, even in Mendocino County."

Rexrode is scheduled for sentencing at 8:30 a.m. June 25.

Supports Measure B

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 05/22/2008 08:17:44 AM PDT

To the Editor:

I grow marijuana commercially.

I realize that saying so is risky, but I write you now to educate the public so that one day my kind may be treated with the respect we deserve.

First, let me say that my colleagues and I prefer to be called Cannabis Farmers. We use the word Cannabis, because our work is scientific (hence the Latin), and farmers, because we are no different from those hard working Americans who grow corn, rice, or soybeans (except, perhaps for the fact that we drive much nicer cars).

I became a cannabis farmer after Proposition 215 passed because I wanted to do something for my community. It was a sacrifice, let me tell you. Back then, we had to cultivate our crops in secret, with dark film over the windows so we wouldn't be confused with drug dealers. Because there are no Federal subsidies for cannabis farmers (we remain hopeful), it took every cent I had for my startup equipment: grow lights, climate controls, electricity, soil, chemicals. And have you seen the price of ammunition lately? Shameful.

Despite these obstacles, I got my operation running, and I never looked back. I've taken the film off the windows and -- thanks to Measure G -- I've added many acres of outdoor crops to my farm. I even have little numbered zip ties for my plants. The county gets $20 for each one, and I get a nice feeling of legitimacy, so everyone's happy.

My cannabis has helped hundreds of thousands of sick people -- none I've met, mind you, but I can infer from my yield, which since Measure G, has been phenomenal. In addition to helping the sick, my farm keeps local independent businesses alive, including garden centers, bottled CO2 suppliers, smoke shops, and pit bull breeders, just to name a few.

But the dark ages are not over. Despite my sacrifices, I am persecuted by the public. They complain that Cannabis Farmers don't pay taxes, which is simply untrue. I pay property taxes for four houses in Brooktrails -- and I don't even live in them. Does that seem fair to you?

My friend John Pinches, understands. Johnny (I call him Johnny when we tailgate) tells me I should run for office, just like he did. "Think of the damage we could do!" he says.

"Don't worry, Johnny," I tell him, "You're doing enough damage for the both of us." Besides, the business keeps me pretty busy. I work hard, and my labors allow me to take vacations, buy real estate with cash, and dabble in other businesses without the worry that they must profit. Isn't that what the American dream is all about? Who knows -- maybe I can even make my cannabis available to local schools kids. There is just so much need.

Obviously, cannabis farmers deserve more respect than they get. We bring people together with a sense of common purpose -- particularly in the fall. Some day, maybe, we'll be seen as the heroes we are. But until then, I'll just keep doing what I do, and reminding myself what Mother Theresa once said: "Give until it hurts, because real love hurts."

Kelly Lee
Willits

Marijuana case please postponed

By BEN BROWN The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 05/22/2008 08:17:41 AM PDT

Codefendants Jeff Burrell and Steven Laino did not enter pleas to marijuana cultivation charges at their Wednesday arraignment because the District Attorney's Office was not prepared to charge them.

"The district attorney has not reached a filing decision," said Deputy District Attorney Katharine Houston.

Burrell and Laino were arrested April 21 on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale, cultivation of marijuana for sale and maintaining a place for drug sales after the Ukiah Police Department served a search warrant on a storage shed leased by Burrell and seized a reported 140 plants.

Laino was additionally charged with conspiracy to commit a crime.

Police have said that Burrell and Laino were splitting the work and the profits from the garden. Burrell's attorney, David Eyster, said Laino has signed a letter saying that Burrell leased the building and knew the marijuana was growing there, but was not involved.

Eyster represented Burrell in court Wednesday; Laino was represented by Ukiah attorney David Peterson.

No date was set for the two men's arraignment Wednesday, and their bail was dropped.

Burrell was a part time coach and teacher at Ukiah High School, as well as being the owner of Accurate Construction. He has been suspended from his teaching job pending the outcome of his trial.

Ben Brown can be reached at udjbb@pacific.net.

Crime Time

By The Willits News staff

Article Launched: 05/21/2008 11:24:21 AM PDT

May 11

Jimmy Keith Heidleberg, 47, of San Francisco, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance, being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Heidleberg was stopped while driving southbound on Highway 101 south of Smythe Grove. According to the CHP, a search of the vehicle found an estimated three grams of suspected methamphetamine and a small quantity of marijuana.

May 13

Following a routine traffic stop southbound on Highway 101 near Huntsman Way, a vehicle search revealed 11 pounds of marijuana and $3,300 in cash. Rick William Steinberg, 25, of Hidden Valley, and Drake Francis Christensen, 24, of Crockett, were arrested on suspicion of transportation and possession of marijuana for sale.

Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force

May 14

Jason Matthew Smith, 35, of Willits and Joshua Albert Smith, 32, of Ukiah, were arrested in Ukiah on suspicion of cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale and renting a property for criminal activity.

60 Minutes show on Prop. 215 / CA Medical Marijuana

Part ONE of TWO



Part TWO of TWO

Fear & Intimidation puts neighbors in bad situation

You may only use this letter if I am allowed to remain anonymous.

One of the growers in my area is believed to be a part of an organized group of growers. More simply put organized crime. I fear for the safety of myself and my family if our name and location were given out.

Dear Friends,

In the past three days my wife and I have gone on two short hikes. Each time we came back angry, frustrated and upset. In both cases on our walks we discovered on neighboring properties to ours that they were putting in large pot gardens.

These two new growers are an addition to the two commercial grow houses we already have on our road. Personally I don't really care much if someone wants to grow some plants for their own personal use. That's their choice as long as they don't go driving their car or operate some machinery and kill someone else.

I understand the need for some people to smoke marijuana legally for medical reasons. They have a need and a right to grow small quantities of marijuana. These large growers on the other hand have no altruistic reason for growing pot other than just plain greed. It just really bothers us because these people are only doing it for the money. In growing such big gardens they feel they have to protect them.

One of the growers got a really nasty dog. The other has placed no trespassing signs all around and you feel pretty unwelcome walking past their property. Then there is the fact that other people will come in the fall to try and rob the harvest.

Are we going to get shot at or attacked by their dog. Is our home going to be invaded by mistake? Already two of my other neighbors have had people come to their doors at two o'clock in the morning to buy marijuana.

It is really sad that the beautiful place we moved to years ago has come to this. All we can do is pray that the Lord will protect us from such evil greedy people. It is on Him alone that we have to rely on for guidance and understanding in this situation. Pray for our family,

Anonymous for our safety

Read more Cries for help

Support your neighbors
vote YES on Measure B
June 3rd, 2008

Supports Measure B - VOTE YES on Mendocino County, Vote YES on B

To the Editor:

There seems to be a lot of talk in the community about the political leanings of those in support of Measure B—that the Measure is a part of a broader conservative, right-wing agenda.

For example, in a letter published in the May 18, 2008 edition of the Ukiah Daily Journal, Gary T. Moraga states that “we have Prop. B placed on the ballot at the urging of a handful of ultra conservatives…”

I am one of those folks who passionately support the placement of Measure B on the June ballot. Indeed, I cannot wait to cast my vote. But what I’d like the opponents of Measure B to understand is that I am NOT an ultra conservative.

What I am is a fourth generation Mendocino County resident and lifelong Democrat.
I've supported several of my party's candidate's runs for the Senate, Congress and President.
I've volunteered for Planned Parenthood.
I have demonstrated against the war in Iraq.
I would pay higher taxes to fund programs in our schools.
I voted for Proposition 215 in 1996.

But guess what?

Like many Mendocino County residents, I am dismayed by the unintended consequences of Proposition 215, SB 420, and Measure G for our community. The bottom line is, my “neighbors” are armed and growing hundreds of marijuana plants, and because of that, my kids can’t explore and play in the same woods in which I spent my childhood. And sadly, my situation is not the exception … it is the reality for many, many residents across the County.

I’d love to invite our county and state legislative representatives and opponents of Measure B to sit on my deck and discuss this issue during an evening in August. I’d encourage them to take a whiff of the breeze blowing in from the southwest while doing so—they won’t miss it; its odor is so strong that we have to close our windows in spite of the summer heat. I’d like them to walk my property line with my kids—they won’t help but notice huge marijuana plants growing right up to the old wire fence. This is not a grow in the national forest or on BLM land; while technically outside of the city limits, it is five-minute walk from downtown Willits.

After our time together, I’m certain that we’d agree on two things:

1) while we should continue to support medical marijuana for those with a legitimate medical need,
2) we require a different, common-sense solution for providing those in need with access to their medicine.

This is why bleeding-heart liberals like me support Measure B. It’s one small step in a different, common-sense direction.

Jennifer Schuster
Willits

Marijuana 101: School teaches ins, outs of pot

Justin Berton, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, April 21, 2008

(04-20) 18:22 PDT Oakland -- Ryan and Matthew Epperley awoke at 4 a.m. in Redding, loaded their Dodge Durango with clothes for the weekend and arrived in Oakland on a Saturday morning just in time to attend their first class at Oaksterdam University.

The brothers were among 20 people enrolled in the two-day course that, by Sunday evening, would teach them how to own and operate a pot club in California. They'd learn how to grow their product indoors, harvest it and cook with it, and hear from several lecturers on the legality of such a practice.

Ryan, 30, resembled Larry the Cable Guy with his well-worn baseball cap and a sleeveless shirt that revealed a shoulder tattoo of a skull and dagger. He was awake late one night watching television when he saw a report on Oaksterdam.

"I jumped right up and wrote down the phone number," Ryan said. "I knew right then, if we can get in on the ground floor and this thing takes off - we'll make a killing."

Ryan is not alone in his exuberance. Almost 12 years after California voters passed Proposition 215, the state initiative that allows dispensaries to sell marijuana to people with medical recommendations from a doctor, pot clubs have become a lucrative business. About 500 clubs in California bring in an estimated $870 million to $2 billion in revenue annually, according to the State Board of Equalization.

Yet the mixed legal messages over pot clubs - California allows it, but the federal government does not - is what caused Ryan's brother, Matthew, to get in the car and join his older brother.

Unlike Ryan, Matthew viewed a pot club business with caution. The 27-year-old said the only pot club in Redding had been quietly shut down three times, and the owners lived in constant fear of being raided and sent to prison. He was hesitant to open a shop if the consequences were too severe.

"I want to see if it's worth sticking our neck out for," Matthew said on the first day of classes. "I've got a wife and two kids at home. But I don't want to lose everything I have and go to jail over it."

Horticulture, law lessons

When Oaksterdam owner Richard Lee opened the school in November, inspired by a similar operation in Amsterdam, he did it to help educate future club owners but also to pull back the curtain on pot clubs. Lee has grown and sold marijuana for 17 years and has never been arrested, a clean record he credits to his transparent practices.

"We're doing this to show our cities we can be good neighbors," Lee told the class. "That we've got nothing to hide. That we can run a business on the up-and-up, and it's nothing to fear."

Oaksterdam University has held eight classes and graduated 160 students. The response has been so overwhelming that a Los Angeles chapter is opening this month, and Lee said he's about to sign a lease on another Oakland space that could hold 45 students every weekend, charging $200 for the course and $75 for textbooks.

Danielle Schumacher, the university's chancellor, told the class she figured at least one undercover narc had taken the course.

Aside from the Epperley brothers, the April class included three middle-aged men from Shasta County who grew outdoor plants and were looking to bolster their "grow skills"; an older, extremely polite and well-coiffed gentleman who wore a cell phone device on his right ear and was most interested in pot's effects on sickle-cell anemia; three men under 25 who kept to themselves; and three female students, none of whom fit the profile of Nancy Botwin, the suburban mom played by Mary-Louise Parker who sells pot for a living in the Showtime series "Weeds."

In a narrow classroom decorated with an American flag, Chris Conrad, a quick-talking attorney who has been trying to legalize marijuana since 1998, summarized the history of government interventions he said conspired to keep marijuana a controlled substance.

"How many of you knew there was a report that went to the White House that recommended the legalization of pot in this country?" Conrad asked the class.

Two students knew about the Shafer Commission, which was convened by President Richard Nixon and which Conrad said recommended legalization (though it only recommended decriminalizing marijuana for personal use).

Oaksterdam University's most popular class is horticulture, taught by Ilia Gvozdenovic, a growing expert from Marin County. He explained that for about $700 in supplies, students could build a "grow hut" and get their operation started.

After Gvozdenovic showed the class how to properly mix nutrients, a debate broke out among students over whether to wait eight weeks to harvest or 8 1/2 weeks. Gvozdenovic said that was a subjective decision for the grower.

"The plants will talk to you," Gvozdenovic said. "They'll tell you when the time is right."

Earlier, attorney Laurence Lichter, who has represented club owners and doctors in federal court, told students that if the feds caught them with 100 plants, they would face a five-year minimum sentence. One thousand plants results in a 10-year minimum.

But Lichter also noted that it's been a few years since anyone in the Bay Area has been prosecuted by the feds. Under Prop. 215, anyone with a doctor's recommendation can grow for personal use - 12 immature plants or six mature plants. To distribute marijuana, one needs to be either a primary caregiver - a difficult standard to meet for the typical individual - or part of cooperative.

As Lichter put it, "It's tough to be a caregiver, but it's easy to grow collectively."

In Oakland, which has the most lenient stance toward marijuana in the state, each person is permitted to grow 72 plants indoors, far higher than the 12-plant maximum state guidelines recommend. Lichter said if a grower in Oakland gathers three friends, all of whom are entitled to 72 plants, they can grow 288 together. Each plant yields about 2 to 4 ounces, which sells for anywhere from $200 to $400 an ounce, depending on the strain, potency and demand.

This was all sounding very juicy to Ryan Epperley, who was smiling and nodding during this part of Lichter's presentation. Ryan's brother, Matthew, raised his hand.

"So," Matthew asked, "if I was to open a dispensary, there's still nothing stopping the feds from coming in and closing me down?"

"The feds," Lichter told Matthew, "can take your house for one plant."

Helping sick people

Students enrolled for a variety of reasons. Tom, a middle-aged sex abuse counselor from Angels Camp in Calaveras County who did not want to give his last name because he works with children, enrolled to learn how to draw a greater yield from his six plants. Tom said he started growing marijuana after his girlfriend, who works at a hospice, told him about the elderly patients who can't take Vicodin or morphine due to the side effects. Tom doesn't smoke pot - "I wish I could, but it turns me into an idiot" - and he's not high on pot clubs.

"I think pot club owners are profiteers and scumbags," he said. "Cutting out loopholes just to make their millions."

Even though Tom voted for Prop. 215, he described the medicinal argument behind the law as "disingenuous."

He had signed up to learn how to grow better pot and cook it so he could give it away. "If I didn't know sick people, I wouldn't be here," he said.

A 53-year-old student named Sheryle represented another contingent: pain sufferers who are fed up with their meds.

Sheryle, an Oakland business owner who did not want her last name used because she feared reaction from customers who may read this article, was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and arthritis at age 35, she said. She took all the pain medications her doctor prescribed, but felt zonked out during the day and restless at night. The meds also were damaging her liver.

"I don't like getting high," Sheryle said. "I smoked, maybe, a joint in high school."

But last year, she ate a pot cookie offered by a friend, and the effects were stunning: She got the REM sleep she craved and felt productive during the day. It worked as an anti-inflammatory. Her liver damage was put on hold.

Sheryle started growing her own plants but, like a lot of novices, couldn't yield the maximum amount.

"Being able to sleep has been the biggest enhancement in my life," she said. "You might think it's a small thing, but being able to take my dogs out for a walk - that's a great joy to me."

After the class picture was taken Sunday, owner Richard Lee gave students a 17-page take-home exam. If they passed it with a 75 percent score or better and returned it to the university within two weeks, they'd get a certificate vouching for their education.

Outside the class, Matthew said he felt better about opening a club in Redding.

"A lot of people need it," Matthew said. "We don't have one in our community, so why not make it the safe place it should be, where people can come get their medicine? I mean, I'd like to open it right in the middle of downtown Redding, right where everyone can see it, just so they know we've got nothing to hide."

Ryan liked the idea. "Downtown, right next to the courthouse."

"Once you get public support," Matthew said, "it makes it harder for the feds to come in and close it down.

"When I get home," Matthew added, "the first thing I'm going to do is go down to the Human Resource Center, apply for a business license and make myself presentable."

Online resources

Learn more about Oaksterdam University at www.oaksterdamuniversity.com.

E-mail Justin Berton at jberton@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Pot in forest a serious concern

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 05/18/2008 11:19:06 AM PDT

As the weather heats up and the Memorial Day weekend fast approaches, representatives of the Mendocino National Forest are warning people to be on the lookout for illegal marijuana gardens in the national forest.

"We want the public to be aware that this illegal activity and occupation is taking place if they encounter marijuana gardens on the national forest," said Forest Supervisor Tom Contreras.

Last year, law enforcement seized more than 220,000 plants from illegal marijuana grows.

According to national forest reports, the MNF is becoming an increasingly popular place for illegal marijuana growers to plant their crops because the forest is remote, largely uninhabited and has the proper soil fertility and climate to grow the crop.

Most marijuana growers begin to plant in May and harvest between September and November.

"If a private citizen comes upon something suspicious, don't enter the area; just leave and notify local law enforcement authorities immediately," said Forest Service Law Enforcement Capt. Julie Lombard.

Forest Service law enforcement officers work with county Sheriff's Departments, the California National Guard, and Campaign Against Marijuana Planting teams. Headed by the Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, CAMP teams were created in 1983 for the primary purpose of eradicating illegal marijuana from public lands in California.

Marijuana growers sometimes live in the forest near these illegal gardens for months at a time. Officers have come across these illegal camps with exercise facilities, tree houses, barbed wire fences and numerous firearms, Lombard said.

These camps often contain cooking and sleeping areas which are within view of the cultivation site. Some camps have tents, hammocks and sleeping bags on the ground and have been found with large overhanging tarps as cover for the entire campsite.

Current gardens are also larger than they were in the 1980s, where gardens were typically between 100 and 1,000 plants. Modern gardens average between 1,000 and 30,000 plants, Lombard said.

"Most of the increase can be attributed to the proliferation of foreign drug trafficking organizations," Lombard said.

The gardens also endanger the environment, according to Forest Service reports. Herbicides and pesticides used to remove local vegetation and rodents, as well as garbage and human waste can all end up in steams where they are a threat to fish.

For additional information or to notify law enforcement authorities of a suspected garden area in the Mendocino National Forest, contact Forest Service Law Enforcement at 530-934-3316.

It's a matter of Respect

To the Editor
Re: It’s a matter of Respect

What happened to the value of “Respect”? I have heard endless repetitions of the same arguments by the NO on B advocates. Unfortunately marijuana/supporter/growers just don’t get it! Growers have not monitored their own.

Instead the grower community is in denial about what has happened to civility, neighborhood cohesiveness, safe and healthy environment. They have lost the respect and trust from those who compassionately supported true medical need.

I respected the rights of patients needing medical marijuana by voting for legal medical use. Now I have the right to vote YES on B to undo my prior Measure G vote.

Here are some examples of the gross disrespect I observe and hear. I have owned my property and paid taxes for 34 years. I sadly watched my diverse Robinson Creek neighborhood go from a cohesive, helpful, safe, trusting community to the divisive status of “Them” and “Us”. Mom and Pop’s got the incentive to increase modest gardens thanks to the loose parameters of Measure G. They suck water from the creek so now we “old-timers” watch the creek diminish to dry in May rather than August. They dug wells that impact down-slope springs so neighbors do not have an adequate supply of water for vegetable gardens.

Affluent San Francisco realtors / business people and other non-resident investors bought up property which they never visit. Instead “share croppers” move in to grow pot. The marijuana is shipped out of county. The city dwellers do not introduce themselves to the neighbors nor contribute anything whatsoever to the neighborhood. Instead they drive ATV’s over dry grass and gerry-rig electrical service, threatening wildfires. They travel easements for which they have no legal authority. They fire guns for unknown reasons. Wildlife decreases. They burn bright lights all night in greenhouses that annoy neighbors across canyon. They do not pay annual road maintenance fees, yet traffic associated with their properties increases expedientially. Traffic, especially during and post harvest, moves up the country roads at all hours night and early morning.

I heard radio callers cynically say, “Smell never killed anyone”, as though stink of marijuana was not disrespectful to those who lived nearby or were allergic. This attitude of disrespect exemplifies to me the prevailing grower notion of “You, my neighbor, have no rights to peace, health, civility and safety.”

The theft and vandalism of the YES on B signage (over 144) exemplifies the disrespect shown by the grower community. To my knowledge no one from the No on B coalition has made a public apology. It also indicates that the grower community does not monitor its own.

This invasive culture of Greed and Opportunism has clashed dramatically with neighborhood RESPECT for others as well the environment. The history of our canyon Culture during prior years was to value civility, trust, and mutual aid. . We were committed to the protection and appreciation of our beautiful canyon environment and resources. Our neighborhood is fed up with the disrespectful, selfish appropriation of environmental resources for personal profit and the degradation of our lives and property.

This phrase “low hanging fruit” is a farce. The average “medical patient” with a medical need is a joke. The idea that law enforcement should just focus on the “big time” criminals is ludicrous. The abuse of medical marijuana is common among next-door neighbors who flaunt local laws and human rights for material gain. No on B suggests that “those others”, i.e. those “illegals” doing public land grows, or the locals (“low hanging fruit”?) who get caught with major infractions, are the criminals. Respect for the intent of compassionate care is betrayed.

The out right disrespect that jeopardizes my safety and well-being has dramatically hurt my neighborhood as well at Mendocino County.

SAVE MENDOCINO COUNTY is about restoring Respect for People, Environment, Civility, Resources, Laws and Human Rights.

Ukiah indoor pot farm raided

By Glenda Anderson

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 1:19 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 1:19 p.m.

The owner of a Ukiah concrete business, his wife and his brother were arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of growing more than 750 marijuana plants inside one of their homes and two other structures, authorities reported.

Joshua Smith, 32, owner of Smith Concrete, and his brother, Jason Smith, 35, were booked into Mendocino County jail on suspicion of marijuana cultivation for sale, said Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force Commander Bob Nishiyama.

Jennifer Smith, 34, was cited and released because she has two children, 11 and 13, he said.

The two men were released after posting $30,000 bail each, authorities said.

Nishiyama said officers found 50 budding, cloned plants inside Joshua and Jennifer’s Ukiah home on Malaga Drive.

They found an additional 400 plants being grown inside a a gutted, 2,000 square foot home on Marina Drive, overlooking Lake Mendocino, he said. A shed near the house contained 300 plants, Nishiyama said.

Also seized were $5,400 cash, a travel trailer where Jason Smith was staying and a generator that was emitting illegal amounts of pollutants, he said.

The Lake Mendocino property had recently belonged to a Ukiah man who has a pending marijuana-related case, Nishiyama said.