Support Chareles Lynch
Current mood: aggravated

I received the following message at the beginning of the week from a fellow advocate, cheryl and I was absolutely appalled when I checked out her blogs and found out that a medical cannabis provider was being treating as more of a criminal than a kiddie porn possessing sheriff in the same county. Unfortunately though, for the most part police have this code to protect their own, which begs the question "who's going to protect us?"

The answer, friends, is that we have to protect each other. Federal Judges are listening to the voice of the people even if law enforcement is not. Michael Martin (of Tainted fame received no jail time for his "crime" of providing quality edibles for patients because the medical cannabis community let her know how vital his products were to their recovery and/or good health. It isn't the difference that we want but it is the difference that we are making and we must continue marching forward, strong on the moral standing of our conviction no matter what the Feds or local law enforcement say. Who are they anyway to question us?

Compassionately Yours,
Medical Mary Jane

Hello,

I'm wondering if you have heard about Charles C. Lynch's criminal battle with the federal government for running a city-sanctioned medical marijuana dispensary under California State law. He faces up to 100 years in federal prison even though he followed his "medical marijuana dispensary" business license requirements, city regulations, county restrictions and state laws.

In addition, Lynch called the DEA before opening his location and asked about opening his own medical marijuana dispensary in California and the DEA agent said "It's up to the cities and counties to decided how to handle that matter".

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff investigated Lynch, his patients, employees, and medical marijuana dispensary for nearly a year and was unable to get enough evidence for a state issued search warrant, so the sheriff's department called in the DEA to raid Lynch.

Mr. Lynch worked with local authorities to follow all guidelines. He assumed he was not breaking federal law because Prop 215 states the 10th amendment as basis for California's compassionate act. Mr. Lynch testified that if the DEA would have told him it was illegal under federal law he would have never opened his dispensary. He comes across as a man that wants to do "the right thing". I sat through his trial this summer and was able to observe most of the proceedings.

Mr. Lynch operated the only medical cannabis dispensary in San Luis Obispo county and his former patients (over 3,000) no longer have safe access to cannabis. They either have to grow it themselves (not all patients can grow for themselves), drive to Oakland or So. Cal to purchase it from dispensaries or buy on the "black market". I'm a medical marijuana patient who suffers chronic pain and I pray my government never forces me to buy on the black market again.

Mr. Lynch's dispensary made no profit and was in fact in debt at the time of the raid and the arrest. Mr. Lynch was a successful stock-trader and software engineer before opening his medical marijuana dispensary. He was also a medical marijuana patient for debilitating migraines which kept him from work for months at times.

He was driving to Oakland or Santa Barbara to get his medical cannabis and thought he could help patients in his county by opening a medical cannabis dispensary. It should be noted that all Santa Barbara medical marijuana dispensaries have been closed due to DEA letters to landlords threatening property forfeiture if they didn't kick out the dispensaries.

Our California State Attorney recently released guidelines to help law enforcement agencies handle medical cannabis situations in California and within his report he acknowledge that store front locations was allowed under state law if there is no profit involved. These guidelines came out after Lynch's conviction and does nothing to help his federal legal battle.

Mr. Lynch had the Morro Bay Mayor & City Attorney testify on his behalf as a law abiding citizen. He often gave medical cannabis away as an act of compassion to his neediest patients and did other compassionate acts (as told to me by his former patients). The DEA and federal government have done their best to discredit Mr. Lynch and he has been financial bankrupt from this situation. He had difficulty finding work after the arrest but my ex-boyfriend offered him a website job after I told him about this situation.

I held a peaceful rally Monday 10/6 outside the federal courthouse in downtown LA and had representatives speak at the rally from Americans for Safe Access, Marijuana Policy Project, CA NORML, Drug Policy Alliance, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, local marijuana lawyers, Charlie, his public defenders, and Greater Los Angeles Caregivers Alliance.

We had very little media coverage for this event. MSNBC and Al Roker are doing a show called "One Hour on Marijuana" and Rick Ray (who worked on the ReasonTV piece) is doing an hour documentary on Lynch. I'm doing everything I can to get the word out about his situation.

We are soliciting letters of support for Charlie. Supporters who wish to write a letter of support regarding sentencing should use the Letter salutation "Dear Judge Wu" and then send the letter to:

Reuven Cohen
Federal Public Defender
321 East 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012-4702

I'm fairly knowledgeable about this case. If you have any further questions let me know. I'm more than happy to discuss this with you further.

Thank you,
Cheryl

1:00 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Cannabis Tea

The following information was taken from my response to an elderly woman who was curious about using cannabis to treat her arthritis as her current medications are doing nothing to improve her quality of life.  One of the things I find most interesting is that nonpsychoactive teas and salves can be made from this notorious plant, yet these avenues are so rarely explored. Maybe it's because as one federal medical cannabis patient puts it "my medicine makes me happy" and "happy" is a nice feeling or maybe it's because our opponents lose a leg to stand on if we remove the psychoactive arguement but either way, it's frustrating that after decades of worldwide research our pool of knowledge is still so shallow.

Happy reading. 

It is quite true that medical cannabis reduces inflammation and relieves pain associated with arthritis. Cannabis may be smoked, eaten, infused into butter, used topically in a massage oil, or brewed into a tea to be taken with heavy cream. In fact, many medical professionals in the Netherlands are utilizing the latter method of consumption. If you are familiar with the psychoactive effects of cannabis and find them favorable, you may heat your cannabis in an oven set no higher than 325° for about 20 minutes before brewing it into a tea. If you would like to avoid the psychoactive effects as many patients do, simply brew the leaves and bud as you would any loose leaf tea. Remember to add heavy cream (or butter if you'd like) because without the fat the effective compounds in cannabis will have nothing to stick to and will not be absorbed into your system properly. 

Interestingly, researchers in the field of nutrition have recently released findings that indicate nutrients from vegetables are more reaily absorbed by the digestive system with small amounts of butter. The similarities suggest to me that perhaps medicine and nutrition should not so far apart. Good luck.

Compassionately yours,
Medical Mary Jane

7:09 AM - 4 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Image for Success

I was honored at the end of May with the privilege of being awarded Image for Success's Client of the Year.  When Deidre Sherdon called to ask me if I'd be willing to accept, I thought, "you're kidding, I'm getting rewarded because you gave me my favorite clothes? Right on!"  In preparation for the luncheon ceremony at which I would get the award and give a speech, Image for Success provided a beautiful dress and jacket, the perfect shoes, a skirt that I fell in love with, and a stylin' haircut from Peace, Love, & Grilled Cheese.  They outfitted my entire family in May when we stayed at Homeward Bound, the replaced clothes that I had to through away because of the bedbug infestation at the shelter, and we were like little girls at a slumber party when my daughter and I went to pick out our luncheon dresses.  The best thing about that agency and about what they do is that it never feels like charity, it feels like faith.  Though one must be referred to IFS by another organization, clients are given clothes that illuminate their will to succeed, that make it that much more possible to achieve their goals.  For instance, the other Client of the Year was a young man who wanted to go into banking but did not possess the requisite attire; IFS provided a suit or two and now he's climbing the corporate ladder of banking.  Not what I would want but it's amazing how much better how much more confident, looking good can make a person feel.

I was feeling like a homeless mother looking for housing in West Marin when I first received assistance from Image for Success.  On the local level, I was very close to securing the single room occupancy unit above Bo-Gas for my family but the county refused to allow the unit to be rented to a family even though a family had just vacated the unit, and the ADA theoretically afforded me a little maneuverability.  Practically however, Marin has an ugly habit of undermining the housing needs of its disabled population and my case was no exception.   Fortunately, I had just received career friendly attire and a little moral support from IFS so the kids and I hopped a bus to the regional Housing and Urban Development office to plead our case; I didn't feel homeless then, I just felt like a mother desperate to put a roof over the heads' of my children before I lost one of them.  My clothes gave me the confidence to go that extra mile and while I didn't get what I was fighting for, the Powers that Be were compelled to see that Marin absorbed my recently reactivated (thanks to the diligence of Marin Center for Independent Living's Housing Specialist, Josie Sanchez) Section 8 voucher.  As for the SRO, the Bolinas Land Trust's barren qualified occupant folder filled up fast and two residents found their happily ever after in one another.  Congratulations Mary and Chad!

            Eventually, I secured housing in Fairfax and I begin classes at the College of Marin next month.  My career goals include a decline in the rate at which violent crimes are committed against persons with disabilities and an increase in the visibility of issues relating to the rights of the disabled community. I'm learning to sing now, which has given me the opportunity to see my voice as my instrument, as an asset, instead of a flaw; I'm gaining more confidence in my abilities every day and becoming more committed to achieving my goals because I now see them as possible. 

I'm going back to school at the college of Marin now after an academic absence instigated by disability discrimination at an Iowa University and though I now instinctively worry that my words will have less value when people hear me stutter, I can feel the healing process begin and I'm determined to achieve my dreams of making movies and teaching my children to be  fiscally intelligent and socially responsible.

 For the first time in my life I am in a supportive, if challenging environment and I am providing my children the stability they deserve.  Another year of school starts in Bolinas next week and I have an entire community to thank for helping make that happen but no one more than Don Deane, who was my ladder while I was reaching for the stars.  Every wish I make now involves me buying the house in which he provided nearly one hundred children with a good home (not all at the same time) and turning it into a production studio that empowers disadvantaged families and disabled individuals.  At two million dollars, it's a pricy dream but not impossible.  I know that I can accomplish anything I set out to do, my ambition rekindled by an image of success by Image for Success.

Donations can be made to the Ocean Rose Foundation with paypal via medicalmaryjane@gmail.com.  Our current goals include securing a location from which we can run our various programs and continuing to provide emergency assistance to families not being served by other organizations.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed thus far.

4:28 AM - 1 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

DEA: GO AWAY or Here to Stay

On a windy Wednesday night at the end of May Alameda County Drug and Violence Prevention Specialist Ralph Cantor presented the Straight Dope on Marijuana to a smaller version of the group of parents and concerned citizens he'd given a similar talk to last fall.  Participants listened attentively as he explained that marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, LSD and opiates increase dopamine, which causes addiction in the teenage brain.   He then informed one parent that her child was better off taking his prescribed amphetamine than trying a ADHD regime that included therapeutic cannabis because, he tried telling his listeners, prescribed amphetamine did not trigger the dopamine center in the brains of children.  The problem, however, is that the animal-based research that Mr. Cantor refers to when drawing his conclusion that cannabis affects the dopamine receptors in the brain is only applicable in inbred Lewis rats. Humans have cannabinoid receptors in the brain that act independently of the dopamine system and while there is a slight risk of addiction, cannabis is so safe that it can be used in replacement therapies in which a heroin or meth addict (even a cigarette smoker) substitutes cannabis for the more harmful drug.  The herb affords such patients an opportunity for introspection, which is crucial to the healing process.  Amphetamine, on the other hand, does impact the brains dopamine system whether it is prescribed or used illicitly and one must be weaned off of the drug as it carries the risk of physical dependence and aggressive behavior as well as death but millions of Americans take it or give it to their children to treat what many doctors refer to as attention deficit disorder.  Meanwhile, stress-induced endocannabinoid deficits in the brain may trigger severe depression in people (i.e. teenagers facing puberty) and we refrain from using a naturally perfect remedy because it isn't legal.  Can someone please tell me whose logic we follow to lead us to conclude that what is legal must be right?

Now I'm not saying, dear readers, to go spark a blunt with your seventh-grader but wouldn't it be great if all your Bolinas-bored brat needed to turn that frown upside down or to settle down long enough to study well was a nice hot cup of tea? According to Arno Hazekamp, a researcher at the 2008 Patients Out of Time conference, cannabis tea provides patients with pain relief and health benefits superior to smoking the plant and without the notorious high, as the plant matter never gets hot enough to release THC.  It is important to note here that cannabis is not water soluble and must be mixed with a fat, such as heavy cream, for maximum effectiveness.  Sadly, this information remains largely unknown and unutilized because of America's obsession with smoked marijuana and growing fascination with obnoxiously powerful edibles. 

Unfortunately the culture of excess that has indeed latched onto legitimate use of therapeutic cannabis remains unchecked largely because most municipalities are reluctant to adopt rational standards for medical cannabis dispensaries and it remains impossible to regulate the manufacturing of medical cannabis products while federal law completely prohibits the act.  Such inaction lends itself easily to abuse of the system as illustrated by the case of Jeremy White, who last December, having ingested large amounts of marijuana from the Holistic Caregivers dispensary in Compton, crashed his truck into an SUV that had been pulled over by California Highway Patrol Officer, Tony Pedeferri.  The driver of the SUV died at the scene while the officer is currently undergoing rehabilitation in Colorado and making remarkable progress though he does remain partially paralyzed.  White was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter, DUI (in addition to marijuana, blood test indicated the presence of ecstasy), and possession of marijuana; he has plead not guilty and is awaiting trial.  His transgression instigated an investigation of the Holistic Caregivers dispensary as well as other MCDs owned and operated by Virgil Grant III.  Grant and his wife were arrested and three of his dispensaries (Holistic Solutions in San Mateo, Richmond, and Clearlake) were raided by the Feds during the last week in May.  Additionally, some grow operations were shut down in the Bay area but the incidents seem unrelated.  In any case, Californians may be witnessing the beginning of the end of the Drug Enforcement Administration raids as state Assembly members will so be voting on Assembly Bill 2743, which would prevent local authorities from cooperating with the federal government in the case of medical cannabis.  Local and state law enforcement would still have the right and the obligation to investigate any abuse of medical cannabis rights but without the assistance of the Feds.

Ironically, one of the recent DEA raids in Southern California because a demonstration of the unbreakable spirit of an America people who demand safe access to their medicine when protesters showed up and barricaded the door of a dispensary effectively locking DEA Agents inside for hours.  The Los Angeles Police Department refused to arrest the protesters, a silent testament to the strength of the will of the people.   More tangible evidence of said will is available in the form of Assembly Bill 2279 which just barely scraped through the Assembly but has strong support in the Senate.  The bill resolves issues of employability left unaddressed in Proposition 215 and was basically the legislative answer to the California Supreme Court ruling issued earlier this year that stated that an employee retained the right to an employee for medical cannabis use even off the job.  While AB 2279 is expected to pass both houses, Governor Schwarzenegger may not meet the bill with such enthusiasm; there seems to be a very real possibility that he will choose not to support this bill and medical cannabis patients will continue to struggle to find gainful employment and be forced to rely on a system that fails to support their right to equal opportunity for a better life.  

"Justice is love in public form"

Cornell West

California is a unique blend of hopes, dreams, freedom, and the power to rebel but we are not without our problems.  For instance, James Anthony, the Bay's premiere MCD attorney pointed out at Wednesday night's (May 28^th) East Bay ASA meeting, "Yesterday they arrested a black man. Today they did not arrest a white guy in a wheelchair."  Theoretically, the owners are equally responsible for the management or mismanagement of their dispensaries, yet again we have racial disparity.  Children in this world witness racism, violence, discrimination, hate—horrors that we as parents wish we could shield them from but must teach them to rise against.  I'm of the opinion that if we teach our children that cannabis is a medicinal with a point and purpose outside abuse and that there is too much to fix in the world for anyone to ever be bored, we will not only end a vicious cycle of misinformation but empower the next generation of peaceful warriors seeking justice and truth.

6:07 AM - 2 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

The Bad News

For the second year in a row, House Speaker Rod Jetton has waited until the House committees are hearing only the bills that have passed through the Senate to assign to committee a bill that would prevent the perilously painful persecution of thousands of Missouri patients.  On April 10^th 2008, he assigned House Bill 1830 to the Crime Prevention and Public Policy committee.  Though traditionally the welfare of the ill and dying has been placed in the hands of doctors, this particular committee might have addressed concerns related to public welfare and the safety of patients as well as the community as a whole.  The committee could have contemplated the reduction of crime that creating a green market would instigate; providing medical cannabis patients access to  a clinic they can go to for safely grown medicine as opposed to forcing them to rely on the black market for poorly grown moldy schwag is indeed rational public policy and the committee could have reach this conclusion for themselves, given the opportunity.  Shame on Jetton for making patients live in fear of being branded criminal for yet another year

Jacqueline Patterson

Bolinas

1:28 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

letter 2 MO CR&PP committee

I am writing today to ask you if you would break a law to save your own life or that of someone you loved, your child, maybe, or your spouse. How would such a decision leave you feeling? Would you choose to live with the fear of going to prison and the moral ambiguity of being considered a criminal or would you choose death? 

Would you mind that you are buying questionable medicine from a drug dealer when citizens of other states are leading fuller healthier lives because they can go to a clinic and find a medicine that enables them to do so?

It's easy to believe that medical cannabis dispensaries are just "marijuana distribution centers" when that's all you read about in the media and you don't have the opportunity that I have to visit a functional clinic that provides not only cannabis meant to be smoke or vaporized but edibles, tinctures, salves, and teas that provider superior pain relief without the psychoactive side effects in a safe setting that actually fosters communal growth and development. 

All patients in every state of this great nation deserve to be treated with dignity and respect; I am asking you today to end the suffering of thousands of Missouri patients by giving House Bill 1830 serious and rational consideration.

2:35 PM - 1 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Never thought I’d see the day
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

Seven years ago the marijuana policy project said that medical cannabis would never be legal in Missouri.  I took great offense to that comment as I and others were working diligently for patient rights.

Now MPP is contemplating flying me to Jefferson City so that I help my colleagues further educate House Speaker Rod Jetton and as I contemplate how far we have yet to go, I can't help but be proud of how far we've come.  Wish me luck and pray for the lifes of missouri patients ruined by cannabis prohibition.

11:51 AM - 1 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

420
Current mood: determined
Category: Life

 There is nothing more revolting to me than 420 in California; it's like wearing the shirt to the show.  Back on the frontlines, when I was still smoking ditch-weed that probably created more problems than it solved, 420 was a real celebration.  We'd splurge on good pot and good food and be grateful for one another. It's so commercial here. Still, I had a producer to go investigate and a documentary I wanted to go see so I was actually looking forward the festivities.  Marijuana meets reality TV: the word "TV friendly" sent shivers down my spine but I'm curious as to the potential for education…

So I woke up this morning and immediately checked out what the local newspaper (the Marin IJ had to say about 420.  Not surprisingly, a local drug treatment provider had taken it upon himself to warn local parents that cannabis is a gateway drug to the pharmaceutical drugs that kids are stealing from their parents or obtaining legitimate prescriptions for.  The Chicago Tribune had a very well written article about the holiday and a few facts about pot that even I didn't know.  As for the negative press here, it's simply a reflection of the spotlight conservatism of Marin.

I have a friend who I will call Joe; he refers to himself as a stoner though he is launching a successful new business and competently grows some of the best cannabis in Northern California, which is quite a challenge. If you'd asked Joe 25 years ago if he wanted to grow up and grow pot, he and his military family would have laughed in your face.  That was before Joe and another soldier held a bridge just long enough to seriously and lastingly injure themselves.  Joe tried everything- surgery, pain killers, muscle relaxers, massage therapy but all to no avail.  Finally Joe's girlfriend gave him a paper that she'd written in high school on the efficacy of marijuana when used a medicine; reluctantly Joe smoked his first joint and as the pain faded the anger set in.  Why had no one told in that this amazing plant was not the devil's weed but a gift of medicine, of food and shelter?  Why all the manipulation and deceit?

Teenagers have these same questions; they know that marijuana is not as harmful as officer friendly wants them to believe and here is where we are botching an incredibly important lesson: we should not be utilizing scare tactics but teaching children to value hard work and creativity over apathy and boredom, instilling in them the concept that abuse of any kind is a bad thing..

In many cases teenage drug use occurs out of either the need to escape a problematic situation or a desire to experiment for lack of something better to do.  Giving legitimate patient access to medical marijuana is not going to change that simple truth.  But it may encourage a more open dialogue and it will hopefully change the way that Americans deal with the tumor of problems we call addiction.

Apathy is caused by demoralization- finding out that someone you trusted has been lying to you, that moment when you realize that your parents are fallible, the emotional distance in many modern families- these are all examples of demoralization.  In the instance of cannabis, politics have superseded medicine for merely a half century and although science is making a comeback, we still have propaganda and scare tactics to contend with.  There is no rational dispute to the statement that cannabis was the first medicine known to man and the herb has actually evolved with man.  Children see the disparity and they wonder what else we lie about so maybe if we tell the truth, they will too.  If we remain silent while patients suffer or risk their lives for medicine, we teach children to look the other way while injustice occurs and I have never been able to do that.  The rights of one American belong to all.

7:22 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Unfortunately Misery sux the life out

Unfortunately, I have received no reply from Representative Jetton, nor have the patients he promised to take into consideration.  How long does it take to for one man to decide that the fate of patients' health should reside with the physicians, such as the ones on the health and public policy committee, who are qualified to make such decisions or that an herb which has low toxicity and no lethal dose just might have therapeutic potential?  Furthermore, medical cannabis dispensaries along the West Coast of the US and Canada are evolving into patient-centered health care facilities and helping patients to much more effectively manage their disabled lives.  Missouri would be well served to examine this model as it is quite difficult for a disabled Missouri  resident to even locate the services he/she needs, let alone utilize them.  These centers are supplying low income patients with the medicine and the resources they need to become healthy functional member of society again.

Meanwhile, Jetton is pushing his apathy off on the kids.  Lets blame it on the kids, it's all about the kids.  If we legalize pot for sick people, if we give them an alternative to the black market and all the ick, if we let them have safe quality medical grade cannabis, marijuana will start flooding the high schools.  As if it isn't already there.  It is easier to get illegal substances in any metro area high school than it is anywhere else yet Jetton has the audacity to use youth as a scapegoat.  It's infuriating; as a parent, I at least want my legislator to agree that we need to teach our children rationality and compassion and to apply logic in any situation they find themselves placed in. Maybe that's just toomuch to ask of some people.

11:14 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Speech Therapy A’la SSDP

            I woke up this morning to a message in my inbox that led me to a nifty little website that urged me to call my senators and representatives and ask them to support legislation that removes the threat of lost financial aid to students convicted of a drug related offense.  Being that everything I learned conclusively about the drug war, including the ironic fact that some prisons have college programs, I learned in my tenure as a college student, I immediately picked up the phone and started dialing.  It wasn't the brightest thing I've done in a while; the worst thing that someone with a stutter and a phobia of chatting it up with legislators could do is rush right into a call.

Anyway, the first call was rough and the second was automated but the third one, I dreaded making because I've had the distinct pleasure of meeting Congresswoman Woolsey and she seems to be a lot of what is wrong with the land I love so much. Marin government just isn't pretty, no matter how you slice it.  That said, her DC crew rox!

I spoke to Garth, whose tone was courteous and respectful through the entire conversation, and who remained quite patient during the obnoxiously long time it took me to spell the street on which I live.  O -------L______E+++++M{{{{A

It wasn't pretty but that was the worst of the conversation and I'm sure I'll receive a letter in the next few days stating Rep Woolsey's position on college drug use and financial aid.  I doubt that it can be any more frustration than her position on the homeless which was "we have to get the troops out of Iraq"

 clever girl.

If you haven't checked out SSDP yet, please do so, they do great work.

10:08 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment