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Police harassment and intimidation in SLO County

January 22, 2011

Stacey Warde

OPINION By STACEY WARDE

Yesterday, I received some friendly advice that it’s better to “lay low” than put myself on the radar of local law enforcement.

My friend had heard me complain on the radio last week that the recent Narcotics Task Force arrests of more than a dozen medical marijuana distributors lacked the force of law, and was intended merely as harassment and intimidation.

Local law enforcement has made it clear that medical marijuana, which is legal in this state, won’t be tolerated in San Luis Obispo County.

Talk show host Dave Congalton at 920 KVEC asked me to come on the air because I’d spoken out in the past when the sheriff’s department overreached its authority by setting up and taking down Charles C. Lynch for operating a medical marijuana dispensary in Morro Bay.

Lynch was later sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison, much to the distress of 9th U.S. District Court Judge George Wu who sentenced Lynch. Federal law gave Wu little choice, the judge said, but to send Lynch to prison.

The Justice Department, even after newly appointed U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced it would back off from marijuana cases, was fierce in its prosecution of Lynch, demanding that he serve a minimum five-year sentence.

The judge thought better of it.

It was clear that Lynch had committed no real crime against the community. He wasn’t the big drug lord that the government tried to make him out to be. He was dispensing large quantities of “medical” marijuana, to be sure, but, unfortunately, federal law and the U.S. court system refuse to recognize “medical” as a legitimate claim. The term “medical,” in fact, was ruled out as a means of defense in Lynch’s case. Lynch became another victim to the War on Drugs.

Lynch, who now must submit to regular and random drug tests, recently declared bankruptcy, and remains free pending the appeal of his case.

Sadly, Lynch’s cross with the law seemed fueled not so much by federal agents as by local Sheriff Patrick Hedges, who acted more as sheriff provocateur than sheriff protector, and made known to residents that he would not tolerate the sale and use of medical marijuana, even though voters had already made it legal, and California’s Attorney General Jerry Brown had provided the necessary legal guidelines on the issue.

They weren’t the clearest guidelines but the intent was clear: Medical marijuana, within certain parameters, is legal and should be protected in the state of California.

Meanwhile, the sheriff’s department and the Narcotics Task Force, whose job it is, I presume, to enforce local community laws and standards, have continued to ignore those guidelines. Instead, they enforce their own interpretation of the law—as federal operatives, in a sense—not as it’s written, which is to serve and protect the interests of law-abiding citizens, including those who sell, distribute and use medical marijuana in the state of California.

Sadder still is that, as a result of overzealous law enforcement, Lynch’s life as a businessman and homeowner, has been completely wrecked: He lost a thriving business that had been welcomed and supported by the City of Morro Bay, he filed bankruptcy and faces losing his home. To what end?

Whose interests were being protected and served?

His life will never be the same; and neither will those children be the same, who watched recently in terror as armored police burst into their home, forced everyone at gunpoint to the ground and needlessly hauled their parents off to jail. The parents were later released after the district attorney dropped the charges.

The message? Don’t mess with the “cowboys,” as they’re called, who make up the San Luis Obispo County Narcotics Task Force.

Unfortunately, what the NTF is doing—without oversight from the pubic or any other local agency as far as we know—is not law enforcement; it’s intimidation and harassment. It won’t pass muster in the California legal system, and it’s a terrible waste of precious resources.

It’s also bad for business, bad for the local community, and makes the cops look like renegades.

My friend is probably correct in suggesting that I keep my mouth shut, which seems to be the consensus among many who live here in San Luis Obispo County: Don’t cross the law; keep your mouth shut. People here are afraid to speak out. That in itself ought tell us something about the sort of “law enforcement” we have here.

Why should anyone but actual criminals be afraid of cops?

I’m not against law enforcement. I’m against law enforcement that uses terror to bring down non-violent suspects such as medical marijuana growers, distributors and users.

Frankly, I don’t want to be on anyone’s radar. Like most people, I’d rather be left alone. But I refuse to “lay low” when law abiding-citizens are being unjustly harassed and thrown into jail.

That alone ought to send shivers down the spines of anyone who cares about their safety. Any time the police can break down your door with hardly a second’s notice in the middle of the night and throw you around in your own home, you’re not safe.

I detest the pervasive use of SWAT tactics—designed to overwhelm and subdue violent criminals—to arrest distributors and users of marijuana, medical or not, who have no violent criminal past and who, if they were stoners, would be the least likely to resist.

Too much can go wrong, as it did recently in Utah when police got a warrant to raid a home using SWAT methods on the fear that the suspects inside might respond with gunfire.

A guest, unbeknown to the police, was sleeping in one of the rooms, and responded to the pre-dawn raid by grabbing a golf club to fend off the intruders. He was gunned down and died on the spot, not an uncommon occurrence in the endless, costly and useless War on Drugs.

It’s only a matter of time, so long as local law enforcement continues to imprudently apprehend medical marijuana providers and patients, before someone is seriously hurt or killed.

More tragic still is that those who were targeted by local law enforcement in the recent raids weren’t even violating the law. They were, again by most news accounts, in compliance with California laws that regulate the use of medical marijuana.

The district attorney has already dropped charges against three of the people who were arrested. Likely as not, any charges that do stick and go before a judge will also be dropped. In any event, a court case from these arrests ought to be welcomed as an opportunity to show how out of line local police have been.

Recently a judge in Montana couldn’t even seat jury because potential jurors said they would refuse to convict someone for possessing a few buds of marijuana. The defendant faced felony charges of “criminal distribution of dangerous drugs.”

The judge in the case was confounded by the citizen revolt and said he’d never seen anything like it before. Be sure to witness more such citizen revolts if police continue to cross the legal line of enforcement.

If the tone of Congalton’s frustrated listeners who called the station and complained of being unfairly targeted for growing and distributing medical marijuana is any indication, courts in this county will also have a tough time finding citizens who support the NTF’s local war on drugs.

I don’t know much about the Narcotics Task Force, a state-mandated agency supported through the participation of local police departments; I don’t know where its budget comes from, or who oversees its operations. I do know they’re members of our community, they’re “out there,” spending countless hours spying on and attempting to entrap legal medical marijuana distributors and customers. It’s a terrible waste of time, money and energy, which could be better spent preventing real crimes.

We also know that without the support of our local lawmen, the NTF would cease to function.

Too often I hear people say, “What can you do? The cops will do whatever they want.”

Only if we let them, only if through silence and complacency we turn our backs and “lay low” to avoid getting into the crosshairs of police who don’t respect the law. As long as no one speaks out, lawmen will continue to harass and intimidate law-abiding citizens whenever they please simply because they don’t agree with the laws we’ve enacted with our votes.

That’s not law enforcement; it’s harassment and intimidation. §

Stacey Warde is the publisher of Rogue’s View, a freelance writer and former publisher of Rogue Voice.


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– Tell ya what I do think. I think going after medical marijuana dealers who are abiding by State law is a ridiculous waste of my considerable tax dollars. I think that not only did we waste that money that law enforcement agencies need to do their good work, but we will spend more of our money reimbursing those people – repair of their homes, counseling for them and their children, loss of pets, and ultimately false arrest. They would be wise to got to court and not only have the deeds of the task force see the light of day, but have the court declare them “factually innocent” so there is no legal record at all of this horrific event.


We do indeed need an oversight committee for ALL law enforcement, and my personal wish is that they start with the probation department who also has no real problem abusing power and not just with the people they are supposed to supervise when they feel like it. It was a mistake to give them guns – went right to their unthinking heads.


Doc, I am very sorry that you lost a child. Don’t take it out on us here.


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Use it; I did see the two pages you copied here, but was unable to connect to the pdf you were able to link to about the map and contact info for each office. I do understand that the NTF is under the DOJ, but I want to know more about our individual NTF operation. We know the name of the local commander, Rodney John, but that is the information that I have ever seen. Mr. John told the press one time that the individual officers on the force are “working undercover” as a way of keeping the public from knowing anything about the local unit. The secrecy by a government agency is what drives me crazy; supported by tax payer dollars should mean accountable to the citizens for their actions and be able to be scrutinized. My second biggest hope for our county besides having a Citizens Review Committee would be for our new Sheriff to pledge that his office will not be involved in any medical marijuana busts or investigations other than to have a deputy on the NTF. One can hope.


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-Bob


Did you get the link to work for you?


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Yes, I got your link to work. Thanks.


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Atascadero’s memorandum of understanding between their police department and the task force.


http://www.docstoc.com/docs/42463890/San-Luis-Obispo-County-Narcotics-Task-Force-Memorandum-of


$150,000 a year for one officer


SLO also has once officer as does the probation department.


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We are part of the LA Region – see .pdf for map – includes contact information for all of California’s task forces


http://www.ossh.com/bne/pdfs/tf_offices.pdf


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http://www.agpd.org/services/narcotics.html


SLO County Regional Narcotics Task Force


Although it is a small police agency, the Arroyo Grande Police Department still has an undeniable responsibility to develop an effective pro-active response to the dangers that illegal narcotics present to our community. The first line of defense against illegal narcotics in our community is the patrol officers who are well trained in the recognition and detection of individuals involved in the use/influence, possession or sale of those narcotics. Patrol officers make a significant number of contacts and arrests of those individuals.


The next line of defense is officers in the San Luis Obispo County Regional Narcotics Task Force (NTF) who are specially trained and specifically dedicated to recognizing and detecting illegal narcotics use/influence, possession or sale. Members of the NTF operate throughout the County, conducting more detailed and extensive activities including surveillances, controlled narcotics buys, and court-approved wiretap operations. Sometimes the investigative activities of the NTF lead them outside San Luis Obispo County to illegal narcotics connections throughout the state and into other states.


The Arroyo Grande Police Department is a member of the San Luis Obispo County Regional Narcotics Task Force. As such, the Police Department has the option of contributing either a Police Officer or funds in support of the NTF. In the past the Department has elected to contribute a Police Officer to the NTF, a decision that ultimately builds the level of narcotics expertise throughout the agency when the Police Officer returns to the agency and shares his/her accumulated narcotics knowledge. Recently, due to personnel shortages, the Department has chosen to contribute funds to the NTF. Regardless of its decision on how it will support the NTF, the Arroyo Grande Police Department and the community receive the same level of investigative support from the NTF. The NTF is always willing and able to respond to the Police Department’s request for assistance in responding to illegal narcotics activity in our community. In fact, on more than one occasion the NTF has provided the additional personnel and expertise that were critical to conducting successful surveillance operations that resulted in major arrests for crimes unrelated to illegal narcotics activity.


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http://www.prcity.com/government/departments/police/operations.asp#ntf


Narcotics Task Force

The Narcotic Task Force (NTF) is a countywide task force that is comprised of numerous detectives and one commander. The task force is run under the Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE) policies, regulations and guidelines. The commander is employed by DOJ and is assigned to BNE. The detectives assigned to NTF come from the following agencies: Atascadero PD, Arroyo Grande PD, California Highway Patrol, Paso Robles PD, San Luis Obispo PD, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s, San Luis Obispo County Probation Department and State Parole. Grover Beach PD, Pismo Beach PD, and Cal Poly University PD do not provide a detective due to the size of their departments. Some do provide financial support to the unit because NTF assists the entire county including their jurisdictions.


NTF is responsible for investigating major drug traffickers down to the street level dealers. NTF works in an undercover role and uses both informants and detectives to purchase drugs in controlled buy situations. Investigations usually always require some level of surveillance. It could be fixed or mobile and in several cases aviation support plays an important role due to the rural terrain.


NTF was designed to bring together city, county, state and federal resources on a long-term basis to coordinate drug enforcement activities within specific jurisdictions, usually within a given county.


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I think we don’t have enough agencies involved. We should add two, maybe three more, dontcha think? (sarcasm) How many LEOs does it take to frighten a sleeping child from their bed???


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Stacy: I agree with what you wrote, 100%. When you were on Dave’s show, I called in to answer your question about why the NTF continues to conduct raids like the last round they did and I told you “because they can”, and that is the problem. The NTF does not answer to the public in any form, apparently, and any information about what the NTF is, who they are, what they do, who oversees their operation or budget is not available to the general public. Before I wrote this I googled “California Narcotics Task Force” and got many links, but the main link to the state’s site does not work. Curious. It just seems so ironic that in a society that makes such a big deal about “transparency” “oversight” “justice” and the “rule of law” we allow a group of law enforcement officers to operate in a completely anonymous manner, with seemingly no oversight, doling out their own version of justice that completely ignores the laws that are “on the books”. I went so far to contact our new state’s Attorney General and ask her to investigate our local NTF; the form letter I received stated that local agencies have the charge to investigate local agencies and that I should contact the County D.A., or the Sheriff’s Department or the Grand Jury and then when all of the local resources have been exhausted, the Attorney General’s office could get involved. What we really need in this county in a Citizens Oversight Committee that would of course be sworn to secrecy, but would be able to investigate any and all instances of alleged law enforcement abuses, then recommend remedies that would include sending recommendations to the grand jury for indictments against those law enforcement officers who have overstepped what should be the rules for being an officer of the law.


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The issue is accountability and the lack thereof at the level of the elected County Sheriff. It’s rare that the public can, or do, challenge who is running local law enforcement, and especially so with an elected sheriff.


Anyone voted into any office could be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or a dunce in a suit. The president’s and their ilk are (hopefully) probed to the bone by press and opponents. Resources invested to chop down your opponents at those levels are bottomless ($). Not so much in SLO Co unless it’s sex on Palm St.


In the sheriff ‘s case, the sphere of influence is relevant. The crooked councilman could help bankrupt a city, the bad attorney screw up a law suit.


The sheriff, good, bad or indifferent, effects the application of the law from enforcement, to prosecution, and to punishment. All here in our little world of limited investigative journalism, where the pendulum swings ‘conservative’, and challenging a man in uniform is not taken lightly.


Recall is an option but few have the money to progress. There was’ talk’ of a recall effort against Hedges. On the web you can find mention of a few recall efforts against a county sheriff and in Tucson Az. the tea party is out to recall sheriff Dupnick for speaking out. They have money and guns.


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Cal, you could say the very same about an elected mayor, an elected governor, an elected president. But you don’t, so what are you arguing in favor of? There are downsides to every system, and plenty of downsides to an appointed sheriff.


If the elected sheriff isn’t satisfactory, won’t the voters replace him? Is your issue, then, with the voters?


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Elected Sheriffs enjoy almost a free-reign.


The majority of police chief’s are chosen through a process designed to, at the least, examine their qualifications, past performance, and examples of experience.


Those doing the hiring usually consist of a board made up of law enforcement and government, in a structured evaluation.


Most police chiefs operate ‘at the will’ of of the community government/city manager, and thus usually are accountable to local standards and circumstances, in addition to following local/state/federal laws.


In contrast, the county sheriff is a political animal, reliant on a name, face, and a political campaign of who & how much has bankrolled it. The voter is left to guess at who’s a more capable candidate, or whose smile is whiter.


A sheriff is far ‘less’ like to be concerned with pleasing the rabble, and more likely to share agendas with local monied folks.


A sheriff usually only resigns when they want to, or when indicted (ala the former Orange County Sheriff).


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Well written article and I agree with the importance of not ‘laying low’, therefore, I won’t. Bottom line is the majority of the public are not professionals in treating patients with various diseases/ailments. The unspoken truth here (because people often ‘lay low’ and don’t want to say it) is that the VAST majority of people who use marijuana to treat their problems are either stoners or they are using it treat a psychiatric problem (anxiety being the most common). This is not unique to marijuana- most people who abuse alcohol, prescription pain meds, etc, are doing so for the aforementioned reason.


Can marijuana be helpful to SOME people? Of course. So can morphine, vicodin, oxycontin, valium, etc, despite how many people CHOOSE to abuse them. BUT, it (marijuana) should be controlled and regulated and dispensed in the same way, with the same set of rules/oversight as ALL prescription meds. It should not be dispensed by some business person or otherwise opening up a shop in Morro Bay or SLO or anywhere for that matter.


Will my opinion be popular? Nope. Do I care? Nope. Come talk to me when you have the required education and experience in treating patients, then maybe I’ll care.


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Maybe the “vast majority” of people in your circle of influence who use marijuana are stoners and psychotics but that doesn’t make your words true for others. Don’t presume that no one else here as the “required education and experience in treating patients”. You are not the only health care professional who knows how to type on this site. Nuff said.


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Danika,

I don’t think I have (or even understand) a ‘circle of influence’. What I do have is a lot of experience treating people. It’s not ‘my’ circle, it’s called society.


Secondly, it would make your point come across much better if you were to educate yourself on the words you choose to write. A ‘psychotic’ patient is a patient who has a much different set of problems than what I have discussed here. Try google.


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I meant psychotic so I wrote psychotic. You clearly have a circle of influence, even if that exists only in your own mind. Obviously, you suffer from SMS. Try googling that.


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Danika,

The word ‘psychotic’ does not apply to the discussion at hand. Your response does, however, tell me what I need to know. Take care.


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psychotic or neurotic, it’s all treated with dangerous medications that alter the brains chemistry and this guy wants to tell us that only people like him should be prescribing to people. The truth is that they treat by “trial and error”.


Here is a typical scenario – If this drug doesn’t work then lets try that one and if it sort of works but not entirely then lets add this one to your daily regimen. Do you feel better yet? NO, Ok then lets try this one. Oppps you were feeling better but now your symptoms have returned, oh well that happens so lets start over and try this new drug, now how do you feel? Well we really don’t know exactly how this works so we will have to keep trying, there are lots of drugs.


Bottom line, if the MJ is working for someone, then leave it alone doc.


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“Will my opinion be popular? Nope.”

I disagree, it makes sense.

A good example is Peyote, the Native American Medicine regulate and guide the recipient.


“Do I care? Nope.”

This is an academic community site, if you don’t care, who gives a “S!”


“Come talk to me when you have the required education and experience in treating patients, then maybe I’ll care”

You’re an arrogant and I do mean “arrogant” assuming SOB, you don’t know “S” you really really don’t or do not whether you have a BS to MD or not!


Go join the ranks of the NTF their revenue and income is assured by the DEA and yours by the FDA.


I recommend you get acquainted with a Native American medicine man, he can help you find a sincere medical heart sooner before you get old.


You make me sick (literary)!


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SLOmd: It is unfortunate that he present yourself as someone who not only knows more than most, but seemingly with an attitude of how “your” opinion is “better” than anyone else because you have the experience you have. I say it is unfortunate because you could make some valid points without resorting to putting others down; I do find it amusing that medical professionals such as you seem to be are so quick to put marijuana in the same category as morphine, vicodin, oxycontin, valium, etc. Refresh my understanding if you could please; do any of the narcotics mentioned here “grow” in the ground with very little help? Marijuana is an herb; it grows in the ground and when the crop is harvested, the rest of the plant can be mulched, either by leaving it on the ground or in a compost heap. None of the narcotics you listed can be handled in anything of a like manner; they are called “drugs” because they are all chemical concoctions, brewed in a laboratory and any time the drugs expire, they have to be treated as hazardous waste, and they can be abused to the point of addiction. My point here is that you are attempting to make an “apples to oranges” comparison, which usually means you have a weak argument.


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Bob,

I don’t think its an apples to oranges comparison. From a clinical viewpoint, whether a drug is grown, processed or otherwise, it still results in the psychoactive component of that drug being present in your blood. Not to mention the fact that it is nearly impossible to argue that smoking ANYTHING is good for a human body. To do so, IMO, is a much weaker argument.


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SLOmd: How many people “overdose” on marijuana?


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Bob,

Absolutely agree. If the issue had to do with a comparison of overdoses among drugs, marijuana comes out on top.


BUT, even gotten really high from some strong pot, Bob? If so, would you want to be driving at 70mph? I wouldn’t because I’ve had to deal with the carnage that occurred from that exact scenario. I think the parents of the dead kid would agree with me too.


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“BUT, even gotten really high from some strong pot, Bob?” I assume you are asking if I have “ever” gotten really high … um, no. I am almost 58 years old and have never smoked a joint and have never ingested any illegal drug, in any manner. I was given a valium before I had my vasectomy, and I have taken a prescribed vicodin after oral surgery. In all my years in meeting people and talking with aquantantnices, I have never witnessed anyone exhibiting any sort of problem with them having used marijuana. Of course anyone driving under the influence is wrong, no matter what it is they are under the influence of. Marijuana has been around since biblical times and hasn’t changed that much until the late seventies when growers started with crossing strains and modifying how it is grown, but even then, for the most part, IT IS A NATURAL SUBSTANCE. Yes it has a chemical reaction in the brain, but it does not kill people from taking too much. Marijuana should be reclassified by the federal government, hemp should be allowed to be grown, period.


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wow really people need to get over I can’t function cause im high.

I know this may be of a shocker to you but I know of principal’s lawyers doctors and people from all walks of life that all ingest cannabis while going about daily routine’s. Some of those no one around them can tell the difference. Those people can’t speak out for fear of scrutiny these are all upstanding members of the community and all law abiding citizens. If there were thug’s here they are the agents that are sent to incarcerate your avgas “pot head”. the one’s who suffer from MS aid’s cancer those who chose alternative therapy rather then the synthetic blend of chemicals pharmaceutical company’s want to force down our throat to make there pockets fat at our expense also in 1996 neurologist found THC receptors in the brain so no matter if you smoked or ingested cannabis in anyway shape or form you have had it run through your body. For those of us who might not know about the LONG history of our beloved Hemp Plant, I’ll give a brief history lesson.


Marijuana or Hemp usages date back to as early as the third Millennium B.C. and the United States’ first Marijuana law came about in 1619, wherein farmers from Jamestown Colony, Virginia were ordered to devote entire pieces of their land to growing and cultivating Indian Hemp. For the next 200 years these marijuana seeds growing laws were in place and farmers could actually be jailed for not growing hemp between 1963 and 1967. Hemp was a very valuable substance during these times because hemp made all the cloth materials needed during the war such as rope, clothing, canvases’, tents…the list goes on. In 1631 American colonies used hemp as currency, then later in 1776 Americas beloved Declaration of Independence was drafted on paper made from Hemp. In 1791 President Jefferson urged farmers to grow hemp instead of tobacco and referred to it as a “Necessity”. In the 1800’s Australia overcame two long famines by surviving off little more than marijuana seeds for protein and foliage for roughage. A United Stated census recorded 8,327 Hemp plantations in 1950. Henry Ford created ethanol fuel which was a cannabis based fuel source. He also built his famous Model-T car out of plastics made from hemp and was built to run off of this Hemp based ethanol fuel. Hemp was the only crop that Mr. Ford grew on his property assuming that Hemp would be the basis of his business.


It was not until 1910 that Hemp was first made illegal in Utah. This was due to the fact that the Mexican Revolution was started and a vast majority of the Help crops came from Mexico. With this growing animosity with Mexico, American cotton producers used this hatred to fulfill their own agenda. So in 1910 Utah was the first state to outlaw the cultivation of hemp with Wyoming and Texas soon to follow. By 1927 the entire United States had banned Hemp Cultivation, Which soon led to further advances in The Industrial Revolution.


SLOmd I don’t care what degree’s you have earned in your lifetime none of them give you the permission to be arrogant


quick facts some of your very first presidents made it maditory for people to tend to hemp field’s


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Are you saying MM is even POSSIBLY as dangerous as those prescribed drugs you mentioned above? Are you saying it is a gateway drug? Are you really unaware of the many ways to ingest MM, other than smoking it? And are you implying that if smoking MM supplies great relief from symptoms and some maladies that the benefits are not way more than worth the risks?

You do sound sort of like a Hedges person.


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Hotdog:

1. Not usually.

2. Yes, it absolutely can be.

3. Of course I’m not unaware.

4. No, that’s not what I said at all.

5. I don’t know Hedges, but from what I’ve read, my guess is that I wouldn’t like the guy.


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I don’t think Hedges would give a care if you liked him or not, SloMd. I do, however, see similarities in your egos. Coincidence???


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With all due respect to your “required education and experience in treating patients, let me just put this out there about “western medicine”.

The test given to determine whether a patient is bi-polar consists of five questions:

Does your self-confidence range from great self-doubt to equally great overconfidence?

Do you have periods of tearfulness and crying and other times when laugh and joke excessively?

Are there times when you have felt both high (elated) and low (depressed) at the same time?

Are there times when you are more interested in sex than usual?

Do you get into moods where you feel very speeded up or irritable?

The wrong/correct, depending on how you look at it, answers get you put on lithium, depakote, amblify, valium and the list goes on and on and on. NOW THAT IS WHAT I CALL INSANITY.

I’ll take medical marijuana from a dispensary, mobile collective or businessman any day of the week, before I let some “highly trained” doctor put me on meds that will destroy my kidneys, liver and ability to function over nothing more than a totally ridiculous and inconclusive verbal exchange.


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Hummm, Dr, you sound like you are in the field of psychiatry and while great strides have been made with the use of medications those meds still aren’t so hot and otherwise, almost no strides have been made in psychotherapy for the last 70 years, yet more citizens are manifesting forms of neurosis than ever before. Anti-anxiety drugs are addicting (ativan which works) and items like Zoloft etc have many drawbacks and side effects. You and your colleagues can’t talk someone out of their neurosis, all you can do is prescribe drugs. Some people prefer to smoke a joint when they feel wound up and it works for them. Others have glass of wine and many have a few too many glasses of wine. I’d rather see someone smoke a therapeutic joint rather than drink alcohol or swallow some of the industries new “fingle fangeled” chemically altered psychoactive drugs.

You really have a lot of nerve, now have a nice and prescribe some more pretty pills.


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Cindy,

You are correct on one thing, I do have a lot of nerve. Besides that, you are incorrect in several of your assumptions. I am not in the field of psychiatry. I feel WAY, WAY too many people are being prescribed not just psychiatric drugs (including and especially kids), but also pain meds, benzodiazepines (ativan, etc), and others. My personal opinion is that probably over 80-90% of people on those meds, should not be. Sorry that your assumptions about me are wrong, but I am the doc who says ‘no’ to prescribing that stuff for the majority of people.


The real truth is that people often look for answers to their problems in the form of a drug. Marijuana is no different. I’m not here saying marijuana is any better or any worse than other drugs. My point (again) is that like all other drugs, it should be regulated and subjected to oversight.


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Oh I see, so you are involved in a holistic practice. Maybe you are a chiropractor, a massage therapist or an acupuncturist? Maybe you have some schooling and a diploma in one of the above field’s or maybe you don’t. God forbid, you might even be a Scientologist! So why are you keeping your background such a BIG SECRET?

If you’re going to post as an md (in small letters I notice), what sort of practice do you specialize in, pretell? So far, all I know is that you claim to know more than the rest of us including the many dr’s that recommend MJ and you claim not to care what we think but seem rather tenacious about defending your view.


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I completely agree with y0ou SLO MD. As another health care professional I also see the VAST majority of people who abuse the EMS system and those that abuse prescription drugs AND marijuana. Do normal citizens see the countless crazy homeless people that want a taxi ride to the hospital just so they can get some free drugs? Nope. Unless you are in the company of treating these people then how can you possibly say that you have a clear understanding of what is really going on out there on a large scale. Also, bottom line is that marijuana is ILLEGAL under federal law…just because it is legal in SLO county doesn’t mean S^%$.


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Jay0991, time for you to actually do some investigating and become a little more enlightened. Medical Marijuana is LEGAL in 15 STATES not just SLO County. And it does mean something because when it is legal in enough states Federal law will change automatically.


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I do know it is legal in Cali, but we are talking about SLO County in these discussions….and until it is legal in the US…marijuana being legal here still doesn’t mean S&^%!


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“just because it is legal in SLO county doesn’t mean S^%$.”


Rodney John, is that you?


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I completely agree with you SLO MD. As another health care professional I also see the VAST majority of people who abuse the EMS system and those that abuse prescription drugs AND marijuana. Do normal citizens see the countless crazy homeless people that want a taxi ride to the hospital just so they can get some free drugs? Nope. Unless you are in the company of treating these people then how can you possibly say that you have a clear understanding of what is really going on out there on a large scale. Also, bottom line is that marijuana is ILLEGAL under federal law…just because it is legal in SLO county doesn’t mean S^%$.


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