Big Island Police Say They Have Changed Approach To Cases
PUNA, Hawaii -- While medical marijuana has been legal in Hawaii for 10 years, some people who say they follow the rules feel
So far, the state has granted more than 5,000 medical marijuana permits. The majority of those permits are for people on the Big Island.
Hawaii County resident Michael Ruggles holds three permits. He grows his own and said he and two others he grows for use it strictly to treat their varying ailments.
Despite the permits and his claims that he follows the rules, he has been arrested and has a court case pending.
Ruggles himself can be looked at as an example of the suspicion law enforcement still feels toward the medical marijuana phenomenon. He is being prosecuted for felony possession. He has fought the case for three years.
Two of his three permits were ignored by overzealous police, Ruggles said. In court, his attorney demanded the officer's personnel records.
"(He) is basically a rogue cop," Ruggles said.
Ruggles founded an organization that brings together medical marijuana growers who feel they have also been wrongfully raided.
Wendy Tatum said police terrorized her family.
"Held everyone at gunpoint, arrested everyone. They held the kids upstairs at gunpoint the whole time," Tatum said.
While not backing off the ongoing cases, police said they are easing up in how they handle new cases.
"We don't want to be scary. We don't want to be confrontational unnecessarily, just maintain our integrity and our profession when we are dealing with the public," Hawaii County Police Department Vice Division Lt. Miles Chong said.
That is from a police department known for "green harvests," helicopter raids that snatched thousands of plants every year. The vice lieutenant said those eradication raids by his department ended last month.
The move is in response to the last election when 53 percent of voters supported an initiative that said the county should put the lowest priority on prosecuting personal use of marijuana and banned money for the aerial eradication.
The goal of medical marijuana advocates now is to liberalize the law, allowing growers like Ruggles to grow for more people and to get more doctors comfortable prescribing marijuana.
The woman who helped get the law written 10 years ago said there is still not enough marijuana, especially on Oahu, to go around.
"We passed the law a compassionate law in 2000, but we were silent on where patients could actually get the medicine," said Pamela Lichty, of the Drug Policy Action Group. "Everyday people call and say, 'I got my card, and now what?'"
What the Big Island is dealing with growers and patients facing prosecution in a community that seems open to marijuana use but still needs law and order.
"We're stuck in the middle," Chong said.
Medical marijuana users said they noticed a less aggressive police attitude and they appreciate it. However, they said they would appreciate it more if pot was simply legalized.
Leaders in the state Legislature are planning to expand medical marijuana availability. That would put more marijuana into the black market and lead to large pot patches in many neighborhoods, law enforcement agencies said.
Source: http://www.kitv.com/health/22540458/detail.html
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PUNA, Hawaii -- While medical marijuana has been legal in Hawaii for 10 years, some people who say they follow the rules feel
So far, the state has granted more than 5,000 medical marijuana permits. The majority of those permits are for people on the Big Island.
Hawaii County resident Michael Ruggles holds three permits. He grows his own and said he and two others he grows for use it strictly to treat their varying ailments.
Despite the permits and his claims that he follows the rules, he has been arrested and has a court case pending.
Ruggles himself can be looked at as an example of the suspicion law enforcement still feels toward the medical marijuana phenomenon. He is being prosecuted for felony possession. He has fought the case for three years.
Two of his three permits were ignored by overzealous police, Ruggles said. In court, his attorney demanded the officer's personnel records.
"(He) is basically a rogue cop," Ruggles said.
Ruggles founded an organization that brings together medical marijuana growers who feel they have also been wrongfully raided.
Wendy Tatum said police terrorized her family.
"Held everyone at gunpoint, arrested everyone. They held the kids upstairs at gunpoint the whole time," Tatum said.
While not backing off the ongoing cases, police said they are easing up in how they handle new cases.
"We don't want to be scary. We don't want to be confrontational unnecessarily, just maintain our integrity and our profession when we are dealing with the public," Hawaii County Police Department Vice Division Lt. Miles Chong said.
That is from a police department known for "green harvests," helicopter raids that snatched thousands of plants every year. The vice lieutenant said those eradication raids by his department ended last month.
The move is in response to the last election when 53 percent of voters supported an initiative that said the county should put the lowest priority on prosecuting personal use of marijuana and banned money for the aerial eradication.
The goal of medical marijuana advocates now is to liberalize the law, allowing growers like Ruggles to grow for more people and to get more doctors comfortable prescribing marijuana.
The woman who helped get the law written 10 years ago said there is still not enough marijuana, especially on Oahu, to go around.
"We passed the law a compassionate law in 2000, but we were silent on where patients could actually get the medicine," said Pamela Lichty, of the Drug Policy Action Group. "Everyday people call and say, 'I got my card, and now what?'"
What the Big Island is dealing with growers and patients facing prosecution in a community that seems open to marijuana use but still needs law and order.
"We're stuck in the middle," Chong said.
Medical marijuana users said they noticed a less aggressive police attitude and they appreciate it. However, they said they would appreciate it more if pot was simply legalized.
Leaders in the state Legislature are planning to expand medical marijuana availability. That would put more marijuana into the black market and lead to large pot patches in many neighborhoods, law enforcement agencies said.
Source: http://www.kitv.com/health/22540458/detail.html
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