Date: Mon, 02 Sep 2002 19:23:59 -0700
Subject:Canada: Drug fugitive Wins Right To Grow Pot Here Up TOC

Newshawk: Steven Bacon
Webpage:
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/story.asp?id=3D{B0F65C4E-D8D9-41=
75-9551-F3E248D65C7A}
Pubdate: Sun, 1 Sept, 2002
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 The Province
Contact: provletters@pacpress.southam.ca
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Jane Sayd

Drug fugitive wins right to grow pot here

Jane Seyd
The Province

Sunday, September 01, 2002

(pic of Steve) Steve Kubby with Canadian permit allowing him to grow
59 marijuana plants at a time.




A high-profile American fugitive facing drug charges in B.C. has been
granted the right to smoke and grow huge quantities of marijuana --
for medical purposes.

The case is being described as a direct attack on America's anti-drug
policy and a move that will trigger a flow of "pot refugees" from
south of the border.

Steve Kubby, who fled with his family to the Sunshine Coast to avoid
a jail term in California, is believed the first American to be
granted a Health Canada exemption to the nation's drug laws.

"We're cleaning out our garage to start growing," said Kubby, 56, who
lives on the Sunshine Coast, home to several U.S pot activists who
have sought refuge there.

"The Americans would do well to come up to Canada and see how the
Canadians are doing this," Kubby said after receiving his exemption
Thursday.

His lawyer, John Conroy, who has represented many high-profile pot
activists in court, says he believes that Kubby is the first U.S.
citizen to be granted one of the approximately 800 exemptions that
have been issued by Health Canada since 1999.

"He's certainly the first one of the high-profile pot refugees," said
Conroy.

Kubby's permit allows him to travel with up to 360 grams of pot
within Canada and grow 59 plants at a time for medical use. It also
allows him to store up to 2,655 grams of marijuana.

Both Kubby and his lawyer agree that's a lot of pot.

Kubby says he smokes up to 12 grams of marijuana a day to control
symptoms of a rare form of adrenal-gland cancer.

Kubby, who is a host of Pot TV, a website with breaking news about
marijuana issues, once ran for governor of California as a
Libertarian candidate. He and his wife, Michelle, are well-known in
North America as advocates for legalizing medicinal marijuana.

Kubby was flagrant about his pot use and eventually was charged with
11 counts of possession and trafficking in California. He was
acquitted on all but two possession charges, for which he was
sentenced to four months.

Kubby, Michelle and their two chidren -- aged six and two -- fled to
Sechelt last year after the sentence was handed down.

Kubby was arrested on an immigration warrant last April after coming
to the attention of Sechelt RCMP in media reports about medicinal
marijuana.

Since then, he has applied for political refugee status -- a move
similar to one made by fellow U.S. pot refugee Renee Boje, who also
lives on the Sunshine Coast.

The U.S. has asked Immigration Canada to deport both Kubby and Boje.

Kubby and his wife also face criminal charges of production of a
controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking in
connection with 160 plants police seized from their home in Sechelt
in April.

Kubby said one of his biggest problems in B.C. has been that police
just don't believe he needs to smoke as much pot as he says he does
for medical purposes.

He said the documents from Health Canada now bear out his claims.

Kubby won support for his marijuana use from Dr. Joseph Connor, a
clinical professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia
and medical oncologist at the B.C. Cancer Agency.

Connor said Kubby's heavy pot smoking controls the blood-pressure
spikes, rapid heart beats, severe headaches and chest pains that can
result when his adrenal cancer cells produce too much adrenaline or
other hormones, and that it cuts down on the risk of stroke and heart
attack.

Marijuana appears to be unique in that it controls Kubby's symptoms
"better than any currently available combination of standard
medicines," wrote Connor in a letter to Health Canada.

"I have firmly recommended to him that he continue to use the
cannabis in the current dose and using the specific strains of plants
that he is now using."

Kubby's lawyer is now asking for the criminal charges in B.C. against
Kubby to be dropped.

He is also asking the RCMP to return the Kubbys' pot-growing
equipment so they can get started on a legal crop of marijuana.

But his MP, John Reynolds of the Canadian Alliance Party, is of a
different view.

"This is going to open the doors to more Americans coming in and
applying for exemptions . . . It concerns all Canadians," said
Reynolds, MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast.

"The law is here for Canadians. Now people everywhere in the world
are going to say, 'Hey, Canada is a place to go and get your pot.'"

Richard Kurland, a Vancouver-based immigration lawyer, said Kubby's
case "flings the doors open to similarly situated Americans."

Kurland also said Canada can expect an angry reaction from the
Americans to this development.

"I think they are going to go ballistic . . . This is a direct attack
on their anti-drug policy."

=A9 Copyright 2002 The Province

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
peace:-)=3D=3DU```
Steven

__________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 02 Sep 2002 19:24:03 -0700
Subject:CA: Marijuana Court Ruling May Open Door Up TOC

Newshawk: Terry Liittschwager
Pubdate: Fri, 23 Aug 2002
Source: Glendale News-Press (CA)
Copyright: 2002 Times Community Newspapers
Contact: gnp@latimes.com
Website: http://www.latimes.com/tcn/glendale/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/167
Author: Charles J. Unger
Note: Charles J. Unger is a criminal defense attorney in the Glendale law
firm of Flanagan, Unger, Danis & Grover, and a psychotherapist at the
Foothill Centre for Personal and Family Development. Mr. Unger writes a
bimonthly column on legal and psychological issues.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)

MARIJUANA COURT RULING MAY OPEN DOOR TO ABUSES

Here's a decision that will keep criminal defense lawyers like me busy
for a while. The California Supreme Court recently put marijuana use
for medical purposes on the same plane as any other prescription drug.
This all goes back to Proposition 215, passed by the voters in
California in 1996, which allows people to grow and use marijuana if
they are doing so for medical purposes.

The key to this ruling is that the court held that not only can
someone who is charged with a violation of the statute use their
medical need as a defense at trial, they also can vitiate the need for
a trial by having these charges dismissed before the case goes that
far. There is still an open question as to how many marijuana plants
an individual can grow and claim that they are being grown for one's
own medical use; however, the court seems to indicate that up to 30
marijuana plants or so would be OK.

The fact that the court did not rule on exactly how many plants a
person could grow may well lead to different rules in different
counties; however, one of the goals of this ruling is to create a
greater sense of uniformity throughout the state in the manner in
which these cases are resolved, and I think it will.

In order to either win at trial or have one's case dismissed, all the
patient needs to do is to present a prescription or some sort of
medical authorization with respect to the marijuana. Clearly, the
state Supreme Court felt strongly about this issue, as the ruling was
unanimous. It is hoped that this now six-year-old law has finally been
clarified.

The bad news for medical marijuana users, however, is that they are
still not protected from federal prosecution. Federal decisions hold
that there are no medical exceptions to federal drug laws.
Fortunately, it is normally state police agencies who make arrests
pertaining to the use and cultivation of marijuana, so this is one of
those decisions that will really impact the way the law is implemented
and will dramatically affect people's lives.

All of this stemmed from the case of Myron Mower. Mr. Mower is
diabetic, and he was convicted of several felony charges for
possession and cultivation of a controlled substance, as 31 marijuana
plants were found at his residence. Mr. Mower contended that the
marijuana had been extraordinarily beneficial for him in stimulating
his appetite and in controlling his nausea, especially now that he is
in what is called end-stage diabetes. This ruling reversed Mr. Mower's
convictions.

I like this decision. However, like anything else, it is certainly
subject to being abused. I foresee many court hearings in the future
as to what constitutes a valid prescription or authorization. There
are many in the drug community who will find doctors who are willing
to write prescriptions, and I would not be at all surprised if the
most nefarious of drug dealers shows up with medical notes or
prescriptions authorizing their use of marijuana, even in cases where
it clearly looks like the cannabis is being grown for purposes of sale.

This may also lead to testimony as to what type of examination the
doctor did that led him to suggest or OK the use of marijuana, as a
court might have to determine the validity of the prescription.

While I see issues like this arising in litigation, I think that this
is a major step in aiding those who really suffer from tremendous pain
and have found relief from the use of marijuana. There are many people
who for years have claimed that marijuana is no worse for an
individual than alcohol; the only difference is that alcohol is legal.
For those people, their day is rapidly approaching.
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager

------------------------------
Date: Tue, 03 Sep 2002 09:56:17 -0700
Subject:MI: Rainbow Revisited Up TOC

Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/dsw/2002/ds02.n265.html#sec5
Pubdate: Sun, 1 Sep 2002
Source: South Bend Tribune (IN)
Copyright: 2002 South Bend Tribune
Contact: vop@sbtinfo.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/621
Website: http://www.southbendtribune.com/
Author: Adam Jackson, Tribune Staff Writer
Photos: from the Tribune http://www.mapinc.org/temp/cRainbow-1.jpeg
http://www.mapinc.org/temp/cRainbow-2.jpeg
Map: http://www.mapinc.org/temp/rainbow-farms-mich-1.gif
Note: The Rainbow Farm Campground memorial website is
http://www.rainbowfarmcamp.com/
Please: see 'Remembering Activist Martyrs Tom Crosslin and Rollie Rohm'
with links to memorial websites, music and more
http://www.drugsense.org/dsw/2002/ds02.n265.html#sec5
Cited: Michigan Cannabis Action Network http://www.geocities.com/michigancan/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?200 (Rainbow Farm Campground)

RAINBOW REVISITED

Rainbow Farm Resembles Graveyard Year After Two Lives Lost.

VANDALIA -- Rainbow Farm Campground today resembles nothing so much as a
graveyard.

Overgrown weeds choke fields that were once neatly mowed. Charred remnants
of buildings and signs provide a haunting background to the rusting hulk of
a late-model Volkswagen Beetle slowly decaying in a parking lot. And near
the property's entrance at 59896 Pemberton Road, a spray-painted sign
provides a simple epitaph: TOM AND ROLLIE ARE FREE.

That sign, painted on weathered plywood, begs some compelling questions
about the lives of campground owner Grover "Tom" Crosslin, 46, and his
friend Roland "Rollie" Rohm, 28, who died Labor Day weekend last year
during a five-day standoff with authorities.

Were the two men freedom fighters killed for their outspoken stance in
favor of marijuana legalization? Were they criminals whose flagrant
disregard for the law and public safety led to their deaths?

The answers depend on who answers. Family and friends accuse law
enforcement of foul play. Authorities argue they did everything possible to
avoid the tragedy.

The only two who know the reasons behind what happened are Crosslin and
Rohm, and they took that knowledge to their graves.

But here's the story as it unfolded last Labor Day weekend, pieced together
using FBI, Michigan State Police and Cass County Sheriff's Office reports
obtained by federal and state Freedom of Information Act requests from The
Tribune, Cass County Prosecutor Scott Teter's report on the incidents,
recent interviews and reporting over the course of the standoff and since.

Trouble in paradise

Crosslin opened Rainbow Farm Campground in the mid-1990s. By 1998, it had
become well-known for widely attended festivals with names like HempFest
and Roach Roast.

People camped, listened to music and heard proponents of personal rights
and marijuana legalization. The festivals drew thousands and the attention
of publications such as High Times Magazine, a periodical centered around
the marijuana lifestyle calling Rainbow Farm among the nation's top 10
"stoner" spots.

The festivals also drew the attention of police with reports of loud music,
public lewdness and illegal drug use. In May 1999, police undertook an
investigation with undercover officers in an attempt to document Rainbow
Farm's activities.

Lt. Michael Brown, who commands the South Haven, Mich.-based Southwest
Enforcement Team (SWET) anti-drug task force, said in May 2001 the
festivals had rampant sales and use of illegal drugs.

"You would be amazed," he said. "You go in there, (drug use) is just
everywhere."

With evidence from the probe and a tip campground employees were being paid
under the table following two years of seeking to halt illegal activities
at Rainbow Farm through other methods, police secured search warrants based
on potential tax-evasion charges. Officers found more than they figured
they were going for.

"There was a significant marijuana growing operation in the basement of the
house, and there was marijuana all over inside the house," said Cass County
Prosecutor Scott Teter, who had written warning letters on two occasions to
Crosslin warning him his property could be seized as a public nuisance.

The threats riled Crosslin, who replied back: "I have discussed this with
my family and we are all prepared to die on this land before we allow it to
be stolen from us."

With Crosslin defiant, Teter ended up suing under an ordinance requiring
permits of more than 500 people. Crosslin won both times, claiming the
gatherings were sponsored by an Ohio-based group promoting marijuana
legalization and that the ordinance exempted non-profits.

But Teter wasn't done with Crosslin.

On May 9, 2001, he charged Crosslin with felonies of manufacturing
marijuana, firearm possession and maintaining a drug house. Rohm had been
charged with manufacturing marijuana, maintaining a drug house and firearm
possession, although the last two charges were dismissed about a month later.

If they had been convicted on the charges, Crosslin was facing up to 24
years in prison and Rohm up to 15 years.

With the allegations, Child Protective Services took Rohm's 12-year-old
son, Robert, from the home, placing him in state foster care. The boy had
been raised by the pair since age 4.

Gideon Israel, a Rainbow Farm regular, had said: "It's been extremely
one-sided. This is a very political issue we hope to resolve through the
system."

Most of summer 2001 was peaceful at Rainbow Farm. Both posted bond --
$150,000 for Crosslin and $25,000 for Rohm -- and moved home.

But there were conditions.

Besides no future drug use, Cass County Circuit Judge Michael Dodge ordered
no more festival gatherings pending a December 2001 court date.

But that order was apparently ignored Aug. 17, 2001, when less than 500
people showed up for an impromptu Rainbow Farm event. Undercover police
reported seeing both Crosslin and Rohm using marijuana.

Because of that, Dodge scheduled a bond revocation hearing Aug. 31, 2001.
But neither showed for their hearings, even though Crosslin had told his
attorney, Dori Leo, he planned to.

"Tom was defiant," Leo admitted, adding "Rollie was scared."

With both absent, Dodge issued warrants for their arrests on contempt of
court charges.

Start of a standoff

At noon EDT Aug. 31 -- the Friday before Labor Day weekend, a dispatcher at
Cass County Central Dispatch received a telephone call from Dan Owen, a
Cassopolis man who noticed something strange while driving past Rainbow Farm.

Owen reported a fire at Rainbow Farm, saying a pavilion was ablaze.

The dispatcher hit tones for Newberg Township Fire Department and
ambulance. Another call came in, from Bob McDonald, whose uncle, Carl
McDonald, was a neighbor:

McDonald: "They just had a fire call come for the, uh, over the radio,
because ... a pavilion's on fire."

Dispatcher: "Um-hmm."

McDonald: "But, Tom Crosslin?"

Dispatcher: "Um-hmm?"

McDonald: "... came down and told my uncle here, about a half hour ago, to
get the hell out of there, because there's going to be trouble because Tom
and a bunch of other people are all dressed in camouflage attire. OK. And
I've called up to Cass County before when uh, my uncle ..."

Dispatcher: "And they said there's going to be problems, huh?"

McDonald: "Well, here's the deal. My uncle also told me, and I called the
police about it, that he's acquired .50-caliber guns."

Dispatcher: "OK."

McDonald: "Fifty-caliber, cause he said the bullet's about like, uh, six,
seven inches long."

Dispatcher: "All right."

McDonald: "And he told them that they wasn't going to take them alive, so
with the fire burning there, I don't know, it might be some kind of a ploy."

Shooting the sky

Upon hearing reports of trouble at Rainbow Farm, dispatchers rounded up
emergency and police units, directing them to assemble at the intersection
of White Temple Road and Black Street, about a mile away.

The activity also attracted news media.

A Bell Ranger helicopter with WNDU-TV, Channel 16, South Bend, was hovering
overhead that afternoon, surveying the scene. Richard Voigt, a veteran
pilot, was at the helm.

He later told FBI Special Agent Christopher Favo he was circling about 1:30
p.m. EDT to film the fires when he got a call from WNDU that police
notified them his helicopter was being fired on from the ground. Upon
returning to South Bend Regional Airport, an inspection revealed a bullet
hole in its tail.

Shooting an aircraft is a federal crime. Because of that, more than 50
agents from the FBI joined the more than 50 Cass County sheriff's deputies
and Michigan State Police already surrounding Rainbow Farm.

Contacting Crosslin

As officials learned more, it became apparent communicating with Crosslin
and Rohm was urgent.

A stroke of luck came in the form of Tracy Brown, a 25-year-old Cass County
resident known as "Buggy" to friends. A friend of Crosslin and Rohm, Brown
had seen smoke coming from the burning buildings and went to ask about it.

Brown was turned away by Rohm, who said "it was not a good time to be
there," and asked him to leave. Brown did, heading to the police command post.

Because of his friendship with the two, Brown became an intermediary,
visiting at least 10 times during the eventual five-day standoff. The
messages, mostly centered around frustrations Crosslin and Rohm felt with
court actions threatening to take away their property, jail them and
deprive them of "son" Robert.

Both "Crosslin and Rohm were carrying rifles and held them in their arms,"
Brown told the FBI, adding he had also seen boxes of ammunition in the house.

"It was a shock to see the weapons and ammunition," Brown said.

Support of Friends

With Crosslin and Rohm holed up at Rainbow Farm, supporters, friends and
family erected a makeshift campsite at White Temple Road and Michigan 60.
With signs protesting police involvement and backing the pair, those
gathered hoped that the situation would end without tragedy.

Rohm had said the week before that "everything was going well; everything
was cool," said Melody Karr, a Rainbow Farm supporter from Mesick, Mich.,
and co-founder of the Michigan Cannabis Action network, a marijuana
legalization advocacy group. "When we found out what was going on, we drove
down right away."

Supporters worried, believing police purposely kept them in the dark. A
fright came when supporters caught a glimpse of activity in a building at a
vacant plant near the command post.

"We could see (police) in there doing target practice," Karr said. "We
started yelling; we knew what was going on. The next day, all of the
windows in that building had been painted over."

Over the weekend, the situation remained tense. Contact was limited to
demands to speak with Robert.

Meanwhile, teams of specially trained FBI and state police officers had
taken to rotating shifts -- 12 hours on, 12 hours off -- at "observation
points" around Rainbow Farm.

Bolstered by a Michigan National Guard light armored car brought in to
monitor the situation, the posts created a perimeter to prevent an
attempted escape. If they had, "across the road from the house is all state
land," Teter said. "It would be almost impossible to find someone out there."

Both sides waited and watched, with the only exchange being terse reports
from Brown and occasional bursts of rifle fire from the house.

Crosslin's Death

A wild card by the name of Brandon James Peoples entered the fray on Sept.
3, 2001 -- a Monday.

An 18-year-old friend of Rohm and Crosslin, Peoples had heard news reports
of the situation at the campground, and, after waking at around 1 p.m. EDT,
had decided to visit his friends.

With the police presence and the possibility of hostilities, Peoples simply
took a circuitous route, walking past some police and approaching from the
north. His plan was to try to talk his friends to give up or run away, and
his presence to surprise authorities that morning.

Rohm and Crosslin "invited me into their house," Peoples said. "They showed
me a wire that they indicated would blow up or burn the house. They also
said the yard was mined. (Rohm and Crosslin) both said they shot at the
armored vehicle. They said they called it 'Sparky' because of the bullet
sparks."

Both said they were not planning to leave.

"By this, I thought they meant to stay until the end," Peoples said.

Peoples would be the last person to see them together alive.

Crosslin asked Peoples to help him get supplies, which he agreed to.
Peoples and Crosslin left, walking along a trail past the police perimeter
south to the home of Carl McDonald at 60152 Pemberton Road.

Crosslin, his Ruger Mini-14 rifle slung over his shoulder, forced open the
door, filling a garbage bag with a coffee maker, coffee filters, hot dogs
and a 12-pack of Miller Lite beer. Spotting a .22-caliber rifle in a gun
rack, Crosslin asked Peoples if he wanted it. Peoples said no, to which
Crosslin said: "Don't you want to stick around and have fun?"

The two retraced their route. Upon returning, Crosslin saw they had
forgotten the coffee pot, and asked Peoples if he would return to retrieve
it. Scared of booby traps, Peoples declined.

Crosslin talked Peoples into going after he said he'd accompany the teen,
and the two retrieved the Bunn Pour-O-Matic pot. On the trail back while
stopping at a campsite to rest, Crosslin apparently looked straight into a
position occupied by FBI Special Agent Richard Salomon, who was on the
Rainbow Farm property's perimeter monitoring activity.

Crosslin looked surprised, raising the Ruger Mini-14 rifle he was carrying
to his shoulder, and appearing ready to fire at Salomon, who was only a few
yards away. Crosslin never got off a shot.

"Both Salomon and (Special Agent Michael Heffron) fired simultaneously,"
Teter's report said. "The .308-caliber round fired by Salomon struck
Crosslin in the forehead, killing him instantly."

Heffron's bullet, a .223-caliber round, passed through a small tree and
shattered, pieces of the bullet striking Crosslin in the hand and side.

Peoples, looking down when the shooting happened, got peppered with
fragments of Crosslin's skull and brain, injuring him some and making him
hysterical.

At the protest site near Vandalia, no one notified supporters of what had
happened to Crosslin. With rain clouds building, some on hand had gone to
make sure nothing exposed would get wet. It was at that point when one of
the protesters noticed a special report on TV about the 4:40 p.m. EDT death.

"We were devastated," said Karr, noting that some of those on hand started
screaming "Murderers!" in the direction of the command post.

"Some people wanted to rush the gates (at the post), but cooler heads
prevailed," she said. "There was a lot of anger and despair."

Ending It Alone

After Crosslin's death, state police took over the observation post. At the
same time, negotiators contacted Rohm in an attempt to get him to surrender
peacefully.

Negotiations even included a letter from Robert, who investigators agreed
to bring in if Rohm gave himself up.

The letter read:

"From your son Robert

"Hey dad please come out so no one gets hurt. I love you a lot we can do
all of the fun things we did befor (sic) o.k. dad I love you a lot!!!

"You rember (sic) all of the good things we use to do like playing
paintball wars or playing bumper cars on the golf carts.

"I am safe and o.k. I am in good shape until you get out.

"Love Robert"

Negotiators reported Rohm was quiet and composed, and sounded lethargic.
When he failed to answer the telephone, police fired a nonexplosive 37 mm
cannon round through a window of the house, prompting Rohm to answer the
phone and ask why he was being shot at.

Early the next day on Sept. 4, negotiations appeared to reach a successful
conclusion. Rohm agreed to surrender peacefully in exchange for a chance to
talk to Robert. However, he asked police to let him sleep until 6 a.m. EDT
since he was tired.

At 6 a.m., negotiators called. Rohm answered and agreed to stick to the
bargain, but sounded groggy and disoriented. He was told to come out with
his hands up, and move to the driveway's end without a weapon.

The negotiator then heard a sound like the receiver of the telephone being
laid on a hard surface, with Rohm being heard moving around inside the
house. At that point, police heard a crackling noise coming through the phone.

Five minutes later, just before 6:05 a.m. EDT, flames were visible. About
30 minutes later, state troopers close to the house said Rohm had exited,
dressed in full camouflage and carrying a rifle.

Rohm took up a position under a pine tree behind the home, looking toward
the driveway. Worried he would try to escape, state police gave the order
to bring the armored car to the house's side, ordering through a
loudspeaker mounted on the car for Rohm to drop his gun.

Michigan State Police Sgt. Dan Lubelan, and trooper John Julin, stationed
nearby, said they saw Rohm lift his gun toward the car, and said they had
concerns he would fire on the car as it cleared smoke coming from the
house, which was now burning fiercely.

Lubelan fired once, putting a round from his .308-caliber Remington sniper
rifle through Rohm's chest. Julin, wielding a 7.62 mm M-14 semiautomatic
rifle, shot eight times, hitting Rohm once in the leg. Lubelan fired again,
but did not hit Rohm.

An arrest squad, moving in using the armored car as cover, ran in and
handcuffed Rohm's prone body. Rohm was pronounced dead at the scene.

Aftermath

A year after the shooting deaths of Crosslin and Rohm, some still have
questions about why the pair had to die.

Police answer the same way they did directly following the standoff:
Crosslin and Rohm might be alive if they hadn't taken aim at police. Police
say little more than that.

"We're going to decline any interviews" about Rainbow Farm, said Special
Agent Jenny Emmons of the FBI's Detroit Bureau.

Michigan State Police Capt. Richard Dragomer, who commands southwestern
Michigan's Paw Paw, Mich.-based 5th District, said any further information
on the Rainbow Farm standoff would have to come from Cass County sources
with the state police investigation now closed.

Cass County Sheriff Joseph Underwood has said police did what they could to
try to end the situation "very peacefully."

"We did not go up to the house. We had observers back from the house. They
engaged our officers that were out in the field," he has said. "There was
no aggressive attempt made by law enforcement. They were engaged at the site."

Teter, who conducted an independent investigation of the shootings, said
the shooters acted appropriately in both cases, and ruled the killings
justified.

"I can't think of anything (the shooters) should have done differently," he
said. "I think they waited as long as they possibly could before making the
decision to shoot."

Teter cleared Michigan State Police and the FBI of any wrongdoing in
connection with the deaths. Neither of the officers involved was
disciplined or suspended for their actions.

These days, there's little sign of the violent ends met by Crosslin and
Rohm along sleepy, rural Pemberton Road. Except for the memorial sign, and
scraps of "Police Line: Do Not Cross" tape tangled in the charred cellar
where the farmhouse once stood, a casual observer might think Rainbow Farm
Campground had simply been burned and abandoned.

But to those who were there, the events of Labor Day weekend 2001 in
Vandalia will never be forgotten.

To Teter, Rainbow Farm is an example of the tragic consequences that can
arise from a situation where the law is ignored.

"I can understand the pain and frustration of the people who cared about
these men," he said. "But it needs to be understood that this resulted from
a choice they made.

"They chose to live outside the law, and leave all these people who loved
them behind to deal with the consequences."

To Karr and other supporters, Rohm and Crosslin were killed merely for
standing up for what they believed in. The main hope, she said, is that
they didn't die in vain.

She believes their message has come through loud and clear. At Hash Bash, a
pro-marijuana festival in Ann Arbor in the spring, Karr kept hearing
support for their actions.

"To the people in the movement, the sacrifice that (they) made will never
be forgotten," she said, noting there will be a candlelight vigil in
Cassopolis at the Cass County Courthouse starting at 6 p.m. EDT Monday
night to remember the two.

"One woman kept coming up to me to ask about (them in Ann Arbor), and tears
were just rolling down her face. (They) will not be forgotten."
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake

------------------------------
Date: Tue, 03 Sep 2002 10:01:59 -0700
Subject: UK: Blunkett's Cannabis Strategy Flawed Up TOC

Newshawk: JimmyG
Pubdate: Mon, 02 Sep 2002
Source: Guardian, The (UK)
Copyright: 2002 Guardian Newspapers Limited
Contact: letters@guardian.co.uk
Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/175
Author: Nick Hopkins, crime correspondent
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom)

BLUNKETT'S CANNABIS STRATEGY 'FLAWED'

An academic will warn chief police officers that retaining the power of
arrest for simple cannabis possession is a sideways step that could lead to
confusion among officers when the drug is reclassified.

Tiggey May, who co-wrote a study on the policing of cannabis funded by the
Joseph Rowntree Foundation, is expected to tell a drugs conference on
Thursday that she fears that the home secretary's decision to keep the
power of arrest when certain aggravating factors apply was a mistake.
Though supporters of the move have argued that the retention will stop
cannabis users from mocking officers by smoking in front of them, Ms May
believes this is "hardly a persuasive argument".

"People who smoke in front of police officers are likely to be very naive,
and the best thing to do when confronted by that kind of behaviour is to
rise above it, or ignore it.

"I don't think people want to be stopped and searched, so they are not
likely to draw attention to themselves".

Ms May, a senior research fellow at South Bank University in London, is one
of the speakers at a two day drugs conference starting on Wednesday. It has
been organised by the association of chief police officers.

Earlier this year Ms May co-wrote a study with Mike Hough on policing and
cannabis. She will draw on her research, which involved eight police forces
- - including the Metropolitan police - to show that 69% of police officers
have dealt with cannabis possession in an informal way, often by throwing
it down a drain.

Analysis of 30,000 custody records also found that only 1% of those charged
with cannabis possession were later charged with more serious offences.

Figures show that 75% of those arrested for cannabis were accused of simple
possession, rather than anything more serious. Only 10% were charged for
possession and other drug offences.

Ms May said yesterday that there was danger in cannabis users "having laws
forced upon them that they don't believe in" at a time when "crack houses
are opening up in a number of cities, and heroin prices are continuing to
fall". She added: "Most officers we spoke to did not think that
criminalising young people was a good use of their time".

In July David Blunkett announced his intention to reclassify cannabis to
class C, a category which does not have an automatic power of arrest for
simple possession.

Rather than stripping police of this option, Mr Blunkett said legislation
would be passed to give officers a reserve power of arrest if the offence
involved children, public disorder, or a "flagrant disregard for the law".

The Association of Chief Police Officers is, however, struggling to draw up
the guidelines for officers regarding the aggravating factors. They are due
to be published in November.

Ms May warned yesterday that the guidelines, if unclear, could lead to
disparity of practice within and across regions.
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager

------------------------------
Date: Mon, 02 Sep 2002 18:47:41 -0700
Subject: The Dinosaur that wouldn't die! Up TOC

The Dinosaur that wouldn't die!
by The Guru of Green 

So the question for today's article is: How do we convince those powers that
be to allow, and embrace the reintroduction of the marajuana plant onto the
World market?
     Well it's simple, you just give 'em a piece of the pie. Especially
considering that when Maryjuana does show her face on the market - those
megacorporations will see substantial losses of revenue.
     For example: No longer will we need to cut down ANY more trees - for
Maryjuana has proven herself again and again in the laboratories to be
capable of being processed into a multitude of wood alternatives. In one
study Maryjuana was processed into a concretelike brick of moldable=
 Maryjuana
- - it's strength is closer to concrete than it is to the best particle board
available at your local Home DePOT. Say good-bye to wood pulp based papier,
and say Allo to Hemp-paper en masse. You must be a Joker... cause we all=
 know
by now that hemp paper is far superior to rice based rolling papers.
     For example: We'll no longer have to rely on the middle east's oil
field's since our homegrown power weed's essencial oils can be refined into
a cleaner running fuel than gas, and cheaper to produce! And to commensate
Mobile, Standard Oil, & B.P. We'll gleefully give them the contracts to
refine said oils. Who better to do it than those huge companies who have had
legions of scientists dedicated to similar research for decades. =E2=80=9CMa=
ke that
Super Ak-47 X Romulan Unleaded please, and can you wash my winshield - sure
you can use the hemp scented windex.'
     For example: The pharamcuetical companies will again be allowed to=
 offer
the public non-opiated drugs to deal with their pain, nauseau, glaucoma,
AIDS, Cancer, seizures, etc... 'Just take one Tylenol extra strength 500 mg
white widow capsule and call me in the morning.'
     For example: The cigarette companies can set loose their scientists on
the production of fine domestic blends of less lethal, basically neutral,
non-carcenogenic smokes. The TRUTH is tobacco will be hit the hardest, when
such a healthier - more beneficial smoke is legally offered to Mr.Marlboro's
former clientelle. 'Yo lemme have a pack-a-Newports  Blueberry menthol
100s!
     For example: Alternative non-alcoholic beverages have been=
 exceptionally
popular as of late, a whole new market for energy drinks has blossomed
recently - and it would be logical to expect a new Maryjuana based product
line to emerge. And as stated previously, the same goes true for the liquor
companies, They too will get a piece of the pie. As we all know there was=
 hem
p beer on The Presidential Airforce 1, a logical progression would be
beverages like red bull which might POTentially have a sister product line
that evolved into =E2=80=9CPanama Red Bull - It'll rrrREAALLLY give you=
 wings!
     For example.: The textile industries will no longer need to harvest=
 labor
intensive, and expensive crops like cotton and wool, which take their toll=
 on
our environment with rotating crops that require massive amounts of
fertilizers and nutrients, to ranches full of persecuted animals which unk
nowingly lay havoc on their environment and prime farmland. When
Maryjuana's gets weaved into the fabric scene (On a wider scale than
Maryjuana currently sees, Scientists will be able to take advantage of more
technical processing of higher, and finer grades of textiles made from
Maryjuana) we'll see a happier, lower-globally-polluting consumer. Heck, the
U.S. government still uses hemp rope in the making of much of the rope in=
 the
Navy - reason being, Marajuana is THEE strongest fiber known to man,=
 Nodoubt!
So soon we'll be seing Michael Jordan wearing green poaka dotted Hanes
Hempwear.
     Marajuana is an obvious answer to many a troubling modern concerns.=
 It's
obviously an environmentally sound crop to rotate into our economy,=
 Marajuana
is clearly a safer drug than opiates, barbituates, psychotropics, or any
other questionable chemical cure currently available on today's
pharmaceutical market place. I's also a safer "soft drug" than say...
ALCOHOL, like Duh! Isn't that obvious enough by now. Marajuana will lessen
Man's intrusion into the natural world, by limiting the necessity of such
polluting industries such as the fossil fuel companies.



CRRH is working to regulate and tax the sale of cannabis to adults like=20
alcohol, allow doctors to recommend cannabis through pharmacies and restore=
=20
the unregulated production of industrial hemp.

*Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp*
mail:     CRRH ; P.O. Box 86741 ; Portland, OR 97286 USA
email:   crrh@crrh.org
phone:  (503) 235-4606
fax:       (503) 235-0120
web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
Date: Mon, 02 Sep 2002 21:08:06 -0700
Subject: Canada: Cops Want Pot Club Regulated Up TOC

Newshawk: http://www.thecompassionclub.org/
Pubdate: Mon, 02 Sep 2002
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 Vancouver Courier
Contact: editor@vancourier.com
Website: http://www.vancourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474
Author: David Carrigg, Staff writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)

COPS WANT POT CLUB REGULATED

City police want the Compassion Club closed unless it stops distributing
pot to people without Health Canada permits.

Currently, the Commercial Drive club only requires its members to present a
doctor's certificate saying they would benefit from marijuana consumption
in order to buy pot.

Use of medical marijuana in Canada is only legal if the consumer has
permission from Health Canada.

Insp. Kash Heed, head of Vancouver Police Department's drug squad, said
he's in discussions with city licensing staff and Health Canada to
determine what can be done to regulate the Compassion Club.

"We are trying to establish who will enforce non-compliance of
regulations," said Heed, adding the situation is complicated by the fact
that Health Canada has refused to give him a list of Vancouverites with
medicinal marijuana permits.

"Information from Health Canada is very limited and that causes us
frustration. I've asked if they have an enforcement branch and I've not
received a reply. We don't even have a list."

Hilary Black, founder of the Compassion Club, said the process to get a
Health Canada permit is extremely bureaucratic, tedious and difficult.

"The medical community are not in favour of medicinal use of marijuana.
People have been given the legal right to access medical marijuana, but
they can't get down the path. There are too many road blocks."

The Compassion Club formed in 1997 and has 2,000 members, with the number
growing by about 40 a month. The club buys about 40 pounds of pot a month
from growers throughout the Lower Mainland, which it then sells to members.

The club also offers alternative medical help to members, either for free
or for $3 a session.

Black said some members have Health Canada permits to use marijuana, but
most rely on a doctor's certificate.

Nonetheless, Black said not everybody who wants it gets pot. The club gives
members a package of information to take to their doctors or naturopaths,
who must then fill out a form. The club then contacts the doctor to confirm
the information, and conducts a 90-minute interview with the potential
member. "It's not easy to become a member-we don't distribute pot to
anybody," she said. "I'm sure the police have had members registered here
to see what we are doing, but we are very transparent and accountable. The
police have been neutral; they haven't raided us."

Some of the Compassion Club's contracted growers have been busted, but
Black said the courts have given those growers absolute discharges.

Heed said police are monitoring the Compassion Club, but there are no plans
to raid the premises.

"It's not as simple as going in and closing it down. There are medicinal
regulations in place. I've been working with city licensing to ensure the
club has the proper business licences. We want to meet with Hilary to talk
to her about this."
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager

CRRH is working to regulate and tax the sale of cannabis to adults like 
alcohol, allow doctors to recommend cannabis through pharmacies and restore 
the unregulated production of industrial hemp.

*Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp*
mail:     CRRH ; P.O. Box 86741 ; Portland, OR 97286 USA
email:   crrh@crrh.org
phone:  (503) 235-4606
fax:       (503) 235-0120
web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
End of Restore-Digest V2002 #182
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