Pubdate: Mon, 26 Apr 2010
Source: Lassen County Times (CA)
Copyright: 2010 Feather Publishing Co., Inc.
Contact: http://www.lassennews.com/email_us.edi
Website: http://www.lassennews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3871

SHERIFF FAVORS COUNTY POT BAN

Lassen County Sheriff Steve Warren  apologized to the Lassen County
Board of Supervisors  for missing the board's April 13 meeting when
the  supervisors discussed the possibility of adopting a  pair of
county ordinances that would have prohibited  marijuana cultivation
and the operation of medical  marijuana dispensaries in the county.

At the board's Tuesday, April 20 meeting, Warren said  he was
attending the federal attempted murder and  marijuana cultivation
trial in Sacramento for suspects  involved in a gun battle at a Dixie
Valley marijuana  garden last July that left one grower dead and
injured  two Lassen County deputies.

Dave Martin, a Lassen County Sheriff's sergeant, and  deputy Dave
Woginrich both were shot during the  gunfight, and six suspects were
later arrested in  Northern Lassen County. The garden contained about
8,100 marijuana plants.

"I had a pretty strong obligation to be there," Warren
said.

Warren said his position on marijuana in Lassen County  is very clear.
During recent meetings with county staff  leading up to the board's
consideration, Warren said he  asked John Ketelsen, county
administrative office, if  the county could simply prohibit marijuana
cultivation  and dispensaries in the county.

"Pardon my ignorance," Warren told the supervisors,  "but I thought we
already had a moratorium. I thought  we already had a prohibition such
as Citrus Heights,  Lincoln, Roseville and some of those other cities
have  done. I thought the only one (dispensary) we had in the  world
around here was in the city."

But Warren said his department has encountered two  other marijuana
operations in the county.

While the sheriff said he didn't want to discuss the  medical
marijuana issue, "No matter what, to me  marijuana is still against
federal law. The U.S.  Attorney General has come out and said they're
not  going to go after (marijuana offenders) and enforce  (federal)
laws in states where they've adopted local  rules that say they can do
that. I disagree with that  opinion, but even the U.S. Attorney
General's opinion  does not make it law. It's still against federal
law,  and in my mind, it always will be. If there's a local  rule or
local ordinance where we can enforce and  prohibit at least growing in
our county, or even being  present in our county, I'm totally in favor
of that."

Warren encouraged the board to take steps to impose a  countywide ban
on marijuana.

"I certainly have an obligation to enforce all laws,  even those I
don't agree with, but luckily for me at  this time it's still against
federal law," Warren said.  "I think if this governing body has the
ability to  prohibit them through a moratorium or absolutely  restrict
it so it can't be in our county, then that's  the action that should
be taken."

Warren said statistically only 3 percent of medical  marijuana
recommendations and state-issued medical  marijuana cards are valid.

"I don't think it's Satan's spawn," Warren said. "I  don't think it's
the worst drug in the world -- I think  methamphetamine is -- but I do
think it's illegal, and  I think it should stay illegal. Even if the
initiative  on the ballot passes, there are still going to be some
significant issues for the county because it's still  going to be
against federal law, and until the U.S.  Supreme Court takes this and
actually makes a final  decision on where this is going to be, that's
where I'm  going to be. If the U.S. supremes come down and say,
'Sheriff, this is a legalized issue, now ignore it,'  then that's what
I'll do. Until then, that's where I'm  at on marijuana."

The board plans to revisit the marijuana moratorium  issue again in
the near future. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D