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Central Valley anti-pot effort honored
Lucia Graves | Tri-Valley Herald | 01/21/2006

WASHINGTON — The White House has honored Central Valley drug-fighters for efforts to eradicate marijuana in a region thats become increasingly popular with outlaw growers.

The Central Valley California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a cooperative effort spanning the area from Sacramento to Bakersfield, won three out of the 11 awards given nationwide by the White House drug czars office. In part, the awards recognize the groups campaign to clear pot plantations away from Sierra Nevada parks and forest.

I dont care if these guys are growing freakin potatoes, Bill Ruzzamenti, executive director of the Central Valley HIDTA, said Friday. I dont want them growing anything in the national parks.

The three awards honored Central Valley officials for leading efforts in investigations involving surveillance, intelligence, informants, wiretaps, search warrants and arrest teams. Their work, which targeted what was described as a large multistate drug-trafficking network, led to the seizure of more than a million marijuana plants, 9,800 pounds of marijuana and other drugs, and 149 suspects involved in drug-related operations.

The awards were presented in a low-key event hosted by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Since the Central Valley chapter was founded in 1999, the group has received more national awards than any HIDTA in the United States.

Im very proud, Ruzzamenti said. Its a very fine commentary on the great state, local and federal law enforcement partnership that weve formed in the Central Valley to deal with the acute drug problem we are faced with.

Ruzzamenti, who accepted the award on behalf of the Central Valley group, said that in recent years the marijuana industry has drastically expanded from mom-and-pop gardens to multibillion-dollar

marijuana plantations. These plantations, Ruzzamenti said, are generally controlled by Mex-ican gangs and may be guarded by up to 150 men, many of them armed.

But the men in the field aren't the ones HIDTA is after. Ruzzamenti said most of the field workers are Mexican nationals who are told they'll be paid some amount of money and given a green card once the marijuana is harvested.

"They're just doing the bidding of the organization," Ruzzamenti said.

Marijuana plantations are particularly problematic when grown on public land, including national parks like Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. The plantations have been blamed for everything from poisoning park land with fertilizers to damming up rivers for irrigation purposes.

Although the awards Ruzzamenti received regard big plantations, he is also concerned about the drug at the small-town level.

Proposition 215, which allows Californians to obtain marijuana if they have a serious medical need for it, has given rise to uncertainty among some as to when marijuana is legal and when it is not.

Part of the marijuana problem in California is that a lot people want to think it's legal, Ruzzamenti said.

"Prop. 215 has been bastardized to the max," said Ruzzamenti.

"Now everything from a hangnail to a potential migraine is used as an excuse to possess and grow marijuana."

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dedbr

Thank you doctor Ruzzamenti, for that wonderfull dissertation on the problem's with the new medical marijuana law.

We had medical marijuana in Ohio first. That's right, Ohio. Then when California passed their law, some brite bulb here said, "So, we've already had it for month's.."

The DEA started loading jet's with agent's heading toward's Ohio. You would of thought we were talking armed insurrection! There were actually DEA agent's in the statehouse when they voted the new law out!

What do action's like these lead to? It lead's to people going out where ever they can to plant their plant's. Then they throw in the "Mexican Mafia" to justify their action's.


You know what we have here? We have a government that is refusing to listen to the people. The last time we had this was in a place called Boston over some tea. Same thing this time, only different kind of tea....

Now you know why I have a bunker....

Another name for the ignorant list....

Ded

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Buzzby

When did we have medical marijuana in Ohio? We don't now and AFAIK we never have.


So all those armed Mexicans they keep capturing are "extras"? The huge profits available from the black market will inevitably lead entrepreneurs to do whatever's necessary to cash in on them.


Does it have something to do with "bunk"?


[EDIT] I found it! Someone snuck a provision into a 1996 1,000-page criminal sentencing bill allowing for an affirmative defense for possession of marijuana if the accused had a physician's written recommendation to use marijuana for medical purposes. As soon as the Cincinnati Inquirer noticed it, it was voted out. The provision was never invoked because no one knew about it!

Ohio Medical Marijuana Provision Confounds Officials,Lawmakers Move to Repeal the Law

Medical Marijuana Legislation Hot Topic For State Legislators

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dedbr

First you question ol' Ded's word, then you say we snuck somethin' in on ya? An you bein' a native son of the Hi state, too? How is it you didn't know this, you being an activist and all?

Ya got me cryin' pappy. The Enquirer is leaning a little right, even if I do say so myself. Kinda like some of our "Community."

We even had doctor's ready to give consent to treatment and the form's for them to sign. Since we got shot down, tho, I guess that mean's we get to be a bunch of no good, dirty, drug dealer's and drug addict's again. Now I can be sick and miserable. Thank's Enquirer. Thank's state of Ohio.

(Dedbr head's back into the bunker...)

No pass, Buzz. When you said bunk, was that you or me?

Buzzby

When did I question your word? I asked a question and admitted my ignorance on the subject. I corrected that ignorance by searching for the information.


I wasn't smoking at the time and wasn't involved in activism, other than paying my dues for NORML and MPP.

 

dedbr

by saying we "snuck" something in on someone?

That's funny, because it was published in the Norml and MPP new's alert's. Oh yeah, that's right. You weren't an activist then. That must be the reason you didn't read them, huh?

(Dedbr turn's on the light's in the bunker...)

Excuse me, Mr. Buzz, Sir. I have to get back to reading my bunk....

Ded

Buzzby

Those who would oppose medical marijuana in the legislature didn't notice that the affirmative defense provision was in the 1,000 page bill until the Cincinnati Inquirer published an article about it. State legislators don't have the time personally nor the staff to fully investigate every provision of every bill. It is common practice to hide provisions that are not likely to have much support in the middle of large bills that no one is likely to read in their entirety.

The vote to repeal that provision was passed by a large majority, so it would be proper to say that the writers put one over on the legislature by getting it passed in the first place.

And no, I wasn't active in the marijuana legalization movement in 1997. I didn't smoke at the time and my participation was limited to an annual membership contribution to two of the major pro-legalization organizations. You seem to have a problem with that. Why?

dedbr

with you Buzz, what I have a problem with is the tone of your response that say's we "snuck" one in on someone. "We" didn't write the new "Crime bill", one of the representatives, or an aide did. The crime bill didn't have anything to do with "crime" it had to do with "indeterminate sentencing" which was determined to be unconstitutional.
Ohio has alway's been easy on it's possesion law's as far as herb is concerned, so it was a natural progression for us to have "medical marijuana".
If our representatives are too lazy or stupid to read the bill's they are voting for, then we need to vote their butt's out and get someone in their who can read, and really cares what he put's his name on, don't you agree?
It seem's to me that if a poor old pot smoker can read and understand the law and all it's provision's, why in the hell can't our lawmaker's?

And how stupid do they look for voting for something and then saying they didn't know it was in there?

(Dedbr turn's back to the bunker....)

One last thing tho...If I know what I'm talking about, and you don't, who's shooting the bunk? And who's got the problem, partner?

I have been fighting for legalization for thirty-one year's. I've learned to read the law because that's what they use against us, the law. They are the ones that "sneak" new stuff in on us, and if "we" don't keep up, they'll sneak something in on us that we will get bit in the butt by. Like they just did with driving privleges.
Do you want to call that bunk or do you want to check me first to see if I'm right?

(Dedbr goes back to reading...)

No bunker pass for you, Buzz. Keep on tryin', tho. I think you will make it.


Ded

killer12382

This article was mostly about commercial growers and their misuse of federal land to grow pot. Yea, they mentioned medpot but those people who were growing it didn't give a rats ass about sick people. And yes these growers are connected to the Mexican Mafia.
And somehow Ohio got thrown into the discussion. Can't smoke a Buckeye.

killer12382

Yea Dedbr, Ohio had a medpot law and the keyword is HAD.