Measure B last June in Mendocino rescinded a previous measure that allowed for the personal possession of and expanded cultivation of medical marijuana. Arcata adopted an ordinance late last year that regulates grow houses. Together, these two measures and other similar ones emboldened the prosecutor in Mendocino County and a judge or two in Humboldt County to take a hard line on marijuana growers. These elected officials should be cautious. While they lead a backlash against the spread of marijuana cultivation, with harsher punishment for growers, they risk a stronger backlash at the polls.
It is disconcerting to hear around the courthouses of Mendocino County deputy district attorneys with marching orders arguing “zero tolerance” on marijuana cases and at least one judge in Humboldt County meting out sentences on first-time marijuana growers until now reserved for cocaine and meth dealers. One deputy district attorney in Mendocino stated, “the people have spoken,” referring to Measure B, when demanding a 365-day sentence for a 19-year old HSU student caught driving a few pounds of marijuana through Willits. This is a kid with a perfectly clean record. The type of felony insisted on by the DA will never come off his rap sheet and will destroy his chance of getting a decent job in the future.
We need to gain perspective. We should remember that the personal possession of marijuana is all but legal in California — if one is caught with an ounce or less of marijuana the penalty is a $100 fine, it is basically a traffic ticket. Should we treat the people who provide them with an ounce of what is all but legal the same way we treat heroin, cocaine or meth dealers?
Small scale commercial weed growing is to Mendocino county what building cars is to Detroit or making movies is to Hollywood – it’s the very reason the place exists. When the people of Mendocino County voted for B to repeal G, which was the measure that allowed possession and cultivation of up to 25 plants, it wasn’t because the people of Mendocino suddenly got sick and tired of marijuana growing. They got sick and tired of the results of prohibition that led to large-scale indoor grows that destroyed neighborhoods with grow houses and brought dangerous criminal outsiders into the county for huge outdoor grows.
Loading ...
you guys are so funny.
marijuana growing is nothing new to mendocino county
its been here past my grandfather. and a way of life
for all rual living famiys.
even the law abiding citizens cultivate marijuana
they go to work come home and take care of there plants.
they say hush hush dont say anything to anyone.
rofl…. and pretend how they are not cultivators or users
for that matter.
most of them dont even smoke it. they grow it for the legal
tender.. that makes there house payment, college money for
them selves, there trips to hawaii.. there new 430 ,000 royal royce
weather it is legal or not. …… it is the back bone of mendocino county
money factory..
instead of blaming it on the mexican cartel……..
try blaming white cartel…. ha ha
how about mendocino county cartel..
also tip this…. most land owner s are not even from this area
born., they from all over. to come here for that natural herb
called canibis…. marijuana….. these folks have been growers
all there life.. they know no other job…. culltivation…..
now it has been mendocino countys hush hush secret
growing pot.. ha ha ha
obama has already declared he is not legalizing it..
as long as he is president.. you can count on it not being legal
he said he let the states regulate it as they choose .
obama dose not want our nation to be marijuana cultivating nation
yet during depression times years back.. farmers were allowed to
cultivate marijuana on there on plots of land to make there taxes.
til legal issues about children , harvesting the buds and being
in contact with the resin on there hands did it become a no more grow issue
marijuana is not a un known herb.. it has been around for hundreds of years.
jsut flufed under carpets…. never spoken about.. hush hush.,.
why lie..
that is what its all about .. how dis honest one can be..
kind of like conviencing your child that santa clause comes every christmas
and leaves presents. or the tooth fariy brings you money for ur tooth under your pillow
yet parents say they do not lie to there kids.
ha ha ha ha
what do you consider a lie then if u believe the above..
surely there is no santa clause or tooth fairy.. and it is a world wide lie…..
get this …. ha ha childern actually grow up .. and do it all over again..
they tell there kids .. ha ha
even though they know it is a lie too.
its just accepted lies…. rofl…….
such as … im not a cultivator…. ha ha
as the usa government goes to war… in any war that kills human being..
they are training fellow citizens to kill. other human beings in war.
on the usa legal tender it says ……. IN GOD WE TRUST….
well……
the ten comandments……. thou shall not kill. is a vow from god as one of his rules
so the usa government must not believe in god very much….
they are killing people daily
and breaking one of gods ….. ten comandments………
everything in life is about power . money , and greed, and who can , can…
and who can lie the best !
the growers are the ones who do not want pot or marijuana to become legal
they will loose some of there cash flow..
it is there legal tender wages……….. there trips. and keeps them from the welfare hand out line.
get this.. they do pay good money for helpers .. trimers etc… helping others along the way….if your lucky enough to work … for them.