September 11, 2009 in City

Medical pot supplier raided

Two men arrested; other dispensaries on notice

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As police pulled marijuana plants from the home of a medical marijuana supplier Thursday in north Spokane, a woman stood on a porch next door, smoking pot from a glass pipe.

Sherri Rager wasn’t worried about getting busted. Her state-issued medical marijuana permit allows her to legally smoke and possess the drug.

But she’ll need to find a new place to get her supply. Police arrested her friend and supplier, Christopher P. Stevens, 36, on suspicion of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in an investigation that authorities hope will serve as a warning for other medical marijuana dispensaries. Scott Q. Shupe, 54, who with Stevens owns the medical marijuana dispensary Change, also was arrested. Both were at Spokane County Jail on Thursday night.

More than 30 plants were seized from Stevens’ home on North Cedar Street, and detectives found more than 100 plants at a Nine Mile Falls home, as well as a grow operation at 900 E. 11th Ave. Spokane police also raided the Change dispensary at 1514 W. Northwest Blvd. and a home at 726 W. Mansfield Ave.

No other dispensaries were raided, but all received a letter from the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office warning them that their operations are illegal. Police say there are about six or seven dispensaries in Spokane.

Dozens of medical-marijuana card holders and pot advocates rallied outside Spokane City Hall on Thursday afternoon to protest the raids.

The bust comes just weeks after Darren McCrea, founder of the medical marijuana support group SpoCannabis, was charged with selling marijuana to five medical card holders, possession with intent to deliver and manufacture of a controlled substance. Police raided his home last year.

The Spokane Police Department is the first agency in Washington to arrest distributors of medical marijuana, shaping a legal showdown over a voter-imposed law both sides say is confusing.

“We’ve got to get this figured out, because we feel people are taking advantage of the law,” said Spokane police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer DeRuwe. “It’s going to have to go the higher courts, and we fully expect it to.”

At issue is a provision in the voter approved law that allows caretakers to supply up to 1.5 pounds of marijuana “at any one time” to those with state-issued medical marijuana cards.

Dispensaries like Change have patients check in and check out and prohibit more than one customer from being in the supply room at a time, which they argue complies with the “one at a time” provision. But Spokane County prosecutors say the provision limits each caretaker to just one patient – period – and businesses such as Change with multiple customers are illegal.

The state Department of Health Web site also says the dispensaries are illegal.

Shupe is already facing a felony drug charge in Oregon after police found 4 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle during a traffic stop last month.

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Five comments on this story so far. Add yours!

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  Michelle Horning on September 11 at 2:22 a.m.

  I am a card carrying medical marijuana patient. This is all so ridiculous, I can't help but laugh. I don't know about the workings of this dispensary, but the reason they are using to persecute all of these dispensaries is a joke. We are real people with legitimate medical needs, and these people are helping to keep us off of the streets to find our medicine. IT IS a medication, and IT DOES work. Growing is necessary. We can't all do it ourselves. To say that a provider can only serve one patient, PERIOD - that just bends my logic meter a bit to the BS side. Can pharmaceutical companies only serve one patient? How about pharmacies? Why is this any different? Legalize it already, then we can get on to more important issues and stop distracting ourselves while the real criminals are getting away with murder. This really makes me want to leave Spokane, but I think I'm going to stand up and join the fight, because it's downright WRONG.

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  BT on September 11 at 9:27 a.m.

  Wow…I think the government should legalize it…tax it to pay off the deficit…this way the dopers can smoke till their hearts are content and government not only has control over it but is making a profit…sounds like a win win situation to me!! I could care less about the smokers its the rest of the crap that needs to be taken off the streets..

  Here's a theory: If the government sets up a controlled growing at the lets say a few Universties in certain states that need a growth in the job market, because they are well all family related..this will get folks back to work..then if pharmacies sell the product of course above and beyond what the street pharmacies do, because you have to tax it…place a surplus tax…and whatever else taxes the government wants….make a physician write an RX for it..pick the RX up at the pharmacy..so and so forth…see the logistic behind this!! Just make it so that its illegal to smoke in public!! Money to the government…open up a new job market for folks…MONEY Money money…is all I can see…plus if you think about it the drug cartel's would go out of business because it's legal to have…WOW…common sense in the 20th Century!!! Know we just have to get those damn BABY BOOMERS in GOVERNMENT to agree since they smoked it in the 60's, and you can't say they didn't inhale… :)

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  Lewis on September 11 at 9:44 a.m.

  Just a distraction folks they bust the innocent to show their strength but really aren't taking a risk. On the other hand their officers who find them selves in court are acquitted of attempted murder and the like. Just shows how low the SPD will go.

  And lose to the community or to these two guys, nothing to them they will take your life and not give a damn

  Disgusting
  

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  kemplam on September 12 at 4:07 a.m.

  How sad we have to make hundreds of patients suffer over three little words…ANY ONE TIME. Seems pretty plain to me. Basicly what we have here is a law that not one patient can comply with if those three words are not included in the law. Maybe that is what the legal system intended for patients in the first place. Kind of a bummer huh? God help us all.

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  JacqueG on September 12 at 12:08 p.m.

  I am also a card carrying patient with debilitating pain,and anxiety issues.This bs bust that our so-called finest did this week has done nothing but put us all card carriers in more pain! Its ok if they murder and mame innocent citizens,but we are suffering because of their lack of sympathy towards us who want a plant that helps our conditions naturally.Pharmacies and marijauna dispenseries should be concidered by law equally.This is another great disapointment of living on this side of the state where you can go get medicine in dispenciries there!!!This state is trully divided!

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