Spokane7
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March 18, 2011 in City
Medical marijuana dispenser convicted
A Spokane jury rejected arguments Thursday that the state’s medical marijuana law allows for commercial dispensaries, convicting a supplier of multiple drug trafficking charges.
Scott Q. Shupe, who co-owned one of the first marijuana dispensaries in Spokane, argued the state’s medical marijuana law enables dispensaries to supply card-carrying patients, provided they serve just one patient at a time.
Prosecutors disputed that interpretation, arguing that the medical marijuana law, approved overwhelmingly by voters in 1998, makes no provisions for commercial dispensaries.
“I’m very happy with the verdict,” Deputy Spokane County Prosecutor Teresa Border said. “It was a very difficult trial with a verdict that I think is appropriate.”
The case was being watched closely by authorities and dispensary operators alike, with both sides hoping that the jury would provide guidance for what many argue is a confusing state law.
In Olympia, where state lawmakers are contemplating various marijuana-related proposals, Gov. Chris Gregoire weighed in on the issue Thursday, saying she would seriously consider a proposed Senate plan to license and regulate medical marijuana growers and distributors but she’s uninterested in legalizing the drug.
In Spokane, Mayor Mary Verner said earlier this week that she supports medicinal use of marijuana, but she’s concerned about the rapid increase of dispensaries in Spokane neighborhoods. “I don’t want to have our community allow the cover of being in business for medical care to be really just a way to just dispense pot that otherwise would be illegal,” Verner said.
Defense attorney Frank Cikutovich said his client routinely kicked out patrons who tried to buy pot without proper authorization. He indicated the case will be appealed in an effort to clarify the language of the law.
“Their fate lies with the prosecutor’s decision whether or not to shut them down,” he said, referring to other dispensaries. “They want to be legitimate and give medicine to those who need it.”
Deputy Spokane County Prosecutor John Grasso, who heads his office’s drug unit, said his interpretation of the law allows a person holding a medical marijuana card to legally purchase the drug. But, the person selling that marijuana would be breaking the law.
Despite that view, commercial dispensaries have opened throughout the state under the argument – as was the case with Shupe – that they serve as a care provider, helping those with terminal illness or chronic medical problems to obtain the medicine they need.
Cikutovich argued unsuccessfully that the law allows dispensaries to essentially become the care provider for the limited time when they sell to each licensed marijuana card holder. Shupe testified he was selling 10 pounds of marijuana a week to 1,280 patients.
During each transaction, Shupe and his partners at the Change dispensary, 1514 W. Northwest Blvd., would write down the time of the transaction to note when they were providing the care through the sale of marijuana. Shupe also verified that each customer had a valid license for marijuana and double-checked those records with medical clinics that issued the authorization.
Pat Stiley, who is a law partner with Cikutovich, said he sat in during some of the jury selection. He noted that any prospective jurors who indicated they supported the legalization of marijuana were eliminated from the pool.
Those jurors who were seated all declined comment after convicting Shupe of the felony charges of possession with intent to distribute, delivery and manufacture of marijuana. Sentencing was set for April 12 before Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen.
Reporters Jim Camden and Jonathan Brunt contributed to this report.
Closing Geiger: Wise or worrisome? 
doctork on March 18 at 5:35 a.m.
Naked repression has not been able to stop the Truth for long! The actions of these people are becoming oh, so transparent! Do you see now why these thugs in uniforms are so opposed to cannabis legalization? In order to be able to rob the cannabis establishments at will. I saw this years ago! This shows that the dangerous philosophies of “radical pragmatism”, shared by both Marxists and Nazis, are well and alive in contemporary America! The extremists currently in charge of the DEA will stop at nothing to derail the medicinal cannabis program and the Will of Voters who voted for it. I wish I could see the day when the senseless and shameful witch-hunts against citizens over a natural medicinal plant cannabis finally end, and they will! I predicted a long time ago that anti-cannabis repression will lead to increased hard drug and alcohol abuse because they are not “easily” detected in random drug screens, especially when it comes to the “window” of their detection. All these so-called “random drug screens” unfairly target the users of the safest substance of them all - cannabis! I can’t wait to see the day when these shameful and senseless witch-hunts against citizens in connection with cannabis medicinal plant will stop altogether. I stressed many times already that no system, no matter of how repressive, can survive on a series of “un-realities”. Current undisguised assault by the “radical pragmatists” from the DEA on the will of the people of Montana (and now also Hollywood) demonstrate their delusional thinking their attempts in suppression science (and people’s will) will be more successful than those of Inquisition, Gestapo, or KGB! I wish I could live to see these people’s miserable and disgraceful failure! Everything that the DEA and its allies use to intimidate citizens (and politicians) about the remarkable cannabis plant is based on unreality: cannabis is NOT physically addictive, the so-called “gateway drug theory” is NOT scientifically valid, smoking cannabis does NOT lead to increase in the risk of lung cancer, legalization in other countries did NOT lead to increased cannabis use, and in addition it is proven that cannabis use suppresses violent behavior. Cannabis is immeasurably safer than alcohol, (and most currently used prescription drugs - do we even notice their devastating potential side effects at their TV commercials?), and be so ignorant as to say that cannabis plant does not have medicinal value is to be out of touch with “reality” altogether. Legalization of medicinal cannabis is non-partisan because all of us can get sick and be able to take advantage of its remarkable medicinal properties. Let’s reject the prohibitionist fear-tactics as they have no substance to them, and legalize cannabis in all 50 States without further delay!
berrybestfarm on March 18 at 7:20 a.m.
It’s a shame our jury wasn’t able to lead the way. Technically and legally, when you read the law, the jury made the correct decision. It’s a shame the law didn’t incorporate a clause that it should be interpreted broadly. Now the slow march away from prohibition has to continue when we have so many important things to focus on.
Dennis Patterson—Deer Park
gumbylips on March 18 at 7:42 a.m.
Wow, so looks like SPD will get several more infusions of free cash from all the other dispensaries now. Of course, if it was just legal in the first place they could save more than the sum of the whole from the start….
… but until then my heart goes out to all the legitimate users of medical marijuana who will be extorted to testify VS their mmj suppliers.
greyhound2 on March 18 at 7:49 a.m.
If pot were legalized, the justice system wouldn’t be able to manufacture as many criminals, which would lead to fewer police people needed, fewer attorneys, fewer judges, fewer parole people, and fewer jails with fewer prison guards and their support staff. All these people would be out looking for a job.
rosehips on March 18 at 7:59 a.m.
Seems to me that if you disqualify potential jurors because they believe marijuana should be legal, you’ve got a very flawed selection process. Why bother with a trial? Just lock ‘em up and say that justice is served. What a bunch of b.s.
eagleproducer on March 18 at 8:00 a.m.
gumby: The SPD gets millions of dollars from the Feds for the War on Drugs. They would prefer to make raking leaves illegal if it meant more funding for their department.
We need to just ignore this law and marijuana prohibition in general. There are too many of us who smoke, medicinally or recreationally, and if we all just grew openly and smoked openly there is little they could do to stop it.
Shame on Tucker for brinigng this to trial. What’s wrong Steve, do you get all worked up in the winter months when you can’t spend most of your time at Downriver golf course and have to go after people supplying medicine rather than your cops who kill citizens at will. His deputies who helped with this need to get a life as well. The last time I looked there were plenty of crimes to investigate in Spokane. Why not trying to clear a property crime case every now and then (Spokane county has a less than 10% rate) and do what we pay you to do instead of hassling patients and their suppliers. You can’t stop this, period. All you are doing is driving it more underground where it is less safe for patients to get their medicine. Steve Tucker prefers that Mexican Cartels supply Spokane with marijuana rather than local business people because that is exactly what will happen if all the dispensaries are closed. It makes you wonder if he is on the take, especially when none of the obvious fronts for laundering drug money by those cartels are being disrupted by his office. There is a Mexican food restaurant near where I live where that does less than a hundred dollars a day in business, sits in a high rent area and has several high priced SUV’s sitting out back with Arizona and California plates. Duh! I could point Tucker’s office to at least a dozen other businesses with similar profiles but he’s too busy closing down legitimate businesses who operate as non-profits, keep money in the community rather than sending it to Mexico and operate discretely without pestering their neighbors.
The people of the jury are to blame. We need to learn the word nullification and start demonstrating to the prosecutors are new found knowledge.
eagleproducer on March 18 at 8:02 a.m.
are=our in the last sentence, my bad…
rosehips on March 18 at 8:04 a.m.
greyhound, if pot were legal, there would be a whole new industry created, above ground. There would be considerable jobs created in the manufacture and sale of legal marijuana. There already are in the medical marijuana industry, but since growers can’t sell pot, it’s less than it should be.
SugarShane on March 18 at 8:13 a.m.
I know Ive posted it many times on here, but for your consideration:
“If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
mikeln on March 18 at 8:28 a.m.
You could refuse to go to jail if the police discovered you had pot, they could then just shoot you over a joint. It’s time for the fools that run this country to admit they have made a mistake. And by fools, I don’t mean our elected lackey’s, I mean the fools that pull their strings.
Orphan on March 18 at 8:57 a.m.
Why oh why would our legislature make a law that legalized the purchase of pot and at the same time make the sale of pot unlawful. John Grasso has forgot to take into account the intent of the law. This is a great example of tax dollars wasted and a prosicutor looking for wins and not looking for justice. This will be won on appeal and then SPD will have to repay all they have taken.
One more indicator of how dishonest the SPD is, looking for funding. One more indicator of how poorly our court system is working.
Ed Byrnes on March 18 at 9:05 a.m.
Some reasons that I am anti-prohibition, which I posted in last nights forum:
It is clear that there is not a causal link between cannabis use and progression on to other harder drugs. NIDAs own data, through their household survey on drug use, demonstrates that far more people recreationally use cannabis regularly than the numbers that use other harder substances, if the causal link was present the prevalence rates would not be so different.
If we look at violent behavior alcohol is present at a ridiculously high rate in offenses like date rape, and a similar connection to cannabis is not demonstrated.
The American Medical Association (AMA), an internationally recognized expert group, recognizes therapeutic benefits to cannabis, yes even the inhaled variety, and it is law enforcement, for example the DEA, that is ignoring the data.
Two decades of federally funded research on drug courts clearly demonstrate that if drug law offenders are diverted from corrections into treatment then they stay out of the legal system at a significantly better rate than those who experience regular legal system processing. So even if one assumed that cannabis was an addictive drug, in the absence of an established withdrawal syndrome or biological mechanism of withdrawal, which is a defining symptom of any medically legitimate addiction, then an incarceration based approach is inferior.
Taking action is essential, so some ideas:
1. Sign up for NORML News of the Week at http://mail.norml.org/s/news.420 to remain informed about pending cannabis legislation and initiatives, use Washington NORML at http://www.innorml.org/ to stay abreast of local news;
2. Use this information and write to your legislator and senator, and to ALL members of the Legislature Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee;
3. Not only sign the Initiative 1149 petition, also volunteer to collect signatures, we came really close to a ballot initiative last year so you could be the tipping point! Information is at https://sensiblewashington.org/blog/
4. Discuss ending prohibition with your friends, extended family, congregation members, colleagues and neighbors. Ending our paranoia is part of ending prohibition.
It is refreshing to read the comments this morning. The latest Pew Research poll shows that our wave keeps getting bigger so it’s great to experience it first hand here in Spokane.
Ed
johnclarke on March 18 at 9:25 a.m.
Odd how you never hear from the smaller government bozos on this topic. Look at the amount of money WASTED on “drug enforcement” - and not just this drug. Law Enforcement is a business, and business is good.
That’s because all the members of the GOP/Tea Party are repressed angry old timers who are busy sipping cheap scotch and yelling at the kids to get off the lawn. They are threatened by cannabis, and maybe if they would all unclench and try it - the world would be a better place. Get off the bottle and try a couple hits, you might start liking people.
HarryAnslinger on March 18 at 9:25 a.m.
This pretty much sums it up..
“any prospective jurors who indicated they supported the legalization of marijuana were eliminated from the pool.”
If you would like to help us legalize marijuana in Washington State please visit: http://www.sensiblewashington.org
ManleyPointer on March 18 at 9:38 a.m.
I guess I’m a “smaller government bozo” as defined by johnclarke, and I strongly believe that marijuana should be legalized. I see government efforts to enforce the prohibition of marijuana as a complete and total waste of taxpayer money. At the same time, I also decry the expenditure of public funding on social services programs for people who are capable (except for their profound lack of initiative and self-respect) of making their own way. So what’s a self-focused, self-absorbed culture to do? **sigh**
eagleproducer on March 18 at 10:01 a.m.
So Mr. Shupe is now a convicted felon. But not one M.D. in Spokane is ever cited for getting their patients hooked on pain killers. The taxpayers get to pay $35,000.00 a year to imprison a person who was distributing legal medicine to legal patients. Do the math folks, Shupe was doing about $40,000 a week in business. That means the city was collecting over $14,000.00 a month in sales taxes. From one dispensary.
Whatever you believe about drug use, our culture can simply no longer afford such moronic and backwards thinking policy.
We should change the law in these types of cases to where the jury members themselves have to house the convict for the duration of their sentence.
johnclarke on March 18 at 10:13 a.m.
Well then, join us bleeding heart gun toting progressives in calling for the END to the “war” on drugs. I think it should be renamed the “river of money to law enforcement that results in almost no results”
bumblebeetuna on March 18 at 10:45 a.m.
smoke it if you got it
ManleyPointer on March 18 at 10:45 a.m.
I entirely agree with you about ending the “war on drugs” and substituting some sort of meaningful way of spending our corporate time and money. My guess is that I also agree with you about toting guns. I wonder whether you would agree with ME about ending ethanol subsidies, reforming immigration laws to allow easy-to-administer block work visas, implementing a pro-nuclear energy policy, abolishing public employee collective bargaining and ending a system of entitlements that rewards lack of initiative and penalizes workers. Probably not.
mike1286 on March 18 at 10:52 a.m.
So lets see, its ok for people to use medical marijuana, but they cant buy it or have a reliable place to obtain it legally, hmm I wonder where they’re gonna go to get it. This only helps the black market grow, takes potential money away from the city, and prevents law enforcement from dealing with our growing violent crime problem we have in this city, great. Also, the SPD’s reputation in this city isn’t exactly great right now, so when they start raiding dispenseries (which they will), that’s not go over great with the public for the most part. A little piece of advice for local prosecutors, be smart and reasonable and do the right thing, DONT PROSECUTE people who are providing a service to people who really need it.
Thoreau on March 18 at 12:04 p.m.
ebyrnes said: “It is clear that there is not a causal link between cannabis use and progression on to other harder drugs. ”
Exactly. And whenever cannabis prohibitionists cite this faulty causality, they don’t consider approaching it from the other side. They poll meth users, heroin users, crack heads, etc., asking them if they started using marijuana. Not surprisingly, many did.
However, never do these prohibitionists ask current cannabis users who have used it for a long time, if they are also using harder drugs.
My assumption is that there are more cannabis users NOT using harder, detrimental drugs, than there are hard drug users who have used cannabis.
I’m willing to bet that most of the hard drug users also have used or are using alcohol, too. Why isn’t alcohol deemed a gateway drug?
This is the fault in the anti-cannabis crowd’s correlation.
Orphan on March 18 at 12:19 p.m.
Notice how many of us that normaly disagree on other topics are in agreement on this topic? That is a huge indicator of just how wrong the war on drugs is. Wow just Wow
Thoreau You cant just use logic like that its…… its……. its …….just too logical.
nslopeofw on March 18 at 12:28 p.m.
John clark-
As someone who identifies with the TEA party, i would like you to understand reality. I wish pot were legal, i’m pro-choice, and i dont like to pay more taxes than everyone else. (flat rate is fair). So, next time you bulk everyone together that you dont agree with, perhaps you can think with your brain a bit more. Not all (by any means) Tea party’ers are uber-christian-conservatives.
selkirk on March 18 at 12:43 p.m.
How was he convicted by a jury of his peers when NONE of his peers were jurors?
I am glad he was convicted just as his lawyer is, so that it can be appealed to our Supreme Court.
I also question what will happen to this conviction when our legislators vote in the new legislation defining dispensaries legally?
A complete waste of time and MONEY by those who seem they think they can get away with it. It’s time to press our voter rights and recall Steve Tucker!!!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Recall-Steve-Tucker/100002054800286
Patriot61 on March 18 at 1:13 p.m.
Let the “no knock” warrant service begin. It’s the beginning of the end for these “legitimate” dispensaries that are beginning to blight our neighborhoods. These under 30 healthy but “sick” people with medicinal marijuana cards and a state welfare cards and northern quest camas cards won’t be able to smoke and gamble on my dime. And don’t tell me it doesn’t happen I see it every day personally. These men and women need to grow up and get off their butts and work instead of smoking their “medicine” and laughing at those that are responsible enough to hold down a job.
DemoDriver on March 18 at 1:19 p.m.
Hopefully, stories like this will get the “pot heads” and the “gun nuts” on the same page: smaller, more restrained, Constitutional governance, individual liberty, and above all, TOLERANCE for others’ points of view.
We were always on the same side, and that’s easy to see once you rise above the media hype and realize that points of view posited as opposing never were such, and that all along we were being fed a steady diet of “opposames.”
Ed Byrnes on March 18 at 2:39 p.m.
Demodriver makes a very astute observation about our shared desire for liberty. I hope we all consider our commonality and that stereotyping is something that is fed to us by those seeking political gain from it. Cannabis reform is a definitive wedge issue but we can only be wedged apart to the extent that we allow ourselves to be.
nslopeofw I agree completely that the stereotyping of each other is not rooted in reason. Thank you for your cogent discussion about this.
Patriot61 you might want to reconsider the stereotyping you engage in. Indeed the type of people you describe do exist, what also exists, numbering in the millions, are responsible people who contribute to their families, communities and the broader society who should be free of government intrusion into their private benign behavior. They buy their own cannabis with their own money, and also pay taxes which, unfortunately in part, finances their harassers.
Thoreau thank you for further illuminating one of my points about cannabis fallacies, and thank you Orphan for recognizing the logic therein.
Ed
ManleyPointer on March 18 at 2:41 p.m.
Patriot, I join you in your opposition to the misuse of public resources by those who don’t need them and shouldn’t qualify for them. However, I don’t think that easing restrictions on the use of marijuana is going to affect this parasitic tendency. The answer to THAT particular problem (or constellation of problems) is WAY more complicated than simply making it more difficult to spend their (i.e., OUR) money on weed.
Byrdie714 on March 18 at 3:07 p.m.
As a one time client of Change, I have to say I was not impressed with the business.
When I first walked in there, there was NO one-on-one with the clients. It was a “free-for-all” in the back room with individuals stoned, partying, and people knowing what one’s medical issues were.
Secondly, the last time I saw Mr. Shupe, he was on the Inland NW Crimestopper’s website as he was a wanted individual for deadly assault with a weapon……
johnclarke on March 18 at 3:53 p.m.
nslopeofw ; I recommend that you and people like you form your own party, because you share many beliefs associated with “liberals”. You are clearly getting bad press by electing Republicans. Just because there are a few centrist folk like yourself in the Tea Party does not make a difference to me. I can only judge what I see, and I see Idaho and other GOP majority states heading down a dark path. Gov.Butch Otter spoke at the Tea Party rally, does he represent your beliefs?
Everyone wants a non-wasteful government that spends “conservatively” and wisely. Please provide an example in recent history - or an actual conservative candidate and I’ll vote for him. The ones in office recently have done nothing but make rich people richer, ruin the economy, start wars, increase the size and spending of the government, take away women’s rights and generally suck.
Sound like I’m using my brain?
catsjam on March 18 at 3:57 p.m.
How can you have a jury if it’s not random?
I think the last part says everything about how fair this was.
“Pat Stiley, who is a law partner with Cikutovich, said he sat in during some of the jury selection. He noted that any prospective jurors who indicated they supported the legalization of marijuana were eliminated from the pool.”
How do you expect people to respect the law if the law doesn’t respect the people from the start?
I’m not trying to take sides I’m just observing this from a rational standpoint. Any judge that would rule under such conditions is not fit to be judge.
eagleproducer on March 18 at 4:39 p.m.
I believe both the Prosecution and Defense have a certain number of pre-emptory challenges they can use to eliminate potential jurors. It probably wasn’t hard to find twelve people in a typical Spokane jury pool who are against the legalization of marijuana.
byrdie714: Is that a badge number?
SPOKANE_INDICARE on March 18 at 5:14 p.m.
Here is a story from a Spokane native, medical marijuana activist and medical marijuana dispensary volunteer.Although there are not any specific laws on how to operate medical marijuana dispensaries (MMD), the people of Spokane have followed the state laws that are in place. Legitimate MMD’s have and are registered with the city, state, agriculture department, and other vaguely clarified licenses and most importantly, they also pay taxes on every transaction. In addition to getting all licenses, MMD’s also only deal with one patient at one time (as the law is written: RCW 69.51A.010
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) “Designated provider” means a person who:(a)Is eighteen years of age or older;(b)Has been designated in writing by a patient to serve as a designated provider under this chapter;(c)Is prohibited from consuming marijuana obtained for the personal, medical use of the patient for whom the individual is acting as designated provider; and(d)Is the designated provider to only one patient at any one time.The patient’s recommendation is called on and double checked before a patient is even allowed to step behind the counter, let alone to obtain their medicine. It is neither the state, nor the federal government that is coming after these shops that help patients with conditions like HIV, Hepatitis C, chronic pain,MS,Crohns disease, Glaucoma, Arthritis and all other doctor and state approved conditions; instead, it is the city prosecutors of Spokane that are targeting medical marijuana dispensaries. The Governor of Washington (Christine Gregoire) is pro medical marijuana in our state and has taken time out of her busy schedule to write a thank you letter to one of the shops here in Spokane for paying taxes on all transactions. The mayor of Spokane (Mary Verner) is in support of medical marijuana, but is concerned about how many are popping up across Spokane. She says she does not want to see illegal activity. Has she ever been into an MMD? A majority of medical marijuana patients that go into a shop are over the age of 30 and are looking obtain their medication in a “legal way.” Unfortunately, it was just stripped from them. Many of these patients have switched off of their pills that have not worked in years or because they simply ‘no longer do the trick’ in aiding them with their ailments. Many of these patients do not know how to cultivate their own marijuana and that is why dispensaries are there to help aid in accessing medicine (cannabis, cannabis infused tincture, butter, oil, food and salves or lotions). The more a patient comes in and learns, the more and more knowledgeable they become to cultivate and use their medicine. Most MMD’s of Spokane are non-profit organizations that are looking to help the patient. Without medical marijuana dispensaries, they will be forced to obtain their medicine off the street, also known as a black-market. They are no longer offered any of the alternatives of medical cannabis such as safety, security, knowledge, and trust. It is instead straight bags and scales with sketchy alley meetings and dealers that could potentially have violent, criminal pasts. At least with the MMD’s taxes are being paid, the patients feel safe, and they deal with knowledgeable people to help assist them in their selection of medicine and how it can be used.
One way the state could fix this is by actually putting laws into place that provide guidelines for dispensaries in Washington State. The laws need to be fair on all counts (State, County, City, Patient, Farmer, and Caregiver) so that everyone is on the same page and headed in the same direction. Thank you for taking the time to read over this. I hope to hear from you in the near future. Raids on dispensaries are said to begin today Friday March 18, 2011. I do not know if that includes volunteers and employees of these businesses, but I am sure we will find out soon enough.
SPOKANE_INDICARE on March 18 at 5:17 p.m.
Medical Marijuana Cololective’s and Clinic’s issuieing recomendations have had their bank accounts restricted!!!!
brianth on March 18 at 7:37 p.m.
We really need to change these archaic laws on Marijuana!
The truth is in the research, and the number of prominent medical professionals and research scientist that have studied, and conducted clinical research, which show numerous health benefits of this miracle plant, they agree this is a plant that should be made readily available.
We really need to legalize and stop the lies about the benefits this plant has to offer!
greenlibertarian on March 18 at 9:48 p.m.
This is GREAT NEWS for street marijuana peddlers, who more often than not also have stronger and more dangerous drugs they want their “clients” to try out and buy.
Are there SOME people scamming the MMJ system and have no medical need for such? Of course. Compared to the abuse of alcohol and prescription pills, people who scammed to get their cards and can buy from the dispensaries are a TINY problem.
I’m not one to see medicalization or legalization bringing in much in the form of tax revenues, because if such taxes are onerous, the black market will still exist as it has for decades, an pot will be available through it.
With the advent of truly dirt cheap grow lights, cloning, vaporization, and much stronger pot, it’s literally impossible to to bust a significant amount of the various players.
D Statler on March 18 at 10:09 p.m.
Its a blue light special for the Drug Task Force! These crooks want nothing more than to confiscate the drug money for themselves. There will be numerous arrests and confiscations now these legal thugs can get away with it. This reminds me of the MILLIONS of drug dollars that were misappropriated by Spokane’s Drug Task Force last year. One article comes out in the paper and the story gets burried immediately. This is a sad day for everybody that could benefit from the extra tax dollars legal dispenseries would generate.Instead of the monies going to schools and roads.A bunch of gun toting thugs will misappropriate and cause more trouble for our legal system.Another great decision by TUCKER and his corruption department to waist our tax dollars.
nslopeofw on March 18 at 11:59 p.m.
John Clark-
Yeah, you used your brain, here, can you use it again? How about Sarah Palin? Do you consider her a tea partier? If so, do you think she was wasteful? I can tell you with all honesty, that MSM has no clue what she is really like, and i can also state with total honesty that she cut government spending, never once required women to pay for their rape kits, and quit the office of governor of AK to end frivolous lawsuits filed by uber-liberals that opposed her cuts. She sold the corporate jet that the gov. Before her purchased, because he didnt like to fly commercial. About the only thing she did wrong in her whole time as gov., was to raise taxes on the oil companies (which pay for 80% of the state budget) and pissed them off so much that they quit developing new oil, which is hurting the AK economy. She is a TEA partier, and a conservative, and still managed to raise taxes.
You all who think TEA partiers are bad, or right wing nits, need to realize that all we really are, are people who want less government involvement in our lives, and believe that everyone should pay the same in taxes. NO FREEBIES!
LLLou on March 19 at 7:18 a.m.
@ ManlyPointer ; You mention Ethanol subsidies . Agricultural Hemp would be a great crop for the Eastern Washington farmers. The feds pay corn growers a subsidy for a percentage of their crop that is allocated for Ethanol, which lowers the available corn on the food market ,which raises the price of food on the world market, making it more costly to feed the worlds poor and hungry . Allowing farmers to grow Hemp could replace that corn for Ethanol, plus Hemp has a multitude of other uses. Write your Rep’s and tell them to legalize Industrial Hemp.
Byrdie714 on March 19 at 7:20 a.m.
@ eagleproducer—to answer your question: no.
eagleproducer on March 19 at 8:52 a.m.
greenlibertarian: I think pushing weed back onto the streets is exactly what Tucker and local LEO wants. They were probably told to by the Cartel they take money from.
Spokane is filled with businesses that serve as fronts for laundering drug money for Mexican cartels. That they are acting with impunity in this fashion makes me strongly believe they are receiving some type of protection from the local criminal justice apparatchik. I better watch what I publish though… what I just wrote would get me killed in Mexico by either a cop or a cartel thug.
Ed Byrnes on March 19 at 1:00 p.m.
nslopeofw: you nailed the public policy questions:
Government out of our our private lives.
Equal taxation across the board for all, no special treatment.
I for one appreciate the clarity which you have brought to this forum.
Ed
wpmhedotorg on March 19 at 1:31 p.m.
Lets all get something straight here!
THIS IS MY MEDICINE THAT IMPROVES MY QUALITY OF LIFE WITHOUT DESTROYING MY BODY WITH POISINS LIKE PHARM. DRUGS! IT IS A UNPROCESSED PLANT THAT GROWS FROM THE GROUND ALMOST ANYWHERE!—!!!! NOBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL ME OR MY DR. THAT IT IS ILLEGAL OR THAT I CAN’T HAVE SAFE ACCESS TO IT- AND- UNTIL THE INSURANCE COMPANYS START TO PROVIDE IT FOR THE MEDICAL PATIENTS THAT HAVE THE DR. RECOM., -NO- GOVERMENTAL AGENCY (city, county, state or fed.) HAS ANY RIGHT TO RESTRICT, ‘TAX’, OR GAIN REVENUE FROM IT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM!!!!—
Even after it becomes legal, here in a few months or years, recreational users can be taxed up the a$$ for all I care, but NEVER should anyone that has a Dr. recom. be made to pay any taxes or ‘revenue’ to gain safe access to their medicine!
The voters approved it in 1998, Now EVERYONE needs to mind their own and stay out of my medicine cabinet!!!!
wpmhedotorg on March 19 at 2:17 p.m.
Scott Shupe did NOTHING wrong or illegal!
It costs quite a bit to grow it and not to mention all the time that goes into each ‘crop’. He gave donations to growers to cover their costs to grow and harvest the medicine. He accepted donations from patients to cover his costs of getting the medicine to pass onto them. (including opperations costs for the building he was in)
I met Him and his wife on Tuesday and I made sure I thanked him for his sacrifice!
SPOKANE_INDICARE on March 19 at 10:49 p.m.
yes Scott Shupe did do something wrong. He was a care provider to more than one patient at any one time. He had 17 plants at his home the day he was busted. He testified in court 15 were his and 2 were Chris Stevens who he was care providing for. The day before they raided his home he care provcided to at least 3 patients while he was care providing for Chris’s plants back at his home.
Ed Byrnes on March 20 at 8:53 p.m.
Illegal is not always equivalent to wrong. For that matter legal is not always equivalent to right either, look at the plea bargain that netted the SPD $30,000.
ManleyPointer on March 21 at 9:51 a.m.
Industrial hemp may be a fantastic cash crop for our region’s farmers. If so, they ought to be able to grow it. My point is that government agricultural subsidies should end, and the free market be allowed to dictate how farmers use their growing resources. My focus in this discussion is FREEDOM, whether it’s freedom from unhelpful intrusion in my private matters by the government, freedom to smoke weed if I want to or need to, freedom to love anyone I choose (or no one at all, if that’s my choice), freedom to make decisions, even stupid ones, for myself. I get that unlimited freedom is not realistic in a social setting; I just think the focus should be on maximum freedom and minimum intrusion.
wpmhedotorg on March 21 at 5:04 p.m.
SI- If he exchanged meds for a donation to patients w/ a dr. recom. only, he did NOTHING wrong or illegal.
If the police had been doing the ‘right’ thing, they would’ve written him a ticket for having 2 extra plants in that stage, confiscated the 2 plants and taken them back to the cop shop, grown and harvested those and other confiscated plants and accepted a donation from Scott Shupes shop in exchange for the meds. Everyones happy, cops make some ‘revenue’ and no one goes to jail.
But instead we have the over-zealous prosecuting attorneys being allowed to continue harassing patients and care providers with the tax payers money being wasting on ‘witch hunts’ all while trying to superseed the voters of the state of Wa. by bringing Scott Shupe and I suspect there is soon to be others, up on federal charges.
All of the commentors on this stream are in accord,
They have went to far this time and we are fed up with their harassment and wasting of our tax dollars.
It’s time to fight back and to stand together against those that are going against the will of the voters of wa. state.
Call your state legislaters and demand to stop the discrimination against sick and disabled people by wa. state, state, county or city officials! Tell them to strike down and vote against house bill SB 5073 in it’s current form and in any form that further promotes discrimination against Dr.s, patients, farmers and care takers because of the use of our medicine!
Byrdie714 on March 22 at 8:25 a.m.
I agree with Spokane Indicare, if you read his/her previous post when he/she post the law in regards to being a caregiver, Shupe violated the law, section c & d.
Secondly, Shupe was wanted for an assault with a deadly weapon and has been hiding from the law prior to the trial.
The other thing that I notice is that many are confusing a doctor’s recommendation for a doctor’s prescription.
There is a difference between the two……
pixelmation on April 17 at 12:28 p.m.
@ wpmhedotorg
Thank you for your support out there! I probably met you but our real names aren’t on here.
It does cost a LOT to grow! Depending on how many plants and space you have it is between $2K-$10K. The time & effort/work it takes to tend your plants is VERY HARD and VERY exhausting!
I diddo you on his sacrifice! He will be our pioneer in this whole ordeal. Please continue to pray for him and his family as it is not over by a long shot!
pixelmation on April 17 at 12:36 p.m.
@ SPOKANE_INDICARE
OMG - YOU have GOT to be kidding me!!!??? Your telling all of us that YOU have NEVER smoked pot with more than just ONE of your friends, family, etc in your own home!!?? RIGHT, like anyone would believe that crap!! So, what the hell do you do during any and all of the Holidays? Make everyone leave to smoke then come back!? I hardly think so!
“If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
Need I say more?
pixelmation on April 17 at 12:40 p.m.
@ ebyrnes
(Illegal is not always equivalent to wrong. For that matter legal is not always equivalent to right either, look at the plea bargain that netted the SPD $30,000.)
AMEN Brother!! PLUS, where is Noe A Zarate in all this, the “master mind” behind this whole operation and business partner to boot!! Why hasn’t he been brought in on charges, or wait, maybe he is in on this for monetary gain too???? Just a theory and an opinion.
pixelmation on April 17 at 12:43 p.m.
@ shane0312
I know I’ve posted it many times on here, but for your consideration:
“If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
I think this needs to be added over and over and over and over again!! I would repost this x100 but my computer might crash lol!
pixelmation on April 17 at 1:00 p.m.
@ Byrdie714
(Secondly, the last time I saw Mr. Shupe, he was on the Inland NW Crimestopper’s website as he was a wanted individual for deadly assault with a weapon)
YOU Missy/Mr NEED to get YOUR FACTS straight! I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE BELIEVE EVERYTHING THE MEDIA SAYS!
I’m curious, did you ever hear the whole story? Did you bother to call Scott or Sara Shupe to ask them what actually happened? No, you did not so allow me to enlighten YOU ALL who believe this asinine story the media concocted up to make him sound like a violent person.
He was literally being choked out by his son that is taller than him and about the same size as he was at that time. He did NOT grab a machete, does anyone have one just lying around their kitchen for a utensil, I don’t think so! He grabbed a kitchen knife to get his son off him so that he could breath! I would’ve reached for the closest thing also if my son or daughter where choking me out, it doesn’t feel good and we have to have air to survive, ok? OK!!!
pixelmation on April 17 at 1:04 p.m.
@ Orphan
(This is a great example of tax dollars wasted and a prosecutor looking for wins and not looking for justice)
She has NEVER lost a case and that is why she won this one, she is not against smoking pot as word has it that she too has smoked pot, and not that long ago either.
pixelmation on April 17 at 1:06 p.m.
@ eagleproducer
(So Mr. Shupe is now a convicted felon. But not one M.D. in Spokane is ever cited for getting their patients hooked on pain killers.)
AMEN Brother! I so agree as THEY ARE THE REAL GATEWAY DRUGS as is ALCOHOL!!!!
pixelmation on April 17 at 1:12 p.m.
@ mike1286
(So lets see, its ok for people to use medical marijuana, but they cant buy it or have a reliable place to obtain it legally, hmm I wonder where they’re gonna go to get it)
I know, makes absolutely NO sense does it! And what about our Vets, our Grandparents, home bound people, what are they suppose to do now!? Get ripped off by stuff they have no idea where it came from, if there is too much fertilizer in it, if it is organic for those who have allergies or laced with some crap that could kill YOUR friends and family!
This is exactly why Scott, his partners and ANY other Dispensary owner SMOKES the product to make sure it is what their patients need! I mean, DUH!!
Come on, everyone one is different in what they need, why spend hundreds of dollars on stuff that didn’t work for you when someone can tell you what will work for you after being told what their illness is and what they are looking for in a medication!?
pixelmation on April 17 at 1:15 p.m.
@ Thoreau
(However, never do these prohibitionists ask current cannabis users who have used it for a long time, if they are also using harder drugs.
My assumption is that there are more cannabis users NOT using harder, detrimental drugs, than there are hard drug users who have used cannabis.
I’m willing to bet that most of the hard drug users also have used or are using alcohol, too. Why isn’t alcohol deemed a gateway drug?
This is the fault in the anti-cannabis crowd’s correlation.)
SO VERY TRUE!!! I AGREE 100%! Thank you for making that point as most have NO clue how these polls are done (in ref to your first paragraph)!!
pixelmation on April 17 at 1:36 p.m.
@ Byrdie714
Oh, and by the way, IF Scott was a violent offender AND was hiding from the law, do you honestly believe the Judge would allow him to stay OUT of jail during his appeal? HELL NO!!
I am also very sure you probably thing Scott is somewhat rude or too direct, am I correct on this assumption? The reason I ask is he has offended some people due to his directness and what may seem like him being a jerk…please allow me to also enlighten any and all of you who have been around him enough to witness this.
He has Tourettes which makes him very direct and outspoken at certain times. He has been controlling his tics fairly well, but sometimes it is hard for him and he may look upset and isn’t. I am sure stress is a big contributor as well.
A great movie to watch on this syndrome, which is also great for kids, is Phoebe in Wonderland. Please rent it and allow it to open your eyes.