hunterbishop.com

Despicable scare tactics for sure.

And with two DEA helicopters stationed down at the Hilo airport for many years, it's not like the agency doesn't already have a major presence on the Big Island.

While I respect the right of any individual to write about an issue, I would like to clarify my statements in the stories that are mentioned in your post and the way you frame my comments which cause them to be misleading.

During the interview with the reporter, I refrained from commenting on any decision that the council may or may not make in regards to the funding, I am unfamiliar with the issue before the Council, and as a rule don't comment on issues I am not aware of . During the interview, I spoke in general about drug enforcement and the hazards of enforcing U.S. Federal Drug laws. There is an element of violence in any warrant law enforcement serves, which is clearly shown on our Memorial Wall at DEA headquarters and in each DEA field division. You can also visit the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. and be witness to the hundreds of officer’s names which are added each May, who have fallen in the line of duty, many at the hands of drug dealers or by criminals high on drugs. So while you may attribute my quotes to "scare-tactics", they are in fact, reality in the fight against drugs.

Again, while I respect your right to comment on an issue, I would also appreciate being accurately portrayed in my comments and to not have them used in an op-ed, out-of-context, and out of character, without a conversation with me first-which I am always happy to oblige.

Respectfully,

Garrison Courtney
DEA Spokesperson

Mr Courtney,

Thank you for putting the posted quotes in context.

Now, about the "National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. and .. the hundreds of officer’s names ...who have fallen in the line of duty..."
It would almost certainly be a verifiable fact as to how many officers died "at the hands of drug dealers or by criminals high on drugs." Could you please put some real umph to your assertion with some facts? What is the factual relationship between cannabis and fallen officers? How about the difference in cannabis and 'ice'?

Recognizing that you are just trying to do your job and that what the County Council does is understandably not even close to your main concern, it is only right that you have some grasp of what is at issue in this community. The experience of 'Green Harvest' has been: invasion of privacy without warrants; physical and emotional abuse of unarmed civilians, including children, where there was and where there was not 'contraband'; corruption so that growers who refused to sell all their crop at a low price to 'da boyz' were raided by police within 48 hours and the number of plants in the reports were less than the growers lost; hours of noise and harassment of helicopter overflights; and a community with some serious problems going without resolution by law enforcement such as highway deaths, domestic abuse, theft, illegal dumping of toxic materials, and on and on -- real crimes that have real victims."

Welcome to real world -- you oughta get to know it.

I have been reading the history of the US intelligence agencies, and American history in the 20th century, and everything I have read points to the biggest drug traffickers being in the Federal Governments of the world, in conjunction with with the largest cartels. In fact, the FBI has told the CIA that it can deal drugs with impunity. Reagan had Ollie North helping the tons of coke go in to Los Angeles. Presidents pardon the big cartel members so they can go home and live in luxury. Since we have been messing in Afghanistan, they have become the world's largest exporter of opium. I can see why lower level officials charged with drug interdiction would much rather helicopter over the homes of law-abiding citizens and steal their medical marijuana. It is so much easier than busting the cartels, border cops, diplomats, envoys, officials and elected representatives that know about the biggest deals. Pot is not one of the dangerous drugs. That much is well known. It would be far better for the Feds to turn their gaze inward and root out their own corruption, than go about strong-arming local communities. Some day, if Democracy survives this era of corporate fascism, we may have the DEA protecting the plants, instead of destroying them.

Are we surprised that the only real violence associated with cannabis on the Big Island is caused by police actions as Hunter has documented? I've heard of guns pointed at children and grandchildren during local police raids. Lucky a nervous trigger finger did not create a tragedy. Over the years I've also read of the DEA killing people in raids, including mistaken raids on innocent people.

Threats seem to be endemic to the law enforcement position on cannabis. The original marijuana prohibition pushed by Harry Anslinger in the 1930's was also relentlessly fear mongering. Anslinger's campaign was driven by racism ("the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races"), nativism, over the top (and fabricated) images of insanity and death by cannabis and even commercial competition by hemp. There's a fairly complete summary at http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html. And that's not even to get into the huge social burden and incentive toward violence of the drug war in general.

Apparently, in just doing his job, all this is irrelevant to Mr. Courtney who simply wants to assure us that "there's going to be violence."

The actual reason Marijuana became illegal was to rid us of Mexican immigrants in the 1920'S & 30's Well not the only reason but the prime. Of all the drugs to target this is nearly the least dangerous. Alcohol causes way more problems. If they would concentrate on ICE,CRACK,HEROIN, Illegal Oxycodone.... That would be an intelligent use of $280,000.

Brian,

I agree with you 100% on that one.

An opinion from another state....

Hemp today has thousands of uses. Modern technology has devised many new uses for the helpful hemp plant -- like biomass energy, construction materials, fuel oil, plastic and so on. It is used worldwide as medicine. It is among the best food crops on Earth, and is ecological, as well as a popular relaxant and a spiritual tool.

Unfortunately, during the 20th century, new anti-drug laws have been made by man to imprison, seize property, and even apply the death penalty for people caught growing cannabis. When it used to be that people received fines if they did not grow it.

Unfortunately, the US government has done nothing but lie about cannabis for most of this century. The result of all this is that these lies have been used to rationalize the arrest of more than 10 million Americans for marijuana; 695,201 in 1997 alone, and 87% of them for personal possession.

Despite common knowledge and widespread scientific support, the federal government has for nearly 30 years kept cannabis in schedule 1 as a deliberate way to deny patients access to medical marijuana. This includes people suffering from asthma, cancer, migraine headache, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, and provides relief for many other conditions. As a result, people at various locations across the USA have had to risk and suffer years in prison for providing medical marijuana to patients as an act of compassion and personal conscience.

The beginnings of a plan would be to have the growth of marijuana controlled by the state government... take it out of the federal governments hands due to the fact they have already screwed up our economy and have proven they do not know how to handle money any better than a heroin addict.

Let the state make the laws and leave the federal government to taking care of war and immigration issues. Release all prisoners who are there for minor marijuana charges. This will clear out quite a few prisons. Allow the prisoners who have no violent records -let them work in the hemp fields and factories (which will take the place of some empty prison facilities) They can produce marijuana cigarettes (the same way as tobacco is manufactured) to be sold as cigarettes and alcohol are sold. Let them learn to sew and make clothes, oils, and other products that can be manufactured from this wonderful plant. Then take 50% of the profit to go towards each states educational department and other departments for the people of the state, not things and government of the state, which are suffering and the other 25% goes toward rehabilitation in our prison systems so that when they are released they have an education, trade or something to give them a chance when released back into society and the other 25% should go towards the upkeep of the facilities manfacturing the product. Let our state government control it and let the money come back into the state, instead of to our Federal Government. Not to say our state government is any better than the Federal as far as the crook to honest politician ratio goes, but atleast the people would have more of a say so about how the money is spent. This is a plan on a small scale, but it would work. I would much rather see alcohol made illegal and the Hemp plant used more. I have never seen a mean beligerant pot smoker, unless they couldn't find the Cheetos.

Honestly, the fact that the Federal government is taking control of every facet of our lives makes me sick. They even have a hand in how someone controls their last days on this earth. Had Marijuana been legal, my own mother would have partaken and would not have suffered as she did during her chemotherapy. SAD!!! I guarantee if these uptight politicians had to watch their loved ones suffer, they would gladly do anything they could to make sure they received whatever it takes to make their last days more bearable.

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning: and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels. (Proverbs 1:5)

If a ruler hearkens to lies, all his servants are wicked. (Prov. 29:12)