US CA: Feinstein Urged To Grill DEA Nominee On Pot Stance

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US CA: Feinstein Urged To Grill DEA Nominee On Pot Stance
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n954/a09.html
Newshawk: JimmyG
Pubdate: Wed, 25 Jun 2003
Source: Oakland Tribune, The (CA)
Copyright: 2003 MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers
Contact: triblet@angnewspapers.com
Website: http://www.oaklandtribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/314
Author: Josh Richman


FEINSTEIN URGED TO GRILL DEA NOMINEE ON POT STANCE

Tandy targeted in open letter from drug-reform advocates to senator

Drug-reform advocates have used political and personal tactics to pressure
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein to grill President Bush's nominee for Drug
Enforcement Administration chief on her medical marijuana stance.

Feinstein, D-Calif., sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, scheduled to
consider Karen P. Tandy's nomination today. But spokesman Howard Gantman
said Feinstein won't be there; she'll be at a simultaneous Intelligence
Committee briefing on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Still, she intends to submit written questions to Tandy about the "general
issue" of medical marijuana and "some of the issues around the crackdown in
California," Gantman said.

Valerie Corral, director of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (
WAMM ) near Santa Cruz -- which the DEA raided in September, but against
which no charges were ever filed -- issued an open letter Monday to
Feinstein.

"Years ago, you hosted the wedding of a mutual friend in your back yard --
an extraordinary woman, of unwavering integrity, she served as police
commissioner of San Francisco" and later developed colon cancer before
joining WAMM, Corral wrote. "And while ( her )passing has taken her from
us, it has not silenced her. I do not presume to speak for her, but I
believe she would also ask of you what I am about to ask.

"As you review Ms. Tandy's upcoming appointment, please remember the
experiences of those you have known who faced illness and death. Then, ask
Ms. Tandy what priorities she will set regarding medical marijuana and
whether she will continue the raids against Californians acting in
compliance with the Compassionate Use Act, Proposition 215."

Corral's letter doesn't name the mutual friend but it is clearly Jo Daly,
whom Feinstein -- then San Francisco's mayor -- named a police commissioner
in 1980. Diagnosed with colon cancer in 1988, Daly had become an outspoken
medical marijuana advocate by the time she died in 1997.

Another, similar letter was sent to Feinstein on Friday by Corral and 22
other medical marijuana providers or their relatives. Feeling snubbed, some
of them and their supporters gathered outside Feinstein's San Francisco
office Tuesday to turn up the heat.

National groups including the Drug Policy Alliance and the Marijuana Policy
Project believe Senate GOP leaders want Tandy -- an associate deputy
attorney general who heads the Justice Department's Organized Crime Drug
Enforcement Task Force -- confirmed with as little fanfare as possible. Her
judiciary hearing is paired with that of another Justice Department nominee,
after a slew of judicial nominees.

If Tandy doesn't pledge to stop the raids, we will urge Feinstein to vote
against her, he said. We don't expect Feinstein to vote no, but if she
doesn't even ask a critical question, she is basically turning her back on
California voters and the families of those being victimized by the DEA's
heavy-handed approach to medical marijuana.
***********************

Mark Renfro
u tsi s da lu gi s gi = (Brilliant)
u tsi s da lu gi s gv = (Shining)
a ga li ha = (Illuminating from within)
di tli hi = (Warrior)
My Cherokee name.

E-MAIL Markss2101@cox.net
(to send E-MAIL remove just one "s")

"The War on Drugs was never, ever about drugs,
it's about bigotry. You can change the law,
but changing the prejudice and fear of bigots who hide
behind drug war rhetoric is a far more challenging task.
It's time to expose the Drug War and the bigots who
promote the ideology of "Zero Tolerance."

-- Steve Kubby, 1998 Libertarian candidate for
Governor of California

"Mark2101" wrote in message news:<5NtKa.81570$Pc5.37649@fed1read01>...

> US CA: Feinstein Urged To Grill DEA Nominee On Pot Stance
> URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n954/a09.html
> Newshawk: JimmyG
> Pubdate: Wed, 25 Jun 2003
> Source: Oakland Tribune, The (CA)
> Copyright: 2003 MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers
> Contact: triblet@angnewspapers.com
> Website: http://www.oaklandtribune.com/
> Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/314
> Author: Josh Richman
>
>
> FEINSTEIN URGED TO GRILL DEA NOMINEE ON POT STANCE
>
> Tandy targeted in open letter from drug-reform advocates to senator
>
> Drug-reform advocates have used political and personal tactics to pressure
> U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein to grill President Bush's nominee for Drug
> Enforcement Administration chief on her medical marijuana stance.
>
> Feinstein, D-Calif., sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, scheduled to
> consider Karen P. Tandy's nomination today. But spokesman Howard Gantman
> said Feinstein won't be there; she'll be at a simultaneous Intelligence
> Committee briefing on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
>
> Still, she intends to submit written questions to Tandy about the "general
> issue" of medical marijuana and "some of the issues around the crackdown in
> California," Gantman said.
>
> Valerie Corral, director of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (
> WAMM ) near Santa Cruz -- which the DEA raided in September, but against
> which no charges were ever filed -- issued an open letter Monday to
> Feinstein.
>
> "Years ago, you hosted the wedding of a mutual friend in your back yard --
> an extraordinary woman, of unwavering integrity, she served as police
> commissioner of San Francisco" and later developed colon cancer before
> joining WAMM, Corral wrote. "And while ( her )passing has taken her from
> us, it has not silenced her. I do not presume to speak for her, but I
> believe she would also ask of you what I am about to ask.
>
> "As you review Ms. Tandy's upcoming appointment, please remember the
> experiences of those you have known who faced illness and death. Then, ask
> Ms. Tandy what priorities she will set regarding medical marijuana and
> whether she will continue the raids against Californians acting in
> compliance with the Compassionate Use Act, Proposition 215."

If Ms. Feinstein DOES ask these questions in any kind of a critical
way - she will simply once again be exposing herself as the disgusting
hypocrite she is. I have written to her numerous times complaining of
the behavior of the Federal government in regards to this issue - and
at least as long as Bill Clinton was in the White House - she
supported the stance of the Federal government in regards to its
policy on medical marijuana. She is on the record as supporting this
- and I have letters from her office with her letterhead and signature
loudly proclaiming this.

During the 1996 campaign, Ms. Feinstein travelled up and down the
state with then drug czar Barry McCaffrey pushing for the defeat of
Prop 215. I believe that this action was in violation of Federal law
which prohibits Federal employees from using government resources for
political campaigns.

Ms. Feinstein, as the senior senator from California, is in a position
to change the law in regards to medical marijuana. If she were truly
interested in the issue - and not just pandering for votes, she would
get off her ass and get the law changed - not ask inane questions of a
Bush appointee.

Guido

"Allan Lindsay-O'Neal" wrote in message news:...

> "Mark2101" wrote in message
> news:5NtKa.81570$Pc5.37649@fed1read01...
> > US CA: Feinstein Urged To Grill DEA Nominee On Pot Stance
>
>
>
> This should be fun: one of the leading Democrat Senators is going to piss on
> the man nominated to head the Drug ENFORCEMENT Administration because he's
> not soft on pot? Isn't that cute: you can't enforce the nation's drug laws
> because we're afraid you would enforce the nation's drug laws.
>
> I wonder how this'll play in Peoria? Probably right up there with being
> told The Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional.

Maybe, but Ms. Feinstein ain't running for re-election in Peoria.

Guido

"Peter H. Proctor" wrote in message
news:oaanfv8o0v19o5blodgd91oesvpaurolq5@4ax.com...

> Where in the US constitution is the federal gummit given power to
> prohibit a drug, particularly in the face of an explicit state law to
> the contrary ? Whatever happened to the 10th amendment ?

The supremacy clause gives the feds that power. And the 10th Amendment is
fairly well neutralized by the commerce clause.

"Allan Lindsay-O'Neal" wrote in message
news:nHMKa.30369$nG.30216@rwcrnsc51.ops.asp.att.net...

>
> "Mark2101" wrote in message
> news:5NtKa.81570$Pc5.37649@fed1read01...
> > US CA: Feinstein Urged To Grill DEA Nominee On Pot Stance
>
>
>
> This should be fun: one of the leading Democrat Senators is going to piss

on

> the man nominated to head the Drug ENFORCEMENT Administration because he's
> not soft on pot? Isn't that cute: you can't enforce the nation's drug

laws

> because we're afraid you would enforce the nation's drug laws.
>
> I wonder how this'll play in Peoria? Probably right up there with being
> told The Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional.

The two offending words (that weren't in the origininal) could and should
simply be deleted and the Pledge would be just fine.

As viewed from alt.california, The Pervert wrote:


The Pledge is just fine either way. The two words haven't hurt
anybody in all the years that they've been there; the whole thing
is a nonissue.

--
Jafo

On Fri, 27 Jun 2003 13:08:48 GMT, BrianM@phat.pharm (BrianM's Phat
Pharm) wrote:


If that were the case, most of congress would have to be
disenfranchised. If memory serves, 100+ of the 535 people in
congress and the senate have been picked up by the DC police on DUI
charges.

Dr P