GOOD NEWS!! Obama issues first EVER federal marijuana-related pardons (two of 'em)

[Fly by night]

(My thanks to several friends who emailed me with this news last night so I could savor it with my morning quart of coffee, and to nmbluesky for posting this in GD/P. She/he really does live in a beautiful state.)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/05/obama-grants-eight-pardons/1


Good News!! If what Dan Riffle at MPP told me prior to my applying for a Presidential pardon in March is correct, two of the people pardoned by President Obama yesterday in the latest round of Presidential pardons are the first two federal marijuana-related convicts ever pardoned by any President.

Of course, I wasn't one of 'em, but that's cool.

Some of us are here just to plant the seeds ....

There has still been no federal medical marijuana convict pardoned yet, but soon come on that score, I hope. In the meantime, I hope hundreds (thousands) of my fellow med pot "homies" will apply for a pardon.

I cannot reapply until next May, and I would be very happy if -- by that time -- pardoning me and my fellow prisoners of conscience for science, common sense and compassion has become a matter of routine, and that the pipeline that keeps folks like me moving into the bowels of the beast has been permanently plugged. (If there's any federal agency that deserves a permanent -- and fatal -- bout of constipation, it is the DEA.)

Take care and enjoy your Gardens. I definitely will mine.

If we never stop fighting, ...

FBN

[Fly by night]

1. One self-kick in vicarious celebration of some long-overdue sanity.

Now to go thin the sweet corn and tie up the tomatoes.

[malaise]

2. K & R

Great news. :fistbump:

[WhiteTara]

3. Thanks for posting this.

I'm sorry you weren't among the pardoned, but indeed it is good news. Now if they would just lay off the busts.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

4. These pardons were for people who have been out of prison for over a decade or more.

One in 1975 and he served 5 years w/2 years parole and the other in 1992 got a 3 years probation and did community service.

[Fly by night]

10. Yes, that stood out for me also. If that's the real timeframe (instead of the published one) ...

... for receiving a pardon, then I'll need to wait until I'm 97 years old.

Of course, I won't wait. They have technically not rejected my application, just said it was submitted too early (according to guidelines that appear nowhere in their pardon instructions or on the USDOJ web-site.) So I will apply again next May ... one last time.

If you do get (really) rejected, you have to wait two years to reapply. I wonder if either of these marijuana conviction pardons had to apply multiple times before they caught the tin ring?

As for me, I'll be "one and done", regardless of the outcome. They may want us to keep swatting at the shiny ball (of a pardon), but I tire easily of senseless (and silly) games.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

22. I wish you the best of luck! I just don't find this good news when this

administration is gunning after state sanctioned medical marijuana growers and distributors. It begs me to question, who did these 2 people who were pardoned know.

[mwrguy]

38. In other words, this is bullshit

Let someone out of prison, where they are being brutalized daily to save them from the evils of marijuana.

[Fly by night]

40. No one should go to prison for "illegal smiles". Everyone who has should be pardoned en masse.

That's the ticket, the change I can really believe in and hope for.

I'm glad these two marijuana convicts were pardoned because they are the first (and someone has to be). However, as I sit here at 4:20 am, enjoying the first fire-fly of soon-come summer, I wonder myself if my problem (getting rejected because my probation sentece was really prison -- according to the USDOJ -- much to the surprise of my federal judge and me) is that my crime just wasn't big enough. After all, these first two pardoned people were both evidently importing large quantities of marijuana, in one case over 100 kilos, and profiting handsomely from it.

My crime involved less than 100 ounces of usable medicine that I was giving away.

Well, as someone said, go big or go home. I don't want to go big and I'm glad to be home.

Pardoned or not.

Enjoy this beautiful emerging morning, all y'all.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

49. Exactly. People are applauding this without reading the article.

[msongs]

5. 2 pardons vs multiple new arrests in obama's crack down on medical marijuana? whatta deal! nt

[Fly by night]

11. Yes, two steps forward, thousands of steps back.

It's going to take a REALLY BIG corncob to plug up the DEA's bowels.

But I'd be more than happy to look for one and to insert it not so gently.

The mofos buzzed me again low today. They're not supposed to be below 500 feet.
As usual, they were around 50 feet up.

And as usual, I dropped my shorts in the Garden and invited them to fly up my ass.

[Le Taz Hot]

6. K & R

Good news, indeed! Positive vibes . . .

:hi:
LTH

[reggie the dog]

7. i got my weedlings going out in the woods already

[Fly by night]

12. Good on ya'! Now, as for me, well ...

... that would be wrong. (Right, Agent Mike?)

Not.

[reggie the dog]

13. i have all of 3 plants due to fear of helicopters

i could be medical if depression was counted. i got put on prozac last year and after a week told my phychologist that i dropped the pills for my hash and she said it was fine... now to grow my own herbal rememdy for my depressive nihilistic nature.

[mountainlion55]

8. I don't need no stinking pardon

from Obama or anyone else. Mr.Obama---- legalize Cannabis now and then mind your own business about what I do with my body and brain! I live in Cali and I use medicinally. They have been fucking with patients since prop 215 passed 15 yrs ago! Overgrow the government!:smoke:

[Fly by night]

26. I do, if I am ever to be employed again in my field (public health epidemiology)

A federal felony conviction on a medical cannabis charge is a gift that just keeps on taking.

Believe you me.

[mountainlion55]

47. Good Luck

:smoke:

[mmonk]

9. Excellent! Looking good.

Best of luck forward.

[EFerrari]

14. Saw that in LBN and thought of you immediately.

FBN, do you still have the link to your thread detailing how to write the letter and have it notarized? I can do it now, if it will still help.

[Fly by night]

15. Thanks kindly. Here it 'tis.

"Pardon me"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=406969

Fortunately, the feds said that they will re-accept the 175 support letters that I sent them the first time (and they sent right back to me.) But a few more wouldn't hurt a bit, other than running the risk of reinflating my ego again.

Hey, for an unemployed ex-felon farmer, that's not always a bad thing.

'Preciate it.

[EFerrari]

16. I have enough money for the notary now.

:)

Thanks for the link. We just stay with it. :grouphug:

[Fly by night]

18. So sorry that notaries cost money where you live. Here they do it for free.

One East Nashville friend (who lives about 90 minutes away from my farm) went to her neighborhood bank to get her support letter notarized. Her banker asked "Just who is this Ellis fellow anyway?", showing her the notary log. The last four people who had come to the bank for notary services had all been there to get support letters for me stamped.

Small world, and a loving and supportive one, for this unemployed ex-felon farmer.

Thanks again.

[EFerrari]

21. LOL! That's so cool.

At some point, maybe we should get a t-shirt going, a brand, a logo. :)

[Fly by night]

23. I still have one or two "Save Bernie's Farm" tee-shirts from a benefit ...

... held for me two weeks before I was released from the "house". The shirt has the symbol of the ourobouros on the front and the web address (now inactive) of my Save Bernie's Farm web-site.

I was re-listening to the sound-track from the benefit again just recently. Four bands (including the incredible Mike Henderson Blues Band (he of the Steeldrivers); the beautiful and talented Jonell Mosser, Nashville's favorite red-haired soul-singing cutie; Delicious Blues Stew, a very hot cajun-blues band; and Suzanne Fiering, a great jazz singing guitarist with a very tight trio.

Sold out house, all Nashville TV stations there and the show broadcast live in its entirety (all four hours of it) over the airwaves and the internets by WRFN (Radio Free Nashville).

Like I said, lots and lots of loving friends for this, their favorite felon.

[EFerrari]

24. Maybe a reunion on the occassion of the second application send off

would be in order.

It's great to here that you have good neighbors.

[DemReadingDU]

17. I'm sure you will get your pardon too!

just a bit more waiting

[Fly by night]

19. From your fingers to the eyes of the Goddess (and President Obama)!!

Here's hoping ....

[truedelphi]

20. Happy to hear about these two pardons and

A bit Bummed that you are not among the two.

But at least you know we here at DU stand with you and will do so in any matters where you need our help

[krabigirl]

25. Wonderful news! yay :) hope many more will get them.

[RainDog]

27. sweet

and you soon too, I hope.

[Shining Jack]

28. K&R and good luck.

BTW, what ever happened to this stupid "Smoke Pot Months Ago, Get a DUI" thingy? Has it become law?

[Fly by night]

41. California just rejected a DUIW (Driving under the influence of weed) that required blood tests.

As one presenter at the recent NORML convention reported, even blood tests are insufficient to detect impairment. It is quite telling that, unlike alcohol that impairs people enough to make them unbalanced, uncoordinated and dangerously stupid and aggressive on the roads, no one has yet developed a successful behavioral test for cannabis intoxication.

I've always liked the comparison between drunk drivers and stoned ones. A drunk driver will speed through a stop sign, while a stoned driver will sit there and wait for the sign to say "Go".

If you're on the highway at the same time, one of those actions will kill you. The other will simply annoy you (or make you laugh.)

[laylah]

42. ...

"I've always liked the comparison between drunk drivers and stoned ones. A drunk driver will speed through a stop sign, while a stoned driver will sit there and wait for the sign to say "Go"." :rofl: :hug:

edited to correct a boo-boo

[bertman]

29. Hope springs eternal. REC. nt

[spanone]

30. k&r...

[JackInGreen]

31. As much as I

commend the President in what I think is a wise decision, I still can't help but feel like this is a bone being thrown to me and my hazy brothers. It's not enough...yet.
I know I might be called unfair for that, but so is the insanity of the war on drugs.

[DefenseLawyer]

32. I guess that makes up for nominating Michele Leonhart as head of the DEA

or something....

[ejbr]

33. What is he high?

:smoke:

[Gregorian]

34. Holy crap.

After what we've been through, that's amazing.

Thanks for posting this. It gives one optimism that we may some day live in a more humane society.

[nonperson]

35. Why are US attorneys sending these letters?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steph-sherer/the-obama-justice-departm_b_864792.html

The Obama Justice Department Is Forcing Legal Medical Marijuana Patients Into the Illicit Market

Steph Sherer
Executive Director, Americans for Safe Access

Posted: 05/20/11 01:37 PM ET

In February, Oakland City Attorney John Russo asked the Obama Justice Department whether his city's plan to regulate large-scale medical marijuana cultivation would get the approval of the federal government. As expected, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag responded to Russo with a declarative "No!" Little did patient advocates realize, though, that Haag's letter would begin a trend resulting in similar U.S. Attorney letters sent to local and state officials in at least 9 different medical marijuana states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

This cynical tactic of sending letters that threaten public officials with criminal prosecution is not new -- the Bush Justice Department made similar threats against New Mexico officials in 2007 -- but it's now being used by Obama to obstruct the democratic process and impede the development of local and state laws regulating cultivation and distribution of medical marijuana.

I have to believe this is in large part because President Obama named Bush administration hold-over and Acting DEA head Michele Leonhart to run that agency and the Senate approved her. It's been all down hill for medical marijuana since then. Why the about face by the Obama administration on medical marijuana?

[Fly by night]

44. Because the farces of evil are still firmly in control of our national drug policy.

There are three things that Obama can do to reflect a commitment to harm reduction when it comes to that policy:

1) Demand that the DEA accept the recommendations of its own administrative law judges to reclassify cannabis out of Schedule 1 to a more appropriate schedule. (I would recommend Schedule 4.)

2) If Michelle Leonhart (the Smirking Chimp's holdover DEA director) refuses to do so, fire her immediately and throw her fat ass into the gutter of history where she belongs.

3) Issue a blanket pardon to everyone (EVERYONE) who has ever been convicted of a medical marijuana-related offense. Forget the paperwork, forget the unwritten rules, forget all of that.

Pardon us right now.

[meow mix]

46. k&r nt

[nonperson]

48. You should named be our new DEA director, Fly by night

Stop the war on medicine now.

[upi402]

36. I don't even smoke or drink

and I'm glad to hear that!

[Bluenorthwest]

43. Do you take any medicine? Have you ever?

Because the subject is medicine, not smoking and drinking.

[Fly by night]

45. Actually these pardons were given to two large-scale dealers who weren't marketing medicine.

At least, that was not their intention though no doubt some of the people who bought their imported Mexican dirt-weed "product" were likely using it for medicine, since there was no legal way to procure safe, effective, reliable and inexpensive medicine otherwise at the time they committed the offenses for which these two have now been pardoned.

I want everyone on our side on this issue. If some of the mmj dispensaries in California, Colorado, Washington and other states are nothing more than fronts for recreational cannabis use (which we all know they are), using butt-naked models to promote our medicine, and we tolerate that because involvement in the criminal justice system is the biggest threat to the health and welfare of cannabis users (for any reason); then we should not only tolerate but welcome the support of people who use nothing to alter their consciousness or ease their pain.

I hear what you mean and I appreciate your comment and kick. I 'spect you hear me too.

Peace out.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[demodonkey]

39. Yeah, but dammit, YOU should be one!

Hang in there FBN, we gotta get rid of these paperless damn voting machines!