Since the pigs fly

[flyingimam]

and judges are doctors!
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Medical pot patient convicted of growing marijuana

Medical pot patient convicted of growing marijuana

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. -- Despite having a doctor's authorization for medical marijuana under state law, a Kitsap County man has been convicted of growing pot.

Superior Court Judge Anna M. Laurie ruled Friday that Robert Dalton's use of marijuana for chronic lower back pain didn't meet the conditions of the state law legalizing the medical use of the drug because he failed to show his pain was "unrelieved by standard medical treatments and medications," such as opiate-based painkillers.

Dalton's lawyers were angered by the ruling and said the judge had no business second-guessing the doctor who recommended Dalton try marijuana.

"If Judge Laurie wants to be a doctor, she should go to medical school," Hiatt told the Kitsap Sun. "No patient in this state is safe if she's right."

Detectives with the West Sound Narcotics Enforcement Team served a search warrant on Dalton's property in August 2007. In court documents, they said they found 88 plants, which they said was well beyond the 60-day supply allowed by law - even though the state Health Department has not defined what constitutes a 60-day supply.

Kitsap County Deputy Prosecutor Cami Lewis called the decision "the correct result." During closing arguments, deputy prosecutor Coreen Schnepf had argued that opiate medications were relieving Dalton's pain, and that he needed to have pain unrelieved by other medicines to use cannabis.

Hiatt argued that the opiates made Dalton sick and were not effective at quelling his pain.

Dalton faces zero to six months in jail for the felony conviction. His lawyers will ask the judge at an Oct. 17 hearing to suspend any sentence pending their appeal.

With the conviction, Robert Dalton's medical marijuana card is nullified, he said following the verdict. He said he doesn't want to use opiates for pain control because they're addictive.

"I don't want to be a drug addict," he said. "That's why I chose medical marijuana."
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great this is telling me "Opiate Based" chemical pain killers with various side effects are safer than this plant... total BS i have used both!
and i sure hope this judge gets thrown off his seat once this case is appealed! i know its a state superior court but hey we have a national supreme court as well!!

flyingimam Reviewed by flyingimam on 09-21-2008. Since the pigs fly and judges are doctors!:mad: ------------------------------ Medical pot patient convicted of growing marijuana Medical pot patient convicted of growing marijuana THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PORT ORCHARD, Wash. -- Despite having a doctor's authorization for medical marijuana under state law, a Kitsap County man has been convicted of growing pot. Rating: 5

[rebgirl420]

Every time I read stuff like this I just let out a big gust of air and sigh.

[seattlesmoke247]

ROFL I have been addicted to OC's before trust me that is no fun, thanks to marijuana I don't do any hard drugs or smoke ciggerettes.. Rediculous. I live a few counties away...

[Esoteric416]

So is it just the way i read this or did that judge decide legal precident for Washington state MMJ laws on a whim? There was no decision on what constitutes a 60 day supply.
To be honest I think 88 plants is a bit much but on the other hand I cant say how much weed one might need to treat their pain. I had (and still have) back problems about 5 years ago and I saw a string of doctors who all but flat out refused to perscribe any kind of pain killer. I guess they thought i was just a punk kid trying to get something to get fucked up on. In any case I wound up spending the better part of two years in constant and debilitating pain. It was a combination of steroids and weed that finnaly put me in a place where i could do my back exercises and finnaly get better.
I hope this guys appeals go well.

[BlazeFace420]

so the government would rather have people messed up on opiates which are addicting then smoke marijuana. the reasoning behind this is probably once the person gets addicted to the opiates and starts obtaining them illegally they can arrest said person and make some money.

[zihowie]

I was just in a pre-trial release program and my counselor told me that thc stays in your system 7 days tops, regardless of weight, height, etc. I just thought what an idiot, just trying to get me in trouble, because of a failed test.