People Weigh In On Anniversary Of 2010 Pot Raids In Oakland County With Video

[bobandtorey]

Brian Vaughan was smoking a cigarette on a curb in front of Everybody’s Cafe in Waterford on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2010 when he saw a police officer round the corner.

“He put a gun in my crotch and said, ‘Don’t move,’” recalled Vaughan, then 55.

“I said, ‘Yes, sir.’”

Three years ago today, a drug task force conducted a raid at the cafe because officials said medical marijuana transactions were taking place inside. A task force raided Herbal Remedies, a medical marijuana dispensary on Williams Lake Road in Waterford. In Ferndale, several people from a medical marijuana dispensary called Clinical Relief were arrested that same day.

Nearly 20 people were jailed, charged for delivery of marijuana.

Vaughan said he was at the cafe volunteering —  checking people’s driver’s licenses against medical marijuana cards, doing community service for another offense. 

“The judge (in the earlier case) even accepted my time there,” said Vaughan, who is retired.

After the Waterford raid, he was charged with delivery or manufacture of marijuana. That 2010 case, which just ended in May, resulted in Vaughan being found guilty, sentenced to probation and fines.

“I fought as long and hard as I could but this is Oakland County and medical marijuana cards don’t mean a thing here. I can drive into other counties to a dispensary and medical marijuana.” But he quickly said he doesn’t do that because he is not permitted to use while on probation.

He has back, knee and neck problems and has daily pain.

 

“It never goes away,” he said.

Law enforcement: Act clear on dispensaries 3 years ago

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard — who said he was unaware of guns being pointed at people during the raids in 2010 — explained that the Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Act carved out an exemption among existing penalties for use of marijuana.

“But the law says no dispensaries are allowed in Michigan,” he said. “We uphold the law and are duty-bound to take action.” Waterford Police Chief Daniel McCaw said his department had received complaints about the cafe, owned by William and Candace Teichman.

“What they were doing wasn’t legal,” he said.

The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs reported Oakland County has 11,841 patients and 4,677 caregivers with active registrations. Michigan has nearly 130,000 registered patients, officials said. Caregivers are issued a registration card for each patient and a caregiver can have up to five patients.

Oakland County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Paul Walton said when the act was passed in 2008, Prosecutor Jessica Cooper reviewed the statute. “It is very clear,” said Walton. “It provides for patients in need. There is no provision for dispensaries.”

This past February, the state Supreme Court ruled dispensaries “are not entitled to operate a business that facilitates patient-to-patient sales of marijuana,” the court said in a 4-1 opinion.

Read more here

 

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/08/24/news/local_news/doc5219242b5b36a299550675.txt

[bobandtorey]

A blast from the passed