Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Hawaii - Pakalolo was the hot-button topic Tuesday when Police Chief Harry Kubojiri and other top cops met with the public in Volcano Village.
About 40 attended the early afternoon meeting at Cooper Center. Other issues were discussed briefly, including burglaries and a request for a three-digit police nonemergency number. Most of the speakers’ minds, though, were on marijuana enforcement.
Roger Christie, founder of the Hawaii Cannabis Ministry, was raided by federal agents aided by local police March 10, but was not arrested or charged with a crime. He cited a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that concludes marijuana eradication in Hawaii has led to an epidemic of *************** abuse.
“There has never been a mandatory review of the marijuana eradication program, even though it’s called the mandatory program review,” he said. “The County Council has seen in its wisdom or lack thereof never to do a program review audit that asks the simple question: ‘Were there any unintended consequences that have come from spending this tax money on this program?’ … It leaves myself with the uncomfortable feeling that the department is supporting a program that causes crime and violence. And the County Council doesn’t want to know because they’ve refused to audit all these years.”
The so-called “Peaceful Sky” ordinance, which makes adult personal possession and use of marijuana on private property the lowest law-enforcement priority, directs the county not to allocate or accept funds for eradication.
Assistant Chief Marshall Kanehailua garnered applause when he said: “There’s absolutely no money budgeted for marijuana eradication, plain and simple.”
Kubojiri addressed an accusation that police are ignoring the lowest-law enforcement priority as well as the will of the voters who ratified the ballot initiative.
“There are some problems with the ordinance,” he said, and cited “pre-emption,” the doctrine that federal and state laws take precedence over local ordinances.
Kian Tatum, 14, asked: “How do you conduct a raid when there are kids involved?”
Kubojiri said that for officers’ safety “nine times out of 10″ they’ll enter a house with weapons drawn when serving a search warrant.
“Does that include pointing a gun to the back of the head?” he asked.
The teen sobbed at times, and repeated an allegation he made during a County Council committee hearing in January that officers harassed him and a sister during the raid, which netted 7.6 pounds of marijuana. One officer was disciplined by former Police Chief Lawrence Mahuna following an internal investigation but was not charged with any crimes.
At least one officer, perhaps more, were cleared of both criminal wrongdoing and violating police policies and procedures.
Tatum’s father, David, was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years probation in January for commercial promotion of marijuana. He pressed Kubojiri for a more specific answer to his son’s question.
“To answer your question, unfortunately, there is an attorney who is working on your side, and I have just been served, so I can’t comment on anything,” Kubojiri said, an apparent reference to a lawsuit against the police, the county, Kubojiri, Mahuna, Mayor Billy Kenoi and others filed by Michael Ruggles, who was present at the meeting.
Wolf Daniel Braun, president of the Peaceful Sky Alliance, asked Kubojiri if he testified against measures aimed at decriminalizing personal use of marijuana and establishing medical marijuana dispensaries.
The bills were passed by the state Senate but died in a House committee this year.
Kubojiri replied that he did not testify, but he and the other counties’ police chiefs lobbied legislators in opposition to the bills.
“Did you do this on your own time or did you do this on county time?” Braun inquired.
“I did this on county time,” Kubojiri said, and said the county also paid for his travel.
Kubojiri was approached by Braun after the session about being part of a working group to try to fix problems with the current medical marijuana law.
“I said I would be more than amenable provided it was constructive and meaningful,” the chief said. “… I know we’re going to agree to disagree at times. As long as we are working for something that we both are satisfied is clear and not vague and ambiguous as the language is concerned.”
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE
Author: John Burnett
Source: Peaceful Sky Alliance
Copyright: 2009 Tribune-Herald
Contact: Contact Us – Peaceful Sky Alliance
Website: Public grills police on pot – Peaceful Sky Alliance
About 40 attended the early afternoon meeting at Cooper Center. Other issues were discussed briefly, including burglaries and a request for a three-digit police nonemergency number. Most of the speakers’ minds, though, were on marijuana enforcement.
Roger Christie, founder of the Hawaii Cannabis Ministry, was raided by federal agents aided by local police March 10, but was not arrested or charged with a crime. He cited a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that concludes marijuana eradication in Hawaii has led to an epidemic of *************** abuse.
“There has never been a mandatory review of the marijuana eradication program, even though it’s called the mandatory program review,” he said. “The County Council has seen in its wisdom or lack thereof never to do a program review audit that asks the simple question: ‘Were there any unintended consequences that have come from spending this tax money on this program?’ … It leaves myself with the uncomfortable feeling that the department is supporting a program that causes crime and violence. And the County Council doesn’t want to know because they’ve refused to audit all these years.”
The so-called “Peaceful Sky” ordinance, which makes adult personal possession and use of marijuana on private property the lowest law-enforcement priority, directs the county not to allocate or accept funds for eradication.
Assistant Chief Marshall Kanehailua garnered applause when he said: “There’s absolutely no money budgeted for marijuana eradication, plain and simple.”
Kubojiri addressed an accusation that police are ignoring the lowest-law enforcement priority as well as the will of the voters who ratified the ballot initiative.
“There are some problems with the ordinance,” he said, and cited “pre-emption,” the doctrine that federal and state laws take precedence over local ordinances.
Kian Tatum, 14, asked: “How do you conduct a raid when there are kids involved?”
Kubojiri said that for officers’ safety “nine times out of 10″ they’ll enter a house with weapons drawn when serving a search warrant.
“Does that include pointing a gun to the back of the head?” he asked.
The teen sobbed at times, and repeated an allegation he made during a County Council committee hearing in January that officers harassed him and a sister during the raid, which netted 7.6 pounds of marijuana. One officer was disciplined by former Police Chief Lawrence Mahuna following an internal investigation but was not charged with any crimes.
At least one officer, perhaps more, were cleared of both criminal wrongdoing and violating police policies and procedures.
Tatum’s father, David, was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years probation in January for commercial promotion of marijuana. He pressed Kubojiri for a more specific answer to his son’s question.
“To answer your question, unfortunately, there is an attorney who is working on your side, and I have just been served, so I can’t comment on anything,” Kubojiri said, an apparent reference to a lawsuit against the police, the county, Kubojiri, Mahuna, Mayor Billy Kenoi and others filed by Michael Ruggles, who was present at the meeting.
Wolf Daniel Braun, president of the Peaceful Sky Alliance, asked Kubojiri if he testified against measures aimed at decriminalizing personal use of marijuana and establishing medical marijuana dispensaries.
The bills were passed by the state Senate but died in a House committee this year.
Kubojiri replied that he did not testify, but he and the other counties’ police chiefs lobbied legislators in opposition to the bills.
“Did you do this on your own time or did you do this on county time?” Braun inquired.
“I did this on county time,” Kubojiri said, and said the county also paid for his travel.
Kubojiri was approached by Braun after the session about being part of a working group to try to fix problems with the current medical marijuana law.
“I said I would be more than amenable provided it was constructive and meaningful,” the chief said. “… I know we’re going to agree to disagree at times. As long as we are working for something that we both are satisfied is clear and not vague and ambiguous as the language is concerned.”
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE
Author: John Burnett
Source: Peaceful Sky Alliance
Copyright: 2009 Tribune-Herald
Contact: Contact Us – Peaceful Sky Alliance
Website: Public grills police on pot – Peaceful Sky Alliance
