What is Paris Hilton smoking?

Fugitive arrested in Oroville shoot out over medical marijuana

Fugitive arrested in Oroville shoot out over medical marijuana


08/09/07 11:31:37

Related Content:
External Link http://www.orovillemr.com



A Vallejo man wanted in a deadly gun battle over medical marijuana at an Oroville motel has been arrested in Seattle.

Authorities say Deandre Tyrone Lowe, 38, was at Oroville's Best Value Inn on Oct. 22, 2006 to help purchase about 20 pounds of marijuana from patients who had grown it.

The deal went awry, investigators say, when one of the buyers came out of the bathroom, fired a shot into the ceiling and told the sellers to drop to the floor. A seller shot back, and the two men fired 17 bullets.

Two of the three buyers were killed in the shootout, along with one of the sellers. Lowe, who was the third buyer, did not pull a trigger, investigators say. But after he fled, authorities issued a warrant for his arrest on homicide charges because they say he took part in a crime that resulted in murder.

Suspects can be charged with first-degree murder if someone dies during a planned robbery or other serious offense, authorities said.

Three surviving sellers ran away and were later arrested on drug charges. U.S. marshals captured Lowe in Seattle, where he remains in custody.

Information from: Oroville Mercury-Register, http://www.orovillemr.com

http://www.fresnobee.com/384/story/108117.html


DaBronx

GW Pharma says Sativex gets Canadian approval

GW Pharma says Sativex gets Canadian approval


Tue Aug 7, 2007 7:16 AM BST135


LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Britain's GW Pharmaceuticals Plc (GWP.L: Quote, Profile , Research) said on Tuesday that Canada's federal health department, Health Canada, had approved its cannabis-based medicine Sativex for treatment of cancer patients.

The treatment will be used by advanced cancer patients suffering from moderate to severe pain, GW said.

Last month GW announced a delay for the possible roll-out of the treatment in Europe after drug regulators requested a further clinical study.

© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.

http://investing.reuters.co.uk/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=smallCapsNews&storyID=2007-08-07T061558Z_01_WLB0258_RTRIDST_0_GWPHARMA-CANADA-URGENT.XML


DaBronx

73-year-old busted for package of pot

73-year-old busted for package of pot


8/6/2007 10:29:15 PM

By Karen Colbenson
Post-Bulletin, Austin MN


A 73-year-old Grand Meadow man was arrested after accepting a package that contained 46 pounds of marijuana, which he admitted were for personal use.

The package, which was being shipped from Donna, Texas, was intercepted at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Aug. 3. Airport officials contacted the Mower County Sheriff's office and then delivered the package at 3 p.m. to the 27000 block of 745th Ave. in Grand Meadow, said Sheriff Terese Amazi.

When the man, whose name was on the address label, signed for the package, police officers at the scene arrested him. The man told officers that the marijuana was for personal use, said Amazi.

According to Amazi, detection dogs often work in the conveyor systems at airports, which is likely how the package was detected.

The package has not been traced back to the sender.

The man will be charged with possession of marijuana.

http://news.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?a=303172&z=28


DaBronx

SANTA BARBARA: Reefer Madness

Photo: Paul Wellman



SANTA BARBARA: Reefer Madness

Goleta Doctor Cracks Down on Pot-Seeking Patients

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

By Barney Brantingham


Reefer Madness: Years ago, if you wanted to smoke marijuana, you’d likely turn off the lights, pull down the shades, and hunker down before puffing.

Today, you might amble down to one of Santa Barbara’s eight medical marijuana shops, letter from a doctor in hand, and score pot to ease your physical woes.

But getting that letter might be a lot harder than some people seem to think, especially if you try to make an appointment with Dr. David Bearman, a well-known Goleta physician.

It’d be easier — and probably a lot cheaper, from what I hear — to score weed on the street than to jump Dr. Dave’s hurdles.

Although he’s not familiar with how other Santa Barbara area doctors operate under Prop. 215 (the California medical marijuana measure approved by voters), he feels that certain California out-of-town chains offer brief, what he calls “HMO-style” appointments with patients claiming medical need to alleviate their ailments.

“Frankly, most doctors, patients, and dispensaries are concerned about these brief office visit approvals.”

I have a sore back and although I wouldn’t dream of soothing the aches and pains with wacky tobaccy, even temporarily, I asked Dr. Dave what it takes to get one of his letters of recommendation.

First, he said, you can’t even get an appointment without a careful screening. “We do not make an appointment for just anyone,” unless he has a pretty good idea that he or she is likely to qualify under the Prop 215 measures, Bearman told me.

“We try to see the patient’s medical records before their appointment, or if not, have them bring [their records] in with them.” Otherwise, Bearman said, the only time he would issue a letter without copious documentation is when an exam documents a serious problem — such as a missing limb, lumbar or cervical fusion, multiple knee surgeries, or the like.

And if you suspect that most of his patients are college-age kids trying to score, Bearman says 90 percent of his clients seeking marijuana letters are 25-years-old or older, and very few have Isla Vista addresses.

So what about those “HMO-style” doctors, as Bearman puts it? “The position of these doctors, who may see the patient only briefly before granting their approval for medicinal cannabis, seems to go something like this:

“If a patient tells them that they have a particular medical problem and that cannabis is useful to them, these doctors will recommend cannabis. They say that they have no reason not to approve its use when it provides medical benefits, because they see cannabis as being extremely safe and because they can.”

“I take a more conservative view,” Bearman says, blaming the problem on what he calls “vague” guidelines set down by the Medical Board of California, which allows for “wide latitude for interpretation by the MBC.”

Because the MBC has been on what he calls “a witch hunt” investigating doctors who OK marijuana letters, contrary to a court ruling, many physicians avoid the issue, Bearman said.

“At least 60 local doctors have referred patients to me, 15-20 local doctors have made a few approvals, and at least three other physicians are making recommendations for patients for whom they are not the primary care provider.”

“I have been working with other like-minded physicians to set up a specialty of ‘cannabinology,’ which would lay out acceptable medical and ethical standards. No one is benefited by the perception or reality of people who are not ill [getting] medical cannabis approval.”

Meanwhile, the Santa Barbara City Council soon plans to consider a possible moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries, along with guidelines. Some residents have complained about the location of the present ones, which apparently wouldn’t be affected by the moratorium.

Supervisor Bearman?: Dr. Bearman, by the way, says he’s thinking of running for the 3rd District county supervisorial seat now held by Brooks Firestone of the Santa Ynez Valley. Other names are being mentioned in Goleta to oppose Firestone, who gives every impression of seeking re-election next year. This will be a hot one.


Barney Brantingham can be reached at barney@independent.com or 805-965-5205. He writes online columns on Tuesdays and Fridays and a print column on Thursdays.


http://www.independent.com/news/2007/jul/31/reefer-madness/


DaBronx

GO NY YANKEES!

STOP DOMESTIC TERRORISM BY THE DEA!

(This space for rent)