Jacksonville Suns Employee Caught Smoking Marijuana on the Job (Video link included)

Jacksonville Suns Employee Caught Smoking Marijuana on the Job (Video link included)


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By Kristin Smith
First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A Jacksonville Suns fan went to the ballgrounds to catch a game, but he caught something else.

Police say a juvenile told an off duty officer he saw a man smoking marijuana in the stadium during Saturday's game.

It turnded out to be Ray Zerba, Assistant General Manager of Personnel for the team.

Now he's owning up to what he did.

Zerba was released from jail Sunday.

For nearly a year, Ray had the job of his dreams, and in a moment, it was taken away.

"One of the best jobs I could ever imagine having and I've just kind of thrown it all away, and now I have to pick up the pieces," said Zerba.

His life fell to pieces while working that dream job, when he was caught doing something he says he'd normally leave at home.

"I've been addicted to marijuana my whole life pretty much," said Zerba.

This time, he was caught.

"A juvenile came over to a police officer and told him he thought a man was smoking marijuana in the bleachers below," said Melissa Bujeda, with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

When the officer went over, Zerba told him where the drugs were, and handed them over.

"I was working pretty much, on the clock, just, not thinking, and made a very poor decision," said Zerba.

He was arrested, and that's when things changed for Zerba.

"If you're arrested on duty you're pretty much fired. We've never dealt with this situation before, but this situation was a no-brainer. He is no longer with the company," said Kirk Goodman, General Manager of the Suns.

"I totally respect the decision they made," said Zerba.

Now he's just taking it day by day.

"I'm not of any use to anybody unless I'm 100 percent clean and sober. Take it one day at a time," said Zerba.

Zerba is expected to appear in court for this misdemeanor charge. He's waiting to hear when that is.

Zerba did have some other misdemeanor charges for several outstanding checks that has since been taken care of.

Created: 8/13/2007 4:54:44 PM
Updated: 8/13/2007 7:12:10 PM
Edited by Kristin Smith, Reporter

© 2007 First Coast News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=88953



DaBronx

Subpoenas worry users of medical marijuana

Monday, August 13, 2007 - Page updated at 02:04 AM


Subpoenas worry users of medical marijuana


By The Associated Press



PORTLAND — Federal subpoenas seeking medical records of 17 Oregon medical-marijuana patients have growers and users upset and nervous even as a federal judge considers whether to throw the subpoenas out.

"It's crazy. It's really scary. If they can get my records, they can get Gov. [Ted] Kulongoski's, they can get yours," said Donald DuPay, a former Portland police officer and 2006 candidate for Multnomah County sheriff.

DuPay says his records are among those subpoenaed.

A federal grand jury in Yakima issued the subpoenas in April as part of an investigation of some growers in Oregon and Washington.

The patients are not targets of the grand jury.

A Seattle spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration declined to comment.

The subpoenas were served on the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, which issues permits to patients and their authorized growers.

A second subpoena went to The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation, a private Portland clinic where doctors determine whether a patient's condition would be eased by marijuana.

The DEA raided DuPay's Portland home in June and seized 135 marijuana plants DuPay said he was growing for patients. DuPay, who hosts a local cable-access program on medical marijuana, says he has not been arrested.

On Aug. 1, lawyers from the state and from the ACLU, representing the Hemp and Cannabis Foundation, asked Chief U.S. District Judge Robert H. Whaley in Yakima to throw the subpoenas out.

James Hagerty, the assistant U.S. attorney who convened the grand jury, acknowledged that the subpoenas were written too broadly. What the grand jury wants, he said, is not "medical records" but current addresses and phone numbers for the 17 patients.

He said the grand jury is investigating four or five people for growing marijuana to sell under the medical-marijuana law.

The 17 get or got medical marijuana from the people under investigation, he said

Oregon voters enacted the state's program in 1998, and 14,868 Oregonians hold patient cards. An additional 7,115 have state permission to grow medical marijuana. They can't sell it but can accept donations to defray costs.

Eleven other states, including Washington, have medical-marijuana laws and at least two more are considering them.

But federal law forbids the use or cultivation of marijuana. Federal authorities have attacked California's program by raiding marijuana dispensaries and prosecuting growers there for years.

Last month, the DEA sent letters to landlords of dispensaries in Los Angeles warning of possible prison sentences.

But the Oregon subpoenas apparently are the first time the DEA has come after medical records, "and of course, it is very worrisome," said Bruce Mirkin, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, an advocacy group in Washington, D.C.

"People have an expectation of medical privacy, and I think they have a right to expect medical privacy," Mirkin said.

"It's one thing to talk about people selling a product that is in fact not legal under federal law. We may think that's stupid. But that's in a whole different realm than obtaining people's medical records."

The Web site for the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program promises patients and caregivers that their medical records are legally protected.

Kris Hermes, a spokesman for the advocacy group Americans for Safe Access, said the subpoenas suggest the DEA is looking beyond prosecuting dealers.

"It sends a message to the other states and their programs that they're vulnerable to federal interference," he said.

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003833815_marijuana13m.html?syndication=rss


DaBronx

PTSD: Overlooked Research

Aug-09-2007 05:38

PTSD: Overlooked Research

Dr. Phil Leveque Salem-News.com

Phil Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician and Toxicologist.



(MOLALLA, Ore.) - The literature research of medical marijuana leads literally in all directions. The information from Viet Nam War veterans brought me the information that medical marijuana was very good for PTSD.

This was not really a surprise because medical marijuana is effective for so many medical conditions, especially those involving the brain. For instance, it is effective for epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, some forms of schizophrenia, nausea and vomiting, brain trauma, panic attacks, etc.

Under the circumstances, I felt it best to listen to my patients. They told me marijuana gave more relief than any psychotropic pharmaceutical they had been prescribed. Such being the case, I started checking PTSD literature. I knew that combat soldiers got it and I had heard that emergency room personnel, police and EMTs get it also.

I was surprised to find the article, “Identifying and Treating VA Medical Care Patients with Undetected Sequelae of Psychological Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” in NCP Clinical Quarterly, 6(4), Fall 1996, published by National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Department of Veterans Affairs.

Their testing, which was psychologic and sometimes psychiatric, brought out very large and varied patients groups who by their testing exhibited signs and symptoms of PTSD. Their diagnosis and therapy was one-on-one with a psychologist or psychiatrist and/or group therapy where affected patients could talk about their experiences leading to PTSD to relieve the symptoms.

It was not surprising to me that military war zone service produced the highest number and percentage of victims, up to 33 percent of females and 40 percent of males. These vets were two to four times more likely to suffer PTSD. Other groups were: gastroenterology patients exposed to childhood abuse, chronic pain patients exposed to childhood abuse, pelvic pain patients exposed to childhood sexual abuse and women HMO patients exposed to criminal victimization.

The non-combat victims should quiet the absurd claim that for war veterans it was “home sickness.” They include anxiety victims and Israeli medical outpatients (There have been wars going on there for years.), major depression victims and various phobias.

As compared with general population studies, the PTSD rate for Desert Storm veterans was 50 percent higher and for Viet Nam veterans it was 500 percent higher. This would not be a surprise to any of the nine million veterans who served in Viet Nam.

This study was done around 1995 and their results indicated 1,839,000 veterans suffering from PTSD but 1,795,000 veterans are not in VA treatment.

They say that many veterans with PTSD symptoms are unrecognized and untreated. This possibly explains the high alcoholism rate, the high illegal drug use and also the high suicide number which is considered to be about 60,000 as of 2007.

It appears obvious that this represents a complete failure of the VA hospitals to address and successfully treat this problem.

The studies reported in this article indicate a veteran with polydrug dependency especially marijuana, which he found more helpful than any other medication.

Their second patient also had a polydrug dependency problem which was not relieved by their counseling and group therapy.

Their third patient suffered from chronic coronary heart disease, hypertension and ulcerative colitis (all of which could be results of combat or other stress). After a couple of years without success, he was placed in a PTSD Residential Rehabilitation Program (PRRP) with fellow veteran PTSD victims.

It is clear that the “treatments” given to these three patients were extremely expensive and with what appears to be only modest success if at all. In the meantime, many PTSD veterans have found that marijuana/cannabis works well, certainly better than alcohol, mind-numbing psychotropics, etc.

Must the PTSD veterans, as indicated in this article, have to treat themselves?

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/august092007/leveque_ptsd_8907.php


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)

MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROTEST AT VAN NUYS FRIDAY AUGUST 3, 2007

:::::::::PROTEST AT VAN NUYS FRIDAY AUGUST 3, 2007:::::::::


PROTEST/RALLY FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND PATIENT RIGHTS!


WHEN: Friday August 3rd. 9:30 am.-1pm.

WHERE: Van Nuys Civic Center
14410 Sylvan Street
Van Nuys, Ca.

WHY: Protest the DEA actions and local police involvement in recent raids and fear letter campaign

The recent times have been difficult for everyone, especially owners and patients who have had their collectives closed or raided, so we must stand together if we are to get anything done.

There will be drinks and food provided to the protesters that come, and we are looking for all ideas that we can use, such as perfomance art as protest. and things that will be creative and different then ways before.

We will be having a large funeral for States rights, with a large coffin built with a California Flag covering it, and RIP STATE'S RIGHTS, written on the coffin.


FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO VOLUNTEER TO HELP, CONTACT PATRICK at 818-386-2998 (12 PM-8 PM or leave message) or email "patrick_duff2000 [at] yahoo.com"

Sheriff comments on predicted closure of final pot shop

Sheriff comments on predicted closure of final pot shop

Last Update: Jul 30, 2007 9:07 PM

Posted By: Megan Trihey


Video: Watch This Video

BAKERSFIELD - As predicted by Sheriff Donny Youngblood, the last remaining pot shop in Bakersfield is out of business, leaving those who rely on marijuana for medicine out of luck.






“This is not about what I can tell people they can and cannot do,” said Youngblood. “This is about the law, and they have a responsibility to know that possession of marijuana with certain restrictions can be a felony with the feds. It is a felony with the feds.”

The owners of California Compassionate Services on Bernard Street in northeast Bakersfield closed late last week.

They said they were caught in a pinch between state and federal law.

A month ago, Bakersfield had six medical marijuana shops, but after a series of DEA raids and federal indictments, each shut down.

Youngblood said he doesn’t plan on issuing licenses for any more pot shops to open.

“People have to do what they think they need to do,” said Youngblood. “I just thought it was a little bit unfair to issue licenses to someone, take their money, and then help put them in federal prison.”


http://www.kget.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=45bb3b6c-4c36-45a0-a1f8-99df30285641&rss=91


DaBronx


GO NY YANKEES!