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Medicinal Marijuana Users to Protest Arrests
Aired September 17, 2002 - 14:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Today, they will be giving away marijuana outside the City Hall in Santa Cruz, California, and the medical use of the drug is legal under California law. Residents with prescriptions for pot find themselves at odds with the federal government.
CNN's Frank Buckley joins us now from Santa Cruz with the latest from there -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, local city officials here say they are not trying to pick a fight with the federal government, but they are going to allow something to take place right here on the steps of City Hall that is a violation of federal law, that is the distribution of marijuana. This comes after a raid on a local medical marijuana farm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god!
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The early-morning raid left the users of the marijuana seized by federal agents, seen in this surveillance video, in shock and enraged.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a crime at a federal level.
BUCKLEY: The marijuana users do it legally, according to California law. The cannabis was doctor-recommended. Local police were included in planning to assure them that the operation was, in fact, for medical purposes.
Still, on September 5, federal agents, without notifying local authorities, descended on this cooperative in the Santa Cruz mountains and removed 167 marijuana plants, and they arrested the founders of the co-op, Mike and Valerie Corral.
VALERIE CORRAL, WOMEN'S ALLIANCE FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA, It's hard for me to understand the reasoning behind actions that my government would take against sick and dying people.
BUCKLEY: Supporters of medical marijuana say the raid here was just the latest in a series of more aggressive federal government actions taken against medical marijuana growers since the Bush administration took office, a charge the DEA denies.
ROGER GUEVARA, DEA OPERATIONS CHIEF: We have a responsibility and a duty to enforce the marijuana drug laws along with all of the other laws, but it has no more attention than it has in the past. As a matter of fact, in our overall order of priorities, it is not at the top of our priority list.
BUCKLEY: The raid rankled marijuana supporters into organizing a demonstration that will take place at Santa Cruz City Hall, where medical users of marijuana will receive their doses in public.
(on camera): They may be taking their case to the steps of City Hall, but they're not trying to convince the city leaders of their position. In fact, many of the city's top officials will be at the demonstration, in support of the users of medically-prescribed marijuana.
(voice-over): Mayor Christopher Krohn says, he and others will appear to help uphold the will of voters.
MAYOR CHRISTOPHER KROHN, SANTA CRUZ: The will of the people is medical marijuana to those who qualify.
BUCKLEY: The Corrals have yet to be charged, but federal officials will have up to five years to decide what to do.
(on camera): In a sense, hasn't the government won by stopping you from growing here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I -- there's a war on drugs, so to use the analogies of war, they may have won this battle, but the war is not over, and we will continue to fight.
BUCKLEY (voice-over): In the hills and on the streets of Santa Cruz.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BUCKLEY: Now, nine states currently allow for the use of medical marijuana, but again, it is still against federal law, and the DEA says that it will continue to enforce that federal law. What we don't know is whether or not the DEA will send agents down here to make arrests of the 10 to 15 people who will be receiving their medical marijuana today in this demonstration -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Frank Buckley, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 17, 2002 - 14:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Today, they will be giving away marijuana outside the City Hall in Santa Cruz, California, and the medical use of the drug is legal under California law. Residents with prescriptions for pot find themselves at odds with the federal government.
CNN's Frank Buckley joins us now from Santa Cruz with the latest from there -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, local city officials here say they are not trying to pick a fight with the federal government, but they are going to allow something to take place right here on the steps of City Hall that is a violation of federal law, that is the distribution of marijuana. This comes after a raid on a local medical marijuana farm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god!
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The early-morning raid left the users of the marijuana seized by federal agents, seen in this surveillance video, in shock and enraged.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a crime at a federal level.
BUCKLEY: The marijuana users do it legally, according to California law. The cannabis was doctor-recommended. Local police were included in planning to assure them that the operation was, in fact, for medical purposes.
Still, on September 5, federal agents, without notifying local authorities, descended on this cooperative in the Santa Cruz mountains and removed 167 marijuana plants, and they arrested the founders of the co-op, Mike and Valerie Corral.
VALERIE CORRAL, WOMEN'S ALLIANCE FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA, It's hard for me to understand the reasoning behind actions that my government would take against sick and dying people.
BUCKLEY: Supporters of medical marijuana say the raid here was just the latest in a series of more aggressive federal government actions taken against medical marijuana growers since the Bush administration took office, a charge the DEA denies.
ROGER GUEVARA, DEA OPERATIONS CHIEF: We have a responsibility and a duty to enforce the marijuana drug laws along with all of the other laws, but it has no more attention than it has in the past. As a matter of fact, in our overall order of priorities, it is not at the top of our priority list.
BUCKLEY: The raid rankled marijuana supporters into organizing a demonstration that will take place at Santa Cruz City Hall, where medical users of marijuana will receive their doses in public.
(on camera): They may be taking their case to the steps of City Hall, but they're not trying to convince the city leaders of their position. In fact, many of the city's top officials will be at the demonstration, in support of the users of medically-prescribed marijuana.
(voice-over): Mayor Christopher Krohn says, he and others will appear to help uphold the will of voters.
MAYOR CHRISTOPHER KROHN, SANTA CRUZ: The will of the people is medical marijuana to those who qualify.
BUCKLEY: The Corrals have yet to be charged, but federal officials will have up to five years to decide what to do.
(on camera): In a sense, hasn't the government won by stopping you from growing here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I -- there's a war on drugs, so to use the analogies of war, they may have won this battle, but the war is not over, and we will continue to fight.
BUCKLEY (voice-over): In the hills and on the streets of Santa Cruz.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BUCKLEY: Now, nine states currently allow for the use of medical marijuana, but again, it is still against federal law, and the DEA says that it will continue to enforce that federal law. What we don't know is whether or not the DEA will send agents down here to make arrests of the 10 to 15 people who will be receiving their medical marijuana today in this demonstration -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Frank Buckley, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
