A few years ago this story probably would have astonished me, but today, I'm used to hearing how the federal government will enforce laws to the extreme just because they can. Ronald Bradley Naulls is the owner of Healing Nations Collective in Corona California and at age 26 could be sentenced to 20 years in prison for distributing medical marijuana. Not only was Naulls arrested but so was his wife on suspicion of child endangerment and their 3 children have been taken away to child protective services.
Naulls put it perfectly saying that he is "caught in a fight between the state and federal government." Naulls has pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking. He and his family are merely a casualty of the drug war and the stubbornness of the federal government. It should be so easy to see that this man was helping to bring relief to over 5,000 patients and his actions harmed no one. Now his family is being pointlessly separated and he could spend the next 20 years of his life behind bars, with our tax dollars paying for it.
Related news: The Los Angeles City Council approved plans Wednesday to limit new medical marijuana dispensaries, regulate existing ones and urge a moratorium on recent clinic raids by federal agents!
1 comment:
Taking away children for the long-term requires a trial. This trial could generate publicity. Fortunately for them it will be in a federal court where judges don't stand for election. A jury trial can be very problematic. Most providers of medical marijuana don't use the drug themselves so a "harmful lifestyle" argument is very lame. Claiming that the mere presence of a drug - not used by parents and kids - corrupts children or exposes them to danger is ludicrous. Of course the only real danger those children face is armed intervention by overzealous law enforcement.
I find extreme fault in those who wrote these initiatives in not being specific about how this marijuana would be provided. They take a page out of the book of mass incarceration scam artists who provide no means of actually funding their prison solutions. I dare say they take a page out of the drug warrior playbook - who provide no details about determination of "potential for abuse". This latter theft of playbook tho gives feds wide latitude in targeting users - which is exactly why the Controlled Substances Act was written.
I met one of those jailed for growing medical marijuana when I was showing my LEAP video. Talk about hostile! He thought that I was the enemy and was determined to "educate" me. He was a two time felon on parole. The police were not interested in jailing the guy - just taking him out of the provision biz. That's what is likely to happen with this family. He will be on a suspended sentence with any and all suspicious activities subject to immediate incarceration for much longer periods. They are most likely going to plea bargain this case into obscurity and use this suspended sentence as a tool for intimidation.
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