It’s about midway through the outdoor harvest season right now, and narcotics agents have been dealing with a lot of marijuana-related crime, and expect more to come. Nevada County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Bill Smethers tells KNCO a prime example of that happened in Penn Valley last week, and a man was killed…
Smethers oversees the department’s Major Crimes Unit and Narcotics Task Force. He says he understands the medical marijuana side of the issue, but says while a few people have been helped, the criminal element has increased dramatically…
Smethers says two pounds of marijuan for one year would be more than enough for one person. He says people are illegally transporting the pot for sale, and are even trying to ship it…
Smethers does say, though, that the county’s medical marijuana cultivation ordinance is working–the number of complaints about grows has decreased. Smethers was a guest on KNCO’s ‘Fitzsimmons and Flores’ this afternoon (Monday).
Martin Webb
And thus the propaganda machine begins!
- Marijuana crimes are not getting worse and there is no evidence presented here that demonstrates that.
- Someone is shot roughly once a year related to a garden or a pot deal. Let's hope there are no more this year.
- Smethers clearly DOESN'T understand the medical side of the issue, because it has helped several thousands of people in this county with health issues over the past 18 years, as opposed to his false characterization that only a few have been helped.
- Of course there are bad recommendations, those are few and cannot be assumed to be the standard for all, just like there are extreme prescriptions of all sorts of dangerous drugs in our community but the majority are legit.
- Smethers is a law enforcement officer with no medical training who has reviewed no one's medical history because records are private, therefore he has no clue as to how much of any type of medicine any individual person requires to treat any illness. Practicing medicine without a license is illegal. Generally speaking, 2-3 pounds per year will cover most, but many use less, many use more.
- People are illegally transporting pot for sale? And even trying to ship it? NO WAY! When did that start? Things are definitely worse! Wait...they've been doing that for 50 years? Oh...nevermind...
- Smethers' final propaganda message rears it's ugly head at the end: the law enforcement-written cultivation ordinance is magical and precious and must be kept at all costs. What he doesn't say is that the sole purpose of the ordinance is to chop down 100% legal grows and there are already laws that address illegal activity. So enforcing the ordinance literally means getting rid of only the legal supply, which will always be made up by the illegal supply: that's the criminals that shoot to kill, poison the environment, and sell to kids. So if you like more illegal gardens and all the extra crime that comes with them, then support the existing ordinance and support the NCSO chasing after law abiding citizens' plants while leaving the criminals to shoot each other.
If he had any sense of economic supply and demand, he'd know that the ordinance is exactly what's creating all this crime! Too ironic!
Patricia Smith
I applaud the NTF for trying to rid us of the illegal and violent people that prey on those that can't defend themselves, however I question whether the County's ordinance is "working well" if complaints are down but crime is going up. There seems to be a disconnect.
We get to vote on Measure S in November which is the Sensible Solution to the current cultivation ordinance. Even the NTF acknowledges the need for medical marijuana, and this measure will allow patients safe access to their medicine while protecting the rights of homeowners to the quiet enjoyment of their homes.
LT. Smethers assertion that "two pounds is enough for any patient" does not take into account that most patients do not smoke marijuana. They need a stronger concentration to fight the effects of cancer and other debilitating diseases and that requires far more raw material to produce the tinctures that can help them. For example, a 35 pound child with catastrophic epilepsy requires a pound a month to control her seizures (after trying every pharmaceutical drug available).