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From: Jeanne Ohta Uyohta @hawaii.rr.coml
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Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 3:17 PM U t A`,
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Committee on Public Safety & Parks & Recreation
Attachments: Hawaii County 1109.pdf
Statement of Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii attached for November 3, 2009 Meeting of the
Committee on Public Safety and Parks and Recreation.
Jeanne Y. Ohta
Executive Director
at.Y. i o:
Ref. Date NO 0 3 2009
10/28/2009
e
the
g Polic
Forum
of hawai'i
Via e -mail: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
To: Members of the Committee on Public Safety and Parks and Recreation
Board of Directors From: Jeanne Y. Ohta, Executive Director
Pamela Lichty, M.P.H.
President
Re: Hearing: Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 2:30 p.m.
Kat Brady (Ben Franklin Bldg. 2 nd Floor, 333 Kilauea Ave., Hilo, HI)
Vice President
Heather Lusk Comm 446.4: Marijuana Eradication Mission Report for the Month of
Treasurer
September 2009
Katherine Irwin, Ph.D.
Secretary As I am unsure that this statement was received in time for last month's meeting, I
Michael Kelley, DPhil. am restating our concerns.
Richard S. Miller, Prof. of
Law Emer. We have heard from patients who are upset with the continuation of marijuana
Robert Perkinson, Ph.D. eradication efforts, especially involving helicopter "fly - overs." Patients who are
legally authorized to use medical marijuana feel threatened and intimidated by the
Donald Topping, Ph.D. use of helicopters. They have told us that they feel police are harassing them by
Founder 1929 -2003 flying over their homes.
We have also received a complaint that Hawaii County Police may not be
following state laws which protect medical marijuana patients from arrest; and in
fact, police may have also disregarded their own "Rules and Regulations
Governing Investigations Involving the Medical and Religious Use of Marijuana."
These rules were signed into effect by Chief Correa and Mayor Kim in 2002 and
provide police with guidelines and procedures because: "The medical marijuana
law places a substantial burden on law enforcement officers to anticipate potential
medical use claims in the initial stages of the investigation."
P.O. Box 61233
Honolulu, HI 96839
The Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii also expresses concern that the police
Phone: (808)- 988 -4386 department continues to circumvent the Lowest Law Enforcement Priority of
Fax: (808) 373 -7064
Cannabis Ordinance which was passed last year.
Email: info @dpfhi.org
Website: www.dpfhi.org
During the current financial situation, the police should not be wasting public
resources on prosecuting the personal possession of small amounts of marijuana.
These cases take up not only time that police could spend on preventing and
solving violent crimes, but also take up court time, prosecutors' time, and in many
instances, public defenders' time.
We hope the committee will carefully review the "marijuana eradication" missions
and ensure that the wishes of voters are upheld.
Dedicated to safe, responsible, and effective drug policies since 1993