Drug Task Force Seizes Signed Initiative1068 (Legalization) Petitions in WA

[Truth2Tell]

This release out today from Sensible Washington... interesting...

http://sensiblewashington.org/uncategorized/drug-task-force-seizes-signed-i-1068-petitions/

Drug Task Force Seizes Signed I-1068 Petitions
Written by Philip Dawdy on May 20, 2010

Sensible Washington has learned that one dozen signed copies of I-1068, the marijuana legalization initiative for Washington State of which Sensible Washington is the sponsor, were seized last week by the federally-funded WestNet drug task force. Our estimate is that 200 signatures are sitting in WestNet’s offices in Port Orchard, apparently seized as evidence during a series of raids against the North End Club 420 in Tacoma. The club is operating as a medical marijuana dispensary.

We have made repeated calls to WestNet’s office, but have yet to receive any assurance that the task force’s personnel have secured the signed petitions and that they plan to promptly return them to Sensible Washington.

“It proves how insane marijuana prohibition has gotten that law enforcement would seize signed copies of I-1068 as ‘evidence’ in a drug raid,” said Philip Dawdy, I-1068 campaign director and an initiative co-author. “The only thing they are evidence of is democracy in action. It is not a crime or evidence of a crime for citizens to sign a statewide initiative.”

Sensible Washington calls upon WestNet to immediately return the seized petitions to our offices at 3161 Elliott Avenue, Suite 340, Seattle WA 98121 or to make other arrangements for their immediate delivery to Sensible Washington.

[reggie the dog]

1. so now they can get warrants and search our houses if we sign

petitions, gotta keep these inicitives off the ballots because they will win wherever they get a popular vote.

[Tsiyu]

2. West Net THUGS more like it

they are THUGS, plain and simple, who are mighty afraid they are gonna lose their humongous Cash Cow.

Now they get to harrass all the American citizens exercising their right to petition their own government for redress.

when are Americans going to wake up and take away the power of these cretins?

You can bet, law enforcement uses these canaabis initiatives to test their seizure abilities. How much can Americans stand?

They'll be coming for your petition next....


WestNet Drug nazis = THUG ASSHOLES

[1955doubledie]

3. K&R

:kick:

[eShirl]

4. Isn't that illegal?

[Truth2Tell]

5. Seems like it to me

Local activist lawyers are already on the case. I heard about it on Facebook. I'll try and learn more.

[Truth2Tell]

6. kick

[eridani]

7. Update 5/24

http://sensiblewashington.org/uncategorized/update-on-seized-i-1068-petitions/


I wanted to give you all an update on the status of the signed I-1068 petitions which were seized by federally-funded WestNET personnel in a raid of the North End 420 Club in Tacoma two weeks ago. The 420 Club is operating as a medical marijuana dispensary.

Two of the seized petitions will be returned to us promptly, according to a WestNET detective I spoke with earlier this morning. They will be picked up by our Bremerton coordinator from the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office evidence room, likely before the end of today.

These two petitions have been photocopied and I have asked WestNET to destroy those photocopies. They tell me they cannot without an agreement between the prosecution and defense because, well, that’s the way these things work. We will be working to make that agreement happen, but it will take some time. My sense of things, from talking with the WestNET detective, is that no one on the law enforcement side will oppose the destruction of those photocopies.

Why were they seized as evidence in the place? The WestNET detective I spoke with said their search warrant authorized them to take any kind of list or ledger they encountered during their search. That’s their explanation. I simply wish the officers who conducted the raid would’ve used a bit more discretion when they were grabbing lists and ledgers because I-1068 petitions are clearly marked as an initiative to the people and even have formal language directed to Secretary of State Sam Reed. Not exactly evidence of criminal activity.

The remaining problem is that the 420 Club people insist that there were 10 signed petitions seized in the raid and WestNET tells me they only have two and that they have gone through their evidence boxes from the raid and there are no other copies of the petition. So we’ve got a discrepancy here that I cannot account for. Neither can WestNET or the 420 Club. My hope is that these missing eight petitions will turn up later somewhere in the chain of evidence and be returned to us before July 2, our deadline to submit signed petitions to the Secretary of State.

My fingers are officially crossed both for the missing petitions and for the 420 Club people as they begin to defend themselves against charges all because our state’s medical marijuana law is vague–even the WestNET detective agrees with me on this–and offers slim protection to people providing physician-authorized medicine to legitimate patients.

The 420 Club raid is another example of why it is imperative to get I-1068 on the ballot, so if you haven’t signed the initiative please do so. If you’d like to volunteer to help gather signatures, please fill out our volunteer form right here and we’ll be in touch promptly. We only have until the end of June to get this done, so let’s all get this done.

[PM Martin]

8. Sounds illegal.

But what would law enforcement really know about the law anyways.

[TexasObserver]

9. recommend