Fwd: Chris sent you an article from startribune.com

[Chris Kurle]

Queue the current reefer madness sung by the Stribs police choir boy Paul Walsh.

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <chris...@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Mar 25, 2015, 1:00 PM
Subject: Chris sent you an article from startribune.com
To: <chris...@gmail.com>

This Article from StarTribune.com has been sent to you by Chris. *Please note, the sender's identity has not been verified. The full Article, with any associated images and links can be viewed here.

State authorities sound alarm over marijuana wax, tying it to 1 death, overdoses Paul Walsh, Star Tribune It’s called marijuana wax, among other things on the street, and authorities are blaming this increasingly popular and highly concentrated form of the drug for the fiery death of a great-grandmother in St. Cloud and nonfatal overdoses in Duluth. State law enforcement officials and the police chiefs of St. Cloud and Duluth gathered Wednesday morning to alert the public about what the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) is calling “the emergence” of this dangerous trend among drug abusers. What addicts are craving is the high concentration of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, that is found in the wax. This oily substance gives users a more intense physical and psychological high. The process of extracting the wax calls for butane, a highly flammable accelerant, and a cylinder. Simply put ground-up marijuana in the cylinder, soak it with butane and add a flame to eke out a liquid that is several times more potent than marijuana in leaf form. It goes by such names as butane hash oil, honey oil, butter oil, dab and 710 (spells out “oil” on a cellphone turned upside-down). Fires, explosions, death and injuries have been reported across the country from this recipe. “Because it’s so new, we don’t have a separate category [to track] marijuana concentrates,” said Brian Marquart, statewide drug and gang coordinator with the DPS. At this point, “law enforcement is raising awareness … so we can prevent another tragedy.” Police in St. Cloud say a house fire in late November that claimed the life of an 85-year-old resident is tied to marijuana wax production, and her grandson bears much of the blame. “There are so many dangers that surround the manufacture of hash oil,” said Blair Anderson, St. Cloud’s police chief, using one of the alternate terms for marijuana wax. “The behavior around it destroys lives. I’ve never seen anything like this. Clearly, it is proliferating … It is everywhere. It doesn’t matter how small or how big your city is.” Asked whether he’s concerned about the legalization door being cracked open in Minnesota with the approval of marijuana for medical purposes, Anderson said, “hell yes, I’m deeply concerned about it. But … it’s the law. We’ll deal with whatever issues come up.” Dustin R. Zablocki, 18, of St. Cloud, and Justin E. Pick, 19, of nearby Sartell, were charged Wednesday in Stearns County District Court with aiding and abetting third-degree murder. Sally A. Douglas died Dec. 8 at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis from the smoke she inhaled during the Nov. 22 explosion and fire at her home in the 1900 block of 1st Avenue N., the medical examiner’s office determined. According to the charges, Zablocki and Pick were making dab in the basement on a hot plate, when the fire broke out. Neither called 911 after fleeing nor checked to see whether anyone else was home. Zablocki was speaking to a police officer as his grandmother -- found facedown near the front door -- was brought outside wrapped in a blanket. The grandson fell to his knees crying in anguish. “I just killed my grandma,” he said to the officer. Douglas’ life in central Minnesota included operating a bait shop, waiting tables and filling orders at a small-town department general merchandise store. She left behind four children, 13 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Two more great-grandchildren were on the way at the time of the lifelong Minnesotan’s death. The two overdoses in Duluth involved teenagers, and a case involving marijuana wax in the southern Minnesota town of St. James resulted in two men being arrested on suspicion of possessing the potent drug, along with other narcotics and guns. The mother of one of the teens spoke to the gathered news media Wednesday in an interview recorded by the DPS, recalling how her son was throwing up repeatedly and gasping for air as he overdosed. “I was scared as hell,” said the mother, whose identity was withheld, “not knowing if he was able to breathe or if he was going to die. This is a very scary drug … that’s becoming more popular.”  Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

[Oliver Steinberg]

nonfatal overdoses in Duluth---the word "nonfatal" was dropped from broadcast reports on WCCO.

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[T Gallagher]

It seems that the local news media just printed and broadcast the LEO elite press release, which in turn was crafted to thwart our "Finish the job on decrim in MN" initiative.

If reporter were to contact me or any one of us, we could shoot several holes in that fish story without any trouble.

Tom Gallagher

On Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 1:02 PM, Chris Kurle <chris...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Oliver Steinberg]

One thing we might contemplate doing over the course of the coming year is some intensive education of the news media in our state.   MPP managed this with the heart-rending stories of suffering children with seizure disorders (the little girl in Montevideo died before the "legal" program was started.)    We could assemble the "New Jim Crow" power-point or something.

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[T Gallagher]

Marcus,

Sorry I missed your call (driving).

Perhaps I should write blog article about this, but for now here are some glaring errors or misleading statement from the Mpls Stib article 

http://www.startribune.com/local/north/297518631.html

1.  "Authorities" are blaming the death of a grandmother on marijuana wax.  Reality: the woman died in tragic fire that would not likely have occurred if marijuana was not illegal.  She died in a fire, not from marijuana wax.  Marijuana wax has never killed anyone via overdose, ever.  This is comparable to a alcohol still fire tragedy during the Alcohol Prohibition.  Once legal, no more illegal stills.  Here, once marijuana is legal, people can buy concentrates from responsible manufacturers, just like liquor now.

2.  Marijuana wax is not emerging or new.  It has been called various things over the years, including "hash oil."  It is nothing new.

3.  There are no "addicts" of marijuana.  Marijuana is not addictive - at least it is less addictive than coffee.  There is no possible death by overdose, nor are there physiological withdrawal symptoms when heavy users quit.

4.  True, fire is a risk for those making butane method hash oil.  It can be done safely, or with other solvents however.  Legalizing it should solve this problem.

5.  Last year Minnesota rejected whole plant marijuana for its medical marijuana program in favor of marijuana wax, hash oil, marijuana concentrates - in order to place the demands of law enforcement elites opposing a legal medical marijuana program.  In part, this was done on the grounds that marijuana concentrates (wax, hash oil) were safer than whole plant marijuana.

6.  The claim of "overdose" is a highly suspicious claim, most unlikely to be true or have any proof to back it up.  There has never been a death by "overdose" of marijuana.

Tom Gallagher

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[Chris Kurle]

Nicely rebutted, Tom.

This is simply law enforcement trying to spin this and stoke the flames of reefer madness.

Did anyone here see the story below? Apparently, there was a strong Minnesota-Colorado connection in this indictment today.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27783732/32-indicted-massive-colorado-marijuana-trafficking-investigation

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[Oliver Steinberg]

Tom, write it up not just as a blog but as a commentary submission for the Strib.   They'll decline it, but they need to hear from articulate dissenters.   If I were to write it, I'd be too sarcastic about their genuflecting to the Gestapo.

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[Marcus Harcus]

Tom, et al,

I spoke to a Strib journalist today and both this article and your comments were helpful. 

Sent from my iPhone

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[Oliver Steinberg]

Marcus-- Good work!  it's excellent to get our side reported in the paper.  For once, MPP didn't get the only credit as a reform group!    Someday I'll show you our correspondence with the Strib when we asked that they tell our side as well as the prohibitionists.   25 years ago.   By the way, is there an Action meeting tonight?

-- Oliver

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[Marcus Harcus]

Thx, Oliver! 

No action committee meeting tonight.

Sent from my iPhone

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