Yet one more example of elected officials challenging laws they don’t like with taxpayer money. While the costs to the taxpayers of Garden Grove are small compared to the fortune that the OC Board of Supes is spending to challenge the lawful contract agreement with Sheriff deputies regarding thier pension benefits, it still amounts to waste, ineffiency, and elected official arrogance.
From the OC Register:
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
City exhausts appeals on marijuana order
Supreme Court declines to hear Garden Grove’s argument against returning small quantity to man.
By CINDY CARCAMO and JON CASSIDY
The Orange County Register
GARDEN GROVE – Medical marijuana advocates are celebrating a U.S. Supreme Court decision not to reverse an order for the Garden Grove Police Department to return one third of an ounce of marijuana seized from a city resident in 2005.
“It makes final the Court of Appeals decision of a year ago that declares to law enforcement to respect the rights of medical marijuana patients,” said Joe Elford, attorney for Felix Kha, who was stopped by Garden Grove police on a traffic violation and found in possession of marijuana.
The decision Monday is likely to mark a “significant reduction” in arrests and property seizures related to medical marijuana, said Elford, an attorney with Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana advocacy group.
The city argued that returning the marijuana could be a violation of federal drug distribution laws. Read More.
Since it isn’t their money, I guess they find no problem spending it to further their personal agendas. At least in this case, they finally got punched in the nose.