SAN JOSE COPS OFF DEA SQUAD

Chief Doesn't Want Them Raiding Pot Clubs

San Jose Police Chief William Lansdowne has yanked his officers off the
Drug Enforcement Administration task force that raided a Santa Cruz
medicinal marijuana club a month ago.

Lansdowne said his four officers and one sergeant have better things to do
- - - such as tackle the methamphetamine epidemic -- than harass local pot
clubs, which are operating within state law.

"I think the priorities are out of sync at the federal level," said
Lansdowne, who said he agrees the state's voters made the right decision in
legalizing marijuana for medical use under regulated circumstances.

"The problem in California right now is methamphetamines, not medical
marijuana."

Lansdowne said the DEA-led raid put his officers in the middle of a "clear
conflict" between state and federal law.

In 1996, California voters approved Proposition 215, which permits local
governments to regulate distribution of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Federal law outlaws marijuana use in any manner.

The federal government has argued -- and the argument has been upheld in
federal court -- that U.S. marijuana laws override state or local ordinances.

A little more than a month ago, an armed and DEA-led task force raided the
Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana in Santa Cruz, seizing 167 plants
and arresting founders Mike and Valerie Corral.

WAMM has been operating since 1996 under the supervision and approval of
city, county and local law enforcement officials. WAMM grows its own
marijuana organically on its own farm.

"It's unfair to put our officers in a position of deciding how they're
going to enforce a law that's in conflict with local law," Lansdowne said.

The San Jose officers had been assigned to the DEA's High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area task force, a unit that also included personnel from the
Immigration and Naturalization Service, the FBI and the Santa Clara County
sheriff's office.

DEA spokesman Rich Meyer would not disclose the size of the task force. A
sheriff's spokesman said Santa Clara County deputies remain on the unit.

The San Jose officers have been reassigned to the department's own
narcotics unit and the state Bureau of Narcotics task force.

The DEA's Meyer reacted diplomatically to Lansdowne's decision to withdraw
his officers from the task force.

"He's certainly entitled to his opinions, and we have great respect for
him, " Meyer said. "However, the federal law is very clear when it comes to
marijuana, and our mandate is to enforce the laws."

Lansdowne, a 32-year veteran of the San Jose Police Department, the last
four as chief, said his responsibilities are clear -- he must follow the
state law.

"I think the public made the decision for us that if it's well-managed,
it's legal," he said. "Our district attorney believes that, the state
believes that, and I believe they're correct, so long as there are controls
in place."

Incidentally, Proposition 215 passed with 81 percent of the vote in Santa
Cruz and with nearly 63 percent of the vote in San Jose.