SHERIFF FAVORS COUNTY POT BAN

Lassen County Sheriff Steve Warren apologized to the Lassen County
Board of Supervisors for missing the board's April 13 meeting when
the supervisors discussed the possibility of adopting a pair of
county ordinances that would have prohibited marijuana cultivation
and the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries in the county.

At the board's Tuesday, April 20 meeting, Warren said he was
attending the federal attempted murder and marijuana cultivation
trial in Sacramento for suspects involved in a gun battle at a Dixie
Valley marijuana garden last July that left one grower dead and
injured two Lassen County deputies.

Dave Martin, a Lassen County Sheriff's sergeant, and deputy Dave
Woginrich both were shot during the gunfight, and six suspects were
later arrested in Northern Lassen County. The garden contained about
8,100 marijuana plants.

"I had a pretty strong obligation to be there," Warren
said.

Warren said his position on marijuana in Lassen County is very clear.
During recent meetings with county staff leading up to the board's
consideration, Warren said he asked John Ketelsen, county
administrative office, if the county could simply prohibit marijuana
cultivation and dispensaries in the county.

"Pardon my ignorance," Warren told the supervisors, "but I thought we
already had a moratorium. I thought we already had a prohibition such
as Citrus Heights, Lincoln, Roseville and some of those other cities
have done. I thought the only one (dispensary) we had in the world
around here was in the city."

But Warren said his department has encountered two other marijuana
operations in the county.

While the sheriff said he didn't want to discuss the medical
marijuana issue, "No matter what, to me marijuana is still against
federal law. The U.S. Attorney General has come out and said they're
not going to go after (marijuana offenders) and enforce (federal)
laws in states where they've adopted local rules that say they can do
that. I disagree with that opinion, but even the U.S. Attorney
General's opinion does not make it law. It's still against federal
law, and in my mind, it always will be. If there's a local rule or
local ordinance where we can enforce and prohibit at least growing in
our county, or even being present in our county, I'm totally in favor
of that."

Warren encouraged the board to take steps to impose a countywide ban
on marijuana.

"I certainly have an obligation to enforce all laws, even those I
don't agree with, but luckily for me at this time it's still against
federal law," Warren said. "I think if this governing body has the
ability to prohibit them through a moratorium or absolutely restrict
it so it can't be in our county, then that's the action that should
be taken."

Warren said statistically only 3 percent of medical marijuana
recommendations and state-issued medical marijuana cards are valid.

"I don't think it's Satan's spawn," Warren said. "I don't think it's
the worst drug in the world -- I think methamphetamine is -- but I do
think it's illegal, and I think it should stay illegal. Even if the
initiative on the ballot passes, there are still going to be some
significant issues for the county because it's still going to be
against federal law, and until the U.S. Supreme Court takes this and
actually makes a final decision on where this is going to be, that's
where I'm going to be. If the U.S. supremes come down and say,
'Sheriff, this is a legalized issue, now ignore it,' then that's what
I'll do. Until then, that's where I'm at on marijuana."

The board plans to revisit the marijuana moratorium issue again in
the near future.