POT ADVOCATES ACCUSE POLICE OF AN INQUISITION

Accusing police of an inquisition and "scorched earth" policies, advocates
of relaxing marijuana enforcement asked police for tolerance when dealing
with those who use cannabis for medicinal or religious purposes.

About 20 people, many referring to themselves as clergy members, testified
to police officials Thursday on draft rules regarding aerial eradication
and the medicinal and religious use of marijuana.

By order of the County Council, the Hawaii Police Department assembled
rules to address growing concern about marijuana eradication and
enforcement policies on the Big Island.

Most testimony centered around the religious use of marijuana.

Leaders and followers of such religions as "First Hawaiian Church of the
Holy Smoke" and "Church of Realized Fantasies" insisted they have a
Constitutional right to practice in the privacy of their own sanctuaries a
religion that requires the use of pot.

Rev. Dennis Shields of the Religion of Jesus Church said the draft rules
are discriminatory because they protect someone who can produce a card -
sanctioning medical marijuana usage, but allow someone who smokes pot as a
religious act to be jailed.

"These draft rules are not only a violation of the 14th amendment rights to
equal protection under the law, but they also create a law which persecutes
a person with the punishment of arrest based solely on one's claim of
religion instead of medicine," Shields said.

One cancer patient, John Robison of Kona, said he was a victim of police -
friendly rules when his home was searched and his medical marijuana
confiscated. Robison said he is forced by the police to break the law and
purchase his "medicine" from a drug dealer.

"I'm the living proof ... that (cannabis) is a medicine," Robison said.
"Let's find some common ground," Robison emotionally pleaded to police.

Dominic Veltre said the draft rules did not adhere to the spirit of the
County Council resolution, which he said was seeking a "peace treaty"
between medicinal and religious users and police.

Veltre said the resolution was asking police to give patrol officers the
option not to arrest someone caught with a small amount of marijuana.

He also said a rule requiring police to document claims of religious use of
marijuana after a suspect is advised of their rights, was redundant. "C'mon
guys," Veltre said. "We're stoned, not stupid."

Many who testified said police priorities are misguided because they target
people sincere about their religion and not involved in commercial
marijuana production or distribution.

Rev. George Lacy said he applauded the recent heroin bust by police, but
criticized the use of police resources to arrest small - time pot users
when the public is in an uproar about a crystal methamphetamine epidemic on
the Big Island.

Lacy said his church, "Alii Kai Puuhonua," a 12 - by - 12 coffee shack at
the end of a road in Ocean View, was raided and $200 donated to him for a
water catchment tank taken by police, all for a small amount of marijuana.

"Nobody here is wealthy as far as your laws of mammon are concerned," Lacy
said. "You don't see the gold and jewelry" that dealers of hard drugs
usually wear.

While asking for tolerance from the police, many attending showed little
for the one person who did not share their views.

"I'm surprised when people ask for compromise," Marni Herkes said, "but
then are rude."

Herkes, speaking on her own behalf, said she was swayed by Robison's moving
plea, but others should not hide behind religion when doing something wrong.