George Rebane

Today’s Union published a front page report (here) on the latest phase of “outrage” from the pro-grow faction in Nevada County.  According to the report, the latest to be outraged is the father of an eight-year-old boy with “intractable epilepsy” who is being helped by imbibing MMJ in some unknown form.  In any event, the boy’s father, a Mr Hurd, apparently has grown MMJ outside and prepared his son’s medicine from the plant.  He wants to continue doing that and seeks either an exemption from or the defeat of Measure W that would ban outside grows in the county.  In the near term (tomorrow) he will argue in Superior Court to have the measure removed from the June ballot.  And then on these pages all hell broke loose.

The impetus for those incensed was a 27feb16 email blast from Ms Deborah Wilder, NC Republican Party chair exhorting its members to support Measure W and communicate the same to the county’s BoS.  The text of that email appears below –

Our Board of Supervisors has empowered the voters to make a choice on Measure W in the June election which would ban outdoor marijuana growing.  The commercial growers are using an unfortunate child as a publicity stunt to ask the Board of Supervisors to create an exception and allow for outdoor growing of marijuana.  Measure W does not prevent those who medically need marijuana from growing it indoors i.e. a shed, garage or hot house.  Please support our Board of Supervisors by emailing them and letting them know that you support putting Measure W on the ballot with no exceptions.  They need to hear from you this week.

Sample email: “I support Measure W as originally passed by the Board of Supervisors.  Please send Measure W to the voters in the June primary without any changes or exceptions.”  (The appended list of five supervisors with their email addresses is omitted.)

Through some means this email reached Mr Hurd (not on the mailing list) who took umbrage at his son being referred to as an “unfortunate child”, and the pro-grow folks’ – primarily Americans for Safe Access (ASA) headed locally by Ms Patricia Smith – use of this child’s illness as a cause celebre to oppose passage of Measure W in June.  Ms Wilder had the temerity to refer to this specific response as a “publicity stunt” which further agitated Mr Hurd.

In any event, that’s where things stood until today when RR reader Ms Patricia Smith entered the fray in RR’s ‘Sandbox – 27feb16’ comment stream in an exchange with Mr Scott Obermuller (worth reading in its own right).  Without dissecting the where and whyfors of that exchange, Ms Smith introduced some new aspects into this incident.  She cited a 1 ½ -year-old Penn Valley girl who had died of epilepsy in January, claiming that “this child died because her parents were worried their supply of MMJ would be cut off mid-treatment so they were waiting for a clinical trial to start.”  It’s a bit more than confusing as to what the little girl’s parents actually did and why.  No further citation to expand or confirm this death was provided, nor was it made clear how this death was connected to Measure W which would not be announced until February.

Instead, Ms Smith, apparently speaking for the ASA, then leveled a most confusing blast against the NC Republican Women Federated, an organization that has yet to declare its position on Measure W.  The text of her most recent repartee to Mr Obermuller under the cited sandbox appears below.

This child died because her parents were worried their supply of MMJ would be cut off mid-treatment so they were waiting for a clinical trial to start. The point is Scott, children that are already using MMJ will have their supply cut off and yes, they are in danger of dying according to their doctors (But I suppose you know more than they do???). Why is that so hard for you to understand?

Can you imagine the outrage if ONE child got into their parents stash and died (not that that is possible)? Why don't you have the same outrage over allowing one child to die from LACK of medicine?? Seems kinda hypocritical to me. And don't get me started on the despicable email sent out by the Republican Women's Federated. Unbelievable those women are mothers. Shameful.

To this Ms Linda Erdmann, NCRWF president replied –

Ms. Smith, Please get your facts straight. The email to which you refer was not sent out by Nevada County Republican Women Federated. Your apology will be accepted should it be offered.
 
To date it’s hard to conclude anything other than that the opponents of Measure W are radiating more heat than light on the matter.