Pubdate: Fri, 27 Jan 2012
Source: Coeur D'Alene Press (ID)
Copyright: 2012 Coeur d'Alene Press
Contact:  http://www.cdapress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2298

OTTER: DANGERS OF POT OUTWEIGH MEDICAL BENEFITS

Gov. Butch Otter told about 70 Idaho police chiefs on Wednesday that 
he would oppose efforts underway in the state legislature to pass a 
medical marijuana law.

Otter made the statement at the Annual Winter Meeting of the Idaho 
Chiefs of Police Association in Boise, according to a report from the 
governor's office.

The report says Otter indicated that while he is sympathetic to 
anyone suffering from chronic pain, he believes the dangers from 
passing such a law outweigh any possible benefits.

Otter told the police chiefs that he recently heard from Montana 
Governor Brian Schweitzer that legalizing medical marijuana had some 
unwelcome side effects in that state:

"He says the results from that ... was all kinds of little marijuana 
farms in everybody's garden, and pretty soon they were producing more 
than they could sell in the legal trade. And it started a whole new 
undercurrent. So for all those reasons - plus the fact I just think 
it's dead wrong - I told Tom Trail (the bill's sponsor) I would not 
look with favor on that bill."

In a related story published Thursday by the Associated Press, an 
Oregon man with a medical marijuana card was arrested in southern 
Idaho with 69 pounds of pot in his vehicle.

BOISE (AP) - A traffic stop in southwestern Idaho resulted in an 
Oregon man being charged with felony drug trafficking after officers 
found nearly 69 pounds of marijuana in his car.

The Idaho State Police says 39-year-old Justin Cody Brownrigg of 
Eugene, Ore., was pulled over for a traffic violation on Interstate 
84 in Canyon County. A trooper detected the odor of marijuana in the 
car and Brownrigg said he had eight to 10 grams of marijuana and was 
a medical marijuana cardholder in Oregon.

Officers found a small amount of marijuana and a pipe, but a more 
intensive search turned up three large duffel bags with 68.8 pounds 
of marijuana worth an estimated $172,000 in the car.

Brownrigg told officers he was headed to Utah.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom