In response to Claire Fortier's very rude perception to Matt Macosko in the April 18 edition of the Tahoe Daily Tribune, I would like to say that I think it is upsetting that one can be so cruel as to damage another's character, especially not knowing that person. In this day and age it is so sad to know that there are still superficial people who think that "if something ain't broke don't fix it." I am sorry to say but that short-minded attitude is why many people are in pain today. There are far too many people who are in fact suffering from life-threatening illnesses and are already taking many types of medications, which only make them feel worse. If there is a possibility that marijuana, under the eyes of medical science, can help such chronically ill patients, then why even question someone who is willing to help the process? "Marijuana probably should have been legalized decades ago," says Fortier. [continues 259 words]
He's hardly the stereotypical crusader of the sick and the dying. Unkempt dreadlocks frame his boy-next-door face as he reads a statement to his public - a small gathering of supporters clutching signs with such messages as "Hang in there, Matt." "I am trying to set precendants," says Matt Macosko. "I see people hurting in this town and everywhere, and I try to help them." Macosko, according to Macosko, has one humble mission in life. He wants to make sure all those in pain or under the weather have a nice big bud of marijuana to ease their discomfort. [continues 468 words]
Matthew Macosko is walking free for the time being. Macosko was arrested April 11 after mailing a package containing a quarter pound of marijuana. The package, which was sent to an address in Kentucky, was intercepted by a U.S. postal worker and South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team was notified. The package never reached the intended recipient and was returned to South Lake Tahoe. Law enforcement waited for Macosko to retrieve the package and shortly after arrested him. Authorities also found $10,550 cash on Macosko. [continues 385 words]
Law Enforcement Found No Medicinal Use In This Case. South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team Wednesday arrested 28-year-old Matthew Macosko, who is known to distribute medicinal marijuana at South Shore, for possessing marijuana with intent to sell. "SLEDNET was contacted by a U.S. postal inspector who intercepted an Express Mail package," said Task Force Commander Christopher Elliott. "It was mailed to Kentucky but it was never picked up and returned. It was suspected to contain marijuana based on smell." [continues 765 words]
CARSON CITY (AP) - The wife of a paraplegic urged Nevada lawmakers Tuesday to approve a bill that would let her husband legally use marijuana to help stop the seizures he suffers. ''My husband has no feeling in his body. Using medical marijuana enables him to function,'' the woman told the Assembly Judiciary Committee. ''The goal is not to cause trouble or to break the law but to survive and function.'' The woman, identified only as ''Rose,'' spoke in favor of Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani's AB453, which authorizes medical use of marijuana and decriminalizes possession of small amounts of pot. [continues 449 words]
These days the sight of a marijuana plant must make a cop nervous. Is the plant being grown to get people high or will it be used to treat an illness? Since the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996, hundreds of citizens in El Dorado County have been smoking, baking and vaporizing the herb to treat chronic pain, nausea and glaucoma as well as a host of other ailments. The proposition made the medicinal use of marijuana legal with a doctor's recommendation. It says a doctor can recommend the drug for illnesses such as AIDS, anorexia "or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief." [continues 1654 words]
OLYMPIC VALLEY - Steven Kubby will answer today to charges of growing marijuana in his home. "Steve will plead not guilty, of course," said his attorney Dale Wood. "The growth is protected by the compassionate use act. Proposition 215 protects the growth of medical marijuana." Kubby, a 1998 California Libertarian Gubernatorial candidate and an Olympic Valley resident, along with his wife, Michele, were arrested last Tuesday by members of the North Tahoe Task Force. The couple is charged with possession of marijuana for sales, cultivation of marijuana and conspiracy. [continues 256 words]
