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Read more: Letter From The Des Moines Marijuana Task Force Chair, October 26 2020
Above is video from yesterday’s Des Moines City Council Marijuana Task Force meeting.
To see the agenda for the meeting as well as the letter about this meeting they sent me read this WeedPress article: “Letter From The Des Moines Marijuana Task Force Chair, October 26 2020.
My notes from yesterday’s October 28th meeting are as follows.
Notes/draft of my speech I gave:
1. Greatest challenge you face in understanding this issue is until you are disenfranchised and gone through the system you don’t understand it’s impact. Luckily judges and sheriffs who have done honest, unemotional research have told me in open court on the record that the marijuana laws are wrong. We desperately need to stop being victimized, dehumanized, and told changes in Iowa’s marijuana laws are about compassion. Compassion is a trap. Those disenfranchised from a disgusting, immoral, and thoroughly evil War on Drugs do not want Iowa policy leaders, guilty of turning a blind eye to suffering, being told their current oppressors, tyrants, and policy enforcers have “compassion” for their plight while being faced with food insecurity, housing insecurity, and job insecurity as a result of these laws. While politicians stall serious discussions in Iowa through vetoes, dishonesty and fraud, dis-compassionate advocacy is what will be respected. I’m happy to say this Des Moines Marijuana Task Force is doing just that.
2. Removing the emotion while allowing graceful space for expression of emotions is going to be a tough balancing act. It’s going to be the greatest barrier to real heartfelt change. As leaders doing needed work to correct this violation of basic human civil rights, your leadership will be tested. Based on the inclusion of federal law issues raised by Carl Olsen, and the willingness to study Portugal drug policy, this testing of your leadership capabilities will be rewarding when it bears good fruit. While 40% of young white males have a criminal record by the age of 23 according to a 2011 study published in the journal Pediatrics, our state drug task force leader who testified at Senator Bolkcom’s hearing in 2011 told me after the hearing he had never heard of Portugal’s decriminalization policy. When Iowa law enforcement avoid every serious marijuana policy discussion, and tells us they are unaware of Portugal, we feel at Iowa Patients for Medical Marijuana that this and future marijuana task forces should be made aware that they appear to be the only Iowa leaders talking about the Portugal situation. Iowa law enforcement should be more informed.
I then took notes throughout the hearing:
Start with nice credentials/personnel is policy
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Re: Don’t make perfect the enemy of the good
Coco Chanel #2
Re: Mark priorities. Give all ideas to state leaders, highlight Portugal and federal law issues.
Re: Webster: policy changes for educational opportunities, expungement, workforce training, transportation to jobs and training is a possible policy idea. EMAIL TO BOARD AND WEBSTER THESE IDEAS
Re: Ava, inner city ghettos need more police, not less. Police violence stats need specified when making specious claims. Recommending to reduce police does not serve underrepresented neighborhoods dealing with crime and violence. More police are needed there according to community leaders.
Re: Dave question from MedPharm, you can do public info commercials for health and awareness.
10-28 Task Force Des Moines
Notes
5:03 pm begin
- Minute acceptance.
- 5:04 pm
- Public comment
- Alex will walk through on public statements
- 3 minutes followed by 2 minutes of task force questions
- 5:06 first comment – talked about city recommendations
- Questions about how it’s going to be enforced — wants stronger language
- Manufacture for personal use recommended
- Wants language change from and to or
- Wants data made public — note respond with Minneapolis FOIA findings from 2013
- Zoom meeting is being recorded, this meeting will be available online after meeting ends.
Question from Will Weathers to first speaker
Gary Dickey: acknowledging manufacturing issues, wanting to only focus on end user, says “sympathetic” to ordinance directive for law enforcement lowest priority
Colo Chanel comment: black people 13 times more likely to be arrested than whites. Janice question (VP of homeless shelters in Des Moines, grand view graduate) agreed w/Colo. Mark Godwin: every idea on the table is a good idea
Webster Krunto asks what will this look like for those previously affected by marijuana laws?
Gary Dickey responds: keep people out of criminal injustice system, expunge records, refunding fines are issues for state level
Ava: She/her pronouns, city policy wants re: #4 less police interactions. No questions by board members for Ava.
Dane Schumann: Managing MedPharm, ways to raise awareness about state’s mCBD program — liked state policy rec #1 (adopting formal statement in support of changing state laws). Gary Dickey asked for recommendations from MedPharm on how to raise concrete awareness
Carter White: He/him, formal statement of state public policy. Claims weed program will be monopolized. Second comment is about holding police department accountable. “We should be having language if Des Moines Police does not follow this law.” Suggests withholding funding, changing leadership roles.
Gary Dickey: Carter, do you have a specific recommendation to add or subtract — what language?
Carter: Combine third point and add language predicting the weed program will be monopolized.
Something about adding language for pro-minority language.
Nick RH – Any pronouns, he says. Appreciates someone’s recommendations. Wants emphasis on reducing police interactions from happening as well as consequences or language for how to know whether DMPD is complying with new laws. No questions from task force members, but Gary comments look, the task force gets it.
5:35 pm Adam Callanan spoke, no questions
CC Vargas/Chelsea: She her pronouns. Acknowledge Dave Schumann of MedPharm, calls him a lobbyist and monopolizer, says task member Billy William (stopped taking comments and left to take a piss)
Gary Dickey responds to CC Vargas: Why do you think collecting information will be used to track people? CC Vargus: This data collection is a form of mass surveillance to target undocumented folks w/cannabis. Gary: Not aggregating data on an individual basis, just trying to see overall data on stops. Invited Vargas to follow up in writing.
Response I wrote down: CC Vargas comments were slanderous and disgraceful as well as uninformed and ignorant. Carelessness and attacks does not add to the conversation, MedPharm does not work to monopolize anything and if you were helping advocate for sick patients you would know that, but you are here for distracting and attention or dramatic controversies and I can assure you no such controversy with MedPharm exists.
Re: Harvey, police never show up to hearings. They prefer lobbying in the dark, such as texting Iowa legislators not to open up medical cannabis program at all in 2017 at 3 am during bill discussions.
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Jason Karimi:
Notes/draft of my speech I gave:
1. Greatest challenge you face in understanding this issue is until you are disenfranchised and gone through the system you don’t understand it’s impact. Luckily judges and sheriffs who have done honest, unemotional research have told me in open court on the record that the marijuana laws are wrong. We desperately need to stop being victimized, dehumanized, and told changes in Iowa’s marijuana laws are about compassion. Compassion is a trap. Those disenfranchised from a disgusting, immoral, and thoroughly evil War on Drugs do not want Iowa policy leaders, guilty of turning a blind eye to suffering, being told their current oppressors, tyrants, and policy enforcers have “compassion” for their plight while being faced with food insecurity, housing insecurity, and job insecurity as a result of these laws. While politicians stall serious discussions in Iowa through vetoes, dishonesty and fraud, dis-compassionate advocacy is what will be respected. I’m happy to say this Des Moines Marijuana Task Force is doing just that.
2. Removing the emotion while allowing graceful space for expression of emotions is going to be a tough balancing act. It’s going to be the greatest barrier to real heartfelt change. As leaders doing needed work to correct this violation of basic human civil rights, your leadership will be tested. Based on the inclusion of federal law issues raised by Carl Olsen, and the willingness to study Portugal drug policy, this testing of your leadership capabilities will be rewarding when it bears good fruit. While 40% of young white males have a criminal record by the age of 23 according to a 2011 study published in the journal Pediatrics, our state drug task force leader who testified at Senator Bolkcom’s hearing in 2011 told me after the hearing he had never heard of Portugal’s decriminalization policy. When Iowa law enforcement avoid every serious marijuana policy discussion, and tells us they are unaware of Portugal, we feel at Iowa Patients for Medical Marijuana that this and future marijuana task forces should be made aware that they appear to be the only Iowa leaders talking about the Portugal situation. Iowa law enforcement should be more informed.
No comments/responses to my speech, Gary Dickey said if time at end, will allow for additional comments.
Matthew Bruce: mentioned George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, demanded reparations. Wants language included about George Floyd and Breonna Taylor included by task force.
Hem Rizal: Wants language changed to policy proposals of no consequence.
Gary Dickey: Explained why the current language is what it is, which is the task force was tasked to make recommendations to state lawmakers for state lawmakers to then work on. I may not have made that note entirely correctly.
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Previously on WeedPress: Iowa Patients for Medical Marijuana Recommendations To Des Moines Marijuana Enforcement Task Force September 18 2020
WeedPress: The Paper Trail 
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