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July 23, 2008 1:09 AM
Seattle's Medical-Marijuana Lawyer
Posted by Bruce Ramsey
My Wednesday column is a mini-profile of Doug Hiatt, the Seattle attorney whose entire law practice is representing medical-marijuana users. He is a walking think-tank of the law, the chemistry, the medical studies and the social scene of the users. He is voluble, driven, energetic. As I interview him, flashes of anger crackle like mini lightning. What is the matter with people? He is defending sick people—people who are self-medicating with a house plant. Why harass them? They’re ill. A lot of them are terminally ill. Why arrest them and search their places and cause them grief? Why tell them they can’t use this house plant, but have to a pill produced by the pharma industry? Especially when the pill does not work so well, and has worse side effects and costs $10 or more a pill? Hiatt is fired up. Why are people so messed up on this topic? “This just makes me crazy,” he says.
Click below for a Q&A podcast discussion:
Posted by V-man
9:44 AM, Jul 23, 2008
It is about time somebody noticed the unusual commitment and dedication to serving the needs of his clients that Doug Hiatt displays each day. There is not another attorney in this region who has come to bat for qualifying medical marijuana patients like Doug has. I personally have seen him give his all to each case he handles, and there cannot be much more depressing work than seeing the sick and elderly prosecuted aggressively. Doug Hiatt desrves MAJOR KUDOS as a defender of liberty and true American justice.
Posted by Ric
10:07 AM, Jul 23, 2008
Thank you Mr Ramsey. And thank you Douglas.
I too have watched years and years of Douglas defending folks at great personal financial losses.
Doug fights when other folks won't get off their substantial derrieres and make so much as a phone call.
He's a keeper and thank the goddesses he's here for us.
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Posted by Publicbulldog
9:25 AM, Jul 23, 2008
Hiatt is no white knight.I have done more in three years than he has done in Ten.
1.I Challenged the secret medical marijuana plant limit laws being enforce state wide,and was retaliated against for it.I exposed outright malfeasance by Yakima and Jefferson County.
http://letfreedomgrow.com/aamcwashington.htm
2.I challenged the Washington State schedule for medical marijuana in the Washington State CSA.
https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/hpqa1/HPS4/Pharmacy/documents/20071213-14.pdf
3.I submitted arguments to the US Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals challenging the belief that Raich v Gonzales means federal law trumps state law.
(US V Correll)
4.I challenged the Washington State controlled substances act again for the current schedule for Industrial cannabis,which by the way according to the latest case law in (DEA v HIA) ,has been ruled to not have any phsyco active effect,and therefore cannot be regulated by the DEA.Even the Washington State Pharmacy board admitted to not being able to regulate it.
https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/hpqa1/HPS4/Pharmacy/documents/Agenda.pdf
Hiatt has grabbed many a headline,and somehow managed to be at the scene of several cases where patient medical records were seized by law enforcement.He has taken ambulance chasing to a whole new level...by helping to cause the wreck and being right there to help the victims.
Hiatt has pounded many podiums across the United States while foaming at the mouth,but in the end it won't be him that does what really needs to be done.Hiatt will tell you that federal law trumps state law,and that there is nothing that you can do but plead guilty.Steinborn too.Neither of them have asked the question of why 903 of the federal CSA ,the section that gives the states authority to enforce controlled substances,so the feds don't have to pay for doing it,was not amended after Raich v Gonzales.Raich v Gonzales was a dog and pony show for the benefit of pot attorneys and law enforcement,that was never and will never be implemented.
Hey cops and Esquires ! until 903 of the Federal CSA is amended federal law cant trump state law.
Until 903 is amended take your federal law trumps state law wet dream and shove it.
The Supreme court can not set precedence,it can only rule on the Constitution.Congress ,and only congress can amend 903 of the CSA.,and they wont because they will have to hire Gmen and get the states to ratify the amendment just like the good ole alcohol prohibition days.The feds learned their lesson,now they just give the states authority and cherry pick high profile cases.If the state does not let them then they threaten to pull federal grants.
So cops and Esquires, Federal grant trumps state law,because the feds did not like the financial consequences of implementing Raich v Gonzales. or US vs Oakland cannabis club 2001,or preempting california and Arizona medical marijuana laws in 1996. Congress has chosen to use federal grants rather than amend 903..Lets see
what the 9th has to say about that argument.
When that decision is made,the cops and Esquires will have no way to undermine the state medical marijuana initiatives.