WA - Outspoken Wash. Medical Pot Activist Shoots Robber

[Kevlar]

A well-known Washington state medical marijuana activist traded gunfire with robbers who invaded his home early Monday, suffering minor shotgun pellet wounds and sending one intruder to the intensive care unit of a hospital.

Activist Steve Sarich, 59, runs CannaCare, an organization that provides patients with marijuana plants and advice about Washington's law.

"I don't want to shoot people, but God, this is our eighth home invasion since last May," he told The Associated Press.

Full article HERE

An outspoken medical marijuana activist said a shotgun blast from an intruder nearly took his head off during a home-invasion robbery early Monday.

Steve Sarich, who dispenses medical marijuana from his Kirkland-area home, was wounded by the blast but managed to return fire and hit one of the intruders.

He said his dogs woke him up just before 5 a.m. and he went into the living room and found four people inside his house.

One of the men fired a shotgun at Sarich, and pellets hit him in the face and leg. He said he shot back but missed and ran to his bedroom when his pistol jammed.

Full story HERE

 

[cekim]

Oh, the ironing. Making this guy eat his words on legalization huh? Well, much like free speech, you have to take the good with the bad. Good for him...

 

[KBCraig]

Oh, the ironing. Making this guy eat his words on legalization huh? Well, much like free speech, you have to take the good with the bad. Good for him...

Eat his words how? People trying to steal from him means prohibition is better? People steal beer and cigarettes too, yanno.

 

[cekim]

Eat his words how? People trying to steal from him means prohibition is better? People steal beer and cigarettes too, yanno.

People who advocate the ending of prohibition (myself included) say that most of the crime and the severity of the crime is a function of the prohibition itself (and the black markets it creates). As such, the fear mongering that the streets will be filled with drug fiends is just that - fear mongering.

Still true, but it doesn't make it any better when you are the guy getting robbed because you have a house full of drugs...

 

[Half Cocked]

Hmmmmm.... I have always been told that there is no violence associated with marijuana.....

 

[cekim]

Hmmmmm.... I have always been told that there is no violence associated with marijuana.....

KB - those would be the words he's chewing on as we speak...

 

[Twigg]

Hmmmmm.... I have always been told that there is no violence associated with marijuana.....

Eight home invasions in ten months ?

I'd say its time to find another profession or set up razor wire & claymores.

 

[Baldkat82]

.

 

[Bill Nance]

This guy wasn't robbed by gun-toting potheads, he was robbed by criminal elements looking for drugs to SELL. -Drugs on which a large profit can be made SOLELY because of the illegality of the substance.

 

[cekim]

Does this apply differently when a person robs a pharmacy?

Not sure what your question is here?

Legalization advocates - particularly of marijuana - like to argue that "there's no violence associated with weed"... You don't see any irony here?

I am not one of those people - I don't care if there's "violence associated" with it or not, I am concerned only with the economics and reality of prohibitions and black markets which create FAR more violence than any product. So, it makes no difference to me whether a pharmacy or a house is robbed.

In the context of this thread, it would because the house being robbed is inhabited by someone I can presume is calling for the legalization of marijuana, where the pharmacy doesn't have any such presumption...

 

[depicts]

Hmmmmm.... I have always been told that there is no violence associated with marijuana.....

Half Cocked, I believe there is little violence involved with people who smoke pot.

On the other hand, people who steal and rob ANYTHING for a profit sometimes commit acts of violence.

After more than 40 years of studying how pot smokers act, the most violent act I've seen was when a friend smacked his dog on the nose for eating his bag of pot!!!

 

[Baldkat82]

Hmmmmm.... I have always been told that there is no violence associated with marijuana.....

As I'm not sure how your sarcasm is directed... The people who do claim no violence with marijuana are probably talking about your typical end users and not dealers. Unlike people addicted to crack, smack, coke, heroin etc... people who solely smoke pot are far less likely to turn to crime to support their habit.

Not sure what your question is here?

Legalization advocates - particularly of marijuana - like to argue that "there's no violence associated with weed"... You don't see any irony here?

I am not one of those people - I don't care if there's "violence associated" with it or not, I am concerned only with the economics and reality of prohibitions and black markets which create FAR more violence than any product. So, it makes no difference to me whether a pharmacy or a house is robbed.

In the context of this thread, it would because the house being robbed is inhabited by someone I can presume is calling for the legalization of marijuana, where the pharmacy doesn't have any such presumption...

Sorry, I think I misunderstood your post when I replied. No, I dont see irony. The violence happened because it's an illegal substance and someone wanted to make money on it. Those weren't potheads, they were intent on selling it. Make it legal and regulated, and you will eliminate a huge part of the violence just like you say. It woudl be irony if joe pothead is robbing him and not pablo escobar.

 

[Bob P]

As I'm not sure how your sarcasm is directed... The people who do claim no violence with marijuana are probably talking about your typical end users and not dealers. Unlike people addicted to crack, smack, coke, heroin etc... people who solely smoke pot are far less likely to turn to crime to support their habit.



Sorry, I think I misunderstood your post when I replied. No, I dont see irony. The violence happened because it's an illegal substance and someone wanted to make money on it. Those weren't potheads, they were intent on selling it. Make it legal and regulated, and you will eliminate a huge part of the violence just like you say. It woudl be irony if joe pothead is robbing him and not pablo escobar.

I believe Cekim was just making a comment on the danger of making blanket statements - which the 'no violence associated with pot' statement is a prime example of. BTW, Cekim is an ADVOCATE of legalization. Let's not become so enamored of our own position on the issues that we become blind to their faults.

 

[Half Cocked]

Half Cocked, I believe there is little violence involved with people who smoke pot.

First of all........... you are mistaken. The level of violence may be less than some other drugs but it is certainly not without it's share.
Second of all....... I was making a joke about the irony that cekim seems to be the only one here that understood.
Third of all.......... I am certainly not going to contribute to turning this thread into a legalization debate. I was simply making a joke.

 

[depicts]

Half Cocked, I knew you were joking. I'm really not. I'm not advocating legalization, I'm just saying I've never seen anyone on JUST marijuana being violent. You maybe have. Or maybe people on harder drugs just admit to pot smoking when they are talking to a policeman.

Doesn't matter much to me. I don't smoke, and can't with my breathing problems.

 

[Kevlar]

A spokesman for the King County Sheriff's Office in Washington says deputies found 385 pot plants at the home of a medical marijuana activist who was in a shootout with robbers.

Officers also found marijuana products such as butter, baked goods and paraphernalia at Steve Sarich's, and plan to forward their findings to the prosecutor.

Sarich suffered minor wounds when robbers broke into his home early Monday. One fired a shotgun at him, and pellets hit his face and arm. Sarich fired a handgun at one robber, sending him to intensive care.

Sarich runs CannaCare. Under Washington law, the presumptive limit of marijuana plants someone can have for medical purposes is 15 for each patient, but patients can have more if they demonstrate need.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/03/15/outspoken-wash-medical-pot-activist-shoots-robber/.