By Matt Agorist
In a gross display of wasted taxpayer dollars, dozens of Massachusetts National Guard personnel, operating under a grant from the DEA, alongside Massachusetts State Police, descended into the backyard of an 81-year-old cancer patient in a raid last week — to protect society from the dangers of his four marijuana plants.
Paul Jackson, 81, of Martha’s Vineyard, grows cannabis to make medicine. His plants, along with several other plants, became the target of law enforcement last week in a crackdown on hardened criminals who’d dare to grow a plant that helps them.
Jackson was in his backyard last Tuesday when plainclothes men and a helicopter descended on his property. With no warrant, and without showing identification, these heroes ripped Jackson’s plants from the ground.
“They just come charging through and start cutting it down,” Jackson said in an interview with the The MV Times.
According to the The MV Times, Mr. Jackson, a lifelong Islander and renowned organic gardener with over 300 ribbons from the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Fair, expressed both bewilderment and disgust when he spoke to The Times on Friday.
“I told them they don’t know what they’re doing, they’re destroying it and it could be used for good purposes,” he said. “I know because I went through it before. You wrote about it in The Times. I had the article framed, took it out to show them; I said, ‘This is proof of what it does,’ but they didn’t want to hear it.”
As The Times reports, Mr. Jackson was referring to a February 2013 article,” Love, life, and death: A Martha’s Vineyard marijuana story,” in which he described how cannabis tea had helped Mary, his wife of 53 years, through the pain of pancreatic cancer and the ravages of chemotherapy. Mr. Jackson said they forsook the morphine prescribed by her doctors, and substituted cannabis tea for pain management.
“I never ever saw pain in her face,” he said. “She was eating and happy, right up until she died. You had to see it to believe it. People don’t understand it. It’s a beautiful plant and it works beautifully.”
For years, Jackson has been growing this beneficial plant to help his wife, himself, and other friends in the area.
“There’s another fellow I’ve given it to, his wife has cancer bad,” he said. “They mix it with her food and it’s really helping her. Another fellow had a tube down his stomach and his wife would pour [tea] down his tube for the pain. And it worked. At least there’s no damn pain in it. I gave another guy some, he was taking seven different pills a day. I talked to him a month later and he said he’d gotten rid of three of those pills. It works on all kinds of different things.”
However, these poor people will now suffer thanks to the public service provided by the government in their attempts to stamp out this miraculous plant.
While medical marijuana is legal in Massachusetts, to a certain extent, Jackson says he grows his own because it’s far healthier.
“The people that are selling it are using chemicals that react with the chemotherapy,” he said. “Mine is much better because it’s organically grown. I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe how well it worked.”
In the interview, Jackson noted that he doesn’t smoke the plant and will continue to consume it, in spite of the immoral laws that prohibit it.
“I don’t like smoke and I don’t like dust,” he said. “We just make tea out of it. But if I need to make the tea, I’ve got it. I don’t sell it. I will continue to have a certain amount in case somebody close to me needs it.”
When word began to spread about this embarrassing action to eradicate a beneficial plant, spokesmen from the agencies involved in the raid began denying they had a hand in it.
After their heroic mission to rid Martha’s Vineyard of cannabis, Colonel James Sahady, Public Affairs Officer for the Massachusetts National Guard, said in an email to The Times, “The order was initiated by the DEA and Massachusetts State Police as part of pre-planned eradication missions throughout the year.”
However, Sahady later issued another statement claiming that the DEA was not involved.
On top of the National Guard’s flip-flop, The Times reports:
On Tuesday, two Massachusetts State Police spokesmen checked into the matter and said there was no evidence of State Police involvement. “It was not us,” Officer Tom Ryan told The Times.
In a follow up email received on Thursday, State Police spokesman David Procopio said the operation was initiated by the State Police. “We routinely request the assistance of the National Guard in these operations,” Mr. Procopio said in an email to The Times. “Our Narcotics Inspection Section conducts these operations regularly across the state. We utilize a trained spotter in a helicopter to search for marijuana grow sites. Once one is located, the spotter directs ground units to the plants, which are confiscated and taken by State Police for eventual destruction. These seizures occasionally result in criminal prosecutions, but many times do not, if the plants are seized from rural or wooded areas that can be accessed by many people (as opposed to just growing in some homeowner’s backyard).”
Mr. Procopio said State Police seized 392 plants, “which are slated for destruction as part of our next narcotics burn.”
Although the helicopter was parked at Martha’s Vineyard Airport last Tuesday night, there are no records of landing fees or fuel purchases paid by a government agency, according to airport manager Ann Crook.
“The idea we’re so frivolously spending money on marijuana interdiction, especially now when it’s about to be rolled back, is extremely frustrating. How many books or school lunches could have been bought instead of having these plants ripped up?” Bill Downing, spokesman for MassCan/NORML said to The Times.
Downing’s sentiment is a very real concern as the war on drugs has spent upwards of a trillion taxpayer dollars since its inception. Every one of those dollars spent ruining the lives of otherwise entirely innocent people.
At any one time, 59,300 prisoners charged with or convicted of violating marijuana laws are behind bars. Of those, 17,000 are behind bars for possession ONLY, not trafficking.
Enforcing marijuana laws costs an estimated $10-15 billion in direct costs alone — not to mention the sustained costs of incarceration of the individual who has done nothing to harm anyone. It is estimated that the money spent enforcing useless marijuana laws is double what we spend on education in this country.
Countless lives are ruined every year as the state locks people away or worse, for possessing a plant. The time is now to end this violent ridiculousness before another innocent life is ruined or taken in the name of controlling what people can put in their own bodies.
Become a member today and help bring an end to this destructive and brutal war. Click here to join the revolution.
Matt Agorist is the co-founder of TheFreeThoughtProject.com, where this article first appeared. He is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Follow @MattAgorist.
Cannabis is a KNOWN cure for many cancers and these idiots know that. By destroying it these morons are as good as killing this man. Congratulations on your extreme shortsightedness and lack of humanity
It also prevents Alzheimer’s (scientific research is discovering this), glaucoma and lowers your blood pressure. Not one bad side effect has ever been discovered.
There ARE negative side effects to consuming marijuana. Don’t kid yourself. There are 6 well known adverse side effects:
1) Short term memory loss
2) “I can’t remember what the other 4 were”
3) “I’m thirsty”
4) “I’m Hungry, I think I’ll go make a sandwich.”
5) “What did I come into the kitchen for again?”
6) “This room smells funny, where’s my water?”
7) “Hey man, you just passed your turn!”
8) “This is the best piece of bacon I’ve ever had in my entire life”
9) “What was the question you were asking me?”
10) Let’s watch a Cheech and Chong movie
You forgot. Short term memory loss showing. It also has the side affect of sleep. Puts people in their most dangerous state. Very dangerous.
Morons and bullies. What, were they a little bored that day? They were probably trained in ISIS-RA-EL. At least that would explain this cowardly behaviour.
No probability about it Canuck . Absolute and absolutely no doubt it
Why was the National Guard involved in the action? Regardless of what anyone thinks about the poor old guy and his garden, what should worry you is the National Guard was a part of the police action.
These teams operate in many states. Ive heard of them before. The National Guard is a state entity and that is how they are allowed to participate in these kinds of operations. They are only federal when under title 10 orders, these guardsmen were no doubt title 32 when carrying out their orders to destroy plants. Not saying I agree with this, it was wrong to destroy the plants, but these are the facts as I understand them and they are not in violation of the constitution.
Uh, yes they were in violation of their constitution. Operating under Color of Law is NO LAW. Especially against a man. Problem is we think we are JOHN DOE and a slave…. and we continue to act like slaves.
Funny thing is you have NO understanding of the law. Explain EXACTLY how they are operating under color of law. You can’t. It’s pretty easy to just throw around accusations instead presenting facts and objective knowledge, isn’t it?
Our constitution outlines all the things that federal law does; making laws against what you can or can’t put in your body isn’t on that list. Then it says that all laws not listed there, are to be under STATE CONTROL – which is where pot laws should be under state control. What DEA is doing is unconstitutional. As well, drug testing is unconstitutional unless there is a good reason because unlawful search and seizure of a person is against the constitution.
So who’s the one who doesn’t understand the law? Or even the constitution?
A ridiculous and dangerous scout’s club.
That is not good enough anymore after WWII: Just following orders!.
Check out UN enforcing Obama’s police force.
You could be bloody right!
And hasn’t the US handed over its militairy forces last year in the hands of the UN now labeled “Global Peace Keeping Force” serving the UN “world governance”? (NWO).
Exactly! And for FOUR plants.
The more the merrier! It’s part of the dogpile game played by children, and these are children–brats, bullies, and malcontents.
It looks as though the solution is to stay well under the radar. Talking to your next-door neighbour about this kind of thing is risky, and appearing in the media is asking for trouble. It doesn’t get the message out, but it could save your life.
Just legalize it already. I don’t even use it, but I can see how absolutely ridiculous this is. It’s a plant. Stop locking people up and spending millions over a frigging PLANT.
….but Wall St. criminals who ruined the lives of a million families nothing. Drug laundering hundreds of billions at HSBC…..a fine. Lies into war million dead and ruined trillions spent they get awards and libraries named after them.
Hilliary breaks dozens of laws and she gets an interview from the FBI….. at her home.. off the record and not under oath. This country is rotten to the core.
These co$ksuckers will be smaching a Raw Milk Farmer’s face into the ground next.
They’ve been doing that. (smashing down raw milk dairy farmers)
Hey, the CIA needs to make money for all it’s black-budget projects, running drugs from Afghanistan’s poppy fields to US consumers who make great slave labor while in prison, since gummint opened the barn door to China. Shame on you for criticizing how the government does things.
I’ve heard that several states in America have legalized both medical and social usage of marijuana and in each case their crime rate has dropped and their economies have risen dramatically! Makes sense doesn’t it!
In California, it is projected they will make 1 billion $ the FIRST YEAR alone from recreational MJ. That sure would help our drought-stricken state, we could build desalination plants like they did in San Diego a few yrs back. But is our Gov. Jerry Brown behind this initiative? NO!! He hasn’t endorsed it. In California, best producer of weed, the gov isn’t for legalizing MJ.
hi!
greetings from OREGON
If there were minutemen on standby, this wouldn’t have been very successful.
lol
Be sure to remember this old fellow in your thoughts and prayers. He needs all the love he can get to help ease his and his community’s pains.
Move to Colorado Paul and imbibe for the health of it whilst watching gorgeous sunsets.
The perfect illustration of Americans fighting to regain independence while the real drug dealers work overtime to quash endeavors.
It is a matter of record that the “federal government” exists in name ONLY. The bankrupted corporation which is passing itself off as the “federal government” is not only systemically corrupt, but wholly illegitimate as well.
Try telling that to the fbi, or cia.
Somehow I don’t think they will listen or care.
Yes……….but the MORE PEOPLE KNOW about this….the more this charade of government……..the BIG GIANT ILLUSION that DOES NOT EXIST will be delegitimized!
When this illegitimate government starts a hot war with Russia and China, I think those two nations will have something to say about the jurisdiction in which this fictional entity claims it has authority.
Thank you for your reply Jesus. Mao was placed by the Rothschilds……Russia ( Putin does not want this Rothschild’s planned WWIII war) It is my hope and my inner work that the planned WWIII scenario does not take place. It is my inner work and my steel will that this hoax is exposed before anything nuclear takes place. We must remember dear Jesus that we are powerful beyond ANYTHING that the program centers tell us……you included my dear friend.
Dr. Neil Douglas-Klotz, a practicing Sufi and Aramaic scholar, says that, in the traditional Semitic view, there is no distinction between the inner life and the outer; between heaven and earth. David Icke says our perception is being manipulated by reptilian ETs who operate from within the hollow moon. Isha Schwaller de Lubicz says, at every critical moment, we have the opportunity to respond in harmony with our karmic destiny, or in disharmony. The Black Label Society says, the hole in the ground is comin’ round soon.
I think I’ll get quiet for a minute and listen to what my heart says.
🙂 xo
Or….. They listen and they care. It was said of the Soviet Union that every citizen had another citizen spying upon him, and reporting to the local authorities. I’m guessing they use all this information to formulate a counter plan to control anyone who transgresses…….. and we’ll see camps and travel limitations, limits on money and fuel, etc. Some writers such as Chris Hedges are suggesting that revolution is in order to change the situation….. I agree…… but I doubt many would. I guess we’re in for an exciting near-future, I’m thinking the fireworks will begin in Sept, with stocks and the dollar falling, and gold and silver increasing as they fulfill their functions as stores of value.
Yes, ‘they’ did this last year here in east Tenn…… Unmarked helicopters circled overhead until about 6 unmarked trucks loaded with unmarked 4-wheelers showed up and searched my property. They had weapons, but no uniforms and no badges or identification, and they offered no documents or search warrants. One asked to search the house, but when I asked for a search warrant he turned and walked away. The men, who were clean shaven and dressed well, were not locals…… and I have no idea who they were (are). They went on their way up the road… They confiscate cannabis plants (medicine), and apparently get paid by the stalk for their ‘work’. I fear our US government has exceeded its authority, or shall I say, it has ‘extended’ its authority to include that which it desires and decides, not what citizens have voted to become law. As fear overwhelms reason Revolution will become our only answer here in America, as history quite plainly shows how an indebted country such as this will eventually go bankrupt, and its currency worthless……
Which county was this, if you don’t mind saying. I lived in east TN until a year ago. We saw helicopters with 50 calibre machine guns on the front. They are privately owned.
Morgan…… I have never seen guns on helicopters. There were three different helicopters, and none had numbers on them. And then on the following morning there was another helicopter coming from the east that came to my property line, apparently took a look and then headed off. Nothing this year so far……. I’ve read of a joint force to cover numerous counties in eastern Tn.
If this isn’t glaring proof we have all the wrong people in charge.
The overkill strong arm tactics aside, when these organizations were questioned later, the blame game began. The epitome of incompetence. This is what children do to escape responsibility of their bad actions. As another comment on this thread shows the national guard should not be engaging in this kind of action. Everyone denying involvement should show without a doubt it was handled all wrong and possibly illegally. As long as the American people tolerate the keystone cops abusing their power it will continue and get worse.
Wasn’t there just recently a big dog and pony show on TV about how the police should be supported. They are heroes doing a dangerous job. This is exactly why people have come to hate the police because they are conducting criminal offenses. It’s no wonder people start fighting back against them. They are doing it to themselves.
Most of LEO are ex mil who have been trained everyone is the enemy, and the lack of judgement and intelligence makes the old saying more true. When a hammer is your only tool all problems look like nails.
Ever since nine eleven security has been intensified far more that what was really needed and now many of these guys are sitting around just itching to use all the new toys the Feds gave them. When you give a badge and power to people with the mental capacity and maturity of a TSA baggage screener you can bet they will abuse it.
The government’s war against people should end.
Why do LOE and military completely lack critical thinking skills ?
Only society’s dumbest with absolutely no brains or morals would join. In fact
that is a prerequisite.
We need to fire the guy who is doing the hiring.
How do they even classify weed as a narcotic? I realize they did it for enforcement of the laws on the books, but chemically it is not a narcotic…
The delta 9 chemical element of cannabis is misused to justify the political fraud.
Gotta protect the billion dollar pharmaceutical fraud industry. Why would we need man made drugs when those God provides are far more effective and safer?
Right all!
And to protect Big Prison Corporation jobs.
They have to keep the In-Flow going for the big profits!
in those days they will call the Truth a lie and a lie the truth. You have only a few choices. Move to Alaska. northern Canada, the Arctic or Antarctica to get away from society completely or you can seek ye the Kingdom of Heaven or you can just keep worrying or fretting over the continued destruction of a good way of life.
War will not change anything. Actually, it will bring demise that much quicker.
so, I guess the only thing I will do is put my trust in someone much bigger. more powerful and far more benevolent a leader than anyone on earth tends to be.
That is my story and I am sticking to it.
Round me up and Kill me with gas one more time. See if that gets you anywhere.
I know where I will be and where you will not be later on.
So, enjoy what you have now – because that is all you have.
Velcome to the Great United Soviet Socialist Satanic Stasi States of Amerika, Komrades!
I’m sure they would have gunned the old man down in the dirt had he resisted!
What a bunch of Massholes!
The use of this plant, like Vitamin B-17 (Laetrile) and other natural substances, might reduce the profits of the Big Pharma medical monopoly.
Laetrile assists the body to heal cancer, whereas the pharma industry and its pimps abbreviate the lives of cancer patients, while creating painful deaths and at a great cost to health insurance companies and family savings.
I don’t advocate violence much, but too bad at least a couple of these pig thug terrorists weren’t blown to pieces by this man for invading his property and endangering his life. For a plant. A harmless plant that never killed anybody but has helped millions.
I have a pinched nerve in my upper back. Last month, I could barely lift my arm or turn my head. Went to Colorado and ate a couple of dosed cookies. The next day, at about 5pm, I realized my neck and arm were working perfectly! I hardly even got ‘high’ from the cookies. It made me feel good. Great. And haven’t had an attack since.
Just remember: Almost everything that was taught to you about anything is a lie. Fluoride is bad. Wifi is bad. Dairy is bad. Sandy Hoax. Boston Smoke Bombathon. Fake Pulise shootings. Fake dead people in Nice.
And marijuana is safe and effective.
Cannabis is an ages old natural herb that cures almost all illnesses of mankind. Its broad healing qualities is the primary reason that Rockefeller connived with Hearst to have cannabis and hemp declared illegal. Thus, Rockefeller´s pharmacy industry replaced cures for illnesses with costly synthetic preparations that reduce symptoms without healing an illness, while creating side effects that are sometimes more disabling than the original illness. Allopathic medicine trains pimps for the pharmacy industry, essentially. A small percentage of physicians continues to practice healing, prescribing natural preparations and teaching proper nutrition habits. The majority of MD physicians abbreviate patients´ lives with chemotherapy, statin drugs and “vaccinations” that induce primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and peripheral neuropathy (PN). For details goto_ http://www.spacedoc.com.
The fact that cancer patients were able to forego the pharmaceutical pain meds is the basis for this jackbooted thuggery, backed by Big Pharma I’m sure. Can’t have people taking care of their pain management with a plant that can be grown in the backyard since that would affect the bottom line of pharmaceutical companies. I believe that’s why the old movie Reefer Madness was made…to instill fear(as usual) in people as to the use of cannabis.
To verify your belief about the movie, Reefer Madness, check out the producer and sponsor.
If those cops and National Guard types want to play soldier we could always send them to Iraq!
When you have no brains, did poorly in school, have no morals, and are a total loser you
will join the armed forces to protect the bankers and Big Pharma. These jokers (armed forces)
who are supposed to be heroes are nothing but losers and cowards that do things as in this
article every day when they are not bombing innocent countries that did nothing to us. Cops
and the DEA fall into the same category. Fascism 101 for all to see. USA the biggest terrorist
outfit in the world.
This is ridiculous, let the 81 year old vet with cancer have his MJ. The guy already more than likely gets treated like an addict anyway when he asks for Hydrocodone or Percocet. They should legalize it, however, the DEA never will. This is a way for them to stay in business, although they are in bed with cartels and everybody else. The crooked war on drugs goes into deeper depth than we know. I have seen it first hand during my time working for the government. We the people need to unite and demand a reform of the DEA and oppressive government. I am all for law in order, however, it is getting to be ridiculous. I was severely injured in the Army and now have a tumor in my spine. I get treated like a junkie living under a bridge sticking needles in my arms if I ask for pain medication. Tried for surgery 4 times, but the surgeons think they will paralyze me.
Yep. We’re under attack from all corners in the former USA, and this is what our (for lack of a better term) Government does to protect us. The patients are running the asylum. At least they didn’t napalm him. Perhaps the Gestapo was short on napalm.
More like Cheka apparatchiks than Gestapo.
The drug industry and most oncologist (plus other doctors) are colluding in the greatest medical fraud and hoax ever conceived. There’s great wealth to be had. Anyone with cancer (Bless you.) or anyone that knows, or has known, one with the disease, with eyes open, knows this is so. They, to the patient’s misery and family torment, will extend one’s life long enough, holding out false hope, while draining a bank account. I’ve seen it firsthand–and I know I’m not unique. It smacks of murder for hire.
The mission now is to destroy all natural cannabis in order to generate a controlled industry with the MonSatan’s genetically corrupted strains!
Great insight. Explains why Soros is funding legalization of marijuana and TPTB are letting it slip through even though no other “states rights” issues are allowed. It’s a calculated strategy to get it in circulation to tax it, genetically corrupt it, and patent it.
How the heck does the Mass. Guard pull this off and where is the outcry. This is unconstitutional. The gaurd and the state pol. have to fell really really good(?) about this.
He is so kindly looking and grows a few plants for health and is handcuffed like he has any kind of hope for retaliation even without them.
Shame on those that were involved.
This is all just more Reefer Madness! Free the freaking herb now!
“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Elective Affinities
The things people do for money, morality is worth more
An International Common Law Grand Jury found Pope Benedict and Anton Pachon (the “Black Pope”) guilty of various and sundry crimes against humanity. That is the real reason they were the first two to resign their respective “offices” instead of holding them for life. They are both Fugitives from Justice.
Problem: If you grow herbs on your property, you will get arrested. Reaction: Don’t grow herbs on your property. Solution: Grow herbs on someone else’s property.
Frankly, there are so many other plants that cure cancer and a host of illnesses, it is more advantageous to seek out education in alternative herbs, than to jeopardize your leash and to be put in a cage.