I will repeat what I have consistently said and wrote in the past, dispensaries, and selling to those who are not your specific patients is illegal. Always has been. Although that will change somewhat in December of 2017. Still, it is a crime that parasites continue to arrest, convict, steal property from, and cage people for exercising freedom. Clearly, it’s not about a damn plant! It’s about denying freedom due to bigotry and the desire for the unearned.Having said that, I attended the sentencing of Susan Bond (“Bond”), a Grand Rapids, MI dispensary owner, on December 6, 2017. At sentencing for multiple felony racketeering and marijuana related convictions resulting from a trial, her attorney “begged for mercy”. He also spoke of Bond’s psychiatric history. Then Bond spoke and claimed she didn’t know what she was doing was illegal, and that she received bad advice from attorneys who she intends to speak against, apparently by way of spreading rumors. Bond was sentenced to 1 year, and assessed a $50,000.00 fine, along with about 3 years of probation.
Susan Bond, Grand Rapids, MI Dispensary Owner
I found it rather interesting that Bond, who openly advocated legalizing marijuana, begged for mercy and pointed out her psychiatric problems. In other words, she implied that she was crazy, stated that she didn’t know the law, and blamed unnamed attorneys, rather than point out the fact that she was about to be caged for exercising freedom.
As far as whether Bond is looney, I cannot say, as I am not a psychiatrist. But I can say with firsthand knowledge that Bond at all times was fully aware of all the raids on dispensaries around the state. Moreover, she knew for several year that these dispensaries and their owners were being raided, all the money, homes, vehicles and product seized, and the owners, and in some cases the workers, were being prosecuted, fined, sentenced, and cageds.
What is more, on November 18, 2015, the same day her dispensary was raided the first time, a letter was sent to her from the State Bar of Michigan (“SBOM”), the regulatory body over attorneys and Legal Assistants. The purpose of the letter was to investigate Bond for practicing law without a license. In that letter, the State Bar noted that Bond had claimed to be an, “Interstate Paralegal”, who had a “legal assistant number assigned by the [SBOM] and therefore recognized as such by the [SBOM]”. The letter also noted that Bond made claims that, “Attorneys call me all the time for legal advice” and that she “gives legal advice all the time”. Further, that as far as the dispensary was concerned that she was, “quite comfortable with my direction and can challenge anyone who speaks otherwise”. The letter then went on to state that Bond was not an attorney, and there was no record of her being a licensed Legal Assistant, and that the [SBOM] does not license “paralegals”.
I know these facts because I received that letter as part of an inquiry from the SBOM, because apparently Bond was also telling people that I “served as in-house counsel for her [dispensary] business”, without my knowledge. I responded to this inquiry noting that I had never represented Bond or her dispensary in any capacity, and that I did not direct her to give legal advice to anyone. In fact, I repeatedly told people that if Bond gave legal advice that she was not an attorney. I also had conversations with many people telling them that dispensaries were not legal in the State of Michigan, and Bond disliked this fact.
The fight for our freedom is never ending. It requires a rigorously intellectual search for the truth of the very meaning of freedom, and reasons why it is denied, i.e., bigotry and the desire for the unearned in both matter and pride. Moreover, it requires an unrelenting, consistent advocacy against bigotry and greed, and in favor of freedom for all. It also requires that people be aware of hucksters who claim they are knowledgeable attorneys or paralegals, and then give false advice to gain the confidence of the unsuspecting in order to make a fast buck. If someone claims they are a licensed attorney, paralegal, or legal assistant in order to get you to purchase medical marijuana, or anything for that matter, check them out. Ask them for their license number and go to the SBOM website and do a name check to see if they are honest. It only takes a few minutes. You can also see if they have ever been in trouble as well.
Be skeptical, be safe, and be free.
Till next month, as always, keep rolling on.
