BY ACM STAFF
In the wake of the totally predictable Jones Case Ruling from the AZ Supreme Court, overturning Rodney Jones’ conviction and ruling concentrates legal, Yavapai County patients are calling for Sheila Polk to resign immediately.
Springing up within a few hours of the court decision, the social justice site, Change.Org, had a brand-new petition: “Sheila Polk must step down!”
The petition reads:
“Sheila Polk has ignored the will and voice of the Yavapai/Arizona voters and has placed her own agenda at the forefront of her political agenda. We are petitioning to have her removed from office immediately.
County Attorney Sheila Polk has repeatedly ignored the will and voice of the people she works for. Sheila and her office want to shut down Cannabis in Arizona completely contradicting the voters’ wishes! Call to Action to remove her!”
Rain Baker, a celebrated cannabis rights organizer in the PHX area, joined the chorus of voices condemning Polk for the reign of terror patients have faced over the past 11 months.
“It is so very disappointing to see a public servant continue to blatantly perpetuate the Drug War. Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk supports arresting Arizona’s medical marijuana patients and her malicious, malevolent behavior is bad for Arizona and bad for America. The drug war propels mass incarceration and racial disparities in our country’s judicial system and while evidence and history shows we should be eliminating and changing police practices and policies that result in disproportionate arrest and incarceration rates.
Sheila Polk continues trying to take us backward down the mindless path of destructive drug war policy. Thank God the courts supported the will of the people and saved Arizona patients from her recent arrest rampage. Just imagine being a patient, doing everything legal, and then be treated like a common criminal! Enough is enough. NO MORE! Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk needs to go!”
Between the time an AZ Appeals Court upheld 2013 Jones’ class four felony narcotics cannabis conviction for half a gram of hashish and Tuesday’s verdict hundreds of patients have been harassed around the state and dozens have been charged with narcotics felonies.
Working with AZ-NORML, the ACLU’s Jared Keenan identified dozens of patients around the state and at least 7 patients in Maricopa County who have been prosecuted for concentrates charges. “And that’s the just the folks who knew to contact NORML. Who knows how many people who are out there, don’t know about the NORML hotline [928-234-5633] and are sweating out these charges without help?”
This is not the first time Change.Org has had a petition calling for Polk’s ouster. Polk sparked national outrage when her anti-legalization PAC accepted a $500,000.00 donation from disgraced fentanyl manufacturer, Insys during the 2016 Prop205 campaign,
The petition reached its listed goal of 100 signatures in less than 24 hours. They are now trying for 200. To sign your name or learn more about the current petition calling for Polk resignation, click here.
–ACM Staff