cannabisnews.com: S.D. City Panel OKs Medical Pot Rules 





S.D. City Panel OKs Medical Pot Rules 
Posted by CN Staff on October 17, 2002 at 08:20:29 PT
By Ray Huard 
Source: SanDiegoChannel.com
Medical marijuana guidelines that would allow sick people to keep up to 3 pounds of the drug and grow up to 72 plants for their own use was approved by a San Diego City Council committee yesterday. "I believe this is right. I believe it's right for suffering people to have some relief," said Councilman George Stevens.
The guidelines, adopted in a 4-1 vote by the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, also would allow caregivers who grow marijuana for up to six patients to keep as much as 12 pounds of marijuana and grow as many as 90 plants. Councilman Brian Maienschein without comment voted against the guidelines, which must be approved by the full council to take effect. Committee chairman Toni Atkins said her goal was to bring the matter to the council in December. The guidelines were recommended by a 12-member Medical Cannabis Task Force created by the City Council in 2001 to implement Proposition 215, a 1996 state measure allowing the medical use of marijuana. The council committee, following Atkins' advice, modified the task force's recommendations to include provisions against smoking marijuana in public, near schools, recreation centers or youth centers, or while operating a motor vehicle or a boat. Minors, people on parole or probation and those convicted of a serious or violent felony could not become caregivers, under the committee's action. The guidelines would be in place as a 24-month pilot program, after which they would be reviewed by the council, under the committee measure. Atkins and others warned that the city guidelines would not protect patients from arrest by federal drug agents, who have been cracking down on medical marijuana users. San Diego activist Steve McWilliams, a former member of the city task force, was arrested last week on federal drug charges. Any use of marijuana is illegal under federal law. Atkins said she hoped that city adoption of the guidelines would help lead to a resolution of the conflict between state and federal law. "I certainly hope the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) isn't going to make hundreds of agents available to ferret out medical marijuana patients," Atkins said. More than 100 people jammed the committee hearing, which lasted about three hours. Critics, including police Chief David Bejarano and the San Diego Prevention Coalition, have said the guidelines were too vague, allow people to keep and grow too much and imply that the city condones the use of marijuana for any purpose. No one from the Police Department testified at the hearing. But Bejarano, in a memo to Atkins, which she made public yesterday, said allowing people to grow and keep large quantities of marijuana would "attract theft and violence to neighborhoods and place patients and caregivers as well as the neighbors at risk." The police chief also said only doctors should decide on a case-by-case basis how much marijuana each patient should have. In establishing a set amount of marijuana patients could keep without fear of arrest, Bejarano said the city would "promote abuse by criminals rather than compassionate use by the seriously ill." The guidelines and a proposed city identification-card program expected to begin early next year are intended to give patients, those who care for them and police a sense of how much marijuana can be legally grown and stored, said task force chairwoman Juliana Humphrey. Current police policy in deciding when to make an arrest is determined on a case-by-case basis. "The person we have kept in our sights is the patient," Humphrey said. Cancer patient Ann Shanahan-Walsh, a task force member, said she used marijuana with the encouragement of her oncologist to ease the side effects of chemotherapy. "I was not a believer until I was able to see the benefits of it," Shanahan-Walsh said. "It doesn't make chemotherapy any easier but it makes it bearable." Prevention Coalition president Dave Vialpando said the guidelines "have way, way too much potential for abuse and they need to be tightened up." Among other things, Vialpando said 3 pounds was too much marijuana for someone to keep. Humphrey said 3 pounds was about a year's supply. She said patients needed the ability to keep that much because marijuana grown outdoors has one harvest season per year. But Vialpando said doctors don't prescribe a year's supply of other drugs at a time and marijuana shouldn't be an exception. Note: Guidelines need council approval.Source: SanDiegoChannel.comAuthor: Ray Huard Published: October 17, 2002 Copyright: 2002 TheSanDiegoChannel.comWebsite: http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/news/Contact: http://www.signonsandiego.com/about/ut/contacts.htmlRelated Articles & Web Site:Medicinal Cannabis Research Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/research.htmCity Leaders Push Action On Medical Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14471.shtmlTask Force Issues Its Cannabis Proposalshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14469.shtmlSupervisors Oppose City's Plan to OK Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14337.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by Delariand on October 17, 2002 at 11:41:39 PT
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"Among other things, Vialpando said 3 pounds was too much marijuana for someone to keep. Humphrey said 3 pounds was about a year's supply. She said patients needed the ability to keep that much because marijuana grown outdoors has one harvest season per year. But Vialpando said doctors don't prescribe a year's supply of other drugs at a time and marijuana shouldn't be an exception. "Wow, this guy really is stupid. Doctors CANT prescribe marijuana because of federal law! If they could, we wouldn't be having this problem, now would we? There's a perfectly valid reason given for the large amount, and it makes perfect sense. If you only had one chance a year to get your prescription medication from your doctor, I'm willing to bet you'd want to pick up enough to last, especially if it's a matter of your life or your death.
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