cannabisnews.com: Ruling a Relief for Sonoma County Doctors 





Ruling a Relief for Sonoma County Doctors 
Posted by CN Staff on October 30, 2002 at 08:24:34 PT
By Jeremy Hay, The Press Democrat 
Source: Press Democrat 
A federal court ruling that physicians can recommend marijuana to patients lifts a cloud of worry for local doctors who believe the drug can offer relief for various medical problems, according to the attorney for the Sonoma County Medical Association."There will be a practical effect for Sonoma County physicians," attorney Larry McLaughlin said.
A recent federal crackdown on California's medical pot clubs caused the "fear level of physicians to rise up once again," he said, while "at the same time the number of referrals was also going up."He said doctors calling him for advice "would tell me that they didn't feel comfortable recommending marijuana for patients who needed it" because they feared some sort of federal action.Under a 1999 agreement with the Sonoma County district attorney, doctors from the 650-member association review physician recommendations for marijuana use.About 330 county residents have received what are known as peer-reviewed verifications, McLaughlin said. "Only a handful" of recommendations have been rejected, he said.Medical marijuana advocates also hailed Tuesday's decision."Every positive development on every level makes a difference, but this one, I think, is critical," said Ernest "Doc" Knapp, spokesman for the Sonoma Medical Marijuana Alliance. "It takes away the government's ability to threaten doctors with sanctions."Source: Press Democrat, The (CA)Author: Jeremy Hay, The Press DemocratPublished: October 30, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Press DemocratContact: letters pressdemo.comWebsite: http://www.pressdemo.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Farmacyhttp://www.farmacy.orgConant vs. Walters in PDF http://freedomtoexhale.com/conant.pdfCourt Protects Doctors Who Recommend Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14595.shtmlMedical Marijuana Wins a Court Victoryhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14594.shtmlCourt Protects Doctors' Pot Discussions http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14592.shtml
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