cannabisnews.com: Voters Back City Pot Distribution Voters Back City Pot Distribution Posted by CN Staff on November 06, 2002 at 08:59:31 PT By Patrick Hoge, Chronicle Staff Writer Source: San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco voters approved a measure Tuesday to have the city study growing and dispensing marijuana for medical purposes in response to federal crackdowns on medical-cannabis clubs. The measure directs city officials such as the mayor, supervisors, district attorney, city attorney and public health chief to look at everything from where pot could be grown, how to distribute it and the liability. The next step could be enacting legislation. The measure was placed on the ballot by the Board of Supervisors at the urging of Supervisor Mark Leno, who was handily winning Tuesday night as the Democratic nominee for the state Assembly seat representing the eastern half of San Francisco. San Francisco's public health chief, Dr. Mitch Katz, supported the ballot measure, Proposition S. He prescribes marijuana to some patients in his AIDS practice at San Francisco General Hospital, saying it has benefits that other drugs can't achieve. Opponents argue the campaign for medical marijuana is a vehicle for people who have a larger aim of decriminalizing marijuana altogether. Although the measure was approved, growing and distributing marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and federal officials would likely move to shut any program. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has raided medical pot clubs in Oakland, Petaluma, San Francisco and Santa Cruz and arrested people for possessing or distributing marijuana supposedly being used for medicinal purposes. In September, city officials in Santa Cruz allowed advocates to distribute cannabis products in the courtyard of City Hall after federal agents busted a local pot club. Snipped: Complete Article: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/11/06/BA13817.DTL Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Patrick Hoge, Chronicle Staff WriterPublished: Wednesday, November 6, 2002Copyright: 2002 San Francisco Chronicle - Page A - 26Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmProp. S: Challenging the Feds http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14669.shtmlSan Francisco Considers Growing Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14640.shtmlS.F. Voters Support Marijuana Measure http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14101.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by TecHnoCult on November 06, 2002 at 09:32:37 PT Rest of the Article... In early October, the San Jose police chief pulled three of his officers from a DEA task force that conducted the Santa Cruz raid saying such pot raids wasted his officers' time. Such conflicts between local and federal government increased after 1996 when California voters approved Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, which gave state sanction to the medical use of pot. Eight other states have since adopted similar laws. State Attorney General Bill Lockyer has supported Proposition 215 and has left its implementation to local governments. The law did not specify how patients were supposed to get marijuana for medical use. Last year, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a symbolic measure declaring San Francisco a sanctuary for the use, cultivation and distribution of medical marijuana. Nine medical cannabis clubs, serving an estimated 2,000 patients a day, now operate in San Francisco with tacit approval by City Hall. The city's Department of Health has distributed about 3,700 official identification cards to medical marijuana users and their caregivers with the idea that they can avoid arrest if they possess a small amount of pot and they are stopped by an officer. Leno envisions growing cannabis on vacant city property, and has said that such a program could provide agriculture training for the city's unemployed. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment