cannabisnews.com: Only State Could Shield Medical Pot 





Only State Could Shield Medical Pot 
Posted by CN Staff on February 06, 2003 at 07:50:26 PT
By Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Source: San Francisco Chronicle 
When the federal government charged prominent marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal with illegal cultivation, California's medical marijuana law proved useless as a shield. With Rosenthal now convicted and facing prison, and federal charges pending against other purveyors of medicinal pot, some advocates say it's time to strengthen the shield -- ideally, by putting the state government in charge, as either the overseer of marijuana distribution or the official supplier. 
"You need the state to step in before the feds are going to blink," Dave Fratello, spokesman for the Campaign for New Drug Policies, said Wednesday. Or, as Rosenthal attorney William Simpich put it last Fridayafter a federal jury in San Francisco returned the guilty verdicts: "It's time for states and for cities in California to do it themselves. They can't put the government in jail." Proposition 215, the 1996 initiative that legalized marijuana for medical purposes in California, left distribution virtually unregulated, specifying only that patients and their caregivers could possess and grow marijuana. Local advocates, police, prosecutors and municipal agencies have filled the gap with a hodgepodge of agreements covering who can obtain the drug, how much and from what sources. The arrangements often depend on semi-official dispensaries as well as growers like Rosenthal -- entities that have proved too big for federal prosecutors to ignore, but too small to withstand a legal onslaught. Seven other states have legalized medical marijuana since 1996, and nearly all have more state regulation than California, including such measures as statewide patient registries and strict eligibility standards. There has been virtually no federal interference in those states. Advocates for a controlled distribution system, operated by either the state or local governments, say it would make participants less vulnerable to federal prosecution -- politically, and perhaps legally as well. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/bcw.htm Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff WriterPublished: Thursday, February 06, 2003 Copyright: 2003 San Francisco Chronicle - Page A - 17 Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Related Articles & Web Sites:Green-Aid.comhttp://www.green-aid.com Ed Rosenthal's Trial Pictures & Articleshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/trialpics.htmJudge Just Followed Law in Pot Trial, Experts Say http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15390.shtmlJurors: We've Been Had - San Francisco Examinerhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15381.shtmlJurors Tell Ed Rosenthal They're Sorryhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15379.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Post Comment