cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana IDs Go Statewide Medical Marijuana IDs Go Statewide Posted by CN Staff on October 14, 2003 at 09:22:20 PT By The Daily Journal Source: Ukiah Daily Journal A statewide medical marijuana ID card system, like the one now in use in Mendocino County, was signed into law Saturday by out-going Gov. Gray Davis. "I couldn't be happier," said Mendocino County Sheriff Tony Craver, whose department has been issuing cards in this county.Craver has taken some heat over his implementation of the ID card system here and says that he believes in medical marijuana but is glad that somebody else will be issuing cards in the future. The new statewide system is voluntary and will put administration of the system entirely in the hands of public health officials, according to Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access, an organization devoted to improving access to medical marijuana."They can delegate that to the Sheriff's office," Craver said. "But I'd be tickled to death to have them do it. We would be happy to assist, of course." When the Mendocino County ID card system was put together with the cooperation of Craver, District Attorney Norm Vroman and Public Health Office Marvin Trotter, some medical marijuana users objected to having law enforcement be the issuing office. Now, under the new state law, only health officials would interact with medical marijuana patients.Patients' names would not be kept on file, rather each patient would be assigned an identifying number by which he or she could grow or possess six mature plants or 12 immature plants or eight ounces of dried marijuana and be safe from arrest or confiscation of the marijuana. Counties, like Mendocino County, which allow more plants or possession of more dried marijuana, could leave those higher limits in place, although they would only apply in that county.There will also be a seven-day-a-week, 24-hour-a-day central dispatch where any law enforcement officer can check on an ID card holder.Sherer says the new statewide system which will go into effect Jan. 1 will at least allow medical marijuana patients to travel throughout the state without fear of being arrested or having their medicine confiscated.However, the new law may create other problems. Sherer says she worries that those patients who still do not feel they should have to submit to an ID card system may have more trouble with law enforcement, which may take the lack of a state-issued ID card as proof that the pot being carried or grown is not medical marijuana.Sherer is a medical marijuana patient herself, and says the state limits will not be high enough for her as she requires four pounds of marijuana a year for the tincture she ingests. She says it would take more than six plants to produce four pounds. The new law does allow doctors to prescribe additional amounts, but she says most doctors are not comfortable committing to actual amounts of pot in their prescriptions."It will be a great thing or a scary thing," she said of the new law, "we have to wait and see." She added that state Attorney General Bill Lockyer will be "key" as he will set the tone for law enforcement's acceptance of the ID card system.SB 420 was one of dozens of bills Gov. Davis signed over the weekend in a flurry of activity to get legislation on the books before he leaves office. Sherer says that the Americans For Safe Access will wait and see what the reaction of the Schwarzenegger administration is to the new law but notes that the governor-elect said he supported medical marijuana during his brief campaign.Medical marijuana was legalized in California in 1996 when voters approved Prop. 215. Since then the law has been in a kind of limbo, with a handful of counties implementing ID card systems (Mendocino County being the first) and other counties continuing to arrest and prosecute medical marijuana patients. Also, the federal government has never recognized the law, saying federal antidrug laws supersede the state's voter initiative.But Sherer says she thinks Prop. 215 overall has had a positive effect. Not only has it improved the chances of the sick and dying who need medical marijuana to have it, it has also opened communication between doctors and their patients on the topic. She says her own physician suggested she try marijuana for her medical condition, something she hadn't before considered."I'd be on dialysis right now if he hadn't discussed it with me," she said.The new ID card system may take some getting used to, but Mendocino County, at least, is ready."I'm just beside myself," Craver said. "Basically that's the first sensible thing (Gray Davis) has done regarding medical marijuana. We've been providing an amicable service to the people in Mendocino County. Now we have a standardized policy that serves all the people of California, and I couldn't be happier." Source: Ukiah Daily Journal (CA)Published: Tuesday, October 14, 2003Copyright: 2003 Ukiah Daily JournalContact: udj pacific.netWebsite: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Americans For Safe Access http://www.safeaccessnow.org/Davis Signs Adjunct To Medical Pot Lawhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17562.shtmlFoes Protest Limits on Medical Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17561.shtmlDavis Signs Medical Marijuana Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17554.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by Jose Melendez on October 14, 2003 at 11:14:30 PT watch pot-tv First it's illegal to posses small amounts of marijuana... then it's not... now it is again... but that might change... depending on which Prime Minister you listen to. White House officials say we should be "ashamed" of our leaders... if you care what White House officials think anymore... all because judges want to make it easier for medical marijuana users to get pot from a legal supply that doesn't even exist! So where do you stand on marijuana reform? Featuring John Conroy, Alan Young, and Dan "The Traitor" McTeague.http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-2247.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on October 14, 2003 at 10:54:08 PT Related Article on SB420 Want To Buy Pot? Where's Your ID?: http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1413,86~10669~1697477,00.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment