cannabisnews.com: SB 420 Goes Up in Smoke SB 420 Goes Up in Smoke Posted by CN Staff on December 26, 2003 at 15:31:41 PT By Steve Kubby Source: Sierra Times Next week Californians with AIDS, glaucoma, cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic pain and other ailments were supposed to begin getting state-issued identification cards -- supposedly freeing them from jail time as they debate their medical need with cops.Instead, Sen. John Vasconcellos, the author of the legislation aimed at completely re-writing the Compassionate Use Act, is learning first hand what happens to those who place their trust in polilticians and police. It seems that officials charged with running the program say they don't have enough money to get it going. Vasconcellos said he was "astonished" and "angry." "This is a fee-based program, but we need startup funding," said Lea Brooks, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health Services. "We have a very tight budget.""Departments are there to carry out the law -- not (flout) it," said, Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara.Dennis Peron, one of the driving forces behind Proposition 215, said he doesn't support the new law and said he is thinking about suing to block its implementation."Anybody who registers with the cops is crazy," Peron said.Advocates tout SB 420 as a win-win for those in need and for cops and courts -- allowing police to finally distinguish between cancer patients and criminals. However, the radical new law also imposes legal limits on marijuana possession. Patients or primary caregivers may possess no more than 8 ounces of dried marijuana. Additionally, they may maintain no more than six mature and 12 immature marijuana plants per qualified patient. Higher limits are possible, if set by local authorities or if patients can prove a greater medical need.But those limits won't go into effect until the ID card portion becomes reality.Brooks said the state health department would need four people working full time and $470,000 to get the program on its feet.Once running, the program would support itself through fees collected from cardholders.The 389-word Proposition 215 has infuriated police, prosecutors and judges, because it avoids setting any limit other than "for medical use." Opponents continue to attempt to gut California's medical marijuana law by demanding strict limits on how much marijuana may be carried, grown, sold or consumed.As a result of officials refusing to uphold the Compassionate Use Act, as it was written and passed by the People, local officials have been illegally setting their own legal limits and arresting anyone who has more than two plants for possessing "too much for personal use." Any such attempts to change the Compassionate Use Act clearly violates the California constitution which says an initiative passed by the people can only be modified by the voters. Courts also have played a major role gutting the law and eroding what's legal. However, a recent decision by the California Supreme Court, in the case of Myron Mower, upheld the rights of patients to possess as much medical marijuana as needed for "medical purposes." Source: Sierra Times.com (NV)Author: Steve Kubby Published: December 26, 2003Copyright: 2003 SierraTimes.com Contact: opeds sierratimes.com Website: http://www.sierratimes.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana.orghttp://www.marijuana.org/Pot Measure Stuck at Starting Linehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18050.shtmlPot ID Law Sparks Criticismhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17621.shtmlPot Bill Splits Pro-Smoking Groups http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17612.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by jose melendez on December 28, 2003 at 04:07:04 PT it ain't me - I know nothing http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2003/12/27/news/news02.txtSenator Hooser's son arrested for possession of marijuana By TGI STAFF Dylan B. Hooser, 21, state Sen. Gary Hooser's son, was arrested earlier this month for marijuana possession.The arrest took place Thursday, Dec. 11 at 10:12 a.m., in the Ching Young Village parking lot in Hanalei, according to Kaua'i Police Department sources. Dylan Hooser was arrested and booked on charges of third-degree promotion of a detrimental drug, a petty misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of 30 days imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.Sen. Gary Hooser was emotional about his son's arrest earlier this week."Words cannot describe how troubled his mother and I are that his incident had occurred. We love our son," said Hooser, reading a statement during a telephone interview."He is a 21-year-old, and as an adult, if the charges are found to be true, he will suffer the full consequences of his behavior."He added, "We have not seen the police report. We do not know the facts of the case."Drugs are a pervasive problem in our community and throughout the nation. Rare is a family that has not been troubled by the tragedy and pain that comes with drug use," said Hooser, D-Kaua'i-Ni'ihau."While my thoughts and prayers are now focused on my own family, the incident intensifies my commitment to support meaningful action that fights drug abuse in our community," - snippedhttp://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=35465&rubrik1=Science&rubrik2=Medicine&rubrik3=Alternative%20Medicines&sort=1&sparte=4McGill University professor Dr. Mark Ware will be conducting clinical trials in order to study marijuana's beneficial effects on patients with chronic pain. Health Canada, after years of delay, has given consent to a supplier of medicinal marijuana. It is hoped that the study will provide the scientific knowledge necessary to properly prescribe dosages of marijuana to pain sufferers. 32 patients are enrolled in the study, using pipes, which are now licensed medical devices in Canada. University of Montreal family medicine chair, Dr. Francois Lehmann, says, "I wouldn't know how to prescribe it because to my knowledge, there have been no studies of smoked marijuana." - snipped what we DO know- drug war IS crime [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by jose melendez on December 27, 2003 at 08:53:28 PT more satire, kind of ONDCP buys Google:http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3751410/ drug war violates Const. Art. III, Sec. 3 [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on December 26, 2003 at 16:07:47 PT I wish Steve wouldn't pretend he's a journalist It's considered basic ethics in journalism to identify yourself as an interested party if you are one, and Steve is a very interested party, to be sure.It bothers me that he ignores basic ethics to manipulate people. His point is valid. He doesn't need to sink THIS low to make it. Why can't he be honest?If you're fighting in the name of a good cause, then you should be ethical and honest with everyone. It's not honest to pretend that you're reporting news when in fact you're really arguing for your own side in a debate.His pretend news article makes it sound like there are not any MMJ patients anywhere who want this bill.That is so disrespecful to other patients, it really pains me a great deal to see people being treated in such a disrespectful manner. As if they simply don't exist, as if their opinion is so wrong, they're just not worthy at all of being listened to in any way.It hurts to be treated that way. But I suppose he doesn't care. His own enormous hurt is all that matters and the hurt of people who happen to disagree with him on this does not.Merry Christmas, Steve. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment