cannabisnews.com: Three Pound Pot Limit Could Be Set





Three Pound Pot Limit Could Be Set
Posted by CN Staff on August 13, 2004 at 08:10:24 PT
By Brian Seals, Sentinel Staff Writer
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel 
Santa Cruz -- Medical-marijuana patients in Santa Cruz County would be allowed to possess 3 pounds of pot under guidelines recommended by a group of physicians. No kidding — 3 pounds. As in, 48 ounces. While that amount might even make Cheech and Chong blush at first glance, doctors and patients alike say it’s appropriate for medicinal purposes.
Three pounds over the course of a year is understandable when a chronically ill person is trying to avoid such medicines as pharmaceutical opiates, said Valerie Corral of the Wo/men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana.Also, nonsmoking alternatives to pot require greater amounts of it."There are many patients who do use that much," she said. "In fact, it’s not as much as it may seem."The Board of Supervisors will consider new guidelines when it meets Tuesday. The board will decide whether to ask the County Counsel’s Office to craft an ordinance reflecting the recommendations and return it for consideration by Oct. 5. The item is on the consent agenda, and those matters typically are not discussed unless a resident or board member requests they be.The guidelines also would allow patients to maintain a 100-square-foot canopy of pot plants. Canopy is a measure of leaf coverage in a given area. Experts say using canopy as a measure, rather than the number of plants, is a better method as it accounts for large plants. The recommendations also call for greater quantities to be allowed should a doctor recommend it.At the request of Sheriff Mark Tracy, the Board of Supervisors asked former county health officer George Wolfe in May to convene a group of physicians to craft recommendations on how much marijuana was appropriate to grow and possess.Wolfe said he and a group of physicians who have experience with patients using medical marijuana looked at a string of factors, from what other counties are doing to what patients are using. The group also gleaned information from an obscure federal program which oversees a pot garden at the University of Mississippi. Information from three patients in that program was that they get about 6 pounds per year.Wolfe said amounts recommended to the board equal three to four marijuana cigarettes per day."The clinicians felt that would take care of the need of most of their patients," Wolfe said.Tracy was out of town Thursday and could not be reached to comment.The local guidelines come in the wake of SB 420, written by state Sen. John Vasconcellos and passed by the Legislature in 2003.That law sought to set a standard on how much weed California patients could have on hand, to spare police from making judgment calls.The law allowed patients to keep a half-pound on hand, six mature plants and 12 immature plants.However, the measure also allowed local governments to set their own guidelines, and medical marijuana advocates here said the amounts set by SB 420 were inadequate for many."People who are ill obviously have a hard time making frequent purchases," Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt said. "I think this is a good recommendation."Santa Cruz County’s proposed guidelines mirror those already adopted in Humboldt and Sonoma counties. Others have adopted their own guidelines as well. Berkeley allows 10 plants and 2.5 pounds per patient while Mendocino County’s policy allows 2 pounds and up to 100 square feet of canopy, for example.Summaries of various policies in California are available at: http://www.safeaccessnow.net/countyguidelines.htmSource: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA)Author: Brian Seals, Sentinel Staff WriterPublished: August 13, 2004 Copyright: 2004 Santa Cruz SentinelContact: editorial santa-cruz.comWebsite: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/Pictures From WAMM Protesthttp://freedomtoexhale.com/eventpics.htmDoctors To Decide on Legal Pot Dosages http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18890.shtmlWoman Has Led Fight for MMJ To New Highhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18873.shtmlJudge Prohibits Raids on Pot Clubhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18712.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on August 15, 2004 at 22:20:20 PT
ASA: Call To Action
[asa] Call to Action: MMJ Patients to Converge in DC - Demand Rescheduling   
STOP THE FEDERAL WAR ON PATIENTS FOREVERMEDICAL MARIJUANA: HEALTHCARE, NOT POLITICSHHS: OUR HEALTH IS IN YOUR HANDS! October 5, 2004, Washington DC WHAT:  RALLY FOR RESCHEDULING MARIJUANA AS MEDICINEWHERE: HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (HHS), WASHINGTON DCWHEN:  TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 2004, 10 AMWHO:   PATIENTS, DOCTORS, MEDICAL ASSOCIATIONS…& YOU! WHAT IS IT?  This rally of medical marijuana patients and medical associations includes a press event to hand-deliver a sign-on letter to Tommy Thompson, head of Health & Human Services, affirming that marijuana DOES have accepted medical use, and to recommend its immediate rescheduling! It’s time that HHS accepts that Our Health is in Their Hands, and does their job.   WHY HHS?   To ensure safe access for ALL patients, marijuana must be rescheduled, and its medicinal value recognized on the federal level. This will allow the country to have the conversation that is needed about cannabis therapies. We should be figuring out how to get this medicine to patients, not still debating on whether or not marijuana is medicine. Health and Human Services (HHS) has the power to make this change. If HSS allows that marijuana has medical value, the DEA must recommend rescheduling. However, in 2001, HHS ruled that marijuana had, “No currently accepted medical use in treatment.” They did not address the mountain of data recognizing cannabis as a useful treatment, by itself or as an adjunct to other therapies. This allowed the DEA to reject rescheduling and gave them implicit permission to raid patients. Six months later, the DEA started raiding and closing California dispensaries. WHY OCTOBER? A. This is an opportunity to educate the American public on Bush’s record before the election. The Bush/Ashcroft attack on patients was so unpopular that they have retreated in this election year. We will be there to remind those voters with short memories about Bush’s war on patients.B. The next Administration & Congress need to know there is a way to end the war on patients outside of the legislature. There is a petition for rescheduling cannabis in front of Health and Human Services right now. Marijuana can and should be rescheduled by health officials, not politicians, and this is how it can happen. C. The Supreme Court will hear the Raich/Monson case after October. Whether it wins or loses, we need to look ahead to the future of protecting ALL patients.WHAT SHOULD I DO?1. COME TO WASHINGTON DC: Drop an email to info safeaccessnow.org or call 510.486.8083 and give us your name, address, your phone number, and your e-mail address if you would like to join us. if you can't come, please contribute to someone else that can!2. GET YOUR MATERIALS: Download the Community Fundraising materials and action flyers from http://www.safeaccessnow.org/ 3. START FUNDRAISING: You will be representing all the medical marijuana patients from your area who will not be there. Ask the community for help in sending you to DC! Personalize and send out the fundraising letter to everyone in your address book. Track donations with the Pledge Form so you can thank everyone later, and know when you’ve met your fundraising goal.4. THROW A HOUSE PARTY: Invite over your friends, family, other patients and others and explain why we need to have marijuana rescheduled. Ask for donations to support your travel costs. Arrange for a report back after your return. 5. BRING A SHOW OF HANDS: Activists who can come to DC are asked to bring handprints from supporters or other patients with their messages to HHS. We will assemble them together to show our true numbers.WHO ARE WE?   Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national grassroots coalition working to protect the rights of patients and doctors to legally use marijuana for medical purposes. Our mission is to ensure safe, legal access to marijuana for all who are helped by it. We provide legal training for lawyers and patients, medical information for doctors and patients, media support for court cases, activist training to grassroots organizers, and rapid response to law enforcement encounters. We work with local, state and national legislators to raise awareness of issues concerning medical marijuana patients. For more information, call 510-486-8083 or visit: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 13, 2004 at 12:53:34 PT
Related Article from The Associated Press
Patients Would Be Allowed To Keep 3 Pounds Of Pot August 13, 2004SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- Medical marijuana patients in Santa Cruz County would be allowed to keep three pounds of pot if officials go along with a recommendation by a group of doctors.Doctors and patients said legal possession of 48 ounces of marijuana is appropriate for medicinal purposes. Three pounds over the course of a year is understandable, said Valerie Corral of the Wo/mens Alliance for Medical Marijuana. The Board of Supervisors will consider new medical marijuana guidelines on Tuesday.The board will decide whether to ask the county counsel to craft an ordinance reflecting the recommendations and return it for consideration by Oct. 5.The guidelines also would allow patients to maintain a 100-square-foot canopy - a measure of leaf coverage over an area - of pot plants. 
 The recommendations call for quantities greater than three pounds if a doctor recommends it.At the request of Sheriff Mark Tracy, supervisors asked former county health officer George Wolfe to convene a group of physicians to craft recommendations on how much marijuana was appropriate to grow and possess.Wolfe said amounts recommended to the board equal three to four marijuana cigarettes per day."The clinicians felt that would take care of the need of most of their patients," Wolfe said.The guidelines come in the wake of SB 420, written by state Sen. John Vasconcellos and passed by the Legislature in 2003. The law sought to set a standard on how much pot California patients could have on hand so police wouldn't be forced to make judgment calls.The law allowed patients to possess a half-pound, six mature plants and 12 immature plants. However, the measure also allowed local governments to set their own guidelines, and medical marijuana advocates here said the amounts set by SB 420 were inadequate for many."People who are ill obviously have a hard time making frequent purchases," Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt said. "I think this is a good recommendation."Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press
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