cannabisnews.com: All Eyes on SLO as City Looks at Medical Pot All Eyes on SLO as City Looks at Medical Pot Posted by CN Staff on October 18, 2004 at 11:53:26 PT By Leslie Griffy, The Tribune Source: San Luis Obispo Tribune San Luis Obispo -- The federal government says marijuana is dangerous and illegal, but 79-year-old Bill Denneen says the drug keeps him from losing his sight.As the San Luis Obispo City Council decides Tuesday whether to allow a center for the distribution of medicinal marijuana in town, Denneen and others who say they need the drug will be watching. When Denneen found out he had glaucoma 15 years ago, the doctor gave him eye drops to treat it.But his vision got worse -- fuzzy around the edges. So he went back to the doctor."He gave me new eye drops," Denneen said. "My son gave me marijuana."He started his new regimen 10 years ago, eating foods baked with home-grown marijuana once a day.Today, Denneen says, he sees just as well as he did then, even if he will never get back the vision he lost before he started treating himself with marijuana. He is still able to tend to his Nipomo farm.Though the federal government makes the growing, possession, distribution and use of marijuana illegal, in 1996 California voters decided to let sick people use it with a doctor's recommendation.The U.S. Supreme Court could decide next summer if states can allow the use of medical marijuana over federal objections. Local Control Because of the legal conflict, the state has yet to set up a way for patients prescribed the drug to legally get it.Some cities are filling the void by regulating medical marijuana distribution centers.San Luis Obispo could follow the lead of cities such as Santa Cruz and Placerville if the council decides to approve the centers.Vince Cukrov, who lives in San Luis Obispo and is HIV positive, said he would appreciate having a safe and locally regulated way to get medical marijuana.The 11 pills that Cukrov takes every day make him nauseous and cause the nerves of his hands and feet to ache. Marijuana helps him eat and eases his pain, he said."I have to take these medications for the rest of my life. I don't want to feel nauseated for the rest of my life. I don't want to be in pain the rest of my life," Cukrov said.HIV patients often also suffer from wasting, serious weight loss that threatens their health. Cukrov was down to 120 pounds; he needs to weigh about 165, and is currently around 160 pounds."Sometimes, I just can't eat. When I smoke pot, I feel like I can have a meal. That doesn't happen very often," he said. Regulating Dispensaries The city could regulate medical-marijuana distribution centers by allowing them to open as long as they aren't near schools, as well as requiring patients to register and putting strict limits on the number people allowed to use the centers.The council could also ban the centers outright, or decide to wait until the Supreme Court ruling.Denise Taylor, a doctor with the county, says she hopes the city doesn't prohibit the facilities."It would provide me another tool to treat my patients," said Taylor, who specializes in HIV cases.Many of the drugs that prevent wasting are prohibitively expensive, she added.The center would also help keep her patients off the street looking for drugs on the black market, she said.Increase in crime?If the city regulates the center, it wouldn't become a place for marijuana users to spend the day, Cukrov argues. Rather, he envisions a med- ical-marijuana pharmacy."It would be like going to the drug store and getting the little extra bit of medicine I need to stay alive," he said.He and Denneen also say it would not lead to more drug abuse or crime in the city."For sick people it is not a gateway drug," Cukrov said. "I couldn't take anything harder; I am a mess as it is."San Luis Obispo Police Chief Deb Linden said a dispensary in Hayward was robbed, and she worries crime could in fact increase if a local dispensary was opened.If it were up to her, Linden would want the city to wait for the high court's decision.For his part, Denneen said he has to remind himself to take his marijuana."Anyway, my drug of choice is beer," he joked."As long as I need it to prevent me from going blind, I'll use it," Denneen said. "I don't break the law. I don't buy it. I would never sell it."Cukrov hopes the council -- with the mayor and two seats being picked this November -- will put aside election-year politics."I want the politicians to look at this from the human level. A political hot potato should not be made out of caring for sick people," he said.Note: Because of legal conflict, the state hasn't set up a way for patients to get the drug; some cities fill the void with distribution centers.Source: Tribune, The (CA)Author: Leslie Griffy, The TribunePublished: October 18, 2004Copyright: 2004 The TribuneContact: letters thetribunenews.comWebsite: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #11 posted by Max Flowers on October 19, 2004 at 09:43:45 PT SLO's mad dog narcs & deputies I'm familiar with the way the SLO County Sheriff's office operates, and let me tell you, they are going to have to do a lot of changing if they are going to be legal and work with people. They're pretty brutal, they have killed unarmed people based on not much more than their looks, and they raided and injured a friend of mine with a trumped-up warrant because they didn't like his looks either. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by escapegoat on October 19, 2004 at 07:13:11 PT Canadian icon gives joint-rolling instructions Canadian author and icon Pierre Berton gives advice on how to roll a joint.http://www.cbc.ca/mondayreport/monrep_player.html?rmmr_celebritytip_pierreburton [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on October 18, 2004 at 17:09:49 PT CorvallisEric That's a very good link. I watch the news and read the news and try to understand who is leading. I will use it to help me from going crazy! LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by CorvallisEric on October 18, 2004 at 17:01:07 PT Irresistible website for political junkies, ... ... map junkies, and Mozilla fans (I'm all 3) - mentioned in Pete Guither's link in comment 6 (thanks, sukoi). It has a daily map based on the latest polls showing states in 7 gradations of red thru blue. There's a link on each map page for the previous day's report, so Mozilla and Opera users can put each page in a tab to see the trends. Mouse-over the states for details.http://www.electoral-vote.com/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on October 18, 2004 at 16:16:16 PT sukoi Thank you. I read about Kerry and Bush and it's about the way I see it too. It's going to be a long time for drug policy reform but Kerry would be more open to change then Bush. Bush is set in his ways. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by sukoi on October 18, 2004 at 15:54:29 PT Head to Head: Kerry v. Bush Pete Guither does a great job of pointing out differences between Kerry and Bush with regard to MMJ:Medical Marijuana Actions and Statements http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/2004/10/18.html#a613Also, if you haven’t already, take a look at comment #11 (regarding the tri-state brief) in this post http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19654.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by The GCW on October 18, 2004 at 13:54:14 PT Marc Emery, Welcome out. Thank You. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on October 18, 2004 at 13:06:44 PT Max Flowers I'm sure he will do something. He's a powerful activist. I don't visit CC but I do get the CCC list and that's where I heard about his release. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on October 18, 2004 at 13:06:37 PT What makes this so hard is a paradigm shift The paradigm of industrial medicine is threatened by cannabis.This isn't the way a modern industrial society is supposed to do things.We're supposed to cut down trees and build a factory and pump oil out of the ground for shipping.And have everyone's name in a database.We're not supposed to be farming out the back door and putting it in cupcakes and only using our feet to carry it around. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Max Flowers on October 18, 2004 at 12:52:02 PT Yep Thanks FoM.I hope he sues them for false imprisonment or whatever the Canadian equivalent is. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on October 18, 2004 at 12:34:10 PT Off Topic I just read that Marc Emery was released from Jail and I thought some here might like to know it. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment