cannabisnews.com: Pot Issue Simmers on Divided Board





Pot Issue Simmers on Divided Board
Posted by CN Staff on November 25, 2004 at 17:55:46 PT
By Vanessa Turner
Source: Calaveras Enterprise
Where medical marijuana dispensaries, if any, remains an unanswered question in Calaveras County.Supervisor Merita Callaway made a motion Monday to support a new ordinance, which would put them as a conditional use in all zoning districts designated as professional offices. But that motion died for lack of a second.
Supervisor and board Chairman Tom Tryon supported the ordinance, but as chairman could not make a second on the motion.Supervisors Lucy Thein and Victoria Erickson were opposed. Supervisor Paul Stein has left the board and is now chief deputy director of the state Department of Fish and Game.The item will come back in January when two new supervisors. Steve Wilensky, who is taking Stein's seat, and Bill Claudino, who is taking Thein's seat, are on the board.Kim Cue of San Andreas, who prompted the dispensary issue with her application to have one in San Andreas near the county surveyor and 4-H offices, said after the board meeting if the board doesn't approve something in January she'll have to take legal action."I'm not backing down," she said. But she also noted, "I don't want to take it to that extent."Cue runs Calaveras Compassion Collective, a medical marijuana delivery service with 60 to 70 clients in Calaveras County."I'm dealing with such an abundance," Cue said. That's why she applied for a dispensary.Her patient, David, told the board he needs medical marijuana."I've had 60 operations, lost my leg and have Hepatitis C," David said. "I can't take pain medications. They're killing my liver."Medical marijuana doesn't affect his liver, he told the board.Two other people with no affiliation to Cue spoke about the benefits of medical marijuana.Wayland Ezell of Copperopolis, who has undergone chemotherapy for cancer, which he was diagnosed with in May 2003, said, "There are a number of cancer patients who could benefit from using marijuana to prevent nausea and vomiting (caused by the chemotherapy). You don't know what the pain is and the effects. I don't care if I live if I have to live under this kind of pain."It is less expensive than many prescription drugs, which is important because many Calaveras County residents lack health insurance, or have no prescription drug coverage, or they are on a limited monthly budget," Ezell added.Paul Stark teared up as he told the board of his condition and why he requires medical marijuana, which he gets from the Bay Area."I've had three neck surgeries from a disease in my spinal cord," he said. "Morphine and other drugs are more horrible to me," he said, noting that he didn't want to be around his family while he was on them. "I'm 42. It's a disgrace. It's humiliating. "I haven't eaten in three days and it's been four days before that.If the board allowed local dispensaries, "Maybe other people won't have to live the life I'm living."David Jack of Burson said he's concerned about the dispensaries and potential for litigation against the county. He cited a case in Roseville, where a dispensary was shut down by the Drug Enforcement Agency and the dispensary operator sued Roseville for issuing the permit.Sheriff Dennis Downum also spoke on the issue and said the Planning Commission, which vetoed the ordinance earlier this month, got it right."If this is a medication, then Kelly's Drug Store should be distributing it," Downum said.He asked the board to look at the situation in Roseville and said if there is any indication of drug dealing, it's the Board of Supervisors that get sued."I'm very sympathetic to all those who suffer pain," Thein said. "I cannot," she said of her decision. "I lie in bed thinking of a good place for this to go where it wouldn't be available to kids."Supervisor Victoria Erickson said this issue was difficult for her to consider after seeing her brother die of AIDS and the pain that was involved."If this was a medicine, then pharmacies would be dispensing it," she said.Source: Calaveras Enterprise (CA)Author: Vanessa TurnerPublished: Thursday, November 25, 2004 Copyright: 2004 Calaveras EnterpriseContact: editor calaverasenterprise.comWebsite: http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htm Planners Want To Snuff Pot Clubshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19789.shtml Pot Club Seeks To Operate in San Andreashttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19562.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by 13th step on November 26, 2004 at 07:04:40 PT
Unrelated: MPA says soft approach to cannabis is..
http://www.blackbritain.co.uk/news/details.aspx?i=1025&c=uk&h=MPA+says+soft+approach+to+cannabis+is+workingMPA says soft approach to cannabis is working
Category: uk Dated: 26/11/2004
The reclassification of cannabis from a class B to a class C drug has been as openly welcomed as it has been vilified.The MPA says it has saved thousands of hours and over £400,000 since cannabis was downgraded in January.
The reclassification of cannabis from a class B to a class C drug has been as openly welcomed as it has been vilified.At a Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) meeting yesterday, the general consensus was that this move had been a positive one.Reshard Auladin, Deputy Chair of the MPA said, “Most violent crimes in the capital are linked to alcohol. I have never seen an incident where an assault has been linked to cannabis. A fortune is spent bringing people to court and then they can be fined as little as £25.”However, Len Duvall, the MPA’s Chair insisted that cannabis trafficking, or instances where the drug is used in front of children would still be treated seriously.Recent figures show that since cannabis was reclassified in January, cautions for possession have gone up by just over a third, while arrests have gone down by over half since 2003.
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