cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Task Force Offers a Workable Plan!





Marijuana Task Force Offers a Workable Plan!
Posted by FoM on July 13, 1999 at 10:37:27 PT
Source: SF Gate
TWO AND A HALF years after California voters legalized medical marijuana with Proposition 215, a state Assembly committee will debate a bill today to establish a system to make the law work. And it's about time. 
The bill (SB848), by state Sen. John Vasconcellos, outlines a plan for a statewide registration system to immunize patients and their caregivers from being arrested for using, possessing or growing medical pot. Unveiled yesterday in Sacramento, the measure is the product of the Medical Marijuana Task Force, convened by state Attorney General Bill Lockyer to find creative ways to implement and oversee the state law. Lockyer deserves credit for creating a balanced task force -- including police, prosecutors, drug experts, doctors, growers, pot advocates and opponents -- to seek a solution to the conflict between state and federal drug laws. Proposition 215 passed overwhelmingly in 1996, but federal and state drug warriors have been fighting it ever since. When Lockyer took office in January, he appointed the task force to clarify the law and seek compassionate and practical ways to allow patients to use medical pot legally. Some so-called ``marijuana buyers' clubs'' are quietly distributing pot, but they are in violation of federal drug laws and could be busted anytime. Today, the Assembly Health Committee will consider Vasconcellos' bill to set up a system permitting pot use for patients with serious conditions, including AIDS, chronic pain, cancer, glaucoma, migraines, muscle spasms and nausea. The state Department of Health Services and county health departments would issue registration cards, with photo identification, to patients whose doctors certify they are suffering from one of the conditions. Qualified caregivers would also have cards. The Department of Health Services would determine appropriate amounts for medical use. This is not just a way for dopers to get around the law. For centuries marijuana has been used as a palliative for a variety of ills. In March, the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine, after an 18-month study, reported that pot can help ease pain and nausea, and recommended further research. SB848 is a good blueprint for a system to control the legal distribution of pot to patients who really need it. Pubdate: July 13, 1999©1999 San Francisco Chronicle Page A20 
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on July 13, 1999 at 11:01:18 PT:
Video: Help For Medical Marijuana!
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/cnews/ramhurl.cgi?file=1999/07/13-pot_kronv.rmPlusMarijuana Task Force Offers a Workable Solution!July 13, 1999http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/cnews/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/07/13/ED38616.DTL
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