cannabisnews.com: Tehama's Policy On Medicinal Pot Worth Borrowing Tehama's Policy On Medicinal Pot Worth Borrowing Posted by FoM on December 25, 1999 at 12:09:22 PT Editorial Opinion Source: Record Searchlight Tehama County Sheriff Clay Parker has solved a problem that has vexed law enforcement ever since California voters approved the medicinal use of marijuana in 1996.The question is how much pot can a patient grow and possess without risking arrest? The law permits patients, usually those in pain or suffering eating disorders from disease, to possess a ''reasonable'' amount of marijuana as deemed necessary by a physician. Determining just what is a reasonable amount has been the sticking point.Deputies would encounter people growing marijuana with a doctor's note but maybe the number of plants would be more than just for personal use, they reasoned. Growers would defend their crop by saying they didn't know the limit. Well, now Tehama County has taken the lead in the north state by setting specific rules on cultivation (18 seedlings leading to three mature plants) and possession (3 pounds of processed marijuana).''It's been such an open issue, no one wanted to set guidelines,'' Parker said.The Tehama County sheriff came up with the ground-breaking policy after consulting with cannabis clubs, the state attorney general's office and patients who grow their own. The rules also have clarified enforcement for the Red Bluff and Corning police departments.While 3 pounds of pot for personal possession seems like a lot, Parker said the amount represents about a year's supply for a patient, roughly equaling 12 joints a day.Parker has tried to cover all the angles. People permitted to have marijuana can't legally share their stash, even with other patients, because that would be tantamount to dealing. Also, there's a provision allowing a caregiver to grow pot for the person in their care as long as they live in the same residence.The sheriff would like to take the rules a step further through an ordinance requiring medicinal pot growers to secure outdoor crops with fencing or even an alarm system. This would help prevent ''patch pirates'' from raiding a garden, which officers would have to investigate as a crime.While it seems odd for a lawman to be regulating the use of a drug, it's a necessary step that actually will help officers enforce the broader marijuana laws. Other north state counties would do well to consider and perhaps borrow Tehama County's novel approach.Published: December 23, 1999©1999 Record Searchlight Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by Dave in Florida on December 26, 1999 at 07:00:42 PT A show to watch Investigative Reports:Seized by the LawAirs Monday, December 27 at 9pm ET/6pm PTHard-hitting documentary about drug seizure laws that haveallowed police to seize money and other valuables frominnocent victims. http://www.aande.com/tv/shows/billkurtis/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on December 25, 1999 at 12:17:20 PT A...*small* ... step in the right direction Sooner or later, the realization will be made that the present restrictions, bourne of purely arbitrary determinations, are as pointless as the Prohibition-era dispensing of alcohol as being 'purely for medicinal purposes'. Eventually, there may be no such restrictions in the future. But for now, until the WoSD control-freak mentality is replaced with a more practical modus operandi, we will have to settle for incremental changes, like the one above. But, for the most part, we are heading in the right direction. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: