cannabisnews.com: Pot Club Support Possible





Pot Club Support Possible
Posted by FoM on February 28, 2000 at 14:39:00 PT
By John Woolfolk , Mercury News Staff Writer 
Source: San Jose Mercury
Council Vote: City considers giving blessings to alliance for medicinal use. A Santa Cruz organization that provides free marijuana for people whose medical conditions are alleviated by the illicit drug may get the city's official blessing under a proposal to be considered in the next couple of weeks. Councilmen Mike Rotkin and Tim Fitzmaurice want the city to sanction the work of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, and potentially other similar organizations.
``They've been very responsible in what they do, and they're making a huge difference for people,'' Rotkin said. ``This is just one more level of protection for people doing this work.''The issue could be before the city council as early as March 14, Rotkin said.Oakland is the only other city known to have taken a similar step, Rotkin said. In October 1998, the city council voted to declare a state of emergency in order to sanction the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club, which federal authorities had ordered closed. The council vote did not reopen the club, but put the city on record supporting its activity.In 1996, California voters overwhelmingly passed the ``compassionate use'' act, Proposition 215, to allow people to use marijuana if their doctors say it can alleviate certain disease symptoms. The drug is said by many to help control seizures, ease glaucoma and improve the appetites of those suffering from cancer or AIDS.The federal Justice Department, however, has not recognized a legitimate medicinal use for marijuana and has vowed to prosecute all users and providers of the drug.Rotkin said that while Santa Cruz has no authority to stop federal drug agents from raiding medicinal marijuana groups, the city's official sanction could help them fight prosecution in court.``It doesn't protect anyone from federal law, but it provides a kind of blessing,'' said Valerie Corral, Santa Cruz medical marijuana alliance's founder. ``It's extremely important we have the support of our city. It maintains access and integrity.''Since passage of Proposition 215, city police and the county sheriff have instituted policies of not citing people on marijuana charges if they are members of Corral's group or can otherwise prove a medicinal need.Santa Cruz Police Chief Steve Belcher was unavailable for comment Friday on the proposal. But Rotkin said he has spoken with police and they are not opposed to the idea.``It gives police a clear ordinance that supports what they're doing,'' Rotkin said.The city ordinance would in effect ``deputize'' members of the marijuana alliance as agents of the city as a shield against prosecution, Corral said. Rotkin said constitutional lawyers consulted by the city have assured him the ordinance would withstand a court challenge.Corral, who uses marijuana to alleviate epileptic seizures, founded the medicinal marijuana alliance in 1993 with a half-dozen friends as a collective to share access to the drug and provide mutual support. Today it has more than 200 members; three out of four are terminally ill, she said.The organization grows marijuana on a collective farm in an undisclosed location, but, unlike buyers clubs that have been targeted by federal agents, does not sell it. Members are screened for legitimate medical conditions and issued identification cards, which local police recognize, she said.John Woolfolk covers the city of Santa Cruz.Contact him at: jwoolfolk sjmercury.com (831) 423-3234 or by fax (831) 423-3119 Published: February 28, 2000 © 2000 Mercury Center.  Related Articles & Web Sites:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/OCBChttp://www.rxcbc.org/index.htmlPot Farm: Group Serves ill and Offers Supporthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread1636.shtmlValerie Corral Has Been Named to Study Marijuanahttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread841.shtmlCannabis Clubs Seem To Thrive In Legal Muckhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3438.shtmlThe 9th Circuit Inhales http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2907.shtmlMarijuana as Art By Jean Hanamotohttp://www.garlic.com/~artworks/marijuana_art/marijuana_art.html
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