cannabisnews.com: The Week Online with DRCNet Issue #131, April 2000





The Week Online with DRCNet Issue #131, April 2000
Posted by FoM on April 07, 2000 at 12:22:01 PT
Santa Cruz Passes Ordinance Protecting MMJ Users
Source: DRCNet
In an effort to expand the reach of Proposition 215, the California medical marijuana initiative passed in 1996, Santa Cruz City Council has passed an ordinance that provides further protections for both medical marijuana patients and their doctors.
Patients who use marijuana are not currently targeted by local police; however, local officials wanted to make a statement against federal authorities, which have closed down medical marijuana buyer's clubs and arrested medical marijuana patients up and down the state. The Santa Cruz ordinance will shield patients with an ID card from prosecution and will allow not-for-profit cooperatives to sell marijuana to patients and caregivers. "People are concerned that the federal government is consistently threatening to arrest people for providing patients with medical marijuana," Council member Mike Rotkin told The Week Online. "We're looking to provide people moral and legal support for the activities (the patients) are involved in." Rotkin, who helped draft the ordinance, said Prop. 215 doesn't do enough to protect marijuana patients or their caregivers. "215 says people should have medical marijuana, but does not have the implementing legislation that says how it works," he said. "If Prop. 215 did its job, we wouldn't have to worry about the federal government coming in here, but in fact, the feds have been ignoring 215. We're looking to provide an extra layer of support for those who provide medical marijuana." The Santa Cruz law is similar to an ordinance adopted in the city of Oakland that has been challenged by the federal government. In that city, the federal government closed down a cannabis buyers club that had been operating within Oakland's guidelines. Rotkin said he hopes that the Santa Cruz ordinance will protect licensed buyer's clubs in his city. "I think (federal authorities) are going to have a harder time of it" in Santa Cruz, he said. "Of course, they have already demonstrated their insanity. I think it would be difficult here because the people getting medical marijuana all have medical diagnoses that say they need help. The case in Oakland was more sloppy, frankly." Oakland's ordinance does not strictly require patients to provide evidence of a medical condition that would be alleviated by marijuana. "They required less documentation than we will require," Rotkin said. For example, Rotkin said, the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM), which the city has licensed to dole out marijuana to patients, has demonstrated it can operate in a responsible fashion by filing cases and cooperating with the local police and DA's office. WAMM also participated in the drafting of the local ordinance. The city is currently speaking with seven other clubs who are interested in distributing medical marijuana and must make a judgment in giving out licenses to groups it deems responsible. The ordinance also requires all groups distributing marijuana be not-for-profit. Rotkin said in Oakland this was not necessarily the case. "Ideally, if the federal government wasn't being so ridiculous, medical marijuana would be a relationship of a doctor to a patient, like morphine -- regulated, but still available," Rotkin said. Meanwhile, medical marijuana users from out of town will soon be welcomed at the Compassion Flower Inn. Promising visitors "Bed, Breakfast and Bud," the hotel will feature a smoking patio and bathing suit-optional hot tub where those with doctor's notes can smoke marijuana without incurring the wrath of the concierge. The Compassion Flower Inn has set its grand opening for April 20. Related Articles & Web Sites:The Compassion Flower Innhttp://compassionflowerinn.com/WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/Use of Marijuana OK’d Without Prescription http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5222.shtmlMarijuana Theme for New Hotel in Santa Cruz http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5235.shtmlSanta Cruz Pot Ordinance Allows Medical Marijuana http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5221.shtmlBed & Breakfast Caters to Medical Marijuana Userhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5008.shtml Pictures From The Compassion Flower Innhttp://homepages.go.com/~marthag1/cfinn.htmTable of Content:1. ALERTS: Colombia, New York State, HEA Reformhttp://www.drcnet.org/wol/132.html#alerts2. Penn State Student Government Endorses HEA Reformhttp://www.drcnet.org/wol/132.html#pennstate3. CALIFORNIA: Santa Cruz Passes Ordinance Protecting MMJ Usershttp://www.drcnet.org/wol/132.html#santacruz4. Another Zero-Tolerance Message Issued and Receivedhttp://www.drcnet.org/wol/132.html#zerotolerance5. UK: Police Foundation Report Stirs Debatehttp://www.drcnet.org/wol/132.html#ukdebate6. Britain's Drug Authority Okays Full-Scale Patient Cannabis Trialshttp://www.drcnet.org/wol/132.html#cannabistrials7. More "Propaganda for Dollars" Exposed by Dan Forbes http://www.drcnet.org/wol/132.html#salon8. LEGALIZACION: The "L-Word" Enters Post-Certification Debate in Mexicohttp://www.drcnet.org/wol/132.html#legalizacion9. NEWSBRIEF: US Anti-Drug Colonel Pleads Guiltyhttp://www.drcnet.org/wol/132.html#colonelhiett10. Follow-up to Sylvester Salcedo Interviewhttp://www.drcnet.org/wol/132.html#salcedo11. No Editorial This Week...http://www.drcnet.org/wol/132.html#noeditorialThe Week Online with DRCNet Issue #131, April 2000http://www.drcnet.org/wol/132.htmlCannabisNews Articles From DRCNet:http://google.com/search?num=10&q=cannabisnews+DRCNet+site:www.cannabisnews.com
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Comment #1 posted by Realist on April 08, 2000 at 11:32:56 PT
Passing of legislation
I can't believe how ignorant people can be!You can legislate morality! BUT You can't stop people from doing what they want! If you passa law that says it is illegal to kill someonewill this eliminate all of the killers from soceity?Hell no! If you pass a law saying it is illegal tosmoke the Herb will all of the Herbsman give it up?NO!!! let me repeat myself... let me repeat myself...LET ME REPEAT MYSELF!!! If you PASS A LAW SAYING ITIS "LEAGAL" FOR POEPLE TO SMOKE THE HERB REGARDLESSOF THE REASONS DO YOU THINK THE GOVERNMENT IS GOINGTO STOP ARESSTING PEOPLE BECAUSE OF A STUPID LAW???If you truly wanted to stop the GOVERNMENT from opressing the sick or whoever, you would form your own militia and armed conflicts when arrests happenedwould ensue. It would be a Civil War! But rememberthe last Civil War in this nations history, Who won?...........The US Government!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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