cannabisnews.com: Med. Marijuana Crime in O.C. but not in Santa Cruz





Med. Marijuana Crime in O.C. but not in Santa Cruz
Posted by FoM on April 14, 2000 at 05:17:28 PT
By Teri Sforza, The Orange County Register
Source: Orange County Register
LAWS: More than three years after its passage, Prop. 215 is still hit and miss in California. If Marvin Chavez ran his medical marijuana co-op in Santa Cruz instead of Orange County, he may never have gotten six years in prison.
He may never have been arrested at all.In just the latest example of the wildly uneven application of Proposition 215 in California, the Santa Cruz City Council passed a law last week making it far easier for sick people to use pot.The law declares that anyone being treated for illnesses "for which marijuana provides relief" can use pot without a doctor's prescription."This is the compassionate thing to do," said Councilman Mike Rotkin.Officials have shown similar sentiments in San Francisco, Ventura and Mendocino counties, where cannabis clubs have been allowed to operate, or were asked to close without criminal charges being brought against anyone.Not so in Orange County, which has had one of the harshest reactions to Prop 215. Former Sheriff Brad Gates led the statewide opposition to the initiative, and investigators operated a sting against Chavez's medical marijuana co-op in 1997 and 1998, filing felony charges against Chavez and two other co-op volunteers.These varying interpretations of Prop. 215 amount to injustice, some lawmakers say."We need to make sure that, if the patient is in Shasta or San Francisco, that they're going to have the same protection under the law," said Rand Martin, chief of staff for state Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara.To that end, Vasconcellos introduced a bill last year that would "promote uniform and consistent application" of the law. It's based on the recommendations of a task force convened by Attorney General Bill Lockyer, which included police, prosecutors, doctors and medical-marijuana advocates.The bill would have established a statewide registry for medical-marijuana patients. That was the sticking point.Law enforcement wants all medical patients to register with the state, so police can quicky determine if suspects are telling the truth when they say they are medical marijuana patients.But some patients are adamantly opposed. Since California's medicinal marijuana law is in direct conflict with federal law — which still lists marijuana as an illegal substance with no medical use — patients fear that a state registry could fall into federal hands, and they could be arrested.The bill is still active. Vasconcellos hopes to bridge the gap between law enforcement and patients and pass it later this year, Martin said.Published: April 14, 2000Copyright 1999 The Orange County RegisterPlease send comments to ocregister link.freedom.com Related Articles & Web Site:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/Santa Cruz Pot Ordinance Allows Medical Marijuana http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5221.shtmlSanta Cruz Considers Medicinal Marijuana Ordinancehttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5213.shtml
END SNIP -->
Snipped
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: