cannabisnews.com: Humboldt County to Issue Marijuana ID Cards Humboldt County to Issue Marijuana ID Cards Posted by FoM on December 21, 2000 at 09:48:42 PT By David Anderson, The Times-Standard Source: Ukiah Daily Journal County supervisors on Monday tabled a proposed medical marijuana ordinance, then approved a set of rules and procedures that accomplish many of the same ends.The county will now issue photo identification cards to persons medically authorized to use marijuana to ease certain painful conditions, including glaucoma, arthritis, AIDS symptoms and several forms of cancer. The rules are based on those adopted earlier by Mendocino County and by the City of Arcata. The county has been under pressure to adopt a medical marijuana ordinance since state voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996. Legal issues arising from Prop 215 are still being fought out in federal courts.In 1999 the county appointed an advisory committee to draft a medical marijuana ordinance. The committee included law officers and potential users or providers of medical marijuana, who have not invariably seen eye-to-eye. The newly adopted rules and the tabled ordinance reflect as much agreement as could be obtained on the issue.Under the new procedures, approved the advisory Proposition 215 Committee, the County Department of Health and Human Services will issue medical marijuana patient identification cards to eligible persons. Police officers will honor the cards, but will still use their own judgment as to whether the amount of marijuana in the person's possession is reasonable, and will confiscate any they consider excessive.Sheriff Dennis Lewis said he will set departmental guidelines, which his officers will be expected to observe.The photo identification cards will be issued to county residents only, on the written recommendation of a licensed California physician. The Public Health Department will verify the physician's license and recommendation, after which documents revealing the physician's identity will be destroyed.County Health Officer Ann Lindsay said this confidentiality is necessary, because some physicians fear legal liability, or have other reasons for not wishing their recommendation of marijuana as a medical treatment to become public.The patient identification card will expire when the physician says it should, but if the recommendation is for more than one year, the card must be renewed annually. An application fee will be charged the patient to cover the county's cost in verifying the information, issuing the photo ID card and maintaining records.The Public Health Services Division will keep records of each patient's name, address, date of birth, card number and date of expiration, which will be provided during office hours to any law officer who requests it to verify a card. At the patient's written request, Public Health will also give this information to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office to keep in its own files, so officers can verify the card's validity 24 hours a day.Lindsay or her successors will report to supervisors quarterly on the progress of this pilot program, and on any problems that arise.While approving the new rules unanimously, the board tabled the proposed ordinance by a 3-1 vote, Supervisor Roger Rodoni dissenting. County Counsel Tamara Falor recommended that it not be adopted until the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on whether California's medical marijuana law can coexist with federal law.The court is not ruling directly on Prop 215, but on an injunction sought by the U.S. Department of Justice against six distributors of medical marijuana. A ruling is expected in June.The proposed ordinance had contained changes Falor recommended from an original draft submitted on Aug. 16. It defines in some detail who may receive a medical marijuana dispensation, who is authorized to grow and provide marijuana for such a person, and how the drug may be transported and distributed.But the ordinance does not specify how much marijuana will be considered legal to grow or possess for medical purpose. This has recently been the most contentious issue between medical users and law officers, particularly sheriff's deputies. Source: Ukiah Daily Journal (CA)Author: David Anderson, The Times-StandardPublished: Wednesday, December 20, 2000 Copyright: 2000, Ukiah Daily JournalAddress: 590 S. School St. Ukiah, CA 95482Fax: (707) 468-5780Contact: udj saber.netWebsite: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/Related Articles:City To Consider Pass-Card For Legal Pot Users http://cannabisnews.com/news/3/thread3583.shtmlHere's My Marijuana Card, Officerhttp://time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,23537,00.html Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by larry on February 07, 2002 at 23:31:39 PT: marijuana related deaths I read something in a psychology book the other day that made me giggle. It involved the number of anual drug related deaths for cocain, heroin, and marijuana. cocaine: 3618, heroin: 4000, marijuana: 0. Not to mention the never ending body count from alcohol. Maybe we should switch the laws of alcohol and marijuana for a couple of years and find out exactly which drug is worse. If the government can trust people to drink safely, then why are we not trustworthy of smoking marijuana? I don't mean to rant and rave, but this (to me) is just an example of how much our government is affraid of people who allow themselves to think with a different perspective. I've never in my life had a negative encounter with a stoned person. They don't want it in our society, yet they go home and listen to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Even William Shakespeare wass rumored to smoke. Like I said, I don't want to rant and rave; I just want an intelligent government who is willing to let the people decide democratically. Look at Humboldt County, they put medicinal marijuana to a vote there and wouldn't you know it... the people passed it. Maybe someday when my son is 50 years old, they will finally except it for what it really is......someday. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by A.W. on May 16, 2001 at 20:56:19 PT: Marijuana should be legalized To Whom it May Concern,I believe that marijuana should be legalized because it is an herb that has been aroud a lot longer than it has been illegal. It just seems silly that marijuana would be one of the more larger concerns of our government as opposed to poverty, education, and helping people with more serious diseases or conditions. Marijuana is not nearly as bad as cigarettes, but seems to effect close to around the same amount of lives. What I mean by that is, their are many people that get busted for posessing marijuana, but cigarettes are the major fatal slow killers. I personally don't use marijuana, but I don't see why people need to make such a fuss about it. I understand that it can effect your judgement and driving ability, but for the most part it relaxes people and makes them happy. With so much hatred and unhappiness in the world and such a short life to live it seems ridiculous that the government is finding as many reasons as possible to jump up and down and ruin people's lives over something so completely insignificant in retrospect. I don't think that our society is open enough or ready to fully except that from the beginning of the establishment of this country people have been fighting for their freedom. Thousands of wonderful, brave, hard working soldiers fought for our freedom in the revolutionary war. They died so that the rest of us could be free and live our lives the way we want to live them. That is an amazing thing. Don't get me wrong, there have been amazing advances in our country from women's rights all the way to black people's rights. I wish that in my lifetime more advances in our country will take place, and I don't see why legalizing marijuana can't be one of them. I hope you keep in mind that I am personally not a user of marijuana, but a very strong patriotic religious girl, who trusts in God and knows that he didn't put what he put on this earth so that other humans could come around and set limitations on it.Sincerely,A.W. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: