cannabisnews.com: Be Wary on Marijuana Law!





Be Wary on Marijuana Law!
Posted by FoM on March 14, 1999 at 11:48:57 PT

 Lockyer's commission should develop a clear set of guidelines that specify the conditions for which medical marijuana use is accepted as a benefit by mainstream authorities; that would give police confidence in identifying abuse. 
 When Californians passed Proposition 215 in 1996 to legalize the medical use of marijuana, then-Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren pledged never to implement the measure, dismissing it as a "disaster" that will cause "an unprecedented mess." Its status has been further clouded by adamant federal refusal to recognize the California law and by the absence of any state guidance to law enforcement agencies.   Now, Lungren's successor, Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer, has changed the course of implementing the voter-approved initiative. Working with police chiefs, narcotics officers and medicinal marijuana advocates, he has promised to find ways to implement what he calls "the people's will." That sounds like a lot of leeway. The right path for California lies in more in the center of the debate.   Proposition 215 was a carelessly crafted measure, permitting physicians to prescribe marijuana not just for serious conditions like cancer, AIDS and glaucoma, but for "any . . . illness for which marijuana provides relief." That's a huge loophole inviting illegal use of marijuana. Even in a medical context, it's reckless. For instance, marijuana can worsen bacterial pneumonia in patients whose immune systems have been compromised, and long-term use can cause neurological harm.   When California voters approved Proposition 215 by a solid 56%-to-44%, it's doubtful they intended to have their state "turn on, tune in, drop out," as 1960s drug icon Timothy Leary urged. That's why Lockyer should not hastily implement a proposal from his medical marijuana advisory commission that would establish a statewide registry of medical marijuana users. The proposal is modeled after one being used in the Northern California town of Arcata. In the last month alone, police have issued about 100 permits for medical marijuana in the town of 16,000. Arcata looks more like an example of the law's evident problems than a model for implementation.   Lockyer's commission should first develop a clear set of guidelines that specify the conditions for which medical marijuana use is accepted as a benefit by mainstream authorities, including the New England Journal of Medicine, the American Public Health Assn. and the American Academy of Family Physicians. That would give police confidence in identifying abuse and reduce the time wasted trying to figure out what the law allows.   Lockyer also should make good on his promise to visit Washington this month to lobby the Drug Enforcement Administration to make an overdue change: moving marijuana from the Schedule 1 class of dangerous substances like heroin and LSD that are devoid of medicinal value, to Schedule 2, a class of potentially dangerous and addictive drugs like morphine and cocaine that can be legally prescribed by physicians with strict state oversight.   This month, Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, a liberal Democrat, introduced a bill that would do just that, but the bill needs support from centrist politicians to go anywhere. A study to be released on Wednesday by the federal Institute of Medicine is expected to find that some medical uses of marijuana benefit patients; the study should prompt some movement toward Frank's legislation. Lawmakers in Washington and Sacramento need to separate their 1960s notions of pot from medical marijuana, a drug physicians should be able to prescribe in carefully controlled--and we emphasize controlled--circumstances. http://www.latimes.com/excite/990314/t000023064.html
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Comment #1 posted by evan on June 29, 2000 at 16:57:06 PT:
Lockyer's guidelines
Where can I get a copy of Lockyer's guidelines for implementing Prop. 215? Thanks. Eva
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