cannabisnews.com: Lockyer Gives Quiet OK to S.F. Pot Clubs!





Lockyer Gives Quiet OK to S.F. Pot Clubs!
Posted by FoM on March 21, 1999 at 07:39:46 PT

California's attorney general told San Francisco authorities yesterday that medicinal marijuana distribution in the city can proceed if it is done discreetly, so that federal authorities do not feel the need to intervene. 
The advice from Bill Lockyer, who supported the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996, was a tacit recognition that pot is quietly being dispensed for medicinal use in San Francisco. The distribution is taking place even though U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ordered the high- profile Cannabis Cultivators Club shut down last year for violating federal law. The court order also closed a few other big Bay Area pot clubs. ``I respect local community values,'' Lockyer said after a meeting in the office of Board of Supervisors President Tom Ammiano. Others on hand included San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan, City Attorney Louise Renne and Dr. Mitch Katz, director of the city's Department of Public Health. ``If local law enforcement is supportive of implementation of Proposition 215 and their policies don't provoke outside prosecution, I have no intention of intervening,'' added Lockyer, a Democrat who was elected in November to replace Dan Lungren, who vigorously opposed legalizing the medicinal use of marijuana. Lungren dueled with Dennis Peron, founder of the Cannabis Cultivators Club, but it was the federal government that finally shut down the 9,000-member operation. Since then, smaller groups have quietly tried to take up the slack. They work with Hallinan's office to ensure that patients produce verifiable recommendations for treatment from doctors, and they shun publicity in order to avoid federal attention. A reporter's call to one of them to ask about its operations brought this response: ``I can't comment. We're trying to stay open. The city is well aware of what we're up to.'' ``My advice to them is to keep their heads down. Keep a low profile,'' Hallinan said after the late-afternoon meeting. One pot club that will comment is the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club, which is appealing Breyer's order. It is still taking in patients, but instead of dispensing pot, it refers them to other organizations that distribute the substance. ``I think Lockyer can defy the feds,'' said the Oakland club's Jeff Jones. Lockyer has appointed a task force to determine how California can implement Proposition 215, despite federal disapproval. ``If the task force were to say that clubs can't operate because of the federal government, then they aren't being creative enough,'' Jones added. Ammiano said he took heart from Lockyer's words. ``If we attempt to distribute marijuana to those who are verifiably sick, and if that is not done with an in-your-face attitude, we can almost guarantee that those people's needs will be met,'' he said. The office of U.S. Attorney Robert Mueller declined to comment on Lockyer's statement that low-key pot distribution probably would not spark a federal response. Calls were referred to Washington, D.C., where Justice Department offices were already closed. Lockyer also said he plans to lobby in Washington on Monday along with attorneys general from other Western states that have passed pot propositions. Bolstered by a study released this week that showed marijuana is effective in combatting the side effects of some diseases, they want marijuana reclassified by the federal government as a less-dangerous substance. They also want the government to step up its research into marijuana's medical uses. Those at the meeting discussed having the city Department of Public Health get into the medicinal pot distribution business. But both Lockyer and Ammiano said there are many unanswered questions about such direct city involvement. For now, Ammiano suggested, the city will explore the idea of having the department help verify that patients' referrals from doctors are genuine. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/cnews/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/03/20/MN106650.DTL©1999 San Francisco Chronicle 
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