cannabisnews.com: Business As Usual for Medical Marijuana Clubs Business As Usual for Medical Marijuana Clubs Posted by FoM on May 16, 2001 at 19:28:33 PT By Nina Wu of The Examiner Staff Source: San Francisco Examiner San Francisco's medical marijuana clubs reacted with a shrug to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday stating their operations are illegal under federal law. A handful of clubs that dispense the weed throughout the city said they plan to continue holding regular hours until someone tells them otherwise. So far, they said, they believe they have the support of city officials. Federal law has conflicted with state law since the passage of Proposition 215 in November 1996, when Californians approved the legalization of medical marijuana. "The fact remains that there are sick and dying people out there who need their medicine and need this service," said Sister Rosemarie, a disciple at St. Martin de Porres House who works at the San Francisco Patients' Resource Center. "We will remain open to serve our patients."Of the center's 300 patients, 60 percent have AIDS or are HIV-positive, while 30 percent have cancer and the rest have other conditions, such as glaucoma or arthritis. All patients must have proof of their doctor's approval of marijuana use and an identification card from the Department of Public Health.In spite of the court ruling, a long line formed outside the door of Cannabis Helping Alleviate Medical Problems, or CHAMP, at Church and Market streets Monday afternoon.Kevin Guyton, 50, of San Francisco, said that if it weren't for CHAMP, he would have to give up on the alternative treatment for his arthritis.He's been smoking pot since he was 16 and inhales about two joints a day to relieve the pain of his arthritis and to get to sleep at night. If CHAMP closes down, the Navy veteran who relies on Social Security payments says he'll just have to do without it."Going to the street's too much trouble," he said. "Because there's crime, it's violent and it's dangerous. And it's more expensive."Ken, a 45-year-old software consultant with wire-rim glasses, suffers from parasthesia, a condition that makes him feel acute, stabbing pains in a small area on his upper right leg. He says his neurologist prescribed medication for the pain, but it didn't work. "It just put me to sleep," he said.Then he discovered that a gram of marijuana -- smoked through a water pipe -- could provide him with relief. Not only did it stop the pain, it stopped the muscle spasms. If the club closes, he said, he will try to grow pot at home.As of yet, no clinical studies have adequately proven the medical effects of marijuana, said Hastings College of Law professor Marsha Cohen, an expert on food and drug law. The federal government didn't permit the studies.But the Supreme Court's decision means that prosecutors can crack down on local clubs, knowing that they have support from the higher courts. The question is whether a local jury will support them."It's all become an interesting game of cat and mouse between the people and the federal government," Cohen said. "Instead of fighting over this, there should be a study."The news seemed irrelevant to medical marijuana seekers who were buying what they say is a necessity at Hope Center, 988 Market St.Peter Herzog, 42, had $20 in his hand to buy a 16th of an ounce of "green buds." Diagnosed with AIDS six years ago, he said marijuana helps him keep up his appetite despite the multiple-pill cocktails he takes.Marijuana also is good for "spiritual awakening," said Robert Esquivel, 58, who's been smoking pot for 40 years and getting his regular stash from the center.Oakland attorney William Panzer said the court's decision has no direct impact on what happens locally under Prop. 215. He represented Alan Martinez, a 40-year-old epileptic who used marijuana for relief in the first test case of medical marijuana in December 1996.After being charged with the illegal cultivation and possession of marijuana plants in his home, Martinez stopped using the weed for fear of being put in jail, Panzer said. He died a year later during an epileptic seizure while driving his car.Even though medical studies are inadequate, Steve Heilig, director of the San Francisco Medical Association, which endorsed 215, says it's better to give people a choice than to deprive them. The Supreme Court's decision is going to breed more fear among doctors about prescribing medical marijuana, he said."For me, it's an ethical question," he said. "We're talking about compassionate use, really."E-mail Nina Wu at nwu sfexaminer.com Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)Author: Nina Wu of The Examiner Staff Published: May 15, 2001 Copyright: 2001 San Francisco Examiner Contact: letters examiner.com Website: http://www.examiner.com/ Related Articles:Pot Clubs Defiant--and Packed http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9735.shtmlClubs May Shift Focus To Home Cultivation http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9730.shtmlO.C.B.C. Versus The U.S. Government News http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/mj.htmCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by Jeaneous on May 17, 2001 at 11:27:49 PT: Loved the callers.... So many crying for reason from our government. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by rabblerouser on May 17, 2001 at 06:58:08 PT decisions,decisions two heads are better than one even if one is a cabbage head(make that eight cabbage heads) [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by dddd on May 17, 2001 at 05:31:45 PT DARE Yea Kap,,all the black folks got racially profiled and pulled oneron the way to the club,and are in custody for seat belt violations....either that,,or they have learned that the first people to get brutalized,and hauled off during a raid or bust,are the non white folks....I DARE them to come out here and close down the clubs...Us Californiansare none too happy now days..Our power rates are going up about 50%retroactive from March!,,,in other words,we have to pay back the taxmoney that was ours in the first place.....I think the feds will be treadinglightly out here...Alot of people are ready to freak out....dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on May 17, 2001 at 04:22:41 PT: A trip-wire attached to a political nuke The Good Doctor brings up an interesting point; when the Feds move against the Clubs - as he so rightly points out, they must in order not to appear a bunch of 'paper tigers' whose diktaten can be ignored - they will create a catalytic reaction.Up to now, the public's interest in the DrugWar has been largely non-existant. As I am forever pointing out, so long as it's only "those people" (Suburbian for minorities) bearing the full brunt of the drug laws, they didn't care. The recent downing of the missionaries in Paru and the subsequent death of the mother and adopted child onboard has created a slight stir of interest, but most of the public rolled over and went back to sleep. Just as the antis were hoping for and expecting.But look at something. Look at the racial composition of the majortiy of club members. You see them on the tube, on the various reports providing misleading information, (Reporter on scene outside of a Club wearing a trenchcoat, speaking breathlessly into microphone: "The Supreme Court dealt a death blow to the concept of MMJ today!")lined up outside the doorway.Mostly white people.Look, I am not buggy about race. But even a blind man could not be fooled into believing the drug laws are evenly administered across the population; all he'd have to do is listen to the roll call of names of the inmates convicted on drug charges to tell that this has always been a war primarliy against minorities.But let's have the Feds try to bust a building full of white representatives of the middle class and let's see how long it goes on before the word comes down from on high to "Lay off!" Especially if the healthier patients amongst them put up a a fight. I am not talking armed insurrection, I mean getting in the faces of the Feds, on live TV, nationwide, and calling them what they are for doing this.And then, the biggest gaffe the Feds can make, the one I am hoping and praying some stupid rube DEA Darth Vader-wannabe, decked out in black BDUs, Fritz helmet, body armor, mask and arsenal, say to those who are vociferously protesting his action the speaks the favorite phrase of their subconscious role models, on national TV, for all the world to see and hear:"I am only following orders."And when that happens, as it almost certainly must, then there will be no going back. The Feds can argue all they like, but the entire crux of what they do is based on just those 5 little words. Words spoken before by monsters to justify acts of barbarity we can never, ever afford to forget. Words whose import is forever damning to those who seek to use them to excuse their actions. Words associated with terror and death.Words of murderers.The Feds should know that it's not just a powderkeg that's attached to the tripwire of trying to close the Clubs down. Nope, it has a purple biohazard trefoil on it, and written on it is "political nuclear device - career scuttling charge". The first goof who plays with it gets nuked. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by C.E. on May 16, 2001 at 21:28:15 PT Asa Hutchinson clip That Hutchinson clip is deeply disturbing. The fact that people like this are actually in power and reinforcing such destructive public policy means that people who are commited to legalization really need to do *more* to mobilize and vote prohibitionists out of office and create awareness of the destructiveness of our current policy. Be sure to note that legalization is really a euphemism for regulation, along the same vein as alcohol regulation. I think it is funny though, that only one caller in the Hutchinson Cspan clip so far is agreeing with his policy (out of five calls so far).Remember, vote, and encourage others to do so! Otherwise maniacs like this are going to continue to rob innocent citizens of their civil liberties. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by nl5x on May 16, 2001 at 21:05:53 PT Asa Hutchinson Wednesday, May 16, 2001Rep. (R-AR) WatchWashington, DCLength: 1 hr.http://www.cspan.org/journal/index.asp [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on May 16, 2001 at 20:25:39 PT: Bets? Any bets on how long it is before the Feds stage their first big raid on the clubs in California? Should they not, the law is impotent.Should they proceed, they will galvanize opposition as never before.May you live in interesting times. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: