Pubdate: Wed, 17 Sep 2003
Source: San Diego City Beat (CA)
Copyright: 2003 San Diego City Beat.
Contact:  http://www.sdcitybeat.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2764

U-T WRITERS SHOULD SPARK UP

We can't let the Union-Tribune's Tuesday editorial on the city's proposed 
medical marijuana guidelines go without commentary.

Suggesting that the city should shelve the guidelines until research tells 
us definitively that marijuana has medicinal value ignores the available 
data-anecdotal and otherwise-that already tells us it does. It's nothing 
more than a tactic aimed at further stalling full implementation of Prop. 
215, the state's voter-approved medical marijuana law.

We're pleased that City Council on Tuesday finally made the guidelines law, 
but we're disappointed that Councilmembers Scott Peters and Charles Lewis 
forced Councilmember Toni Atkins to add language barring ill minors from 
benefitting from medicinal marijuana. That was a blatant cave-in to the 
hysterical people in the audience at Tuesday's meeting who fear 
implementation of Prop. 215 will turn their children into raving lunatic 
criminals.

As for the U-T's editorial writers, CityBeat recommends they get together, 
put some nice jazz in the CD player-perhaps some Miles Davis or John 
Coltrane-role a couple of fatties, chill out and sample what they're so 
fearful of. The likely result is some far more rational editorials on the 
topic.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens