Pubdate: Tue, 13 Dec 2005
Source: North County Times (Escondido, CA)
Copyright: 2005 North County Times
Contact:  http://www.nctimes.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1080
Note: Gives LTE priority to North San Diego County and Southwest 
Riverside County residents
Cited: San Diego County Board of Supervisors 
http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/general/bos.html
Related: http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/120705sandiego.cfm
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/San+Diego
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

SUPERVISORS WRONG ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Our View: Suing State a Bizarre Decision When Major Issues Abound

San Diego County supervisors made a bizarre choice last week to waste
time and money suing the state to overturn its medical marijuana laws.
The decision just doesn't pass the common-sense test.

State and county voters nine years ago decided that people suffering
from a variety of diseases can obtain legal access to marijuana if a
doctor decides the drug can help. Yet the five folks who run county
government have refused to implement the law.

In August, a grand jury found the county was flagrantly ignoring a
state mandate to create a registry and identification cards for
terminally and chronically ill people who use marijuana for relief
from pain and other maladies. The worthy idea behind the state law was
that victims of disease should not be treated the same as drug
dealers. Identification cards would give police a valuable tool to
tell the difference.

This is a popular, humane law that does no harm to anyone. However,
our county supervisors have chosen political posturing over compassion
and respect for state law.

By a 4-0 vote, Supervisors Bill Horn, Pam Slater-Price, Dianne Jacob
and Greg Cox (Ron Roberts was absent) ordered county lawyers to sue
the state, asking a court to overturn its medical marijuana laws.

To be sure, there is a legal struggle under way. Federal law holds
that marijuana is an illegal drug with no medical value. Majorities of
California voters and lawmakers decided the opposite. The U.S. Supreme
Court will eventually settle the conflict; so far it has leaned toward
federal primacy in regulating drugs.

So, where is San Diego County's place in this struggle? It's a fair
question, but our supervisors have reached the wrong answer.

County officials can indeed issue identification cards without
violating federal law. That distinction belongs to the individuals who
choose to buy or grow their medicine in accordance with state law.

In short, this is none of the county's business. Their job is to enact
state law and watch from the sidelines. If federal agents want to
chase cancer victims, the county is at most a bystander.

San Diego County supervisors clearly picked the wrong battle. If they
were itching to sue someone, there are major issues galore ----
state-local struggles over transportation funding, health care, water
quality and land use, for openers.

Of course, such issues won't get a local politician's picture on
national television. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake