Pubdate: Mon, 16 Apr 2007
Source: Orange County Register, The (CA)
Copyright: 2007 The Orange County Register
Contact:  http://www.ocregister.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/321
Author: Stanly Peters
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

O.C. BOARD MARIJUANA VOTE

Tuesday, April 17, the Orange County Board of Supervisors is 
scheduled to vote on whether to implement the statewide medical 
marijuana ID card program pursuant to state Senate Bill 420. 
Proposition 215, the voter-approved Compassionate Use Act of 1996, 
allows patients to use marijuana under their doctor's recommendation.

All too often, legitimate patients are arrested, despite strict 
adherence to the letter of the law. Their cases are consistently 
tossed out of court, but legal difficulty is not pleasurable, 
particularly for those who suffer from chronic pain or nausea from 
chemotherapy.

The ID card program is a valuable tool for law enforcement to verify 
that someone is a legitimate medical-marijuana patient, and it 
protects legitimate patients from arrest. The ID card program is 
operated by the California Department of Health Services (CDHS). A 
24-hour database allows law enforcement to verify the legitimacy of 
someone claiming to be a medical marijuana patient. The program is 
already working to protect patients and assist law enforcement in 26 counties.

For what reason should patients in Orange County be denied the 
protection from this state law?   Some may be concerned that a vote 
to implement the ID card program is aiding and abetting of a federal 
crime. The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that it is not a 
federal crime for a doctor to recommend marijuana to their patients. 
To issue an ID card, merely documenting a recommendation, is most 
certainly not a crime. The federal government has never suggested 
that issuing a medical marijuana ID card violates federal law.

Stanly Peters

Tustin
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman