Pubdate: Wed, 24 Sep 2008
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA)
Copyright: 2008 Santa Cruz Sentinel
Contact: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/submitletters
Website: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/394
Author: Genevieve Bookwalter, Sentinel Staff Writer
Cited: Santa Cruz City Council 
http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/council/council.html
Cited: WAMMfest http://wammfest.org/
Cited: Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana http://www.wamm.org/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/WAMM
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Valerie+Corral
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

COUNCIL OKs SMOKING POT IN WAMM TENT

SANTA CRUZ - Medical marijuana patients will once again be allowed to 
smoke dope in San Lorenzo Park this Saturday, after city leaders 
temporarily lifted a smoking ban to allow for a festival celebrating 
the medicinal herb.

The decision came after testimony from more than 20 patients who 
reasoned and pleaded with the Santa Cruz City Council to allow them 
to inhale their medication while partaking in Wo/Men's Alliance for 
Medical Marijuana's annual WAMMfest. Some accused council members of 
growing old and more conservative, while others said Santa Cruz was 
losing both its compassion and its weirdness.

"Do not Carmel-ize Santa Cruz," said Valerie Corral, co-founder of WAMM.

The catch, however, is that the ban was not lifted for the entire 
park. Instead, those with a medical marijuana identification card 
only will be allowed to smoke inside a tent designated for that purpose.

"I think it's good. I think it's a good compromise," said WAMM 
co-founder Mike Corral.

The arrangement is not much different from previous years, where a 
tent was provided for medical marijuana patients but recreational 
tokers still smoked up on the lawn.

However, Sean Wharton, a WAMM patient who will double as a security 
guard at the festival, said he will speak with anyone this year who 
lights up on the grass.

"I would really like this to happen in the way it has in the past, 
and I will look for people smoking outside the smoking tent," Wharton said.

Council members approved the proposal on a 5-1 vote, with 
Councilwoman Lynn Robinson voting against the measure and Mayor Ryan 
Coonerty absent.

Robinson said she does not like making exceptions to rules that the 
city requires everyone else to follow.

"The onus is on the organizers to work within our parameters and not 
ask our staff to look the other way," Robinson said.

The issue arose two weeks ago after WAMM requested an exception to 
the city's ban on smoking in San Lorenzo Park so its 200 patients 
could attend WAMMfest and breathe in their drug of choice.

With Councilman Tony Madrigal sick, the City Council split the vote 
3-3. All council members voiced their support for medical marijuana, 
but not all were crazy about granting an exception to city rules for 
a festival celebrating drugs that are illegal without a prescription, 
fearing it could draw recreational tokers.

The tie vote pushed the issue onto Tuesday's agenda, but with 
Coonerty scheduled to be away, many assumed the vote would split 
again and no smoking would be allowed. Ed Porter, Cynthia Mathews and 
Robinson all had voted against lifting the ban.

Porter ended up proposing the compromise that lifted the smoking ban 
only in the patient tent. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake