Pubdate: Sun, 22 Sep 2013
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Copyright: 2013 The Sacramento Bee
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/0n4cG7L1
Website: http://www.sacbee.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376
Author: Jan Scully
Note: Jan Scully is Sacramento County's district attorney.

LAWMAKERS NEED TO STOP WITH THE SNEAKY MARIJUANA LEGISLATION

Dan Morain's column on Sunday, "Drugged driving, hell on wheels: 
Billionaire pushing to ease access to marijuana," sheds some light on 
the millions of dollars spent by pro-marijuana advocates to influence 
legislators like Tom Ammiano, Mark Leno, and Darrell Steinberg to 
push legislation - such as AB 604 and SB 611 - to benefit those who 
believe marijuana should be legalized and sold for profit.

The column did not mention the fact that these legislators tried to 
sneak their bills through using the "gut and amend" process.

This controversial procedure allows legislators to strip from a bill 
all of its original content and replace it with new language 
completely unrelated to the initial bill. This circumvents any input 
from interested parties and the public.

Instead of addressing the issue with transparency and accountability, 
this process prevents community leaders, medical professionals, 
cities and counties, and law enforcement from voicing opposition.

Our legislators need to quit trying to pass medical marijuana 
legislation in this clandestine manner.

They also need to understand and acknowledge the danger present in 
the real world of for-profit marijuana growing and selling.

The annual harvesting of outdoor marijuana grows has started again in 
Sacramento County, and illegal indoor grow houses are also rampant.

Law enforcement routinely recovers hundreds of plants, guns, and 
large sums of cash at these locations. Some indoor growers steal 
electricity by using an electrical bypass, which has caused fires.

Many of these growers claim the marijuana is being grown for 
"medicinal" purposes.

The truth is most are operating a dangerous criminal business 
enterprise for profit.

It is not uncommon for robberies to occur where marijuana is grown 
and sold. Currently, our office is prosecuting eight murder cases 
involving the theft of marijuana. Sacramento County regularly 
receives complaints from neighborhoods about the smells associated 
with marijuana as it gets close to harvest season.

In our rural areas, farmers complain about use of illegal pesticides 
on marijuana cultivated in the Delta; these pesticides pollute 
surface and groundwater. Some farmers have also complained to my 
office because marijuana grows are guarded by barbed wire fencing, 
guards with assault weapon-type guns, and pit bulls that often escape 
the fence and terrorize neighborhoods.

When California voters passed the Compassionate Use Act, Proposition 
215, in 1996, they intended to decriminalize the use of medical 
marijuana by qualified patients and their caregivers. Our medical 
marijuana laws have never allowed for-profit sales.

The recent bills proposed by Ammiano, Leno, and Steinberg would have 
permitted for-profit sales in California. They failed to recognize 
the public safety consequences that accompany this type of activity.

These dangers have been recognized by many local cities and counties 
when they have banned businesses from opening marijuana dispensaries, 
which often get their marijuana from illegal grow operations.

If legislators really want to draft legislation with public safety in 
mind they need to put forward details on how growing, harvesting, 
distribution, and sales of medical cannabis are supposed to operate 
in a manner that is medically responsive without endangering public 
safety. If they are truly serious, they also need to address in 
detail how to combat medical marijuana recommendation ("prescription") fraud.

Marijuana is an addictive drug with numerous health risks.

An extensive medical examination should be required before a medical 
marijuana recommendation is made and should address the actual 
dosage, method of delivery, and an analysis of the possible side effects.

Any adult can go to a "marijuana doctor" with the claim they have 
chronic pain and in a few minutes get a medical marijuana 
recommendation. Recently, as Morain revealed in a column, one doctor 
recommended marijuana to a "patient" after a 42-second interview via 
Skype. It is no wonder one study revealed that the average medicinal 
marijuana cardholder is a 32-year-old white male with no history of 
debilitating illness.

Future medical marijuana legislation must make public safety a 
priority and should not be influenced by marijuana lobbyists and 
out-of-state billionaires who want to legalize marijuana in the United States.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom