Pubdate: Sat, 05 Sep 2015
Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA)
Copyright: 2015 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.utsandiego.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/386
Note: Seldom prints LTEs from outside it's circulation area.

AFTER 19 YEARS, WILL LEGISLATURE FINALLY ENACT MEDICAL POT REGULATIONS?

The report out of Sacramento this week that Gov. Jerry Brown has 
engaged in a new effort to develop statewide regulation of medical 
marijuana is qualified good news. It's good because the Legislature 
has been unable to do it on its own for nearly two decades  since 
California voters decriminalized pot for medical purposes in 1996. 
But it's qualified because it's still publicly unknown just what the 
governor is proposing.

Among many sticking points in the contentious issue is the question 
of how to develop statewide regulations acceptable to all local 
communities, which over the years have shown gaping differences in 
how they approach the problem. Some prohibit marijuana dispensaries 
completely. Some, like San Diego, allow them only in certain areas. 
Some allow cultivation of medical pot and some don't. Another issue 
is the bureaucratic question of which state agency should be 
responsible for monitoring and enforcement of the regulations. And 
still another is the scientific question of measurable standards that 
law enforcement officers can use to detect drugged drivers.

Whether all - or any - of these issues can be resolved in the short 
time left before legislators leave town at the end of next week is 
uncertain. But the governor's direct involvement offers some hope for 
a break in the 19-year logjam.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom