In Santa Barbara, Dr. David Bearman cheered the court ruling as a victory for free speech. "I don't think we realize how important the First Amendment is until it's under attack by irrational forces," he said. "The First Amendment protects controversial speech, not just talking about the weather, and that's what makes this country great. "This kind of decision is long overdue." Dr. Bearman is among California physicians who have publicly stated that they recommend medicinal marijuana to patients when warranted. On Tuesday, he noted the word "marijuana" is a slang term, and referred to the drug by its scientific name, cannabis. [continues 132 words]
The Santa Barbara City Council should lobby state and federal officials to clarify rules governing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes but refrain from creating its own local guidelines, the city's Ordinance Committee recommended Tuesday. The council is expected to consider the suggestion within a month. If the council concurs, the decision could effectively squash efforts by local citizens to establish guidelines on medicinal marijuana use, cultivation, arrests or seizures within city limits. A local cannabis club, which distributed medicinal marijuana in Santa Barbara, was disbanded earlier this year, but activists are trying to resurrect the club. [continues 710 words]
Government: Advocates Say City Guidelines Are Needed To Assure The Legality Of Helping Patients Medical marijuana advocates plan a return to Santa Barbara City Hall on Tuesday to urge elected leaders to craft an ordinance enacting Proposition 215, the California law passed in 1996 to legalize pot with a doctor's recommendation. The 1 p.m. hearing before the city Ordinance Committee -- City Council members Marty Blum, Gregg Hart and Gil Garcia -- follows the recent eviction of prominent local medical-marijuana distributors from a Carrillo Street office space. [continues 431 words]
Medical marijuana advocates continued to call for a Santa Barbara ordinance to implement California's Proposition 215, and city officials said on Tuesday they would like to learn more about efforts in Mendocino and Sonoma counties to enact the 1996 voter-approved state law. In addition, officials await a possible U.S. Supreme Court decision on a case out of Oakland. The legality of Oakland's city-supported "Medical Cannabis Distribution Program" is now in question, and any decision by the Supreme Court could impact the direction Santa Barbara takes with a similar program or effort, according to Robert Pike, assistant Santa Barbara city attorney. [continues 580 words]
Cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine headaches. The list goes on. When it comes to these and other ailments, some sufferers say marijuana provides welcome relief from pain, nausea, loss of appetite and other associated symptoms. Whether such claims might ultimately lead to increased or widespread acceptance of the drug for medicinal purposes remains to be seen, however. Public policy-makers and law enforcement officials continue to wade through the much-discussed and muddy legal waters generated by a recent spate of community and state initiatives to decriminalize marijuana for medical use in California and other states. [continues 837 words]
Demonstration: Advocates Of Medical, Industrial And Recreational Use Join Forces. A colorful and noisy collection of medical and recreational pot advocates demonstrated along the downtown waterfront as part of a "Million Marijuana March" planned for 80 cities worldwide Saturday. Chanting "Hey, hey, DEA, how many homes have you seized today?" and "I toke and I vote" among other slogans, roughly 200 demonstrators marched along Cabrillo Boulevard. Wielding signs and banging drums, they streamed past tourists and cheered as passing motorists repeatedly honked, waved or pumped fists in support. [continues 648 words]
