POT LIMIT: 3 POUNDS PER YEAR

[CaptinCrunch]

07 Oct 2004

California


Santa Cruz County Approves Medical Marijuana Ordinance

SANTA CRUZ - An impassioned audience greeted the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday morning, when the board unanimously approved a new ordinance providing guidelines for medical marijuana use in Santa Cruz County.

The decision will allow medical marijuana patients to possess up to three pounds of dried cannabis buds ( not leaves ) per year, and users can demonstrate medical need for more.

Patients will be able to grow "a 100-square foot canopy of mature female cannabis plants," which will "typically yield three pounds of dried and processed cannabis bud per year regardless of the number of marijuana plants," according to the ordinance, which requires another vote before it becomes a law.

Valerie Corral, co-founder of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, a Santa Cruz-based patient alliance that provides education on the medical benefits of marijuana and ensures legal access to the plant, was "grateful and pleased" after the decision.

"We've made such great strides in this community. I believe this is a good ordinance," Corral said, adding that it could be amended in the future to include a greater growth area.

Corral, surrounded by about 20 supporters of the ordinance, said WAMM provides safe, weekly doses of marijuana to patients who need it.

"We always ask that physicians be a part of addressing the problem, so that this isn't something that people go off on their own and determine arbitrarily," she said.

The ordinance vote came after state voters in 1996 approved Proposition 215, which allows patients and their caregivers to cultivate or possess medical marijuana with physician approval.

As of January, state law SB420 allowed counties to set a higher amount than the state limit of eight ounces of dried marijuana and no more than six mature or 12 immature marijuana plants per patient.

County Sheriff Mark Tracy received a great deal of praise from medical marijuana supporters and county supervisors alike for his suggestion to involve medical experts in recommending county limits for medical marijuana possession.

The move was praised as "incredibly enlightened" by District 3 Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt, a firm supporter of the ordinance.

Based on Tracy's suggestion, the board asked a group of physicians, including former county health officer Dr. George Wolf, to form county-specific marijuana guidelines.

The board voted in August to craft the ordinance based on the physicians' suggestions, with District 1 Supervisor Tony Campos opposing the move.

Campos reconsidered his original opposition after he spoke to a respected oncologist, as well as close friends who suffered from bone cancer.

"A lot of people that take medical marijuana don't have those side effects from chemotherapy," Campos said. "Once I heard it from a professional, it made a big difference."

Campos also acknowledged that he initially thought three pounds was an excessive amount.

"I didn't realize that it was for a whole year," he said.

Before voting, Supervisor Ellen Pirie questioned how patients would be prosecuted if they were found with three pounds of marijuana, and then an additional amount in the same year.

County counsel Dana McRae, who drafted the ordinance, acknowledged that additional law enforcement procedures were needed to cover the new ordinance, which does not address federal law enforcement issues.

Dennis Papadopolo, a wheelchair-bound Live Oak resident who suffers from Hepatitis C and brain damage due to a bullet wound, said he uses two to three joints of marijuana per day to manage intense pain.

"I'm glad this happened; this has been in the works for a long time," Papadopolo said. "They had me on so many medications before marijuana."

Attorney Ben Rice, who has represented 25-30 medical marijuana users in the past two years, at least a third of them from south county, also supported the ordinance.

"Three pounds is enough for many, but for people that are in serious chronic pain, it may not be," Rice said. "The point is it should be between doctor and patient. This is a great first step."

Andrea Tischler, who operates the Compassion Flower Inn, a bed-and-breakfast for patients who use medical marijuana, spoke in support of the ordinance. She claimed the regulation will dissipate fears of as many as 4,000 medical marijuana users in Santa Cruz County who had long sought clarification on the amount of marijuana they could legally possess.

[george_r_1961]

The problem with that is possession of marijuana in ANY amount is a Federal offense. I have no problem with THC being used for medicinal purposes, but allowing people to grow their own weed will likely lead to a slew of problems.

[Wnghs2007]

The problem with that is possession of marijuana in ANY amount is a Federal offense. I have no problem with THC being used for medicinal purposes, but allowing people to grow their own weed will likely lead to a slew of problems.

Agreed.

[BEER980]

What kind of problems would that be?

[therock1811]

George is right. Possession of marijuana is a Federal offense, and Fed. law supersedes state and local laws.

[Wnghs2007]

George is right. Possession of marijuana is a Federal offense, and Fed. law supersedes state and local laws.

Yes it does. Federal is the whole country so you know. LOL

[BEER980]

Sometimes you just have to make a stand if you want change.

[erautreetopflyer]

Oh common guys... we've all had those 10-hour, waiting-for-a-tornado days where you just kinda sit in your truck and count cows... if THAT isn't a good reason to legalize then I don't know what is!


That said, it doesn't need to be legalized and it won't be, because there's no way the federal gov't would ever be able to tax or control it.

[george_r_1961]

Sometimes you just have to make a stand if you want change.

Id like to see less drug abuse in this country...thats the change I would like to see

[coriolis]

Pushing marijuana (no pun intended) for medical reasons seems like a backdoor way to push towards legalization for non-medical reasons.

I don't see legalization happening any time soon. If people want to advocate it for personal non-medical use, it'll be a long road through the political process.

Until then it'll just be the status quo with users making like cheech and chong, while avoiding the law.

I've seen - and lived on both sides of this issue.

Good luck!