Medical Marijuana Editorials in Los Angeles/Orange County

Medical Marijuana Editorials in Los Angeles/Orange County

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The following editorial ran today (7/28/07) in both the Long Beach Press
Telegram and the Los Angeles Daily News. The editorial below that ran
yesterday (7/27/07) in the Orange County Register.

Kris
___________________


http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_6472441
http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_6489630
*LA Daily News Editorial:

Federal intervention

It's L.A.'s business to regulate medical pot, not feds'.

Article Last Updated: 07/26/2007 09:02:38 PM PDT

FEDS, back off.

That's what the Los Angeles City Council and medical marijuana advocates hope will happen by adopting a moratorium on new dispensaries and bringing current ones into compliance while stricter rules are written.

Of course, even operating within the new ordinance and with full legal right under California law won't necessarily keep the drug agents from raiding the medical marijuana dispensaries in L.A., which they did Wednesday even as the City Council debated the new rules.

Medical marijuana was approved for use by sick people in California 11 years ago - but in direct conflict with federal drug law. In recent days, the DEA has cranked up its raids in a clear assault on the state's medical marijuana law.

Now, 11 years and many marijuana dispensaries later, the city is finally trying to wrestle with this beast by prohibiting any new dispensaries to open for a year or until strict rules are enacted. Meanwhile, existing dispensaries have 60 days to comply with all the rules, from business taxes to permits.

L.A. clearly bears a lot of responsibility for the lax regulation and supervision of medical marijuana dispensaries that have allowed unsavory elements to become involved.

But the feds should leave medical marijuana alone unless they have proof of genuine abuses. Surely, heroin, cocaine and meth pose a greater threat to society than legalized medical marijuana dispensaries.


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--*Orange County Register Editorial:
Drug warriors on the hunt*

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has started playing hardball with medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, but it's unclear how far it will move beyond symbolic intimidation. The DEA, which has discretion when it comes to setting priorities, would do well to abandon this effort to deprive seriously ill people of medicine to which they are entitled under state law. Such efforts are unworthy of it.

On July 6 the Los Angeles office of the DEA sent letters to a number of landlords -- estimates in news stories range from 30 to 120 -- who rent to medical marijuana, or cannabis, dispensaries notifying them that their tenants are violating federal law, and that as landlords they might be subject to a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and forfeiture (seizure, taking, stealing) of their property. Some dispensaries have
already announced that they will be closing their doors.

In an apparently unrelated action, the DEA also announced the indictments for violating federal marijuana laws of several operators of medical cannabis cooperatives in Central California, as well as one in Bakersfield and another in Corona. All of these operations had been raided or put on notice previously, and none had received letters threatening forfeiture. All had paid sales taxes, an indication they were operating like normal businesses, at least in the eyes of the state.

Then Wednesday the DEA raided 10 medical cannabis clinics in Los Angeles and arrested five people, reportedly none of them patients. That was the same day the L.A. City Council introduced an interim ordinance imposing a moratorium on new clinics until the city finds a better way to
regulate them, and calling on the feds to end their crackdown.

To be sure, under federal law as currently interpreted -- incorrectly inour view -- all possession, use, production or sale of marijuana is strictly prohibited. California law permits medicinal use when recommended by a licensed physician. Federal law enforcement agencies are empowered to enforce federal law, while California law enforcement officials are required to enforce state law. So the DEA has authority to
do what it did.

Whether it was a wise move is another question. It isn't quite busting grandmothers in wheelchairs using cannabis to alleviate the effects of chemotherapy or multiple sclerosis. But i! t will make it more difficult
for legitimate patients to acquire their medicine through relatively predictable, legitimate channels.

As Dale Gieringer, director of California National Association for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) told us, "This action will only serve to drive patients to the illegal market and aggravate marijuana crime."

Wednesday's raid also coincided with House of Representatives' consideration of the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment to the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill. The amendment would have
denied funds to the DEA for any enforcement activities against patients or caregivers in the 12 states that have authorized the medicinal use of cannabis. It got more votes than it had in previous years, but still
failed, by a 262-165 margin (150 Democrats, 15 Republicans).

We're pleased to note that from our area, in addition to Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Reps. Ed Royce, John Campbell and Loretta Sanchez all supported upholding what California voters approved back in 1996. It's
disappointing that Reps. Darrell Issa, Gary Miller and Ken Calvert voted against states' rights and local control.

You would think that with terrorism and hard drugs the DEA would have better things to do than to try to keep useful medicine from sick people and nullify the laws of California and 11 other states. There's
obviously a lot of work to do before that happens.


Kris Hermes
Media Specialist
Americans for Safe Access
www.SafeAccessNow.org
1322 Webster Street, Suite 402
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-251-1856 x307
Fax: 510-251-2036
Email: kris@SafeAccessNow.org

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest
national member-based organization of patients,
medical professionals, scientists and concerned
citizens promoting safe and legal access to
cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

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Attachment: http://drugsense.org/temp/23GMssyoha71Q.html


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