YUBA COUNTY: Medical pot issue pushed

YUBA COUNTY: Medical pot issue pushed

Group wants Yuba County to implement state law on IDs


By Andrea Koskey/Appeal-Democrat
August 13, 2007 - 1:15AM


Yuba County residents may get a chance to voice their opinions on ID cards for medical marijuana users if county officials grant an organization’s request.

Safe Access Now, a nonprofit organization promoting legal access to medical marijuana, will submit a request during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting to schedule public hearings to follow state law and implement an ID program.

“The county just hasn’t directed the work to a department,” said Aaron Smith, state coordinator for Safe Access Now. “Once action is taken by the county, patients can apply for the cards, making it easier for legitimate users.”

The state’s Compassionate Use Act, passed in 1996, allows doctors to prescribe marijuana for medical purposes. Similarly, in 2003, state legislators approved a bill enabling the state Department of Health Services to maintain a program issuing identification cards.

Smith said that by assigning the process to a department, Yuba County officials would be helping law enforcement as well as implementing the law.

“Right now, there is no way to identify legitimate users. It’s very difficult,” Smith said. “It’s up to law enforcement to determine if it’s verifiable. It’s a mechanism to curb abuse.”

To date, 35 of California’s 58 counties, including Butte, Plumas and Sierra, have adopted an ID card program and set fees averaging $150.

Some Yuba supervisors, however, said they were opposed to such an effort because they are opposed to the law.

“When federal law conforms to the state law, then it’ll be considered,” Supervisor Don Schrader said. “But this argument has come up many times; I don’t think it’s appropriate for the board to get involved in state law.”

Supervisor John Nicoletti added that a lawsuit in San Diego County over the legality of medical marijuana has the Yuba County Board of Supervisors waiting and watching.

“We’re all just glad we’re not in the middle, but watching on the sidelines,” he said. “Right now, we’re just waiting to see how that lawsuit goes.”

Steve King, a member of the Compassionate Use Group of Yuba and Sutter, said an ID card program should have been implemented long ago.

“The law passed in 2003,” he said. “Basically, it’s a card to show officers when they’re stopped and verify they are legitimate.”

Smith will present information about the state’s medical marijuana laws to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, while urging elected officials to set public hearing dates to implement the law.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Andrea Koskey can be reached at 749-4709 or at akoskey@appealdemocrat.com

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/law_52515___article.html/state_county.html



DaBronx

Hemp OK in Yolo County

Hemp OK in Yolo County

Supervisors support Assembly bill letting some counties grow it


By LUKE GIANNI/Democrat staff Writer
Article Created: 08/09/2007 08:59:22 AM PDT



Thomas Jefferson grew it.

The Declaration of Independence was written on it.

Benjamin Franklin made paper from it and sold it.

Bill Clinton smoked it, but denied inhaling it.

And now Yolo County wants in on it.

It's hemp and recently the County Board of Supervisors authorized their support for a state Assembly bill that would permit certain counties to grow the marijuana-related fiber for industrial use.

The bill, AB 684, would authorize hemp cultivation within state supervised pilot programs in Butte, Imperial, Kings, Mendocino and Yolo counties.

Similar bills have been brought in the past decade but were met by vetoes by governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger respectively. AB 684 was passed by the Assembly and is presently being considered in the Senate.

Industrial hemp has been touted by advocates as an inexpensive and durable commodity that could add hundreds of millions of dollars to the U.S. economy.

According to a report produced by the Hemp Industries Association, hemp products generated $207 million in revenue in 2005 and is predicted to grow by $26 million annually.

Yolo county supervisors were briefed by Petrea Marchand, manager of intergovernmental affairs for the county, on the pros and cons of hemp cultivation, during the July 25 board meeting.

The upside, said Marchand, is a new and potentially profitable industry well suited for the county's agricultural landscape.

The downside is no farmer in Yolo County is going to grow it - at least for now.

"It is unlikely that any farmer will grow hemp any time in the near future," Marchand said at the meeting.

That is because of two major obstacles, Marchand said.

The first is there is no infrastructure, namely no processing plants, within the county to make hemp harvesting profitable.

The second problem: "To grow hemp you have to grow marijuana and that's a violation of federal law," said Garret Courtney, spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Agency.

More specifically, hemp contains Tetrahydrocannabinol - known as THC - which is a schedule 1 controlled substance under federal drug law. The schedule 1 designation places the popular depressant within the same category as illicit drugs like crack and cocaine, which equates to strict federal control over its production.

Proponents of the proposed bill say it would only permit hemp to be grown under its provisions that have a THC level of less than .03 percent, far less than the average THC level found in drug-oriented marijuana.

The bill would also require hemp growers to submit samples of their crops to DEA sanctioned labs and report the GPS coordinates and acreage size of their plots.

Not good enough, Courtney said.

"The common argument that is out there is that industrial hemp has only a small percentage of THC. Well, that's like the difference between Mexican bud and BC bud," Courtney said.

Mexican marijuana is has relatively low contents of THC, while BC bud marijuana from Canada can harbor more than 20 times as much THC, Courtney said.

Either way, they get you high and, as a result, are illegal.

Besides, Courtney said, there is already a registration process in place for farmers to get certified through the DEA to grow hemp for industrial use.

"We don't legislate - we just operate," Courtney said. "There are practical uses for controlled substances and you can get certified by the DEA."

Despite the pending legal conflict, the board decided to support the bill.

"I see no reason not to support the bill," Supervisor Matt Rexroad said at the meeting, adding that he hadn't heard any opposition from the county's agricultural leaders. "Silence is consent as far as I am concerned."

Rick Landon, Yolo County's agricultural commissioner, said farmers probably would not take to growing hemp until the legal issues are settled.

"There has to be a test case," Landon said. "I don't think growers want to be the first ones to challenge federal law."

Landon said, however, there would be a viable market for hemp if it were legalized and the county could develop adequate infrastructure to grow it.

"There are a lot of products made from hemp. It's not just fiber-based products either. There are products like Shampoo and lotion that are made from hemp as well," Landon said.

Supervisor Helen Thomson, who supported the bill, said she has used hemp products before and thinks concerns regarding its cultivation are exaggerated.

"I tried the body lotion and I didn't get high," Thomson said. "Perhaps this is a niche market for some Yolo County farmers."

Supervisor Mike McGowan added, however, that hemp growing in Yolo county is not exactly a novel concept.

"I got news for you," McGowan said. "They're growing marijuana in Yolo County now."

- Reach Luke Gianni at 406-6234 or lgianni@dailydemocrat.com.

http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_6582807


DaBronx