Pot times

Davis Tackles Medicinal Marijuana

URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1112/a09.html
Newshawk: Herb

Pubdate: Thu, 14 Jul 2005
Source: California Aggie, The (UC Davis, CA Edu)
Copyright: 2005sThe California Aggie
Contact: editor@californiaaggie.com
Website: http://www.californiaaggie.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2725
Author: Lauren Becker , Aggie City Editor
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

DAVIS TACKLES MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

City Staff Recommends Banning Dispensaries

Patients looking for medicinal marijuana in Davis may face difficulties as city staff members attempt to ban dispensaries that would carry the drug.

On June 5 the Supreme Court case Gonzales v.  Raich ruled that the federal government can override state laws that allow the use of medicinal marijuana.  There are currently 10 states that allow patients to obtain the drug through dispensaries, including California.

Nathan Sands, chair of the Board of the Compassionate Coalition, a group of Central Valley volunteers, doctors and attorneys based in Sacramento, said the group's goal is to defend the rights of medicinal-marijuana patients.

"We would like to see the end of the federal prohibition on medicinal marijuana," Sands said.  "We would like to see this drug treated like any other medicine."

Sands noted that since the Supreme Court case, the federal government has conducted several raids on medicinal marijuana dispensaries throughout the state, including one in Sacramento.

"Every single city we've gone to has been uninformed on the issue," Sands said.  "They have old propaganda and do not see marijuana as medicine.  They see it as something that hurts people."

Sands added that marijuana, used for medicinal purposes, can suppress nausea that occurs in patients with illnesses such as cancer and AIDS.  In addition, marijuana can be used with other medications and has no known interactions with other drugs.

"The federal government will only allow the exploration of the negative aspects of the drug and not the positive sides," Sands said.  "Their only defense is ignorance."

Davis staff members, as well as the Davis Police Department, have worked together over the past year to gain additional information on the decision to add a medicinal marijuana dispensary to the city.

Last August, the DPD contacted 25 to 30 agencies in different California cities that ran dispensaries.

DPD Chief Steve Pierce led the study and found the conditions of most dispensaries less than satisfactory.

The research showed that dispensaries were located predominately in unappealing areas, according to Pierce.  "A lot of crime happened in and around many of them," he said.

Pierce noted that some cities reported an increase in hand-to-hand drug sales around the dispensaries, as well as patients who would illegally sell their medicinal marijuana to others.

In addition, many dispensaries would accept cards that permit patients to obtain medicinal marijuana that were fraudulent.

However, Pierce added that many dispensaries offered other kinds of treatment for pain management, including yoga and massages.

After the Supreme Court ruling, the DPD, along with city staff members, decided a dispensary in Davis would not be recommended due to the crime it would invite to the city.

"Our feeling is that the federal law is clear, and it is a violation to dispense medicinal marijuana," Pierce said.  "Whether we agree or disagree, it is the current law of the land."

Pierce noted that the DPD felt it would be sending Davis citizens mixed signals by developing a medicinal marijuana dispensary within the city.

"We don't want to bring that kind of activity to our community and make people think that this is permitted in the city," Pierce said.  "We don't want to make people think that this is OK, and that they are safe when they could be persecuted."

Planning Commission Staff Liaison Katherine Hess said commission members held a meeting last night to discuss the option of a medicinal marijuana dispensary within the city.

"One of our big concerns is that we don't want people getting the idea that something is going to be permitted when the federal government has the ability to shut it down and throw people in jail," she said.

Hess noted the response from the community has been mixed.

"There has not been specific opposition, but we have had a series of inquiries from residents within the community," Hess said.  "There are people who think it's a fine idea and others who think it's inappropriate for Davis."

Councilmembers are looking to reconcile the conflict between the federal government and state law.

"The difficulty is that it doesn't matter on the local level because the federal government has made a decision and they are bigger than us," Hess said.  "We don't want to be implying to someone that something is OK when there is a great deal of risk involved."

Hess added that although city staff members will propose that medicinal marijuana dispensaries be prohibited, the Planning Commission has the power to change this recommendation before it is presented to councilmembers.

The Planning Commission will present its recommendation to the city council at its July 26 meeting.