SANTA CRUZ - THE POT SPOT?

New Federal Marijuana Ruling Will Have Little Effect On Local Users

Most folks in Santa Cruz don't seem very concerned about the local
impact of last week's Supreme Court decision banning the use of medical
marijuana. In fact, the majority seems to think the effect will be
negligible.

"Initially, it won't have a lot of effect," said former Santa Cruz mayor
Mike Rotkin. "The legislature needs to stop being completely
irrational. It makes no sense that doctors can prescribe morphine and
not marijuana."

The Supreme Court's unanimous decision makes it virtually impossible to
provide marijuana to seriously ill patients without running afoul of the
federal government. This decision overrides California's Proposition
215, passed in 1996, which permitted the use of medical marijuana by
sick and dying patients. But Justice Clarence Thomas disagreed, writing
:marijuana has no medical benefits worthy of an exception."

Locals involved in this fight to legalize medical marijuana find flaws
in Thomas' statements. Valerie Corral, the executive director and
founder of Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM), a group
providing marijuana to the seriously and terminally ill patients, has
been involved in the fight to legalize medical marijuana for the past
decade. In fact, she co-authored the local ordinance requiring medical
marijuana recipients to carry identification cards. She knows the
benefits that pot provides, and has used it to treat her grand mal
epilepsy since the mid '70s. Corral says that of all the medications
she has tried, nothing helps control her seizures in the same way,
allowing her to lead a normal life.

"This is a government that refuses access to the sick and dying. It is
an outrage," said Corral.

Aside from personal experience, she sees the benefits marijuana provides
to the more than 200 members of WAMM. She also sites studies done by GW
Pharmaceuticals, an influential and respected British company that
researched the effects of marijuana inhalers for the treatment of
multiple sclerosis. These studies were so successful that the inhalers
will be available by prescription to patients in England and France in
2003. The United States may be years away from this kind of access to
medical marijuana. While eight states passed bills similar to
California's Proposition 215, these are now overridden by the Supreme
Court's decision. Many acknowledge there is a risk of the federal
government asserting its power, but few in Santa Cruz expect this to
happen. As Corral said. " The Federal Government would look quite
foolish dragging away 200 terminally ill people."

In Santa Cruz, the local law enforcement doesn't plan to run out and
arrest all the medical marijuana recipients either. Sheriff Mark Tracy
told the Santa Cruz Sentinel, "That is just not going to happen. Our
priority will continue to be large-scale criminal growing operations."
People using marijuana supplied by organizations like WAMM, or folks who
grow their own for medical use will remain unaffected.

"As long as there is evidence of medical necessity, they will look the
other way," said Rotkin, after meeting with the Sheriff, police
department officials and the district attorney. "I don't think there is
a court in the county that will convict if medical necessity is proven."