MEDICAL MARIJUANA ON AGENDA; BACKERS UNVEIL BILLBOARDS

Medical marijuana advocates unveiled a new series of billboards yesterday,
a day before the San Diego City Council considers guidelines for sick and
dying patients who seek access to the drug.

At a public hearing today, members of the council will weigh a task force
recommendation that would allow patients to grow up to 90 plants and
possess up to three pounds of marijuana.

Thirty-five signs will go up in San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area to
raise support for the provisions in Proposition 215, the state law that
permits seriously ill people to grow and smoke pot to relieve symptoms of
their illnesses.

Because marijuana remains illegal under federal law, however, many cities
and counties in California have been slow to implement the state law.

"This is getting the message out to Californians that there is a violation
of democracy happening here," said Steph Sherer of Americans for Safe
Access, which is paying for the $20,000 media campaign.

There will be 10 billboards in San Diego and 25 across the Bay Area.

The outdoor advertisements feature the young daughter of a Northern
California man sent to prison for growing marijuana on behalf of a cannabis
club, stating that her father is not a criminal.

The signs were rejected by billboard owners in Los Angeles and Sacramento,
organizers said.