HYSTERIA CLOUDS CITY MARIJUANA ISSUE

Over 200 years ago, Constitution framer James Madison wrote, "It is of great
importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the
oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the
injustice of the other part."

Madison's statement aptly frames the current discussion regarding the
compassionate use of marijuana for medical purposes. As the City Council
nears a vote on the guidelines for possession of medical marijuana it is
time to shed some light on the overzealous hysteria that has slanted what
ought to be a simple issue.

In 1996 California voters approved the Compassionate Use of Marijuana Act
(Proposition 215) with over a 60 percent majority. But seven years after
enacting, Proposition 215 patients in the city of San Diego face significant
barriers exercising a practice granted to them by California voters but one
still prohibited by federal law. The voter-approved Proposition 215 was
designed to protect a small segment of the population from being hauled off
to jail for using a medicine that provides them with relief from a number of
symptoms such as the nausea brought on by cancer drug therapies.

But individuals seeking protection under Proposition 215 are being dealt a
terrible injustice by fringe factions that have attempted to use the city
Medical Marijuana/Cannabis Task Force as a lightning rod to further
political agendas. One can only hope that the City Council will see fit to
guard dying AIDS and cancer patients from the misinformation and injustice
of two small but vocal groups that have selfishly sought to use the medical
marijuana issue to further their own agendas.

Both sides have used questionable tactics that are clearly unethical - if
not downright illegal. Unfortunately, sick and dying individuals for whom
the Medical Marijuana Initiative was created are being overlooked in an ugly
fray pitting marijuana legalization activists against prevention advocates.
The legalization crowd views the medical marijuana issue as a strategy to
legalize the use of recreational marijuana. While the prevention side
believes that providing marijuana to sick patients will open the floodgates
to rampant drug use in our youth.

We heard these same arguments before voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996.
Opponents claimed that legalizing marijuana for the sick sends a wrong
message to youth leading to higher rates of pot smoking. But the facts do
not show that the passage of Proposition 215 resulted in an increase in
youth marijuana usage. In fact, the exact opposite occurred. According to
the San Diego City Schools Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the percentage of
youth that reported smoking marijuana actually decreased from 26.4 percent
in 1997 to 22.5 percent in 2001.

From the beginning, the task force has tried to do what the City Council
asked us to do - provide recommendations on the implementation of
Proposition 215. But unbeknownst to the Medical Marijuana Task Force an
"anti" task force was formed to thwart our efforts.

The San Diego Prevention Coalition formed the Marijuana Policy Council to
"monitor Medical Marijuana Task Force meetings and recommendations. " Sounds
innocent enough. Unfortunately the Prevention Coalition and its members have
gone way beyond monitoring. They are now actively seeking to influence
public policy. Which is fine. Except for one small problem. Where does their
funding coming from? In 1998 tax returns the San Dieguito Alliance stated
that it receives 93 percent of its funding from government agencies. County
and other government funding cannot be utilized for lobbying or to influence
legislation.

The San Dieguito Alliance for Drug Free Youth, a member of the Prevention
Coalition, was the chief sponsor of an anti-medical marijuana rally on
Wednesday in City Heights. This rally brings into question the tactics of
the Prevention Coalition and its Marijuana Policy Council. First, why is the
San Dieguito Alliance for Drug Free Youth sponsoring a rally in City Heights
and not in San Dieguito? Even more questionable is that they actually
offered to pay people to attend.

The task force was formed for one reason: to provide recommendations to the
City Council on the most efficient way to regulate the use of medical
cannabis. The task force chair has stated repeatedly at meetings that our
mission is not to address the legalization of recreational marijuana. But
that has not stopped legalization activists from attending our meetings and
attempting to use the high-profile of the task force to further their own
ends. Many of us on the task force have found their presence an unwelcome
distraction and believe that they have done a great injustice to those who
have a legitimate claim for protection under Proposition 215.

Clearly, many people would be happier if this issue just went away. Law
enforcement officials would have an easier job if all use of marijuana were
illegal. But the world we live in is rarely painted in black and white. It
now seems that alcohol in moderation provides protection from certain
diseases - but, of course, alcohol was once illegal.

It is up to us as adults to explain to our children that drugs (including
alcohol) both legal and illegal are potentially dangerous. We also need to
teach our children that everyone deserves protection under the law - even
those laws we don't particularly like. For it is by obeying the law (in this
case a law enacted by Californians) that we are able to "guard one part of
the society against the injustice of the other part."