PANEL TO COMPILE MARIJUANA GUIDELINES

Ideas Will Be Sent to City Council

Guidelines on who should be allowed to grow marijuana for sick people
and how much they could legally grow will be developed by a citizens
task force for consideration by the San Diego City Council in August.

City Councilwoman Toni Atkins said guidelines are needed quickly to
put patients at ease and to give police clearer direction in dealing
with those who possess and grow marijuana to alleviate symptoms of
various illnesses.

"We're not talking about recreational use. We're talking about medical
use," said Atkins, chairwoman of the Natural Resources and Culture
Committee.

The committee voted 3-1 this week to give the Medical Cannabis Task
Force the job of preparing guideline proposals. Councilman Brian
Maienschein was opposed and Councilman George Stevens was absent.

The City Council created the task force a year ago to implement
Proposition 215, a 1996 state measure allowing the medical use of marijuana.

Maienschein, a lawyer, said he's against any city action to enable the
medical use of marijuana because marijuana use is still against
federal law.

"I can't, in good conscience, vote for something that I believe is
illegal," Maienschein said.

Task force chairwoman Juliana Humphrey, a lawyer, warned that there
may be disagreement between the task force and police in developing
the guidelines.

Atkins said the need for prompt action was underlined by a police raid
in May on the City Heights garden of Dianne Vesprini, a medical
marijuana patient. Vesprini said she had been growing marijuana at her
home for herself and three other patients.

Police Chief David Bejarano, in a June 14 memo to the council
committee, said police followed proper protocol in removing the
marijuana plants from Vesprini's garden. He said he couldn't go into
detail because police investigative files are exempt from public
record laws.

Bejarano said the case was referred to the District Attorney's Office,
which has declined to pursue criminal charges.

Humphrey said the task force this week issued a call for social
service agencies to submit proposals on developing an identification
card program for medical marijuana users. She said the goal is to
begin issuing the cards later this year.

The council in February voted to establish the ID card program to
allow sick people to use marijuana on their doctor's recommendation
without fear of arrest.