PROPONENTS TO TOUT MARIJUANA BENEFITS AT FORUM SUNDAY

Former San Bernardino County Sheriff Deputy David Herrick had been in
constant pain for five years.

He tried surgery, pain killers and treatments promising to dull the
pain that had been a part of his life since 1990, when he was run over
by a car while on duty.

Nothing worked, he said, until he tried marijuana in
1996.

"Within three to five minutes, the pain was gone," Derrick
said.

He quickly became an advocate for the drug, and Sunday, he will be
among the speakers at the Community Marijuana Forum on Sunday at Palm
Desert Civic Park arguing for the reform of drug laws dealing with
marijuana.

"There's a bad stigma about marijuana that needs to be addressed," he
said.

It's a stigma that has come with a cost.

Derrick served a 29-month prison sentence several years ago for
providing the drug to a woman suffering from cancer.

He's endured the resentment of his law enforcement
colleagues.

But, today, Derrick lives relatively pain free and praises the drug
that has enabled him to lead a normal life again.

"Conventional medicine can only go so far, and it's remarkable how
(marijuana) works," Derrick said.

Sunday's event is sponsored by The Marijuana Anti-prohibition Project,
a local community group interested in promoting "alternatives to
prohibition."

Organizers said their goal is to remove the issue of marijuana use for
medicinal and recreational purposes from the legal system.

"This is not going to be a festival or a celebration of marijuana,"
said Lanny Swerdow, the event's organizer. "It's to provide
information and engage in discussion about marijuana and the
alternatives to prohibition."

In 1996, California's voters passed Proposition 215, which permitted
access to marijuana for medical purposes. However, federal law
prohibits doctors from prescribing marijuana, thereby hindering full
implementation.

Swerdow said a lot of misinformation is given about marijuana and has
led to misconception of the herb.

"Marijuana is a plant. It's not even processed like alcohol. It's a
relatively benign drug that has many benefits," he said.

Although they acknowledged there are some positive medicinal effects
of marijuana use, officials with the Riverside County Substance Abuse
Programs said the negative aspects of the drug far outweigh the benefits.

" THC (the main active chemical in marijuana) is two to three times
the amount that it was 15 years ago," said Jim Powell supervisor at
the Riverside Substance Abuse Program.

He said the stronger marijuana can lead to faster addiction and
harmful side effects, such as loss of motivation and loss of memory.

But Derrick maintains marijuana is less dangerous than some drugs that
are legal.

"There is a big difference between alcohol, tobacco and marijuana,"
Derrick said.

"Marijuana is not damaging. And you get immediate reaction to whatever
is really bothering you, physically or physiologically," he said.

Marijuana Facts:

Facts about marijuana according to National Institute on Drug Abuse:

Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded
leaves, stems, seeds and flowers of the hemp plant.

Cannabis is a term that refers to marijuana and other drugs made from
the same plant.

Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the United
States. Nearly 69 million Americans older than age 12 have tried
marijuana at least once.

The average age of those first trying marijuana for the first time was
14 years.

If you want to go:

When: 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: In the amphitheater at Palm desert Civic Park, at the corner of Fred
Waring Drive and San Pablo.
Cost: Free
Information: 799-2055

Richard Guzman covers La Quinta for The Desert Sun.