GOVERNOR APPROVES MEDICAL MARIJUANA RULES

Gov. Ben Cayetano has approved rules governing the possession and use of
marijuana for medical purposes. They take effect next week Thursday.

Under a law passed earlier this year, doctors can get a registration
certificate for their patient to use marijuana to ease pain caused by
debilitating diseases such as cancer and AIDS. The fee is $25.

Ted Sakai, director of the Department of Public Safety, announced the rules
Tuesday, allowing certified patients to possess up to three ounces of
marijuana and to grow up to seven plants -- three mature and four immature

Otherwise, the cultivation or possession of marijuana remains illegal under
state law. It remains illegal even for medical purposes under federal law,
but Sakai said the state is seeking to resolve the conflict with the
federal government.

Medical marijuana is now legal in nine states, although the U.S. Supreme
Court agreed last month review the conflict between the state and federal laws.

The medical marijuana law left it up to the Department of Public Safety to
come up with rules to administer the use of the otherwise illegal drug.

"The program is designed to alleviate suffering in the community and get
some experience and make it work properly," Sakai said.