SAN FRANCISCO CARDS ALLOW MARIJUANA USE

SAN FRANCISCO--With $25 and a doctor's note, a sick person can get an
official city ID card permitting use of medicinal marijuana, San
Francisco's maverick district attorney proudly announced Friday.

"This represents another stone in the foundation we're building to
make people recognize that cannabis is a legitimate medicinal agent,"
Terence Hallinan said. "I'm not really worried we won't be able to
work things out with the federal government."

The program allows patients to avoid local prosecution if they are
caught possessing the drug. It's modeled on programs in Mendocino
County and the city of Arcata, which also directly challenge federal
law against marijuana.

Californians legalized medical marijuana by approving Proposition 215
in 1996, but the measure has been entangled in legal disputes ever
since.

Health department officials said their ID card program would not have
been possible without the influence of Hallinan, who calls himself
"America's most progressive district attorney."

The ID program announced Friday doesn't address how those in need will
obtain the drug; it merely shields them from arrest by certifying that
cardholders have a medical reason to use it.