SHERIFF SIGNS POT PETITION

UKIAH -- Mendocino County Sheriff Tony Craver said Monday he sees no
conflict between signing a petition to legalize the personal use of
marijuana and upholding laws prohibiting the use.

The petition signed by the sheriff, which has enough signatures to qualify
as an initiative on the November ballot, would legalize limited personal
cultivation and use of marijuana in Mendocino County.

Craver said he signed the petition, which is up for consideration by the
county Board of Supervisors today, to help create an opportunity for the
public to voice their opinion on the issue. But he said he intends to
continue enforcing state laws on marijuana even if the initiative passes.

"I certainly don't endorse the use of marijuana," Craver said. "I am
endorsing the right of the people to be heard."

Supervisors could either adopt the initiative as a county ordinance or put
it to a public vote. Some supervisors said they prefer to let the public
decide.

The Green Party-sponsored initiative is the first in the county that aims
at making recreational use of marijuana legal.

The initiative has garnered more than twice the number of signatures
required to place it on the ballot, not surprising in a county that has one
of the few remaining medical marijuana clubs in the state.

Craver said despite decades of efforts by law enforcement agencies to
suppress marijuana growth and use, the number of marijuana users and plants
seized has continued to increase each year.

The initiative would offer a chance to gauge what the public thinks about
marijuana use and whether laws should be changed, Craver said.

"I endorse the people's ability to express their desires, even if it's an
exercise in futility," said Craver. "It will send a message to people
(policy makers) in Sacramento and Washington."

Craver said he doesn't use marijuana, but he refused to divulge how he will
vote if the initiative is on the November ballot.

Under the initiative, the district attorney and the sheriff would not be
able to arrest and prosecute people who grow "25 or fewer adult flowering
female marijuana plants or the equivalent in dried marijuana." It would
also direct the county to lobby the state and federal governments to
legalize the personal use of marijuana.

Dan Hamburg, a spokesman for the Green Party, said the initiative is about
opening up access.

"It's analogous to people brewing a little beer in their basements or
growing grapes for wine," Hamburg said. He added that there is no
difference between unwinding with a double martini and relaxing with a puff
of marijuana.

The sale and commercial cultivation of marijuana would still be illegal
under the initiative.

County Counsel Peter Klein, in a written opinion, said because state laws
supersede local ordinances, the initiative isn't likely to be held up in
court if it passes.

District Attorney Norman Vroman said Monday he agrees with Klein's opinion.