SANTA CRUZ PREPARES FOR LAW SANCTIONING MEDICINAL MARIJUANA GROUPS

SAN JOSE, Calif. - As Santa Cruz prepares for final adoption of
a law sanctioning medicinal marijuana groups, city officials are
trying to figure out who's going to oversee the growing groups of
ailing tokers.

The ordinance, approved in a unanimous vote of the city council March
28, would become law May 11, or 30 days after its final reading on
Tuesday.

It was intended to give the city's blessing to local organizations
such as the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, or WAMM, a
collective whose 200 members share pot to ease symptoms of AIDS,
cancer and other ailments.

Since then, at least two other medicinal marijuana groups have sought
the city's approval, and found no one at City Hall ready to look them
over.

"It's a big question that I think everybody needs to look at," said
Deputy Police Chief Jeff Locke. "The ordinance spells out what people
have to do, but who confirms that in fact the organizations comply
with the ordinance?"

No changes are proposed at the second reading, council members
said.

But City Attorney John Barisone said he has been talking with the
police about some sort of registration system for medicinal marijuana
groups, which will probably be proposed to the council in coming weeks.

Because of staffing levels and other priorities, the police would
rather have someone else in city government do the checking, Locke
said.

Since state voters in 1996 approved Proposition 215 to allow medicinal
marijuana use, local police have tried to accommodate ill smokers
within the law.

Santa Cruz's ordinance is designed to give police clearer policy
guidelines. It's based upon a law passed by Oakland two years ago to
sanction the Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Cooperative. That club is
appealing its closing by drug authorities in federal court.

Unlike Oakland's law, however, Santa Cruz's prohibits distribution of
marijuana for a profit.

Among the new groups seeking city approval is Santa Cruz Cannabis
Pharmaceuticals. It started recently as a medicinal marijuana delivery
service and now has about 80 members, said Kate Wells, the group's
chief executive officer.

Another group, Santa Cruz Citizens for Medical Marijuana, is
resurfacing after a period of dormancy, said Fred Seike, one of its
founders. The group formed after county voters in 1992 overwhelmingly
passed an advisory measure approving medicinal marijuana, and at one
time had 200 to 300 members, he said. But it folded a few years ago
out of concern about federal drug raids.

City leaders and medicinal marijuana advocates, however, say Santa
Cruz isn't likely to be overwhelmed by medicinal pot smokers.

Proposition 215 author Dennis Peron said that the sick don't need to
move to Santa Cruz to get pot. While federal authorities have shut
Peron's San Francisco medicinal marijuana club, several others have
since sprung up.

"It's like a balloon," Peron said. "You squeeze it in one place, it
swells in another."

Peron said a recent ruling on the Oakland club's case suggests the
court soon may allow medicinal marijuana clubs closed by federal drug
agents to reopen.

Councilman Mike Rotkin said that because Santa Cruz's ordinance
prohibits profiting off pot, few medicinal marijuana groups will take
advantage of it.

"How many groups out there want to deliver free or at-cost marijuana
to people?" Rotkin asked.