MARIJUANA USER CARDS UP IN SMOKE

Supervisors Decide Against Administrating A Program Sought By
Supporters Of Medical Marijuana

Despite a boisterous and somewhat confusing debate Tuesday, the
Solano County Board of Supervisors rejected the possibility of
county administration of a medical marijuana card program.

With two Sheriff's deputies watching, the meeting was far from typical.

One supervisor supported the card program but questioned marijuana's
medical value.

A few medical marijuana supporters reportedly were ticketed by
Fairfield police for honking their car horns. This happened as
people drove past those lobbying for the card program outside the
county government center.

Steve Kubby, author of Proposition 215, in which voters approved
medical marijuana, spoke on behalf of those pushing the card program.

The supervisors took two votes related to the card program. As a
result, while one minute supporters thought they had garnered a
major victory, the next minute they realized that wasn't the case.

With a 2-3 vote, supervisors narrowly rejected development of a
proposal administering the card program. This followed a vote that
simply amended the agenda allowing the recommendation vote to occur.

"After 10 years, why are we still debating this?" Kubby said during
the debate. "These people are frightened every day," he said
referring to law enforcement arresting medical marijuana users.

After the board's vote, card supporters vociferously said they'll
remember the supervisors' decision during the next county elections.
At that same time, as the meeting was adjourned for lunch, Sheriff's
deputies escorted Michele Schlick-Harris of Vacaville from board
chambers for being loud and disruptive.

"That doesn't help," Kubby quietly told Schlick-Harris during one of
her earlier outbursts.

Simply administering the state-authorized card program would help,
supporters said several times.

It would help law enforcement, said Aaron Smith, who was ticketed by
Fairfield police for honking his horn. Smith represented Safe Access
Now, a state medical marijuana lobbying group.

"It's simply a tool for law enforcement," Smith said.

Smith and others said the card would allow police officers to better
track those using marijuana illegally and those who need it for
medical purposes.

"I'm terrified right now," said Kim White, of Vallejo, of possible
police action against him because he is a medical marijuana user.

Linda Jimenez, a card program supporter, said the time to debate the
efficacy of medical marijuana is over.

Supervisor Duane Kromm, like county public health officials, said
there's no overwhelming evidence for or against medical marijuana.

However, the impact that placebo drugs in some cases have had on
people swayed him to support medicinal marijuana, Kromm said.
"That's powerful," referring to marijuana users who believed they
were being helped by it.

Kromm joined Supervisor Barbara Kondylis in supporting a card program.

Fairfield Police Lt. Michael Hill said that because protesters were
near a business area and a school, police decided to issue the tickets.