PROP. 215 BACKERS COMPLAIN
County: Supervisors, Sheriff's Department Are Urged To Honor The
Spirit Of 'Medical Marijuana' Initiative.

The retired registered nurse from Mission Viejo who helped write the
"medical marijuana" initiative marked the third anniversary of its
passage by complaining to the Board of Supervisors that the law hasn't
been implemented in Orange County.

Anna Boyce and three others presented a petition to the board calling
for cooperation from the county in getting pot to the ailing.

Boyce expressed hope earlier this year that the Sheriff's Department,
under the new leadership of Mike Carona, would abandon predecessor
Brad Gates' hard-line stance against Proposition 215.

The former sheriff cracked down on a center that distributed marijuana
and billed itself as operating under Prop. 215. One of the center's
directors is now serving a six-year jail term.

But Tuesday, Boyce told the board that she and other Prop. 215 backers
were "still battling" for acceptance of the medical use of marijuana.
"Why won't the county enforce the law?" she said.

However, Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo said later Tuesday that
the matter is "significantly more complicated than that." He said
federal law contradicts Prop. 215.

Supervisors had no comment on the testimony or on Boyce's request that
the matter be discussed more fully at a future meeting.