MARIJUANA TASK FORCE OFFERS A WORKABLE PLAN

Two and a half years after California voters legalized medical
marijuana with Proposition 215, a state Assembly committee will debate
a bill today to establish a system to make the law work.

And it's about time.

The bill (SB848), by state Sen. John Vasconcellos, outlines a plan for
a statewide registration system to immunize patients and their
caregivers from being arrested for using, possessing or growing
medical pot.

Unveiled yesterday in Sacramento, the measure is the product of the
Medical Marijuana Task Force, convened by state Attorney General Bill
Lockyer to find creative ways to implement and oversee the state law.

Lockyer deserves credit for creating a balanced task force --
including police, prosecutors, drug experts, doctors, growers, pot
advocates and opponents -- to seek a solution to the conflict between
state and federal drug laws.

Proposition 215 passed overwhelmingly in 1996, but federal and state
drug warriors have been fighting it ever since.

When Lockyer took office in January, he appointed the task force to
clarify the law and seek compassionate and practical ways to allow
patients to use medical pot legally.

Some so-called ``marijuana buyers' clubs'' are quietly distributing
pot, but they are in violation of federal drug laws and could be
busted anytime.

Today, the Assembly Health Committee will consider Vasconcellos' bill
to set up a system permitting pot use for patients with serious
conditions, including AIDS, chronic pain, cancer, glaucoma, migraines,
muscle spasms and nausea.

The state Department of Health Services and county health departments
would issue registration cards, with photo identification, to patients
whose doctors certify they are suffering from one of the conditions.
Qualified caregivers would also have cards. The Department of Health
Services would determine appropriate amounts for medical use.

This is not just a way for dopers to get around the law. For centuries
marijuana has been used as a palliative for a variety of ills. In
March, the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine, after
an 18-month study, reported that pot can help ease pain and nausea,
and recommended further research.

SB848 is a good blueprint for a system to control the legal
distribution of pot to patients who really need it.