REEFER FOOLISHNESS

A FEDERAL judge's order closing down an Oakland medical marijuana club
should goose state legislators into creating a system for the legal
distribution of pot for sick people.

When 56 percent of California voters approved Proposition 15 in 1996, it
was meant to establish a safe and humane way for patients to obtain
marijuana that many insist is an effective folk medicine.

But as soon as the law was passed, state and federal anti-drug zealots
began harassing pot distribution clubs until most have closed their doors.

This week, District Judge Charles Breyer rejected arguments by the Oakland
Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative that it should be allowed to defy federal laws
against handing out marijuana because of ``medical necessity.''

Even as he ordered the Oakland club shut down sometime today, Breyer
conceded that the closure would cause suffering among some of its clients.

This reefer foolishness among state and federal drug warriors has gone on
long enough. Where are the state lawmakers with the creativity and guts to
set up a plan for the distribution of medical pot the voters approved two
years ago?

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski