I admire the city of Oakland officials who are protecting their local
cannabis club from existing federal drug laws by declaring club
members "officers of the city." This farsighted action will enable
those with health conditions to get medical marijuana, which was the
will of 56 percent of the voters of Proposition 215.

But let's face reality. This declaration will most likely be
challenged by Lungren's office and denounced by drug czar McCaffrey
and his federal colleagues. They will do everything in their power to
shut down the cannabis clubs and discourage people from thinking of
cannabis as medicine.

If the people of California want to fully implement Proposition 215,
we must change the federal laws and views on medical marijuana. A
starting point would be to petition President Clinton to remove
cannabis from the Schedule 1 list of controlled substances. It is
ludicrous to have a medically beneficial drug such as marijuana under
the same classification as heroin or cocaine.

--David J. Kesich, Carmichael