LAWMAKERS EYE BILL AUTHORIZING STUDY OF MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

SACRAMENTO (AP) -- The question of whether marijuana has a legitimate
medical purpose would have been the focus of a University of
California-sponsored research program under a bill that died in the
Assembly.

Had it not failed Monday, the bill by Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-San Jose,
would have set up the California Marijuana Research Program at UC to make a
definitive study of medical value of the drug.

The proposal, backed by state Attorney General Dan Lungren and county
prosecutors, among others, would have authorized extensive scientific
investigation of the issue, and required status reports to the Legislature
every six months.

In 1996, California voters approved Proposition 215, which legalized the
cultivation of use and possession of marijuana for medicinal purposes on a
doctor's recommendation.

But some law enforcement officials note that the initiative's provisions
conflict with other state and federal laws, and that the measure was
approved before medical and scientific investigation determined that the
drug was safe and efficacious.

The Vasconcellos bill was an attempt to correct the apparent flaws in
Proposition 215 by providing credible and unbiased research. The studies
would have sought to determine what diseases, if any, are helped by
marijuana treatment, and whether the drug should be smoked, or whether the
active ingredient should be isolated and taken in tablet or capsule form.

"We are not afraid of the truth. We are not afraid of the results of a
credible study," said Assemblyman Tom Woods, R-Shasta.

Checked-by: Don Beck