TRICKY QUESTIONS ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

The editorial "judicial illogic" raises some serious issues regarding
medical privacy, the prosecutor and the police[Opinion,July 30].

The prosecutor's office and most police departments do have a history of
civil-rights abuses using information obtained through a trial.

Do we have any guarantee that truly sick people using the Cannabis Co-Op
won't be subjected to harassment? Obviously not. If the prosecutor has his
man, what interest does their office have in knowing the name of the
consumers?

There are other unanswered issues such as right to property. For example:
Say a person with a medical need and a note from his doctor is growing a
couple of marijuana plants in his back yard. His neighbor climbs the fence
and steals his marijuana. Is this man entitled to police protection of his
stolen property?

My suggestion for a peaceful implementation that is cost effective would be
for the county to set up a program through Social Services to distribute
medical marijuana.

The participants' medical notes can then be verified as bona fide. The
marijuana to supply the program can come from illegal marijuana seized by
the police departments.

This would supply the medical need without any of the abjections advanced
by the District Attorney's Office. The cost to program participants would
be only the cost of administration.

Will Carl Armbrust ever come to the table in good faith?

Gregory J. Barnett Costa Mesa

Checked-by: Pat Dolan