OAKLAND APPROVES LIBERAL MEDICINAL MARIJUANA RULES

Advocates of marijuana for medical purposes praised the Oakland City
Council on Wednesday after it approved one of the most liberal medical
marijuana measures in the country by allowing patients to keep 11/2 pounds
of the drug for "personal use."

The council late Tuesday approved a policy directing police not to target
individuals or confiscate their marijuana if it falls within the guidelines.

The policy, passed unanimously, is believed to be the state's most liberal
since implementation of Proposition 215, the medical marijuana initiative
approved by voters in 1996. The Oakland policy says patients with a valid
doctor's prescription may keep 30 outdoor marijuana plants, 48 indoor
plants or 1.5 pounds of bulk marijuana.

The limit defies a threshold set by Attorney General Dan Lungren, who in
Late 1996 restricted ailing pot users to two plants for 30 days.