NEW SOUTH SHORE BUSINESS RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE -- A purported medicinal marijuana provider has
opened, and at least one city official and one resident are
expressing concern about the new business.

Patient to Patient Collective opened early this month at 2314 Lake
Tahoe Blvd. A post on a message board at cannabis.com says the
collective is distributing marijuana for medical use.

A man who answered the phone at the collective and identified himself
as a manager also said the collective is distributing marijuana to
medical patients.

A Tribune reporter tried to arrange a visit to the facility last
week, but the manager -- who identified himself only as Matt -- said
a visit could not be arranged immediately and would have to wait a few days.

Matt said he did not want to give his last name because people's
politics could affect several other businesses he operates in town.

He said he would contact the owner on behalf of the Tribune, but
noted that the owner likely wouldn't be available for comment.

The business license filed with the city lists the name of the shop
at the collective's address as "Holistic Solutions" and describes the
business as being a retailer of "vitamins and herbs," according to
city Finance Director Christine Vuletich.

Vuletich said she was not able to give out contact information for
the business. City code requires businesses in South Lake Tahoe to
comply with both state and federal laws, according to an e-mail from
City Manager David Jinkens. Jinkens said he would check with
community development and the police department regarding the
business' compliance.

People have given the collective a "very positive response," Matt
said, adding that the demand for medical marijuana in the area is "huge."

At least 30 patients have signed up for the collective since it
opened in the first week of December, he said.

Although people can buy marijuana at the collective, they are not
allowed to use it on-site, Matt said. Operators want to keep the
collective "low-key" as a strictly "patient care-giving place," he added.

"If you do not have a medical marijuana card or prescription, you are
not welcome," Matt said. California has issued 23,670 medical
marijuana cards since the Legislature established the California
Medical Marijuana Program in 2004. The cards give medical marijuana
patients something to show law enforcement officers to demonstrate
that they are legitimate patients, but are not necessarily required
when purchasing from medical marijuana clubs.

Estimates by Americans for Safe Access -- a medical marijuana
advocacy group -- puts the number of doctor-qualified medical
marijuana users in California at more than 200,000. El Dorado County
has issued 25 of the cards since beginning local implementation of
the state program in August 2007, said Margaret Williams, a
spokeswoman for the El Dorado County Public Health Department.

In order to qualify for the cards, a person must be 18 and have a
"serious medical condition and certification from a physician
indicating that medical marijuana is appropriate for their
condition," according to a 2007 county press statement. South Shore
resident Bonnie Gustofson said she doubts the seriousness of the
medical conditions of Patient to Patient's customers and said the
collective is why she moved her business away from the shopping
center where the collective is located.

Gustofson said she believes marijuana can be effective as a medicine,
but said she was "disgusted" with what she perceives as recreational
marijuana users frequenting the collective.

"I've not seen one person go in there that looks like they're
injured," Gustofson said. "Anyone can get a (medical marijuana) card."

Recreational marijuana users patronizing "so-called" medical
marijuana providers is a common problem, said U.S. Drug Enforcement
Agency Special Agent Gordon Taylor in Sacramento, noting the Food and
Drug Administration has not found marijuana to be a safe and
effective medicine, and the possession, cultivation and sale of
marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

Sacramento-based agents raided nine dispensaries in the past four
years, Taylor said. Those raids have mostly taken place in the
Central Valley, Taylor added. The special agent declined to comment
about specific investigations.

The South Lake Tahoe-El Dorado County Narcotics Enforcement Team is
not investigating Patient to Patient at this time, SLEDNET Task Force
Cmdr. Jeff Catchings said earlier this month.

A medical marijuana dispensary operates in Placerville, said Matt
Vaughn, president of the Cameron Park-based Medical Marijuana
Caregivers Association, which also operates a medical marijuana
delivery service on the West Slope.

Several recent decisions have clarified the legal sale of medical
marijuana under Proposition 215, which was approved by California
voters in 1996. The proposition legalized the use of medical
marijuana, but provided few stipulations regulating its use.

In August, California Attorney General Edmund Brown Jr. issued
several guidelines to clarify distribution of marijuana from
cooperatives and collectives.

"Brown's guidelines affirm the legality of medical marijuana
collectives and cooperatives, but make clear that such entities
cannot be operated for profit, may not purchase marijuana from
unlawful sources and must have a defined organizational structure
that includes detailed records proving that users are legitimate
patients," according to a press statement from the Attorney General's office.

Last month, the California Supreme Court issued a decision that found
individuals who supply marijuana to someone with a valid medical
marijuana card can still be prosecuted for dealing drugs.

The ruling is expected to push medical marijuana users in Californian
to go to collectives, like South Lake Tahoe's Patient to Patient.

"Ideally, it (the ruling) won't have a tremendous effect," Joseph
Elford, a lawyer for Americans for Safe Access, told the San
Francisco Chronicle. "Patients will now increasingly get their
medication through collectives and cooperatives."