CIVIL RIGHTS AND DAYS GONE BY

I read with interest my old friend, Tom Greerty's recent column,
"Musings by the Grizz," published on the 24th of February, and
listened to his comments at the City Council meeting on the 16th of
February. Tom and I entered this world at about the same time and were
baptized at St. Catherine's in Martinez at about the same time. We are
still members of the same parish.

Tom's father and my father then went in different directions. Tom's
dad became the director of the Martinez Chamber of Commerce and did a
wonderful job promoting the economic interests of our city. Mine
became the head of the Math and Science Department at Las Lomas in
Walnut Creek, taught molecular biology at UC Berkeley, wrote a few
science books and otherwise kept himself busy. Thus our lives went in
different directions. We met again on the gridiron and share a love of
football.

Tom may not remember (of course) but I remember he and Pete Peters
squeezed into the back seat of my grey Volkswagen on Main Street in
Walnut Creek one sultry summer evening ... an unforgettable sight.

We were teenagers. We then found ourselves practicing law in Martinez
in 1981. Tom was a newly minted private attorney, having put the years
of playing football in Oregon and studying life in Paris behind him,
and I was a Deputy District Attorney for Contra Costa County. We
continue to share many of the same values, friendships and memberships
. but like humans everywhere we do not always agree with regard to
every social issue ... But I would still get up in the middle of the
night to rescue Tom from a stranded car ... might get there a little
sooner if it were Kit (could let Tom freeze just a little bit ... just
kidding, Tom).

Many say that if you remember the 60s and the 70s, you didn't live
through those decades.

But I did live through those decades (started college in 1965) and I
do remember them. (And I also listened and heard at the Council
meeting on Feb. 16). Of course, between obtaining a bachelor's degree,
law degree, completing two years in the Army Infantry and acquiring a
license to practice law that decade (1965 to 1975) went by awfully
fast. The point being, that many of us did not drink to excess or
scramble our brains with a myriad of other substances during that
time, but we still were against the war and supported the cause for
civil rights.

Nor does one need to be an "aficionado" of drugs (I'm not) to
appreciate their medicinal benefit.

In 1965, I could never have imagined that cannabis would have any
medicinal value, but numerous studies conducted by Stanford,
University of California among many other medical research
institutions and, frankly, anecdotal accounts have more than
documented clinical applications. Physical maladies as far flung as
glaucoma, arthritis, psoriasis, Alzheimer's disease, not to mention
various forms of cancer have been effectively treated with cannabis
extract.

In the past 24 months the American Medical Association has withdrawn
its recommendation that the substance be banned by Federal Law and
acknowledged the results of these studies recommending further research.

Interestingly, there are many different strains of cannabis used for
medicinal purposes, some with little to no THC the psychotropic
ingredient of marijuana.

Much of this information is available on the Internet. Thus I have
concluded that cannabis, ingestible orally and otherwise, can be of
medical value to suffering fellow humans.

Tom is not convinced. (But this is not surprising. Italians knew the
world was round at a time when flat earth societies were flourishing
in Ireland.)

Unfortunately, cannabis is not available in most hospitals because of
federal funding concerns.

Despite the recommendation of the American Medical Association,
cannabis remains a "schedule 1" drug where it was placed in 1971 in
the midst of civil rights protests, antiwar demonstrations, the
assassination of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. And even
though the federal government regulates everything from how fast you
can drive on a country road to how hot your curling iron can be, they
can't find the courage or wisdom to allow hospitals to dispense
cannabis for medicinal purposes.

Should families with members suffering with cancer or other maladies
be able to access a substance of proven benefit in a safe, clean and
clinical environment and not have to go to "dope stores," or "head
shops," or grimy liquor stores or depend on "black/gray marketers" on
a street corner or down a dark alley?

Should they be able to access cannabis with a valid doctor's
prescription by a licensed doctor in good standing with the California
Medical Board that is of known quality/ingredients, i.e. free of mold
or contaminates that could harm a cancer patient?

I believe the answer is yes.

The question becomes, is the current proposed ordinance an ordinance
our community feels appropriate? As Council members we were elected to
lead, not dictate.

Often it is difficult to know where one begins and the other ends. In
my view, although suffering patients may disagree, there is no good
reason why our fellow citizens could not weigh in with an advisory
vote or a vote on a specific ordinance come the general election in
November. Given the level of concern that has been raised, I believe
that would be the appropriate course of action.

Final Note. Attended Phyllis Butcher Wainwright's requiem.

Poignant. The Butcher family has a long and honored history in
Martinez. My grandmother worked for her father at the Bank of Martinez
in the "teens." My father attended Alhambra High School in the "30s"
with Phyllis and her sister Nancy who married Ray Chapot. And then Dad
and Phyllis managed to set her school desk on fire during a wild and
wooly science demonstration gone awry in Orinda decades ago. And
finally, I had the privilege of appointing her to the Cemetery
Commission where she introduced me to the Clampers cemetery
caretakers extraordinaire. (Later, I introduced her son, Bill, to the
Clampers.) Loyal to Phyllis to the end, they were there in full red
shirted regalia.

Over a hundred years of history in Martinez. Phyllis contributed so
much to our community as a school board member, so many other
capacities and as a wonderful friend to many. Days gone by. Life is
short. Rest in peace, Phyllis.