LEGISLATOR VOWS TO FIX MESS

Thank you for your editorial calling for statewide regulation of
medical marijuana. While I am disappointed in the Obama administration
for this attack on medical marijuana and patients' rights to medicine,
I believe that we have a responsibility to ensure that medical
marijuana providers and patients have a clear set of rules and
regulations for operation in California.

Only by doing so can we protect and respect the voters' wishes as
passed in Proposition 215. A good starting place for regulation is the
guidelines for implementation of Prop. 215 and SB 420 that were
written in 2008 by then-Attorney General Jerry Brown.

I am committed to working with the governor, my colleagues in the
Legislature and advocates to create statewide reforms that would
provide clarity and guidance for both medical marijuana providers and
law enforcement.

Let's just hope that these regulatory reforms will be enough to end
the misguided federal attack on California's landmark Compassionate
Use Act.

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco