SONOMA COUNTY PREPARES FOR POT CARDS

Health Officials Say Program To Identify, Shield Medical Users To Be In
Place By Mid-October

A program to distribute state medical marijuana cards to qualifying Sonoma
County residents is expected to be in place by mid-October, according to
public health officials.

The cards will shield holders from arrest for marijuana possession by state
and local law enforcement officers.

But how many people will sign up, knowing that they still could be subject
to arrest by federal authorities, is unknown, said Dr. Leigh Hall, deputy
health officer for Sonoma County.

"We don't really know," Hall said. "It is a voluntary program .. . so it
will depend on what identification is needed at dispensing sites, how
scared people are by the legal stuff going on. But we are gearing up, we
will hire extra people."

Doc Knapp, spokesman for the Sonoma Alliance for Medical Marijuana, an
advocacy group, said there are about 3,000 medical marijuana users in
Sonoma County.

"Half the people will jump through the hoops and say we want to do this,"
Knapp said. "The other half won't for a variety of reasons, either
rebellion or more importantly they are elected officials or high-paid
executives and they don't want to get on a list and threaten their career."

Using, growing and dispensing of marijuana is allowed under Proposition
215, which was passed by California voters in 1996. It allows people to
obtain and use marijuana with the recommendation of a physician.

Under a program adopted after the initiative passed, Sonoma County
residents could apply for a special permit. Their eligibility was verified
by the Sonoma County Medical Association and honored by local law enforcement.

The county allows qualified users to keep three pounds of marijuana and up
to 25 plants in a 100-square-foot garden.

Under a state law that took effect last year, medical marijuana users and
caregivers will be able to get state-issued identification cards that give
them immunity from arrest by local and state law enforcement officers.

But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled for a second time in June that the federal
ban on marijuana supersedes state laws allowing medical use.

Although it didn't overturn California's medical marijuana law, the ruling
left open the possibility that medical marijuana users could be arrested by
federal law enforcement officers.

The decision prompted state officials to temporarily halt the marijuana
card program. It has since been restarted, with participants being warned
about the conflict between state and federal law.

The cards, which already are available in Mendocino, Del Norte and Amador
counties, have pictures, identification numbers and expiration dates.

If cardholders are stopped, police can check a database that will verify
the information.

"If you possess a valid SB420 card (named for Senate Bill 420), it is a bar
to arrest," Knapp said. "Even if the cop has a bad attitude, the cop can't
arrest you, and that is valuable. For patients and caregivers, the most
important thing is not to get arrested, because then you have jail, you
have to get lawyers, it is costly."

Hall said that under the state program, residents will be able to bring
identification and information from a doctor that they are being cared for
and have a condition or disease that is eligible for medical marijuana
treatment.

Local health workers will verify the information and send it to the state,
which will issue the card, Hall said.

Hall said the program will be presented to the Sonoma County Board of
Supervisors in mid-September and should be in operation in mid-October.