CALIFORNIA TO STOP ISSUING ID CARDS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE

SAN FRANCISCO -- California officials said Friday they will stop
issuing identification cards to state residents who smoke marijuana
to treat medical conditions, after last month's U.S. Supreme Court
decision that said Congress may bar the cultivation and use of marijuana.

Because the court affirmed that possessing marijuana is a federal
crime, the health department is concerned its medical marijuana ID
card program "potentially aids and abets individuals in committing a
federal crime," and that staff could face prosecution, state Health
Director Sandra Shewry said in a statement.

Shewry said she had asked California Attorney General Bill Lockyer to
review whether the program violated federal law.