COUNTY OKS POT LIMIT

SANTA CRUZ -- Enrico Mellone uses marijuana in his battle against
cancer and Crohn's disease.

He doesn't belong to a medical marijuana cooperative. Up until now, he
hasn't grown it himself. Sometimes he goes to buyers' clubs in
Oakland, but finds that to be expensive and the product low-grade.

So when the county Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an
ordinance Tuesday that allows medical patients to possess 3 pounds of
pot and keep a garden with a 100-square-foot canopy, Mellone and
others like him who rely on the marijuana were pleased.

"This enables me to grow outside and be self-sufficient," Mellone said
after the vote.

About 25 people showed up to support the ordinance; none of those who
spoke at the meeting opposed it.

While the allowed amount may seem excessive to the non-user, patients
said that, in some cases, 3 pounds was a minimum, providing about
three marijuana cigarettes per day. Moreover, eating pot, in brownies
for example, can take more of it than smoking it.

Patients use marijuana to cope with a string of illnesses and
diseases, including cancer and AIDS.

Advertisement Zip Realty Jake Singleton said he was diagnosed with lung
cancer three years ago. The same medication that attacked his cancer
damaged his taste buds and he began losing weight, he said.

"I lost my appetite until I discovered the wonderful world of the
munchies," Singleton said.

He uses pot in an edible form, eating it about three times per day. He
noted three times a day multiplied by 365 days in a year is "quite a
bit of marijuana."

Supporters of the rules lauded Sheriff Mark Tracy for asking the board
to request a team of physicians to develop some guidelines and make
the issue a medical one rather than a law enforcement one.

The board did just that, enlisting former county Chief Health Officer
George Wolfe, who convened a team of physicians to craft guidelines.

Those doctors considered what other counties have done in setting
their own guides and also gleaned information from a little-known
federal program that oversees a pot garden at the University of
Mississippi. Information from three patients in that program indicated
that they get about 6 pounds per year.

The physicians' recommendations were similar to ones in place in
Sonoma County.

While medical pot advocates said they were pleased with the county's
new regulations, many called it a first step. For starters, the law
covers individuals, but not cooperatives in which patients grow for
one another.

"We do need some guidelines, but my caveat is I would like to revisit
this in the future," said Mike Corral of the Wo/men's Alliance for
Medical Marijuana.

Corral said it would take a pretty experienced grower to yield 3
pounds from a garden with a 100-square-foot canopy.

Santa Cruz attorney Ben Rice said guidelines are also needed for
deputies.

"There is nothing here about what law enforcement is supposed to do
when they come across a grow," said Rice, who said he had gone to
court to obtain the return of about 12 pounds of pot during the past
three years.

He said that is a burden to police, who have to keep the marijuana
stored properly until the case is resolved.

Rice suggested the county adopt rules similar to the city of Santa
Cruz, which in 2000 passed ordinance that calls for police to take
photographs and a small sample, rather than confiscating the weed,
when there is a question as to whether pot is for medical purposes
until the grower's status can be determined.

Despite the minor critiques, most medical marijuana advocates were
pleased with the board's action.

"I think we've made great strides in our community and that we are a
model for other communities," said WAMM's Valerie Corral.

The new rules come eight years after the passage of Proposition 215, a
medical marijuana initiative approved by California voters.

Since that time, various cities and counties have grappled with how
best to implement the policy.

Last August the county launched a program issuing medical marijuana
I.D. cards through the county Health Services Agency.