JUST SAY NO

Educators And Cops Tell Supes To Reject Gallegos' Pot Guidelines

Humboldt County educators turned out in force at a meeting of the
Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, arguing that a proposed medical
marijuana ordinance based on the guidelines set by District Attorney
Paul Gallegos was not restrictive enough.

Their protestations evidently had an impact, as the board chose not to
vote on the ordinance, put forward by Supervisor Roger Rodoni, and
instead appointed a task force to study the matter further. As a
result, a potentially potent political issue -- the board's judgement
on Gallegos' pot guidelines -- is unlikely to be resolved prior to the
March 2 recall election.

With the board's chambers filled nearly to capacity, the educators,
supported by law enforcement representatives, engaged in a sometimes
raucous debate with proponents of the ordinance.

"The thing that disturbs me is the permissive message we are sending
to the community," said Kent Bradshaw, a member of the Fortuna Police
Department. "I would encourage [the board] not to be swayed by the
discussion I'm hearing here."

Rodoni, for his part, emphasized pot's medicinal value. "This is not a
hill that most politicians want to die on," he said. "But, as we've
heard, it involves people that are, in fact, dying."

Late last year, the state Legislature passed Senate Bill 420, which
set a statewide minimum for the amount of marijuana registered
patients are allowed to have at any time -- eight ounces and 12
plants. The law allows cities and counties to set more generous limits.

Under the Rodoni proposal, Humboldt County would allow up to 99
plants, a maximum 100 square feet of growing area and 3 pounds of
dried marijuana per patient. The limits are identical to guidelines
set forth by Gallegos earlier this year.

Educators raised several concerns about the proposed limits, saying
they would send "the wrong message" to children and would allow for
cultivation and use of marijuana in homes near schools. They also
questioned the need for liberal regulations when SB 420 allows doctors
to prescribe amounts that exceed local guidelines if specific patients
require it.

"I'd recommend standing firm on the state's guidelines," said Kenny
Richards, superintendent of the Northern Humboldt Unified High School
District.

Medical marijuana advocate Chris Conrad said that while underage drug
abuse was a concern, it did not directly pertain to the medicinal use
of marijuana.

"I'm sure that they are worried about kids getting into marijuana --
we're not talking about that today," he said. Other advocates said
that shifting the onus of increased limits to doctors would mean that
those doctors would more likely draw the attention of federal law
enforcement.

When the public finished speaking, Rodoni spoke not just of medical
marijuana patients, but of other casualties in the drug war. He
brought up the case of Sean Akselsen, the Southern Humboldt teenager
killed in a drug deal gone bad, and said that most older people he
knew favored the complete decriminalization of marijuana.

"They remember prohibition," he said. "They remember prohibition
brought us Al Capone."

The proposal to appoint a task force was made by Jon Sapper, assistant
superintendent of the Humboldt County Office of Education. The task
force, to be led by Rodoni and Supervisor John Woolley, will be
composed of representatives of education, law enforcement, doctors and
patients.

The board is expected to formally approve appointees to the task force
at its next meeting, with the goal of formulating a county medical
marijuana policy within the next 90 days.