SANTA CRUZ OFFICIALS SEEK TO SEND MESSAGE ON MEDICINAL POT

At least four Santa Cruz City Council members plan to join medicinal
marijuana users at a pot giveaway at City Hall next week. Their goal is to
send a message to federal authorities that, in this town, medicinal
marijuana is welcome.

Council members on Tuesday invited members of the Wo/Men's Alliance for
Medical Marijuana to pass out medicinal marijuana in a City Hall courtyard.

The invitation came less than a week after agents from the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration arrested Valerie and Michael Corral and
confiscated 167 plants that had been grown to be used as medicine.

"It's just absolutely loathsome to me that federal money, energy and staff
time would be used to harass people like this,'' said Vice Mayor Emily
Reilly, who plans to be on hand at 3 p.m. Tuesday as WAMM members pass out pot.

Mayor Christopher Krohn and councilmen Mark Primack and Scott Kennedy said
Wednesday they also plan to attend.

City Attorney John Barisone said that although the city council did pass a
resolution Tuesday denouncing the raid, there is no official city
sponsorship of the event, but that council members and medicinal marijuana
advocates are acting on their own accord in a public space.

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors also unanimously passed a
resolution Tuesday condemning the DEA's action.