O.C. BOARD MARIJUANA VOTE

Tuesday, April 17, the Orange County Board of Supervisors is
scheduled to vote on whether to implement the statewide medical
marijuana ID card program pursuant to state Senate Bill 420.
Proposition 215, the voter-approved Compassionate Use Act of 1996,
allows patients to use marijuana under their doctor's recommendation.

All too often, legitimate patients are arrested, despite strict
adherence to the letter of the law. Their cases are consistently
tossed out of court, but legal difficulty is not pleasurable,
particularly for those who suffer from chronic pain or nausea from
chemotherapy.

The ID card program is a valuable tool for law enforcement to verify
that someone is a legitimate medical-marijuana patient, and it
protects legitimate patients from arrest. The ID card program is
operated by the California Department of Health Services (CDHS). A
24-hour database allows law enforcement to verify the legitimacy of
someone claiming to be a medical marijuana patient. The program is
already working to protect patients and assist law enforcement in 26 counties.

For what reason should patients in Orange County be denied the
protection from this state law? Some may be concerned that a vote
to implement the ID card program is aiding and abetting of a federal
crime. The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that it is not a
federal crime for a doctor to recommend marijuana to their patients.
To issue an ID card, merely documenting a recommendation, is most
certainly not a crime. The federal government has never suggested
that issuing a medical marijuana ID card violates federal law.

Stanly Peters

Tustin