SAN FRANCISCO MAY DEFY FEDS ON POT

SAN FRANCISCO -- Frustrated by the government's determination to shut down
medical marijuana clubs, San Francisco is thinking about growing its own.

The Board of Supervisors voted late Monday to put a measure on the November
ballot that would have city officials explore the possibility of growing
marijuana on publicly owned lots and distributing it to ill patients.

Supporters said the program could double as job training for the
unemployed. "I don't think it would be all that dramatic a venture," said
Supervisor Mark Leno, who proposed the idea with three colleagues.

California was the first state to approve the use of marijuana for medical
ailments, in 1996.

San Francisco already issues medical marijuana use cards to patients who
have a doctor's permission. Police have refused to participate in any raids
and last year city leaders declared San Francisco a sanctuary for medical
cannabis use.

Leno said the city health department or another agency could distribute
city-grown pot. He said he drafted the proposal because the Drug
Enforcement Administration remains determined to close down medical
marijuana clubs across California. "If the federal government is going to
continue to harass and shut down these clubs, then I think it's the city's
responsibility to take action," Leno said. "If 60 or 70 percent of voters
say 'yes,' the supervisors would be on very solid ground knowing that
voters would be with us."

Cultivating, possessing and distributing marijuana are illegal under
federal law. DEA spokesman Richard Meyer if San Francisco grows marijuana,
it could expect a crackdown.