BUGGED BY THE FEDS, S.F. MAY GROW ITS OWN POT FOR PATIENTS

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

The city Board of Supervisors has voted to put a measure on the November
ballot that would have city officials explore the idea of growing pot and
distributing it to seriously ill patients who have permission from their
doctors.

Supporters said such a program on city owned land could double as
agriculture job training for the unemployed.

Supervisor Mark Leno said he drafted the proposal because the Drug
Enforcement Administration remains determined to close down clubs that
distribute medical marijuana.

California was the first state to approve the use of marijuana with the
passage of Proposition 215 in 1996.

"If the federal government insists on standing in our way locally, we must
take matters into our own hands and protect the lives of our community
members and protect their right to access lifesaving medicine." Leno said.
"We have a lot of land."

Cultivating, possessing and distributing marijuana are illegal under
federal law.