HALLINAN'S POT SHOT AT FEDS

District Attorney Terrance Hallinan has a message for the Drug Enforcement
Agency: Get out of The City's pot clubs.

Hallinan said at a press conference Monday that the DEA and other federal
agencies should "lay off our marijuana clubs." His response was because of
the recent raid of a high-profile Los Angeles cannabis club that supplies
marijuana to the seriously ill.

The DA's proclamation also fell on the anniversary of Proposition 215, the
medicinal marijuana initiative that was voted in by Californians five years
ago.

About 150 supporters carrying an American flag adorned with marijuana
leaves and signs that read "DEA go away" gathered on the steps of the Hall
of Justice to hear Hallinan -- a longtime marijuana supporter -- Supervisor
Mark Leno and other pro-pot activists.

Leno also said the DEA shouldn't bother trying to bust San Francisco
cannabis clubs.

"They will not have the cooperation of local law enforcement," he said. "We
want to be left alone. (Criminalizing) medical cannabis is a waste of time,
money and efforts because we clearly believe that there is medical value to
cannabis use. The voters have spoken."

At Monday's Board of Supervisor's meeting, Leno backed up the DA's
declaration and introduced a resolution that would make The City a
"sanctuary for medical cannabis use, cultivation and distribution" and urge
city and state law enforcement agencies to uphold the state law, which
allows seriously ill Californians the right to possess and use medical
cannabis, when they have a physician's recommendation.

The medicinal marijuana movement took a blow in May when the U.S. Supreme
Court ruled that a federal anti-drug law does not make any exceptions for
seriously ill Californians who use pot for health reasons.

This ruling made clear that the DEA won't adhere to state laws. DEA
spokesman Richard Meyer repeated the government mantra: The cultivation,
possession and distribution of any amount of marijuana is against the law.

"That's the mandate," he said. "Even if we did agree with the DA, Congress
has passed that law and that's the law of the land. We realize that there
is a conflict, but this is a federal law."

But marijuana activists say that the DEA's recent crackdown is about more
than a routine raid -- they point to the latest DEA appointment of Director
Asa Hutchinson.

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Executive Director
Keith Stroup said Hutchinson has "turned up the heat a bit" and he thinks
it's just a matter of time for the other shoe to drop and for San Francisco
cannabis clubs to be raided.

"I'd be very surprised if clubs in the Bay Area are allowed to keep
operating as they do," he said.

Meyer declined to say whether the DEA has increased surveillance on more
than 20 Bay Area clubs. There have been reports of increased instances of
agents watching local clubs, but others say it could be paranoia.

"Everybody is nervous," said Kathleen Lemons, who runs Hemp Center in the
Richmond. "But nothing has happened. They have always been (watching) us
... the difference now is that it had been a while since they shut a club
down."

Wayne Justmann, the director of the Western Addition cannabis buyer's club
Patients Resource Center, which serves more than 300 patients a day, said
he hasn't noticed an increase in surveillance of his facility.

The 56-year-old is a card-carrying medicinal marijuana patient who has been
HIV positive for the past 13 years. He uses marijuana to stimulate his
appetite and help with neuropathy, anxiety and stress relief, with
government approval from the Department of Public Health.

Justmann received the first "Medical Cannabis User ID Card" that was issued
by the DPH in July 2000. The cards were issued so patients could prove to
law enforcement officers that they qualify as medical cannabis users under
Prop. 215. Last month alone, the department issued 200 cards -- since the
program began, it has issued 3,000 cards, according to Leno.

California is not alone in its progressive medicinal marijuana legislation.
Eight other states have legislation similar to Prop. 215 -- including
Hawaii, Nevada, Colorado, Maine, Alaska, Washington, Arizona and Oregon.

NORML's Stroup said the federal agent's time could be better spent.

"Wouldn't we rather have those people working as anti-terrorist experts?"
he questioned. "Instead they are chasing sick patients and marijuana
smokers in California."