Pubdate: Thu, 22 Jun 2000
Source: Sierra Sun (CA)
Copyright: 2000 Sierra Sun
Contact:  P.O. Box 2973 Truckee, CA 96160
Website: http://www.tahoe.com/sun/
Author: Doug Mattson, Sun News Service

GUIDELINES ADOPTED FOR MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

If you have two pounds of processed marijuana and a legitimate 
prescription, smoke in peace.

Four hazy years after California voters passed the Compassionate Use Act, 
Nevada County has added some clarity by adopting a set of guidelines on how 
much pot a patient can own and what constitutes a legitimate medical A 
patient is permitted up to two pounds of processed marijuana and to 
cultivate up to 10 plants at any given time - so long as the plants yield 
no more than two pounds of processed marijuana.

"It's enough to stay stoned most of the time for a year," District Attorney 
Mike Ferguson said Thursday.

Ferguson reached the guidelines with input from Sheriff's Department 
narcotics agents and local users and physicians. Ferguson, Sheriff Keith 
Royal, Grass Valley Police Chief John Foster and Nevada City Police Chief 
Lou Trovato signed the guidelines Wednesday, June 14.

George Shouldice, a San Juan Ridge marijuana user, said the standards suffice.

"I'd like to see a little bit more on the amount of plants and marijuana," 
he said. "Three pounds and 15 plants - that's what I was arguing for. Some 
people were arguing for a lot less. Actually, we all should be happy."

Shouldice, 56, said he's growing 10 plants and ingests marijuana to ease 
chronic lower-back spasms he has had since the mid-1980s.

"It helps, but it's not a panacea and it doesn't do it all by itself," 
Shouldice said. "I can function a lot better on the marijuana than I can on 
morphine-type derivative drugs."

The county allows more marijuana than some counties that bothered to 
establish guidelines.

"I think they're some of the best in the state," Shouldice said. "Less than 
half of the counties in the state even have guidelines."

Ferguson said, "When you look at some of the other laws, I think we're 
being pretty liberal in what we're allowing people to have."

Looking elsewhere, Ferguson said he found that Shasta County allows 
patients 1.33 pounds of marijuana and two outdoor plants or six indoor 
plants. Tehama County allows three pounds of marijuana, up to 18 seedlings 
but no more than three mature plants.

State laws vary, too.

Alaska allows one ounce of usable marijuana and six plants but only up to 
three mature plants. Colorado allows up to two ounces and three mature plants.

There's debate over how much a plant can produce.

"We hear about these guerrilla growers who can grow one-and-a-half- and 
two-pound plants. I can't do it. Maybe if I had more time at it," Shouldice 
said.

Ferguson had hoped to form a medical review committee to look over medical 
recommendations - much like Sonoma County has - but it "wasn't workable," 
he said. In Mendocino County, marijuana prescription recommendations from 
doctors must be approved by the county health department.

Nevada County's guidelines were established partly to keep 
recommendation-holders from growing limitless crops, partly to give law 
enforcement some parameters.

The document's expressed purpose was to establish a "criteria for 
verification of medicinal marijuana cases and thereby not infringe on 
legitimate possession of marijuana for medicinal purposes ..."

Law enforcement will continue to check the validity of medical 
recommendations, both to see whether the patient has more marijuana than 
was recommended, or if the doctor's recommendation itself was valid.

"A doctor shouldn't be used to facilitate recreational use," Ferguson said.

The guidelines may be tweaked as time goes on, he said, "But it's a start."
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