Pubdate: Wed, 23 Jul 2003
Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)
Copyright: 2003 San Francisco Examiner
Contact:  http://www.examiner.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/389
Author:   Ethan Fletcher, of The Examiner Staff

REEFER PROGRESS

Meeting On S.F. Pot Farming As Congress Considers States'rights Bill.

A collection of politicians, doctors and activists as well as growers, 
patients and friends of patients gathered Tuesday to discuss Proposition S, 
an attempt to strengthen San Francisco's support of medicinal marijuana 
against federal intervention.

The public meeting at the First Unitarian Church on Franklin Street, 
sponsored by the Drug Policy Alliance among others, featured talks by 
experts concerning the logistical and legal issues in Proposition S, two 
workshops, an open-mike question-and-answer session, and a forum featuring 
a stream of current and hopeful politicians.

The talk happened on the same day as the introduction of an amendment to a 
House appropriations bill in Washington on preventing the federal Drug 
Enforcement Agency from interfering with state medical marijuana laws.

The issue of medical marijuana has become a hot topic recently as George W. 
Bush's administration has targeted California's and specifically San 
Francisco's liberal marijuana laws. The DEA and federal prosecutors have 
put pressure on weed growers, distributors, activists and doctors who 
prescribe the drug.

A map displayed during the conference showed the high number of pot clubs 
around San Francisco.

"If I look at a map and I'm opposed to medicinal marijuana, I see a 
bull's-eye right here," said Dale Gieringer, state coordinator of the 
California National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, pointing 
to the Bay Area.

San Francisco voters overwhelmingly passed Prop. S last November in 
response to the federal pressure. Prop. S dictates that San Francisco 
policymakers explore the possibility of The City procuring control of the 
growth and distribution of marijuana, taking the heat off individuals.

The conference tried to focus on the problems of logistics, physician 
willingness to prescribe, and separating the needy patients from the rest 
of the pot culture, according to Steve Heilig from the San Francisco 
Medical Society.

Eddy Lepp, owner of Eddy's Medicinal Garden, a ganja-growing cooperative in 
Lake County that harvests several thousand pounds of marijuana a year, said 
the feds really don't have any control over state drug enforcement.

"Why would I be leaving and going out to my truck to smoke a joint right 
now, if the federal government had any authority over it?" said Lepp, who 
survived two drug raids and currently has a $36 million lawsuit pending 
after a raid in August 2002, as he left the conference.

A stream of city politicians spoke supporting Prop. S, including mayoral 
and district attorney candidates, with current DA Terence Hallinan getting 
a standing ovation.

Mayoral candidate Angela Alioto received one of the warmest reactions to 
her impassioned speech that touched on her husband, who died of stomach 
cancer and could not receive medicinal marijuana to help his suffering.

"What a great city we live in where all three candidates for DA support the 
use of medical marijuana," joked candidate Bill Fazio.

Note: Meeting on S.F. pot farming as Congress considers states'rights bill.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart