Pubdate: Sat, 16 Dec 2006 Source: North County Times (Escondido, CA) Copyright: 2006 North County Times Contact: http://www.nctimes.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1080 Note: Gives LTE priority to North San Diego County and Southwest Riverside County residents Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1671/a04.html Author: Denise Stanford KEEP FIGHTING MARIJUANA LAWS Regarding your Dec. 10 article "Patients say they'll appeal to county over medical marijuana law," I applaud the Board of Supervisors' legal action and I hope they will continue to protect our young people and the public by seeking legal relief from SB420, an ill-conceived legislative bill. SB420 forces San Diego County to spend our tax dollars to create the marijuana ID card program. The county should not be involved in an expensive and fraudulent program. San Diego County's Health Department has the responsibility to provide for the best public health measures available, and smoking a plant is not it. As a person who works with teens every day, it is important to understand how devastating marijuana use is for them and their families. Marijuana smoking greatly affects their education and future employment potential. Those who profit greatly from the cultivation and distribution hide behind their designation as a patient and confuse the issue. It is teens who are using marijuana, and often they bring their marijuana use into their adult life, further creating health costs for us all. Virtually no marijuana use begins in adulthood. Denise Stanford Del Mar