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