Pubdate: Wed, 27 Sep 2006
Source: Reporter, The (Vacaville, CA)
Copyright: 2006 The Reporter
Contact:  http://www.thereporter.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/472
Author: Greg Moberly, Times-Herald, Vallejo
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

MARIJUANA USER CARDS UP IN SMOKE

Supervisors Decide Against Administrating A Program Sought By 
Supporters Of Medical Marijuana

Despite a boisterous and somewhat confusing debate  Tuesday, the 
Solano County Board of Supervisors  rejected the possibility of 
county administration of a  medical marijuana card program.

With two Sheriff's deputies watching, the meeting was  far from typical.

One supervisor supported the card program but  questioned marijuana's 
medical value.

A few medical marijuana supporters reportedly were  ticketed by 
Fairfield police for honking their car  horns. This happened as 
people drove past those  lobbying for the card program outside the 
county government center.

Steve Kubby, author of Proposition 215, in which voters  approved 
medical marijuana, spoke on behalf of those  pushing the card program.

The supervisors took two votes related to the card  program. As a 
result, while one minute supporters  thought they had garnered a 
major victory, the next  minute they realized that wasn't the case.

With a 2-3 vote, supervisors narrowly rejected  development of a 
proposal administering the card  program. This followed a vote that 
simply amended the  agenda allowing the recommendation vote to occur.

"After 10 years, why are we still debating this?" Kubby  said during 
the debate. "These people are frightened  every day," he said 
referring to law enforcement  arresting medical marijuana users.

After the board's vote, card supporters vociferously  said they'll 
remember the supervisors' decision during  the next county elections. 
At that same time, as the  meeting was adjourned for lunch, Sheriff's 
deputies  escorted Michele Schlick-Harris of Vacaville from board 
chambers for being loud and disruptive.

"That doesn't help," Kubby quietly told Schlick-Harris during one of 
her earlier outbursts.

Simply administering the state-authorized card program  would help, 
supporters said several times.

It would help law enforcement, said Aaron Smith, who  was ticketed by 
Fairfield police for honking his horn.  Smith represented Safe Access 
Now, a state medical  marijuana lobbying group.

"It's simply a tool for law enforcement," Smith said.

Smith and others said the card would allow police  officers to better 
track those using marijuana  illegally and those who need it for 
medical purposes.

"I'm terrified right now," said Kim White, of Vallejo,  of possible 
police action against him because he is a  medical marijuana user.

Linda Jimenez, a card program supporter, said the time  to debate the 
efficacy of medical marijuana is over.

Supervisor Duane Kromm, like county public health  officials, said 
there's no overwhelming evidence for or  against medical marijuana.

However, the impact that placebo drugs in some cases  have had on 
people swayed him to support medicinal  marijuana, Kromm said. 
"That's powerful," referring to  marijuana users who believed they 
were being helped by  it.

Kromm joined Supervisor Barbara Kondylis in supporting  a card program.

Fairfield Police Lt. Michael Hill said that because  protesters were 
near a business area and a school,  police decided to issue the tickets.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman