Pubdate: Wed, 03 Jun 2009
Source: Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA)
Copyright: 2009 The Press-Enterprise Company
Contact: http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/letters_form.html
Website: http://www.pe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/830
Author: Imran Ghori, The Press-Enterprise
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

S.B. COUNTY SUPERVISORS STILL DISCUSSING MEDICAL MARIJUANA ID CARDS

San Bernardino County supervisors have yet to commit to providing
identification cards to medical marijuana patients despite a U.S.
Supreme Court action last month upholding state law.

The Board of Supervisors discussed the May 18 ruling in closed session
Tuesday morning but announced no decision.

"There is currently no change in the county's position or practices on
this issue," spokesman David Wert said. He said the matter would be on
next week's closed-session agenda.

After the meeting, however, two supervisors said the county will soon
be in compliance with state laws on issuing medical marijuana
identification cards.

Supervisor Josie Gonzales said the board is still working out the
details of how to put the program into practice, but said "definitely,
we are moving forward."

Supervisor Paul Biane said the Supreme Court's decision, which
followed three years of litigation, means the county must now move
forward "as soon as possible."

Biane said the county should begin working with the sheriff to develop
an ordinance and new rules governing the location of
dispensaries.

He said he hopes that county rules could be used as a model for the
county's 24 cities to provide a "level playing field."

A Sheriff's Department spokesman said the agency wants to first put in
place training and policies for its deputies.

"At our end of things, we're going in motion to comply," Lt. Rick Ells
said. "I guess you could say we see the writing on the wall."

Ells said he could not give a timeline for when the rules would be in
place but said it would be the "very near future."

Medical marijuana advocates say they plan to put pressure on the
county if it is seen as stalling.

"I think the obvious question is, what is there to decide? The law is
unambiguous," said Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the national Medical
Marijuana Policy Project. "It borders on the mind-boggling that
they're still finding this a difficult decision."

He noted that 40 other counties have procedures in place for issuing
identification cards. "There's not any need to reinvent the wheel
here," Mirken said.

Lanny Swerdlow, a registered nurse at the THCF Medical Clinic and
Patient Center in Riverside, said San Bernardino County's delay just
prolongs the difficulties that patients will face.

"The longer they put off issuing ID cards, the longer the Sheriff's
Department can keep arresting medical marijuana patients," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake