Pubdate: Wed, 13 Jan 2016
Source: Modesto Bee, The (CA)
Copyright: 2016 The Modesto Bee
Contact:  http://www.modbee.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/271
Author: Ken Carlson

STANISLAUS COUNTY LEADERS OK ORDINANCE BANNING MEDICAL POT ACTIVITIES 
BUT WILL STUDY THE ISSUE

Supervisors take action after three-hour hearing

Medical marijuana patients believe their voices were heard

Board chairman says tax revenue is not the reason for exploring new policies

Stanislaus County leaders approved an even stricter ordinance that 
bans medical marijuana and cultivation in unincorporated areas.

But the decision Tuesday brought applause from medical marijuana 
advocates who packed the board chambers during a three-hour hearing. 
The county's conservative supervisors vowed to create an ad hoc 
committee to work on policies for regulating medical marijuana.

Supervisors recognized that marijuana ingredients seemed to work for 
individuals and parents in the audience, who pleaded with the board 
not to cut off their supply and force them to leave the county to purchase it.

Jason David, who educates parents about a marijuana extract to treat 
seizure disorders, said he was pleased the county seemed to take a 
more sensitive position. Several parents told supervisors that 
cannabidiol drops, or CBD, was the only thing that reduced their 
children's intractable seizures after trying numerous drugs 
prescribed by doctors.

Other speakers said medical marijuana helps them endure chronic pain, 
kidney stones and all sorts of other conditions.

"We want to do what we can for people who feel this works for them," 
Supervisor Terry Withrow said.

Board member Vito Chiesa said he does not support proposals to 
legalize pot and believes that medical marijuana cards are easily 
obtained by anyone. Nonetheless, he hoped the ad hoc committee can 
develop a responsible way to make CBD oil available to the parents.

The ordinance approved Tuesday goes farther than a previous one. Like 
the original, it outlaws dispensaries, but it also explicitly 
prohibits cultivation, processing, storage, transportation and sale 
of medical cannabis and products.

Supervisors said the ordinance is a placeholder until the public 
votes on marijuana legalization initiatives, which are expected on 
the November ballot in California. Withrow, Chiesa and Supervisor Jim 
DeMartini stressed they do not support legalization of pot for 
recreational purposes.

The county and cities have faced a March deadline to create 
regulations under the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act 
bills signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in the fall. Since the state bills 
do not prevent local government from banning medical pot activities, 
county officials opted to repeal the previous ordinance and approve 
the new one.

Bishop Ron Allen, president of the International Faith Based 
Coalition for a drug-free America, drew fire at the hearing when he 
criticized pot dispensaries and characterized marijuana as a gateway 
drug that lures young people to destructive addictions.

Audience members heckled the Sacramento minister, prompting Board 
Chairman Dick Monteith to demand they respect Allen's opinion.

Crystal Case of Turlock said that CBD has remarkably improved her 
daughter's condition. She said it reduced the number and severity of 
her seizures, and the 15-year-old disabled girl has learned to use 
the restroom on her own for the first time, Case said.

Another speaker said a rare disorder causes her body to create kidney 
stones and she uses marijuana to control the pain.

Others said there is a need for a safe and tested facility in the 
county for processing marijuana for patients. "I think there is a 
place for it in our community," Matt Cox said, noting the county 
could collect excise taxes on products. "I don't want to see 
Stanislaus County left out."

Monteith said the prospect of tax revenue from marijuana was not a 
reason for exploring new policies for medicinal use.

After the meeting, Marlo We said he was optimistic that advocates are 
changing the political landscape, despite the new ordinance that 
enables the county to shut his dispensary in rural Stanislaus County. 
"They just wanted to reaffirm their position," he said.

He said the dispensary, The Parents Remedy, has about 14,000 members 
and introduced Jason David to CBD as a treatment for his son Jayden, 
who suffers from a form for epilepsy called Dravet syndrome.

David has gained national attention for supporting parents who treat 
their children's seizures with CBD  the substance does not give the 
kids a high. In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration gave 
fast-track status to a CBD medicine being developed to treat Dravet syndrome.

David said he has worked with a neurologist at University of 
California, San Francisco, who has tested a CBD treatment for seizure 
disorders, though the results have been disappointing thus far.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom