Newhawk: The Fresno Bee April 3, 1997 TELEGRAPH, Pg. A3 FAX: FRESNO BEE FRESNO CA 12094416436; FAX: FRESNO BEE FRESNO CA 12094416436 DONALD SLINKARD; LAWMAKERS MOVE TO ADVANCE STATE MEDICALMARIJUANA BILL by Jon Matthews Bee Capitol Bureau Copyright (c) 1997, McClatchy Newspapers, Inc. Legislation intended to help implement Proposition 215, the state initiative allowing medical use of marijuana, was approved Wednesday by the state Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Several lawenforcement officials opposed the bill, noting that marijuana continues to be banned under federal law. But supporters said the followup legislation simply advances the will of state voters, who already have approved medical use of the drug. "This bill is very simple. It simply carries out the will of the people of California," the author of the measure, Sen. John Vasconcellos, DSanta Clara, told the committee. Proposition 215 was approved by California voters in last November's election. Among other things, the followup bill, SB 535, would: * Find that the state's voters affirmed that " medical marijuana is a drug with appropriate uses for the treatment of thousands of Californians suffering from serious illnesses," and that "physicianrecommended use of medical marijuana is a health issue and not a criminal justice issue." * Direct the University of California to create a Medical Marijuana Research Center to study the drug and establish medical guidelines for medical marijuana use, and provide an initial $ 2 million for the research. * Require doctors to notify parents or guardians prior to recommending any medical use of marijuana by a minor. * Create a Medical Marijuana Distribution System Task Force to research and design a statewide plan "for the safe and affordable distribution of marijuana to all patients in medical need of marijuana. " In other legislative action Wednesday: * A bill by Sen. Ray Haynes, RTemecula, to ban ebonicsbased instruction from California classrooms was rejected on a 38 vote by the Senate Education Committee. * The state Senate Education Committee approved legislation to overhaul the state's system for teaching 1.3 million children with limited English skills. The committee advanced a measure by Sen. Deirdre Alpert, DCoronado. Alpert said the bill would give school districts badly needed flexibility to develop their own bilingual programs, while at the same time also holding the districts accountable for results. The measure now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee. LOADDATE: April 4, 1997