Pubdate: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 1999 The Orange County Register Contact: http://www.ocregister.com/ Author: Chris Reed-OCR PROP. 215 BACKERS COMPLAIN County: Supervisors, Sheriff's Department Are Urged To Honor The Spirit Of 'Medical Marijuana' Initiative. The retired registered nurse from Mission Viejo who helped write the "medical marijuana" initiative marked the third anniversary of its passage by complaining to the Board of Supervisors that the law hasn't been implemented in Orange County. Anna Boyce and three others presented a petition to the board calling for cooperation from the county in getting pot to the ailing. Boyce expressed hope earlier this year that the Sheriff's Department, under the new leadership of Mike Carona, would abandon predecessor Brad Gates' hard-line stance against Proposition 215. The former sheriff cracked down on a center that distributed marijuana and billed itself as operating under Prop. 215. One of the center's directors is now serving a six-year jail term. But Tuesday, Boyce told the board that she and other Prop. 215 backers were "still battling" for acceptance of the medical use of marijuana. "Why won't the county enforce the law?" she said. However, Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo said later Tuesday that the matter is "significantly more complicated than that." He said federal law contradicts Prop. 215. Supervisors had no comment on the testimony or on Boyce's request that the matter be discussed more fully at a future meeting. - --- MAP posted-by: manemez j lovitto