WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26 2005 5:59 PM
SUBMITTED BY: MISSTYRIOS EDITED BY: MISSTYRIOS
Santa Cruz, California has voted to establish an official city department that would distribute medical marijuana. I say "would" because there's really very little chance that it will ever become a reality. Its existence will depend on whether the city can beat the feds in a lawsuit. Another California city, San Jose, is currently battling the federal government in court over their authority to exercise power over state drug laws, and Santa Cruz is trying to become a party to the case. Even though California voters approved a measure in 1996 that allowed the medicinal use of marijuana, this past summer the US Supreme Court ruled that federal drug laws trumped such state laws. So Santa Cruz is being very clear that its "Office of Compassionate Use" will only become a reality if that current reality changes.
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[Santa Cruz Vice Mayor Cynthia] Mathews [who voted against the measure] said she fully supported the right of allowing sick patients to smoke medicinal marijuana, but worried that it could end up costing the cash-strapped city money.
``I'm not comfortable with the expectations it creates,'' Mathews said. ``I'm not convinced this is something the city can or should take on.''
The city, she said, ``is on the ropes'' financially, ``to put it mildly.''
But Mayor Mike Rotkin assured Mathews -- usually a strong ally on the council -- that he wouldn't have introduced the measure if ``I thought it would cost the city of Santa Cruz money. . . . All of us are quite aware of the fiscal crisis.''
Rotkin, who said the program could be supported by user fees, argued that medicinal marijuana was an important issue to so many Santa Cruzans. To some, he said, it's the ``most important issue in their life.''
[...]
Santa Cruz council members indicated Tuesday they'd like to see drug stores such as Walgreens distribute the marijuana if the municipal Office of Compassionate Use is eventually set up.
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Pot at Walgreens?? Thats one hell of a dream
SUBMITTED BY: MISSTYRIOS EDITED BY: MISSTYRIOS
Santa Cruz, California has voted to establish an official city department that would distribute medical marijuana. I say "would" because there's really very little chance that it will ever become a reality. Its existence will depend on whether the city can beat the feds in a lawsuit. Another California city, San Jose, is currently battling the federal government in court over their authority to exercise power over state drug laws, and Santa Cruz is trying to become a party to the case. Even though California voters approved a measure in 1996 that allowed the medicinal use of marijuana, this past summer the US Supreme Court ruled that federal drug laws trumped such state laws. So Santa Cruz is being very clear that its "Office of Compassionate Use" will only become a reality if that current reality changes.
........................................................................................
[Santa Cruz Vice Mayor Cynthia] Mathews [who voted against the measure] said she fully supported the right of allowing sick patients to smoke medicinal marijuana, but worried that it could end up costing the cash-strapped city money.
``I'm not comfortable with the expectations it creates,'' Mathews said. ``I'm not convinced this is something the city can or should take on.''
The city, she said, ``is on the ropes'' financially, ``to put it mildly.''
But Mayor Mike Rotkin assured Mathews -- usually a strong ally on the council -- that he wouldn't have introduced the measure if ``I thought it would cost the city of Santa Cruz money. . . . All of us are quite aware of the fiscal crisis.''
Rotkin, who said the program could be supported by user fees, argued that medicinal marijuana was an important issue to so many Santa Cruzans. To some, he said, it's the ``most important issue in their life.''
[...]
Santa Cruz council members indicated Tuesday they'd like to see drug stores such as Walgreens distribute the marijuana if the municipal Office of Compassionate Use is eventually set up.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Pot at Walgreens?? Thats one hell of a dream
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Tell yer monkey thanks too...