https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/414/sandiego.shtml

The San Diego County board of supervisors voted Tuesday to try to overturn California's Compassionate Use Act, which allows seriously ill people to use marijuana with a doctor's recommendation. While many California counties are grappling with ways to implement the loosely-written law, San Diego County is the only one seeking to turn back the clock on it.

The formal vote came after supervisors last month announced they wanted to sue the state instead of creating registries and identification cards that would help medical marijuana users. At that time, they did not say they would try to overturn state law.

But that's what they did Tuesday on a unanimous vote. "It just seemed logical to us," Supervisor Bill Horn told the North County News Tuesday afternoon. "Why Mickey Mouse around about it?"

Horn and the other supervisors don't like the law. Horn has called it "a bad law," and argued that supporting it would "send the wrong message" to kids. The law would also increase drug abuse, supervisors argued.

According to San Diego county attorney John Sansone, the lawsuit will be filed in federal court sometime this month and will argue that federal law should supersede state law.

Although California voters approved the law by a 10-point margin in 1996 and have shown no signs of wishing to return to the pre-medical marijuana days, San Diego County has proven recalcitrant. Supervisors turned aside pleas from patients and health practitioners to leave the law alone.

"It's totally political," said local nurse practitioner Claudia Little, who sits on the medical advisory board of Americans for Safe Access. "The population is in favor of medical marijuana. The politicians are so far behind the curve here, it's ridiculous. The politicians aren't representing the people, they are just representing a handful of outspoken opponents," she told the News.

Hmmm... can anyone say "recall campaign"?

	Please make a generous donation to support Drug War Chronicle in 2007!

PERMISSION to reprint or redistribute any or all of the contents of Drug War Chronicle (formerly The Week Online with DRCNet is hereby granted. We ask that any use of these materials include proper credit and, where appropriate, a link to one or more of our web sites. If your publication customarily pays for publication, DRCNet requests checks payable to the organization. If your publication does not pay for materials, you are free to use the materials gratis. In all cases, we request notification for our records, including physical copies where material has appeared in print. Contact: StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug Reform Coordination Network, P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 293-8340 (voice), (202) 293-8344 (fax), e-mail [email protected]. Thank you.

Articles of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of the DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Out from the Shadows HEA Drug Provision Drug War Chronicle Perry Fund DRCNet en Español Speakeasy Blogs About Us Home Why Legalization? NJ Racial Profiling Archive Subscribe Donate DRCNet em Português Latest News Drug Library Search special friends links: SSDP - Flex Your Rights - IAL - Drug War Facts StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug Reform Coordination Network (DRCNet) 1623 Connecticut Ave., NW, 3rd Floor, Washington DC 20009 Phone (202) 293-8340 Fax (202) 293-8344 [email protected]