FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
SEPTEMBER 9, 2008

CONTACT: Aaron Smith, MPP California organizer, 707-575-9870

FRESNO, Calif. — The Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 today to adopt a medical marijuana I.D. card system, making it the 41st county to comply with a requirement mandated by a 2003 state law. One board member abstained.

    By giving patients the option of obtaining cards identifying them as qualified medical marijuana patients, law enforcement officers will be able to quickly discern whether they are operating within the law, sparing taxpayers the burden of costly, time-consuming false arrests, advocates said.

    "California's voters, Legislature and the courts have made it clear that counties must comply with the state's medical marijuana law," said Aaron Smith, California organizer for the Marijuana Policy Project. "Hopefully the decision to implement this program in Fresno County will send a message to the other counties across the San Joaquin Valley that have yet to comply."

    The board had decided in July to delay a decision until the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on a challenge to the I.D. card program by the counties of San Diego and San Bernardino. Although the case was unanimously dismissed July 31, officials from both counties vowed to appeal to the California Supreme Court.

    "While their colleagues in San Diego and San Bernardino continue to avoid reality, Fresno board members today demonstrated they understand and respect the rule of law," Smith said. "There is no longer any excuse for any county official in this state to obstruct this simple, commonsense – and mandatory – I.D. card program."

    Patients and advocates hailed the decision as the latest sign that local and state officials have come to understand the importance of protecting the rights of seriously ill Californians to use medical marijuana to relieve their pain if their doctors recommend it. In August, Attorney General Jerry Brown issued the most comprehensive directives on how law enforcement should interact with medical marijuana patients and collectives, a move lauded by the state’s Police Chiefs Association as an important step toward clarifying the law. The guidelines state that the I.D. cards “represent one of the best ways to ensure the security and non-diversion of marijuana grown for medical use."

    "The Fresno Board of Supervisors' decision represents a victory for sensible, compassionate policymaking," said Dana Bobbitt, a Fresno resident who turned to medical marijuana to aide in his treatment for hepatitis C. "It's about time that our local leaders realized their obligation to uphold the rule of law and the will of the voters by implementing this program."

    With more than 25,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.