(Sacramento) - Attorney
General Bill Lockyer, State Senator John Vasconcellos, Santa Clara District
Attorney George Kennedy and others today released the recommendations of
the Attorney General's Medical Marijuana Task Force.
In November of 1996 the voters of
California approved Proposition 215, which permitted access to marijuana
for medicinal purposes, with more than 55 percent of the vote. Since that
time, the application and enforcement of the law has been erratic and the
subject of intense criticism due to ambiguities and significant omissions
in the language of the initiative. In January of this year the Attorney
General formed the Medical Marijuana Task Force in order to develop recommendations
for responsible implementation of Proposition 215.
Co-chaired by Senator Vasconcellos
and District Attorney Kennedy, the 29-member task force is comprised of
a diverse group representing patients, police, sheriffs, narcotics officers,
district attorneys, doctors and local government in California. Over the
past six months, the task force has met regularly in an effort to reach
the broadest possible agreement on a safe, fair and enforceable set of
recommendations for the proper implementation of Proposition 215.
"I am extremely impressed with and
grateful for all of the hard work that the task force members have dedicated
to this difficult public policy issue," Lockyer said. "This was not an
easy issue. For the past three years law enforcement, doctors and seriously
ill Californians have struggled to find an appropriate manner to respect
the will of the voters and protect the public safety. Unfortunately, Proposition
215 was a poorly drafted initiative that raised more questions than it
answered. The task force's recommendations will help legislators and others
clarify the shortcomings in Proposition 215 while protecting the interests
of law enforcement and the seriously ill.”
Some of the major provisions of
the task force's recommendations include:
Establishes a registry identification
program to be administered by the Department of Health Services in conjunction
with county health departments for the purposes of identifying individuals
authorized to engage in medical use of marijuana.
Recommends that the Department of
Health Services be responsible for determining what amount of medical marijuana
is appropriate for patients.
Permits regulated operation of cooperative
cultivation projects and provides that regulations be developed for the
operation and supervision of such cooperatives.
Clarifies those cases where medical
marijuana use may be authorized and requires that the patient's personal
physician make the recommendation.
The task force's recommendations
have been amended into Senate Bill 848 (Vasconcellos) which is scheduled
to be heard on Tuesday, July 13 in the Assembly Health Committee.
Attorney
General Bill Lockyer, Senator John Vasconcellos, Santa Clara District Attorney
George Kennedy and Others Release Medical Marijuana Task Force Recommendations
