Medical Marijuana Patient Numbers Growing
California voters have mandated public approval and citizen support for medical marijuana, and city officials are bound by state laws. The state of California has approved medical marijuana and it is required now for counties and cities to set up dispensary regulations and allow local patients safe access to doctor-approved medical cannabis.
Fresno County Supervisors tackled the controversial topic of medical marijuana this week.
On Tuesday, supervisors voted that medical marijuana patients will have to go elsewhere for i.d. cards.
The issues caused a major debate amongst the supervisors, “I’m not gonna vote for it until I get the appellate court, I’m gonna say that right up front. Until I have the information that clarifies it, I’m not gonna support it,” said Fresno County Supervisor Judith Case.
“Right now the law says that we’re supposed to do this, I mean it mandates that we do this,” countered Supervisor Susan Anderson.
In 1996 California voters passed Proposition 215, requiring counties to issue the medical marijuana cards to legitimate patients.
Since then, 40 of the 58 state counties have started the i.d. Program, including Merced, Tulare and Kern Counties. Fresno County though, has yet to get on board.
Dr. Terry Brown, a local doctor who attended the meeting and supports the use of medical marijuana, says the i.d. cards would make it easier for local law-enforcement to identify legitimate users.
“I’m incredibly anti-drug, I’m boarded in preventive medicine. It’s time as a society that we really look into marijuana more effectively and I think that’s gonna happen because the numbers of patients are becoming overwhelming.”
Fresno Counties’ Board of Supervisors is not the first set of lawmakers to take issue with the i.d. program; two years ago San Diego Supervisors sued to overturn Prop. 215. A superior court judge later ruled against that lawsuit.
First off, yes - these people are bound by law and the voters to supply medical marijuana cards to those patients who qualify. Demanding sick people to “go elsewhere” is wrong. Imagine telling cancer patients who can barely make it to the department of health or the doctors office, that they need to “go to another city” because local officials do not want to provide adequate and safe access for patients to get medical marijuana through an ID card system that protects both law enforcement and the patients?
The medical marijuana cards help officers know who is legally using cannabis and those who are distributing and selling it illegally. By denying this card system to be in place is no different than side-stepping state law, and continuing to fuel the fire under the black market marijuana on the streets of our cities. It is mandated this program be set forward, the longer these city official postpone the effort more patients will suffer.
What a shame that in a state like California patients are still having to fight for something as simple as the card system when it was approved so long ago and is working in so many counties already across California.
At least doctors are acknowledging the amount of patients coming forward, because the numbers of medical marijuana patients is growing. If we do not come out of the shadows now, when will we? Do your part, speak the truth and help others understand the importance of medical marijuana. Patient numbers are growing and more and more law enforcement agencies are siding with the patients - the time is now.