75A - PH - MEDICAL MARIJUANA - PROHIBIT

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"The percentage we deal with that I believe are truly legitimate is 1 percent," Carney said....Prosecutors say cases like that of Edwin Hoey, which is now going through the local legal system, are an example of someone hiding behind. the medical marijuana law for profit. Hoey, a Santa Cruz man, was arrested in December when deputies found 100 pounds of marijuana at his residence during an investigation. His attorney, Rice, claimed Hoey was providing pot for local medical marijuana dispensaries. However, more than $500,000 in cash and a French wine collection valued at $150,000 found in Hoey's possession lead prosecutors to believe he was selling marijuana to make a big profit. They say he sold pot to non-medicinal customers on the East Coast. Hoey has been. charged with three counts of selling marijuana. "I-Ie was taking advantage of the medical marijuana law," prosecutor Pamela Kato said. "This really is a case of greed. It's a travesty of the law" Rice denies Kato's assertion, saying "the vast majority" of Hoey's marijuana was intended for people with a medical need......The state Attorney General's Office agrees abuse of the medical marijuana system is widespread because the unclear laws leave plenty of room for cheating. "The medical marijuana Iaw left a lot to be desired in terms of clarity," said Nathan Barankin, spokesman for the state Attorney General's Office. "There's more work to be done" Many in the legal community hope the ambiguities of th.e law will be sorted out in the courts. Several cases regarding medical marijuana are currently pending in the courts to help determine parameters for users and caregivers. Kato, the county prosecuxor, said clearer rules would make her job easier and put tnore people behind bars. No other state medical marijuana-related bills are in the works at this time, however the deadline to propose legislation for this year is Feb. 23. Source: http~//wwtiv.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/ 1 anuaryl2$/local,/stories/02loca.l.htm Just Say No to Marijuana Dispensaries in SCV Commentary By Frank Ferry /Sunday January 28, 2007 Much has been written IateIy about the licensing of medical marijuana here in our community. As chair of the city of Santa Clarita's Blue Ribbon Task Force and an avid opponent of marijuana use and dispensaries, I feel compelled to share some facts and research with you, as well as some opinions I have as a parent and school. administrator. First and foremost, you need to know that drug use, especially marijuana use, among teens doesn't just exist in the Santa Cl.arita Valley. It is rampant. Now, I know for same of you parents, Phis is not troubling to you. Heck, you used marijuana in your teens; you smoked and drank beer; you see i.t as a right of passage and you are not concealed. What you might not know is that the marijuana that is available to teens today is much stronger than. the marijuana that was available in the 1960s or 1970s. Sometimes it is also laced with other, more potent drugs. Marijuana is physically addictive. Each year, 1.00,000 teens are treated for marijuana dependence. Teens who smoke marijuana heavily experience many the same symptoms of withdrawal as users of nicotine. Between 1991. and 2001, the percentage of eighth graders nationally who used marijuana doubled from 1 in 10 to 1 in 5. Kids are using marijuana at an earlier age. Research indicates that the earlier teens start using marijuana, the more Iikely they are to become dependent on this or other drugs later in life. 17 75A-112