The council noted its existing endorsement of the medicinal use of marijuana as it advised the Los Angeles county police, who handle West Hollywood law enforcement, to focus their energies on more serious narcotics problems and other crimes like child and elderly abuse, burglary, and identity theft.

"This sends a message that the City of West Hollywood has an enlightened approach to its law enforcement," Don Duncan, manager of two local medical marijuana dispensaries, told AFP.

The move gave a boost to the campaign in California to permit sufferers from cancer and other debilitating afflictions to consume marijuana freely, despite federal laws banning the practice.

On Tuesday a steady stream of patients walked through the doors of Alternative Herbal Health Services, a West Hollywood dispensary where the product line runs from marijuana seeds to dwarf plants to harvested ganja bearing names like "Hollywood High" and "Train Wreck," all displayed neatly in glass jars.

Patients also can select between varieties of hashish, and "edibles" from chocolate-covered peanut butter cups to cannabis-laced banana bread.

Dispensary operators like Nichols feel the ordinance validates their work to provide organic medicine.

"God bless the city of West Hollywood for this kind of pat on the back," she said. "I've got cancer patients who come through here who simply can't eat without this medicine."

Nichols hopes the resolution will end what she believes is police harassment of legitimately needy patients.

"I've been hassled and given citations a few times by the police just walking from the front door of the dispensary to my car," said Tracy, a patient who asked that only her first name be used.

"Now I feel like I don't have to be so anxious," she said as she peered through the barred windows to the street.

Another patient who asked to be called Brian comes to the dispensary specifically for its high quality "edibles" to alleviate his insomnia and arthritis.

"The doctor prescribed me Ambien, but I hate the way that makes me feel the next day," he said.

With the new city resolution, Brian feels the pressure has lifted. "Now I don't have to wait around in cars and hope the police won't show up," he said.

Local physicians also praised the decision. "This is an important step towards sane adult use of marijuana," Dr. Craig Cohen told AFP. "I see patients everyday who greatly benefit from marijuana prescriptions to alleviate their pain and suffering and I know that they will be grateful for this new resolution."

California passed legislation in 1996 making small quantities of marijuana legal for medical use, laws that conflict with those of the US federal government.

Since then medical pot clinics have operated openly. San Francisco and Oakland both have policies in place similar to West Hollywood's.

Because the resolution does not actually effect legislation, it is unclear how it will impact law enforcement practices.

"We will continue to comply with proposition 215 (California's medical marijuana law)," Officer Robert McMahon of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told AFP.

Source: Agence France-Presse (France Wire)
Author: Zachary Slobig
Published: June 21, 2006
Copyright: 2006 Agence France-Presse

Related Articles:

West Hollywood Wants To Legalize Pot Use
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21925.shtml

That's what Ann does.

Yes, that's it exactly. She acts like a dressed-up troll.

Posted by FoM on September 29, 2000 at 06:32:52 PT

By Ann Coulter

Source: Jewish World Review

***

May 26, 2006

“I really don’t like fundraisers, but I like fun parties,” Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) said Tuesday night.

He got both at the Renaissance Hotel as he rolled out a caravan of hippie nostalgia for a performance by ex-Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, backed by the Flying Other Brothers and the New Riders of the Purple Sage.

Introducing Leahy, Dead historian and publicist Dennis McNally recalled always seeing Leahy in a suit until he finally “came to a Grateful Dead concert wearing the rowdiest tie-dye I have ever seen and a pair of shorts. And when I saw him dancing I knew he was our senator.”

The event drew some 500 Leahy/Dead supporters, some unlikelier than others, such as Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police. “It’s a target-rich environment,” he joked.

He didn’t know the half of it. As Hart and Weir — who flew in from California specially for the event — worked the crowd at the pre-show reception, McNally came to usher them backstage so the music could begin. To which Hart abruptly cut off his conversation by saying, “OK, I gotta go smoke some pot.” No, he didn’t really say it; it would be too obvious. OK, yes he did.

By night’s end, about half of the crowd was in possession of a “Deadheads for Leahy 2006” tie-dye ($20 to Leahy’s PAC) and sipping Vermont’s own Magic Hat beer ($4 to Leahy’s PAC).

Aides even passed out glow sticks and ’60s-style concert posters for the crowd.

The only thing missing (besides maybe a tapers’ section) was Jammin’ Jim McDermott. But, it turns out, the Seattle Democrat was only delayed by the evening’s votes, and he arrived just in time for Weir and Hart’s set.

No bad trips were reported.

http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/UndertheDome/052506.html

They know better, and yet, aren't trying to save the lives of people like Jerry?

http://deadnews.blogspot.com/2005/07/ann-coulter-mentions-dead.html

Another conservative deadhead is Tucker Carlson:

http://deadnews.blogspot.com/2005/10/tucker-carlson-fan-of-dead-lesh.html

And Patrick Leahy is a deadhead politician:

http://deadnews.blogspot.com/2005/09/patrick-leahy-outed-as-deadhead.html

These people have gained the power to have a voice and they could do so much good. Why don't they?

I admired Coulter at one time. But her and their performances are getting old and they aren't helping at all, but feeding the polarity so prevalent in this country that it's about to break in half.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/06/09/business/09hedge600.1.jpg

Uh oh. This could be news for the right person who wanted to go after Coulter...and a lot of people despise her.

It's a sad fact that agreeing with us could give someone a "reason" to go after her...but we know that's all too true.

Sticky wicket, eh?

One thing we have all been a part of accomplishing....people can talk about the drug war now...and disagree with it openly.

That freedom didn't exist ten years ago when we forced our way on to the internet scene and started writing to newspapers enmasse, and calling call in shows, and just started talking and talking and talking...until it got easier for other people to talk.

And finally now...it's ok to talk about it! Conversation is the beginning of the unraveling of the hideous tangle of barbed wire that the WoD is.

I think we've changed the atmosphere enough that she would be safe in coming out against the war on cannabis at least.

I was blown away... being that he is such a conservative, I expected him to say nasty things about pot users, and to my amazement, both he and his columnist guy Max Kellerman stood up for the right to use cannabis, saying that if people want to use it in the privacy of their own homes, that it's none of the government's or the police's business! He went up about five notches in my book! Better yet, Kellerman brought up the very cogent point that Carlson's concept of "private use should be ignored, but sellers of it should still go to jail" doesn't explain where all the people using it privately would get it. Then Carlson signed off Kellerman by saying he was the "unflappable champion of marijuana causes" or something like that! It was great.

THE WAY OUT...

Scientific Analysis Proves Towers Brought Down By Incendiaries: http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2006/200606scientificanalysis.htm

9/11 Vendetta ( video): http://youtube.com/watch?v=AJ7uFA8RwpQ&search=Vendetta%20911

9/11 Truth Flyer: http://www.freewebs.com/alexcarson/911%2Dflyer.gif

American Scholars Symposium: 9/11 + The Neo-Con Agenda - June 24-25 - Los Angeles: http://www.americanscholarssymposium.org/media/press_release_061606.htm