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County Supervisors Rule On Medical Marijuana

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.