[420 Girl]

San Diego County will issue identification cards for medical marijuana patients, but also directed its attorneys yesterday to draft a law banning dispensaries in unincorporated areas.

“This is an important step toward protecting our community from illegal drugs,” Supervisor Bill Horn said.

Federal law bans marijuana, while state law allows it for medical uses. The county sued over state laws, seeking clarity, but the case was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court last month.

Supervisor Ron Roberts voted against banning medical marijuana dispensaries, saying that would further complicate the contradiction.

“We are adding immensely to the confusion surrounding this issue,” Roberts said. “At some point, some of the leaders of this community need to accept that (Proposition) 215 is the law.”

The land-use decision immediately followed a unanimous vote to begin issuing identification cards to qualified patients.

The cards will be available starting July 6 for $166 – too much for several speakers who testified at the public hearing.

Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten said the fees were calculated to cover the county's cost of processing the applications, which she expects will average 100 or so a month. They also are in line with fees in nearby counties, Wooten told supervisors.

The cards were required by a 2003 state law, but San Diego County resisted issuing them. Drug-abuse prevention experts thanked supervisors for trying to overturn the state pot laws.

“Your willingness to challenge these laws are an example of your leadership,” John Redman of Californians for Drug-Free Youth told the board.

California voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996, allowing sick and dying people to use marijuana to ease symptoms. State law allows cities and counties to adopt standards for marijuana distribution – something elected officials here have not done.

The lack of local guidelines has led to repeated raids of storefront dispensaries, which District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and others say are not permitted.

Yesterday, medical pot patients urged supervisors to work with them to develop standards governing how patients who are unable to grow marijuana can access the drug.

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