T
The420Guy
Guest
A medical marijuana policy under consideration by the county has some
educators worried that they might be asked to violate their federal
"drug-free schools" mandate.Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will
consider a proposed ordinance on Tuesday that would allow possession of 3
pounds of marijuana, or 99 plants, without prosecution. A new law, SB 420,
allows local governments to establish their own limits.
The Humboldt County Board of Education has voted to oppose the proposed
ordinance. The board is urging the Board of Supervisors to keep to state
standards, which allow medical marijuana patients or their caregivers to
possess eight ounces of processed marijuana and six mature or 12 immature
plants.
Board President Mary Scott said the proposed ordinance could affect
schools' federal funding. Schools are required to abide by the federal Safe
and Drug Free Schools Act, which mandates strict policies regarding
employee use and possession of drugs and requires that schools teach
students that illegal drugs are wrong and harmful.
Federal law does not recognize marijuana as legal in any circumstances.
Schools which violate the federal law could risk losing federal funding,
Scott said.
School districts are also federally required to certify "drug-free school
zones," meaning that there are no illegal drugs within 1,000 feet of school
sites.
State law allowing medical marijuana already contradicts federal law, but
Humboldt County Superintendent of Schools Garry Eagles said the policy
recommended by the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office "exacerbates
the potential of being in conflict."
Eagles said school officials sympathize with people who may benefit from
the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, but they worry about the more
lenient policy's potential harm to schools.
"Because the law allows caregivers to be caregivers for more than one
person, we could be talking about potentially enormous quantities of both
processed marijuana and growing within very short distance of schools," he
said.
Chris Evans, a drug and alcohol counselor at McKinleyville High School,
said educators also worry that schools could be required to allow students
to possess medical marijuana on school grounds. This, too, would violate
federal law.
State law allows medical marijuana use to be determined on a
patient-by-patient basis, without an age limit. Eagles said some Humboldt
County juveniles have previously received medical marijuana cards, which
further complicates the situation for schools.
"This is an entirely new territory," Eagles said.
Several educators met with law enforcement officials last week to discuss
their concerns. Evans said they're asking the Board of Supervisors to at
least delay voting on the matter until the schools' questions can be clarified.
Source: Times-Standard (CA)
Author: Sara Watson Arthurs, The Times-Standard
Published: Sunday, January 18, 2004
Copyright: 2004 MediaNews Group, Inc.
Contact: <mailto:editor@times-standard.com>editor@times-standard.com
Website: <Eureka Times-Standard: Breaking News, Sports, Business, Entertainment & Eureka News>Eureka Times-Standard: Breaking News, Sports, Business, Entertainment & Eureka News
educators worried that they might be asked to violate their federal
"drug-free schools" mandate.Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will
consider a proposed ordinance on Tuesday that would allow possession of 3
pounds of marijuana, or 99 plants, without prosecution. A new law, SB 420,
allows local governments to establish their own limits.
The Humboldt County Board of Education has voted to oppose the proposed
ordinance. The board is urging the Board of Supervisors to keep to state
standards, which allow medical marijuana patients or their caregivers to
possess eight ounces of processed marijuana and six mature or 12 immature
plants.
Board President Mary Scott said the proposed ordinance could affect
schools' federal funding. Schools are required to abide by the federal Safe
and Drug Free Schools Act, which mandates strict policies regarding
employee use and possession of drugs and requires that schools teach
students that illegal drugs are wrong and harmful.
Federal law does not recognize marijuana as legal in any circumstances.
Schools which violate the federal law could risk losing federal funding,
Scott said.
School districts are also federally required to certify "drug-free school
zones," meaning that there are no illegal drugs within 1,000 feet of school
sites.
State law allowing medical marijuana already contradicts federal law, but
Humboldt County Superintendent of Schools Garry Eagles said the policy
recommended by the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office "exacerbates
the potential of being in conflict."
Eagles said school officials sympathize with people who may benefit from
the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, but they worry about the more
lenient policy's potential harm to schools.
"Because the law allows caregivers to be caregivers for more than one
person, we could be talking about potentially enormous quantities of both
processed marijuana and growing within very short distance of schools," he
said.
Chris Evans, a drug and alcohol counselor at McKinleyville High School,
said educators also worry that schools could be required to allow students
to possess medical marijuana on school grounds. This, too, would violate
federal law.
State law allows medical marijuana use to be determined on a
patient-by-patient basis, without an age limit. Eagles said some Humboldt
County juveniles have previously received medical marijuana cards, which
further complicates the situation for schools.
"This is an entirely new territory," Eagles said.
Several educators met with law enforcement officials last week to discuss
their concerns. Evans said they're asking the Board of Supervisors to at
least delay voting on the matter until the schools' questions can be clarified.
Source: Times-Standard (CA)
Author: Sara Watson Arthurs, The Times-Standard
Published: Sunday, January 18, 2004
Copyright: 2004 MediaNews Group, Inc.
Contact: <mailto:editor@times-standard.com>editor@times-standard.com
Website: <Eureka Times-Standard: Breaking News, Sports, Business, Entertainment & Eureka News>Eureka Times-Standard: Breaking News, Sports, Business, Entertainment & Eureka News
