[from a press release distributed by Californians for Compassionate Use (http://www.marijuana.org/), 3745 17th St., San Francisco, CA 94114 (415) 864-1961 * Fax: (415) 864-0996] Proposition P November 1991 San Francisco Ballot Initiative [Passed: 80% -- Yes] The People of the City and County of San Francisco recommend that the State of California and the California Medical Association restore hemp medical preparations to the list of available medicines in California. Licensed physicians shall not be penalized for or restricted from prescribing hemp preparations for medical purposes. The term 'hemp medical preparations' means all products made from hemp, cannabis, or marijuana, in all forms that are designed, intended, or used for human consumption, for the treatment of any disease, the relief of pain, or for any healing purpose, including the relief of asthma, glaucoma, arthritis, anorexia, migraine, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, nausea, stress, for use as an antibiotic, an anti-emetic, or as any healing agent, or as an adjunct to any medical procedure for the treatment of cancer, HIV infection or herbal treatment. Resolution 141-92 Adopted - Board of Supervisors, San Francisco, August 28, 1992 Ayes: Supervisors Achtenberg, Alioto, Conroy, Gonzalez, Hallinan, Hsie, Kennedy, Migden, Shelley. Absent: Britt, Maher. File No. 285-92-1 Resolution No. 141-92 Amendment of the Whole 8/24/92 1) [Marijuana for Medicine] 2) URGING THE MAYOR TO URGE THE POLICE COMMISSION AND THE DISTRICT 3) ATTORNEY TO MAKE LOWEST PRIORITY THE ARREST OR PROSECUTION OF THOSE 4) INVOLVED IN THE POSSESSION OR CULTIVATION FOR PERSONAL USE OF 5) MARIJUANA FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES, AND FOR THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY TO 6) ALLOW A LETTER FROM A TREATING PHYSICIAN TO BE USED AS PRIMA FACIA 7) EVIDENCE THAT MARIJUANA CAN ALLEVIATE THE PAIN AND SUFFERING OF 8) THAT PATIENT'S MEDICAL CONDITION, AND INSTRUCTING THE CITY'S 9) REPRESENTATIVE IN SACRAMENTO LOBBY THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND THE 10) CALIFORNIA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION FOR A STATE MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL 11) FOR THE 1992-1993 LEGISLATIVE SESSION. 12) 13) WHEREAS, In November of 1991, the voters of San Francisco 14) passed Proposition P by an overwhelming 80 percent of the vote; and 15) WHEREAS, Proposition P made it City policy to recommend that 16) the State of California and the California Medical Association 17) restore hemp medical preparations to the list of available 18) medicines; and 19) WHEREAS, Proposition P defined "hemp medical preparations" as 20) all products made from hemp, cannabis, or marijuana that are 21) intended for the treatment of disease, the relief of pain, or for 22) any other healing purpose; and 23) WHEREAS, "Medicinal purposes," for the purpose of this 24) resolution, would include, but not be limited to the treatment of 25) AIDS, glaucoma, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other diseases which require chemotherapy, as well as other serious illnesses; and BOARD OF SUPERVISORS [Page 2] 1) WHEREAS, Federal agencies have refused to recognize 2) marijuana's important role in medical therapy, continue to maintain 3) legal prohibitions against marijuana's prescriptive medical use, 4) and recently cancelled the nation's federal marijuana-as-medicine 5) program; and 6) WHEREAS, These federal policies unnecessarily expose the 7) people of San Francisco to suffering and unrelieved pain, and 8) prevent physicians in San Francisco from exercising their 9) professional judgment; and 10) WHEREAS, The Board of Supervisors has received extensive and 11) unambiguous testimony in open hearings from highly respected San 12) Francisco physicians, from nursing organizations and from others in 13) the medical community who accept marijuana has a legitimate role to 14) play in the medical treatment of persons afflicted with the above- 15) mentioned ailments; and 16) WHEREAS, The Board of Supervisors has received extensive and 17) compelling testimony from many citizens afflicted with the above- 18) mentioned ailments and other serious illnesses who, as patients, 19) attest to marijuana's legitimate role in medical therapy; and 20) WHEREAS, while opposing the recreational use of marijuana, the 21) California Medical Association at its March, 1992 convention 22) endorsed the belief that the therapeutic use of marijuana under the 23) direction of a physician may be appropriate for certain conditions; 24) now, therefore, be it 25) /// Supervisor Hallinan PAGE TWO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS [Page 3] 1) RESOLVED, That the Board of Supervisors urges the Mayor to 2) urge the Police Commission and the District Attorney of the City 3) and County of San Francisco to make lowest priority the arrest or 4) prosecution of those involved in the possession or cultivation of hemp for 5) medicinal purposes; and, be it 6) FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Board of Supervisors urges the 7) Mayor to urge the District Attorney to allow a letter from a 8) treating physician to be used as prima facia evidence that 9) marijuana can alleviate the pain and suffering of that patient's 10) medical condition; and, be it 11) FURTHER RESOLVED, That the representative of the City and 12) County of San Francisco in Sacramento lobby the California 13) legislature and the California Medical Association for a State 14) Medical Marijuana Bill for the 1991-1992 legislative session. 15) /// 16) /// 17) /// 18) /// 19) /// 20) /// 21) /// 22) /// 23) /// 24) /// 25) Supervisor Hallinan Page Three BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Adopted - Board of Supervisors, San Francisco, August 28, 1992 Ayes: Supervisors Achtenberg, Alioto, Conroy, Gonzalez, Hallinan, Hsie, Kennedy, Migden, Shelley. Absent: Britt, Maher. I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco (signed) John L. Taylor Clerk (signed) Frank M. Jordan Mayor File No. Aug. 31, 1992 285-92-1 Date Approved This URL: http://www.pdxnorml.org/Proposition_P_Nov_1991.txt