[In The News] San Francisco Seeks Patient Protection in State Medical Marijuana ID Program
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday urging the city to delay its implementation of the statewide medical marijuana ID card program. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi introduced the resolution in response to vocal concerns around confidentiality from medical marijuana activists.
Implementing the statewide program would mean the end of the local ID card program San Francisco has run for several years. Stakeholders are gravely troubled by the failure of the statewide program to protect the anonymity of patients, caregivers and physicians. The Statewide regulations require the San Francisco Department of Public Health to maintain paper records of applications and medical documentation; currently the local program returns all documentation once the application is verified. The mandate to maintain records imposes an unacceptable risk of subpoena or seizure by federal officials.
San Francisco was slated to join the statewide program in early November; however, following the Board’s resolution the Department of Public Health delayed implementation until January. Delaying implementation provides medical marijuana advocates time to petition the state to modify the protocols of its program to better protect patients and caregivers.
The Drug Policy Alliance played a critical role in this important local victory through working with officials at the San Francisco Department of Public Health to organize a community forum informing the public of the confidentiality issues at stake in the implementation of the statewide program. The Alliance helped recruit local stakeholders to attend the forum and followed up with a letter to the Board of Supervisors summarizing the disturbing flaws with the State ID program and urging the Board to take action to protect and promote physician, patient and caregiver rights. In response to the community forum and Alliance’s communications, the Board unanimously passed a resolution directing the county health department to refrain from implementing the State ID program pending further hearings. The Alliance is now using this momentum to create a coalition of counties and advocacy organizations, including the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project, to pressure on State officials to modify their ID program rules and procedures.
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