California AIDS Legislation -- Action Alerts

** Medical Marijuana Legislation to California Governor;
Federal Issues

Both houses of the California legislature have passed a bill
to allow physicians to prescribe marijuana for medical
purposes. Governor Wilson has until September 18 to decide
whether or not to veto the legislation.

Letters to support this bill, S.B. 1364, Providing for the
Medical Use of Marijuana, should be addressed to: Governor
Pete Wilson, State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814. Also send a
copy to the office of the sponsor, State Senator Milton
Marks, 711 Van Ness St., Suite 310, San Francisco, CA 94102.
Senator Marks is especially interested in hearing from
persons who are suffering from effects of AIDS, cancer
chemotherapy, glaucoma, or other serious conditions which
marijuana might help.

This legislation, which would change marijuana from a
"Schedule I" drug (no medical use) to "Schedule II" (drugs
like morphine, considered to have serious abuse potential but
with legitimate medical use) will not by itself allow
physicians to prescribe marijuana, because it will still be
Schedule I under Federal law. But it will send the strongest
message to the Federal government to change its policy to
allow medical use.

The bill has been endorsed by the California Medical
Association, the California Nurses Association, the
California Senior Legislature, and others.

Comment

Medical access to marijuana, which many patients with serious
illness have said is the only effective relief for their
condition, is supported by huge majorities throughout the
country. But it is often hard to get politicians to respond.
Both President Bush and President Clinton have been
particularly intransigent; Bush ended a Federal
compassionate-access program which had previously been in
place, and Clinton decided to continue the ban, saying that
more research is needed.

The "more research" argument is a smokescreen; anyone who
knows patients knows that marijuana works best for some,
while Marinol (a legal oral drug which contains the main
active ingredient of marijuana), works better for others.
Optimum medical care requires that both be available; proof
that one or the other works better "on the average" would not
be very useful. And when a desired drug effect is inherently
subjective, such as pain relief or appetite stimulation, both
scientific sense and simple humanity suggest trusting the
patient's choice of what works for him or her.

The real reason for Clinton's opposition is that the
marijuana issue was used against him in the presidential
campaign (when he admitted having smoked marijuana but said
he didn't inhale), and he wants to focus attention elsewhere.
Meanwhile, according to a recent article in the Atlantic
Monthly, there may be more people in prison now for marijuana
violations than ever before; and people who use the drug for
medical purposes can go to prison, in part because seizure
laws allow money, cars, and other assets to be taken and used
by law-enforcement agencies. Thousands of letters asking
Federal officials for medical access to marijuana sit in
boxes, while government refuses to respond.

It may be necessary to develop tactics to continually
embarrass the Clinton administration and other government
bodies over the ban on medical marijuana. Politicians often
refuse to do the right thing until other actions turn out to
cost them more.


** Domestic Partner Legislation on Governor's Desk, Needs
Support

Limited domestic partner legislation has passed both houses
of the California legislature, and is awaiting action by
Governor Wilson. He has until late September to decide
whether or not to veto the bill.

This bill, AB 2810, is the first domestic partnership
legislation passed by any state legislature in the U.S.
According to the LIFE AIDS Lobby (a gay and AIDS lobby in
Sacramento), "The bill, by Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Los
Angeles), will enable all committed couples in California to
register as 'domestic partners' and assume certain
responsibilities and limited benefits. To qualify, couples
must maintain a common residence, share basic living
expenses, and meet other simple requirements. Under the bill,
domestic partners will be recognized for family visitation
rights at healthcare facilities, legal preference to
administer each other's affairs should one partner become
incapacitated, and the ability to use a standard legal form
to will each other property." Note this bill does not help
couples obtain health insurance.

This bill passed because it was supported by a coalition
including gay and senior-citizen organizations. It is
important for older people, many of whom cannot officially
remarry without losing important pension and other benefits.
Currently they are officially regarded as strangers when
illness or emergency strikes. The bill is opposed by anti-gay
legislators and organizations.

Letters in support of AB 2810 should be addressed to Governor
Pete Wilson at the address below.


** Other AIDS Legislation

The LIFE AIDS Lobby has asked for support for two other
bills, and opposition to one.

Support: AB 3102 (by Martinez) designates the State Office of
AIDS as the lead state agency for HIV and AIDS policies, as
recommended by a University of California evaluation of the
Office of AIDS.

Support: AB 2610 (by Bronshvag), would allow local
jurisdictions to create pilot programs for a one-to-one clean
needle exchange.

Oppose: SB 1239 (by Russell), would allow non-consensual
testing for HIV in certain cases when a doctor or healthcare
worker has experienced a "significant exposure" to a
patient's blood. The bill has weak confidentiality
provisions, requiring only "good faith efforts" to keep the
patient's HIV status private. This bill is sponsored by the
California Medical Association, opposed by the California
Nurses Association and others.

Address letters on any of these bills to: Governor Pete
Wilson, State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814. Note: Do not
address more than one bill in a single letter; always send a
separate letter for each bill.

Or you can call Governor Wilson's office at 916/445-2864, or
916/445-2841. (There may also be local office in your area;
for example, in San Francisco the number is 415/703-2218, in
Los Angeles it is 213/897-0322, in San Diego it is 619/525-
4641, and there are also offices in other cities.) When you
call, it's best to know the bill number that you support or
oppose.


** California Voter Registration Toll-Free Number

A convenient way to register to vote in California is to call
a toll-free hotline run by the California Secretary of State.
You leave your name and address, and receive a postage-paid
form which takes about two minutes to fill out. The last day
to register for the important November 8 election is October
11.

You must re-register if you move, change your name, or wish
to change political parties.

The voter hotline number is 800/345-VOTE. A Spanish-language
hotline is also available, at 800/232-VOTA.

The Secretary of State's office encourages organizations to
publish these numbers for their members.