ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 16, 1997 TAG: 9701160048
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: SAN FRANCISCO
SOURCE: Associated Press
Milahhr Kemnah strode into the Cannabis Cultivators Club on Wednesday, handed over a $10 bill and got two plastic bags of low-grade Mexican-grown pot, becoming the first person in the United States since the 1930s to buy marijuana under the protection of state law.
``I feel glad and I feel lucky,'' Kemnah, who has AIDS, said before rolling a joint. ``History is being made.''
The Cannabis Cultivators Club reopened Wednesday, five months after state narcotics agents raided it and shut it down. But voter approval in November of Proposition 215 - a measure legalizing marijuana for medical uses - and a judge's ruling last week allowed the club to get back in business.
Before the raid, the club had operated illegally for years, but police in San Francisco looked the other way.
Would-be pot-smokers lined up to get membership cards on opening day of the Cultivators Club, which will sell marijuana to people with AIDS, glaucoma and other serious illnesses to relieve their symptoms.
Prospective members had to bring a doctor's note, a diagnosis and identification. Club organizers called doctors to confirm the documents were legitimate before issuing computer-generated ID cards with photos and a bar-code strip.
The next step was purchasing the pot from ``bud tender'' Randi Webster, who had six types available, from Mexican-grown to top-quality California ``quad.'' Prices ranged from $5 to $65 per 1/8-ounce bag.
Also for sale were marijuana cookies, truffles and vials of marijuana tincture that can be dropped into tea or coffee.
``Is everyone getting confirmed?'' club founder Dennis Peron said. ``If not, relax, sit down. In the end, we're going to get ahold of your doctors. And if we can't sell you marijuana today, we'll sell you marijuana tomorrow.''
The United States outlawed marijuana in 1937, except for use in approved research. Possession of marijuana remains a federal crime, but it was unclear how federal drug officials would react to the club's reopening.
``We can't comment on it as a specific case,'' said Bob Weiner, speaking for the Justice Department and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. But he added, ``We will continue to enforce federal law, and we are reviewing the administrative, civil and criminal options right now.''
Attorney General Dan Lungren has reluctantly acknowledged he is bound by Prop 215, but warned he will watch the club to prevent abuses.
His spokesman, Steve Telliano, said state narcotics agents will not disrupt the club's operations, as long as it keeps proper records and does not make a profit.
The club's attorney, David Nick, said that while it is technically violating federal drug law, a raid is unlikely.
``It would be a very despicable act, especially since these individuals are acting in accordance with state law,'' Nick said. ``But God knows, if a new president were to be elected and a new attorney general appointed by the president, this whole thing could turn around in no time.''
Some researchers say marijuana can relieve eye pressure in glaucoma, reduce nausea in cancer patients on chemotherapy, and combat wasting, a severe weight loss associated with AIDS.
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. 1. Patricia Tratebas (right) of San Francisco and aby CNBman who asked to remain unidentified share a marijuana cigarette
Wednesday outside the Cannabis Cultivators Club. color. 2. Dennis
Peron, founder of the Cannabis Cultivators Club, raises his arms
Wednesday in celebration of the club's reopening. This is the first
time in 60 years that marijuana has been sold legally in San
Francisco.