Medical Marijuana Implementation
AUTHOR(S): Vasconcellos (Principal co-author: Assembly Member Leno). Safe Access Now sees many beneficial sections in the bill, including that it empowers communities to adopt scientific guidelines. However, SAN is concerned that the unrealistic floor amounts in section HS 11362.77 are being misconstrued and treated as a de facto ceiling in most counties, despite the CA Supreme Court’s Wright Decision that they are a floor. This makes it more important than ever that local people work to get their own cities and counties to adopt the reasonable SAN garden guidelines. The author’s letter of legislative intent supports increasing those floor amounts to make life easier for patients and caregivers.Proposition 215 now HS11362.5, the voter approved law, did not protect people from arrest, it gives them a defense in Court. The CA Supreme Court in the Mower Decision interpreted that to mean any amount reasonably related to the patients medical need. That standard still applies and supercedes SB 420. |
Passed 9/20/03, signed by Governor 10/13/2003, effective January 1, 2004TITLE: An act to add Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 11362.7) to Chapter 6 of Division 10 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to controlled substances. Bill history / Full text / Letter of Legislative Intent |
• Participation in the voluntary ID program is not a requirement for full protection under Prop 215 11362.71(f) • It asserts medical marijuana as a matter of states rights 420 (1)(e) • It extends the power of recommendation/approval to osteopaths 11362.7(a) • It allows agencies to provide medical marijuana to qualified patients 11362.7(d)(2) • It allows caregivers to have more than one patient in the same county 11362.7(d)(3) • It allows caregivers to have one out-of-county patient 11362.7(d)(3) • It creates a protective and completely voluntary 1-year photo ID program for participating patients and/or caregivers. 11362.71(a)(1) • It provides “around the clock” validation of participation in the program when police confront a patient or caregiver 11362.71(a)(2) • It allows non-governmental agencies to process the cards 11362.71(c) • It promises confidentiality of records 11362.71(d)(1) • It stops arrests — not just prosecution — of card-holding individuals for possession, transportation, delivery or cultivation up to a very minimal level of 6 mature plants per patient and 8 oz of bud or conversion (that could arguably be hash or hash oil, or equivalent amounts of foods and tinctures, which have a lot of liquid weight) 11362.71(e) • It includes the right for an individual to appeal if rejected for a patient ID card 11362.74 (b) • It gives Medi-Cal patients a 50% fee discount 11362.755(a) • It allows transportation and processing (HS 11360) 11362.765 (b) • It reduces the risk of a patient being charged with intent to sell (11359) maintaining a place where cannabis is produced, provided or used (HS11366, 11366.5, 11570 ) 11362.765(b) • It allows reimbursement for a caregiver’s material and labor 11362.765(c) • It empowers physicians to grant exemptions for quantities 11362.77 (b) • It allows communities to adopt more realistic amounts but does not allow them to go below the “floor” amounts 11362.77(c) • It codifies the medical use of dried cannabis flowers rather than leaf 11362.77(d) • It opens the door for us to work with the AG to amend these levels upward 11362.77(e) • It recognizes collectives and coop gardens, without regard to county boundaries 11362.775 • It requires police to comply with these provisions 11362.78 • It recognizes that inmates can use medical marijuana 11362.785(c) • It exempts patients in their homes from the penalties associated with using cannabis within 1000 feet of a school 11362.79(b) • It enables parolees, defendants and probates to retain full access to MMJ 11362.795 • It criminalizes breach of confidentiality (eg., gives patient info to the feds) 11362.81(b)(4) • It sets a wholly inadequate default guideline limit of 8 ounces of dry bud and 6 mature OR 12 immature plants, which is not scientific or reasonable. While it allows counties to increase these amounts, again these may become “de facto” limits that counties adopt rather than use scientific SAN guidelines. The Honorable John Burton Re: Legislative Intent Regarding SB 420 (as amended September 4, 2003) JOHN — In order to clarify the Legislature’s intent in enacting Senate Bill 420, I respectfully request that this letter be published in the Senate Daily Journal. Fully recognizing that Proposition 215 cannot be amended by the Legislature, we have resisted all efforts to make the new identification card system created by SB 420 mandatory &endash; and at least two times SB 420 contains specific language declaring our intent that this program is wholly voluntary. In addition, the guidelines in SB 420 establish permissible amounts that are intended to be the threshold, and not a ceiling. Furthermore, SB 420 specifically allows localities with higher possession or cultivation amounts to retain them, and other local jurisdictions to establish new guidelines to exceed what has been set forth in this bill. No jurisdiction may establish amounts lower than those set forth in SB 420. Altogether, we believe that our final version of SB 420 is the very best we could hope to get enacted into law and that it provides (pursuant to the California voters’ will in enacting Proposition 215) broad protection to tens of thousands of ill Californians without jeopardizing any ill Californians. Thank you for allowing us to clarify our legislative intent regarding SB 420. Sincerely, JOHN VASCONCELLOS / MARK LENO PASSED SENATE SEPTEMBER 11, 2003 PASSED ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 10, 2003 (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Leno. Coauthors: Assembly Members Goldberg, Hancock, and Koretz) An act to add Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 11362.7) to Chapter 6 of Division 10 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to controlled substances. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGESTSB 420, Vasconcellos. Medical marijuana. Existing law, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, prohibits any physician from being punished, or denied any right or privilege, for having recommended marijuana to a patient for medical purposes. The act prohibits the provisions of law making unlawful the possession or cultivation of marijuana from applying to a patient, or to a patient’ s primary caregiver, who possesses or cultivates marijuana for the personal medical purposes of the patient upon the written or oral recommendation or approval of a physician. This bill would require the State Department of Health Services to establish and maintain a voluntary program for the issuance of identification cards to qualified patients and would establish procedures under which a qualified patient with an identification card may use marijuana for medical purposes. The bill would specify the department’s duties in this regard, including developing related protocols and forms, and establishing application and renewal fees for the program. The bill would impose various duties upon county health departments relating to the issuance of identification cards, thus creating a state-mandated local program. The bill would create various crimes related to the identification card program, thus imposing a state-mandated local program. This bill would authorize the Attorney General to set forth and clarify details concerning possession and cultivation limits, and other regulations, as specified. The bill would also authorize the Attorney General to recommend modifications to the possession or cultivation limits set forth in the bill. The bill would require the Attorney General to develop and adopt guidelines to ensure the security and nondiversion of marijuana grown for medical use, as specified. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement, including the creation of a State Mandates Claims Fund to pay the costs of mandates that do not exceed $1,000,000 statewide and other procedures for claims whose statewide costs exceed $1,000,000. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature, therefore, to do all of the following:
(c) It is also the intent of the Legislature to address additional issues that were not included within the act, and that must be resolved in order to promote the fair and orderly implementation of the act. (d) The Legislature further finds and declares both of the following:
(e) The Legislature further finds and declares that it enacts this act pursuant to the powers reserved to the State of California and its people under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. SEC. 2. Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 11362.7) is added to Chapter 6 of Division 10 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:Article 2.5. Medical Marijuana Program 11362.7. For purposes of this article, the following definitions shall apply: (a) “Attending physician” means an individual who possesses a license in good standing to practice medicine or osteopathy issued by the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California and who has taken responsibility for an aspect of the medical care, treatment, diagnosis, counseling, or referral of a patient and who has conducted a medical examination of that patient before recording in the patient’s medical record the physician’s assessment of whether the patient has a serious medical condition and whether the medical use of marijuana is appropriate. (b) “Department” means the State Department of Health Services. (c) “Person with an identification card” means an individual who is a qualified patient who has applied for and received a valid identification card pursuant to this article. (d) “Primary caregiver” means the individual, designated by a qualified patient or by a person with an identification card, who has consistently assumed responsibility for the housing, health, or safety of that patient or person, and may include any of the following:
(e) A primary caregiver shall be at least 18 years of age, unless the primary caregiver is the parent of a minor child who is a qualified patient or a person with an identification card or the primary caregiver is a person otherwise entitled to make medical decisions under state law pursuant to Sections 6922, 7002, 7050, or 7120 of the Family Code. (f) “Qualified patient” means a person who is entitled to the protections of Section 11362.5, but who does not have an identification card issued pursuant to this article. (g) “Identification card” means a document issued by the State Department of Health Services that document identifies a person authorized to engage in the medical use of marijuana and the person’s designated primary caregiver, if any. (h) “Serious medical condition” means all of the following medical conditions:
(i) “Written documentation” means accurate reproductions of those portions of a patient’s medical records that have been created by the attending physician, that contain the information required by paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 11362.715, and that the patient may submit to a county health department or the county’s designee as part of an application for an identification card. 11362.71. (a) (1) The department shall establish and maintain a voluntary program for the issuance of identification cards to qualified patients who satisfy the requirements of this article and voluntarily apply to the identification card program.
(b) Every county health department, or the county’s designee, shall do all of the following:
(c) The county board of supervisors may designate another health-related governmental or nongovernmental entity or organization to perform the functions described in subdivision (b), except for an entity or organization that cultivates or distributes marijuana. (d) The department shall develop all of the following:
(e) No person or designated primary caregiver in possession of a valid identification card shall be subject to arrest for possession, transportation, delivery, or cultivation of medical marijuana in an amount established pursuant to this article, unless there is reasonable cause to believe that the information contained in the card is false or falsified, the card has been obtained by means of fraud, or the person is otherwise in violation of the provisions of this article. (f) It shall not be necessary for a person to obtain an identification card in order to claim the protections of Section 11362.5. 11362.715. (a) A person who seeks an identification card shall pay the fee, as provided in Section 11362.755, and provide all of the following to the county health department or the county’s designee on a form developed and provided by the department:
(b) If the person applying for an identification card lacks the capacity to make medical decisions, the application may be made by the person’s legal representative, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
(c) The legal representative described in subdivision (b) may also designate in the application an individual, including himself or herself, to serve as a primary caregiver for the person, provided that the individual meets the definition of a primary caregiver. (d) The person or legal representative submitting the written information and documentation described in subdivision (a) shall retain a copy thereof. 11362.72. (a) Within 30 days of receipt of an application for an identification card, a county health department or the county’s designee shall do all of the following:
(b) If the county health department or the county’s designee approves the application, it shall, within 24 hours, or by the end of the next working day of approving the application, electronically transmit the following information to the department:
(c) The county health department or the county’s designee shall issue an identification card to the applicant and to his or her designated primary caregiver, if any, within five working days of approving the application. (d) In any case involving an incomplete application, the applicant shall assume responsibility for rectifying the deficiency. The county shall have 14 days from the receipt of information from the applicant pursuant to this subdivision to approve or deny the application. 11362.735. (a) An identification card issued by the county health department shall be serially numbered and shall contain all of the following:
(b) A separate identification card shall be issued to the person’s designated primary caregiver, if any, and shall include a photo identification of the caregiver. 11362.74. (a) The county health department or the county’s designee may deny an application only for any of the following reasons:
(b) Any person whose application has been denied pursuant to subdivision (a) may not reapply for six months from the date of denial unless otherwise authorized by the county health department or the county’s designee or by a court of competent jurisdiction. (c) Any person whose application has been denied pursuant to subdivision (a) may appeal that decision to the department. The county health department or the county’s designee shall make available a telephone number or address to which the denied applicant can direct an appeal. 11362.745. (a) An identification card shall be valid for a period of one year. (b) Upon annual renewal of an identification card, the county health department or its designee shall verify all new information and may verify any other information that has not changed. (c) The county health department or the county’s designee shall transmit its determination of approval or denial of a renewal to the department. 11362.755. (a) The department shall establish application and renewal fees for persons seeking to obtain or renew identification cards that are sufficient to cover the expenses incurred by the department, including the startup cost, the cost of reduced fees for Medi-Cal beneficiaries in accordance with subdivision (b), the cost of identifying and developing a cost-effective Internet Web-based system, and the cost of maintaining the 24-hour toll-free telephone number. Each county health department or the county’s designee may charge an additional fee for all costs incurred by the county or the county’s designee for administering the program pursuant to this article. (b) Upon satisfactory proof of participation and eligibility in the Medi-Cal program, a Medi-Cal beneficiary shall receive a 50 percent reduction in the fees established pursuant to this section. 11362.76. (a) A person who possesses an identification card shall:
(b) If a person who possesses an identification card fails to comply with this section, the card shall be deemed expired. If an identification card expires, the identification card of any designated primary caregiver of the person shall also expire. (c) If the designated primary caregiver has been changed, the previous primary caregiver shall return his or her identification card to the department or to the county health department or the county’s designee. (d) If the owner or operator or an employee of the owner or operator of a provider has been designated as a primary caregiver pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 11362.7, of the qualified patient or person with an identification card, the owner or operator shall notify the county health department or the county’s designee, pursuant to Section 11362.715, if a change in the designated primary caregiver has occurred. 11362.765. (a) Subject to the requirements of this article, the individuals specified in subdivision (b) shall not be subject, on that sole basis, to criminal liability under Section 11357, 11358, 11359, 11360,11366, 11366.5, or 11570. However, nothing in this section shall authorize the individual to smoke or otherwise consume marijuana unless otherwise authorized by this article, nor shall anything in this section authorize any individual or group to cultivate or distribute marijuana for profit. (b) Subdivision (a) shall apply to all of the following:
(c) A primary caregiver who receives compensation for actual expenses, including reasonable compensation incurred for services provided to an eligible qualified patient or person with an identification card to enable that person to use marijuana under this article, or for payment for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in providing those services, or both, shall not, on the sole basis of that fact, be subject to prosecution or punishment under Section 11359 or 11360. Click here to read the amended language passed by the legislature in 2004: 11362.77. (a) A qualified patient or primary caregiver may possess no more than eight ounces of dried marijuana per qualified patient. In addition, a qualified patient or primary caregiver may also maintain no more than six mature or 12 immature marijuana plants per qualified patient.(b) If a qualified patient or primary caregiver has a doctor’s recommendation that this quantity does not meet the qualified patient’ s medical needs, the qualified patient or primary caregiver may possess an amount of marijuana consistent with the patient’s needs.(c) Counties and cities may retain or enact medical marijuana guidelines allowing qualified patients or primary caregivers to exceed the state limits set forth in subdivision (a).(d) Only the dried mature processed flowers of female cannabis plant or the plant conversion shall be considered when determining allowable quantities of marijuana under this section.(e) The Attorney General may recommend modifications to the possession or cultivation limits set forth in this section. These recommendations, if any, shall be made to the Legislature no later than December 1, 2005, and may be made only after public comment and consultation with interested organizations, including, but not limited to, patients, health care professionals, researchers, law enforcement, and local governments. Any recommended modification shall be consistent with the intent of this article and shall be based on currently available scientific research. (f) A qualified patient or a person holding a valid identification card, or the designated primary caregiver of that qualified patient or person, may possess amounts of marijuana consistent with this article.11362.775. Qualified patients, persons with valid identification cards, and the designated primary caregivers of qualified patients and persons with identification cards, who associate within the State of California in order collectively or cooperatively to cultivate marijuana for medical purposes, shall not solely on the basis of that fact be subject to state criminal sanctions under Section 11357, 11358,11359, 11360, 11366, 11366.5, or 11570. 11362.78. A state or local law enforcement agency or officer shall not refuse to accept an identification card issued by the department unless the state or local law enforcement agency or officer has reasonable cause to believe that the information contained in the card is false or fraudulent, or the card is being used fraudulently. 11362.785. (a) Nothing in this article shall require any accommodation of any medical use of marijuana on the property or premises of any place of employment or during the hours of employment or on the property or premises of any jail, correctional facility, or other type of penal institution in which prisoners reside or persons under arrest are detained. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a person shall not be prohibited or prevented from obtaining and submitting the written information and documentation necessary to apply for an identification card on the basis that the person is incarcerated in a jail, correctional facility, or other penal institution in which prisoners reside or persons under arrest are detained. (c) Nothing in this article shall prohibit a jail, correctional facility, or other penal institution in which prisoners reside or persons under arrest are detained, from permitting a prisoner or a person under arrest who has an identification card, to use marijuana for medical purposes under circumstances that will not endanger the health or safety of other prisoners or the security of the facility. (d) Nothing in this article shall require a governmental, private, or any other health insurance provider or health care service plan to be liable for any claim for reimbursement for the medical use of marijuana. 11362.79. Nothing in this article shall authorize a qualified patient or person with an identification card to engage in the smoking of medical marijuana under any of the following circumstances: (a) In any place where smoking is prohibited by law. (b) In or within 1,000 feet of the grounds of a school, recreation center, or youth center, unless the medical use occurs within a residence. (c) On a schoolbus. (d) While in a motor vehicle that is being operated. (e) While operating a boat. 11362.795. (a) (1) Any criminal defendant who is eligible to use marijuana pursuant to Section 11362.5 may request that the court confirm that he or she is allowed to use medical marijuana while he or she is on probation or released on bail.
(b) (1) Any person who is to be released on parole from a jail, state prison, school, road camp, or other state or local institution of confinement and who is eligible to use medical marijuana pursuant to Section 11362.5 may request that he or she be allowed to use medical marijuana during the period he or she is released on parole. A parolee’s written conditions of parole shall reflect whether or not a request for a modification of the conditions of his or her parole to use medical marijuana was made, and whether the request was granted or denied.
11362.8. No professional licensing board may impose a civil penalty or take other disciplinary action against a licensee based solely on the fact that the licensee has performed acts that are necessary or appropriate to carry out the licensee’s role as a designated primary caregiver to a person who is a qualified patient or who possesses a lawful identification card issued pursuant to Section 11362.72. However, this section shall not apply to acts performed by a physician relating to the discussion or recommendation of the medical use of marijuana to a patient. These discussions or recommendations, or both, shall be governed by Section 11362.5. 11362.81. (a) A person specified in subdivision (b) shall be subject to the following penalties:
(b) Subdivision (a) applies to any of the following:
(c) In addition to the penalties prescribed in subdivision (a), any person described in subdivision (b) may be precluded from attempting to obtain, or obtaining or using, an identification card for a period of up to six months at the discretion of the court. (d) In addition to the requirements of this article, the Attorney General shall develop and adopt appropriate guidelines to ensure the security and nondiversion of marijuana grown for medical use by patients qualified under the Compassionate Use Act of 1996. 11362.82. If any section, subdivision, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion of this article is for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, that portion shall be deemed a separate, distinct, and independent provision, and that holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion thereof. 11362.83. Nothing in this article shall prevent a city or other local governing body from adopting and enforcing laws consistent with this article. SEC. 3. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution for certain costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district because in that regard this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution. In addition, no reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution for other costs mandated by the state because this act includes additional revenue that is specifically intended to fund the costs of the state mandate in an amount sufficient to fund the cost of the state mandate, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code. * Footnotes to the above:11366. Every person who opens or maintains any place for the purpose of unlawfully selling, giving away, or using any controlled substance which is (1) specified in subdivision (b), (c), or (e), or paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 11054, specified in paragraph (13), (14), (15), or (20) of subdivision (d) of Section 11054, or specified in subdivision (b), (c), paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (d), or paragraph (3) of subdivision (e) of Section 11055, or (2) which is a narcotic drug classified in Schedule III, IV, or V, shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than one year or the state prison. 11366.5. (a) Any person who has under his or her management or control any building, room, space, or enclosure, either as an owner, lessee, agent, employee, or mortgagee, who knowingly rents, leases, or makes available for use, with or without compensation, the building, room, space, or enclosure for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing, storing, or distributing any controlled substance for sale or distribution shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or in the state prison. (b) Any person who has under his or her management or control any building, room, space, or enclosure, either as an owner, lessee, agent, employee, or mortgagee, who knowingly allows the building, room, space, or enclosure to be fortified to suppress law enforcement entry in order to further the sale of any amount of cocaine base as specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 11054, cocaine as specified in paragraph (6) of subdivision (b) of Section 11055, heroin, phencyclidine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, or lysergic acid diethylamide and who obtains excessive profits from the use of the building, room, space, or enclosure shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years. (c) Any person who violates subdivision (a) after previously being convicted of a violation of subdivision (a) shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years. (d) For the purposes of this section, “excessive profits” means the receipt of consideration of a value substantially higher than fair market value. 11570. Every building or place used for the purpose of unlawfully selling, serving, storing, keeping, manufacturing, or giving away any controlled substance, precursor, or analog specified in this division, and every building or place wherein or upon which those acts take place, is a nuisance which shall be enjoined, abated, and prevented, and for which damages may be recovered, whether it is a public or private nuisance. (1) Proposals shall demonstrate the use of key personnel, including clinicians or scientists and support personnel, who are prepared to develop a program of research regarding marijuana’s general medical efficacy and safety. (2) Proposals shall contain procedures for outreach to patients with various medical conditions who may be suitable participants in research on marijuana. (3) Proposals shall contain provisions for a patient registry. (4) Proposals shall contain provisions for an information system that is designed to record information about possible study participants, investigators, and clinicians, and deposit and analyze data that accrues as part of clinical trials. (5) Proposals shall contain protocols suitable for research on marijuana, addressing patients diagnosed with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cancer, glaucoma, or seizures or muscle spasms associated with a chronic, debilitating condition. The proposal may also include research on other serious illnesses, provided that resources are available and medical information justifies the research. (6) Proposals shall demonstrate the use of a specimen laboratory capable of housing plasma, urine, and other specimens necessary to study the concentration of cannabinoids in various tissues, as well as housing specimens for studies of toxic effects of marijuana. (7) Proposals shall demonstrate the use of a laboratory capable of analyzing marijuana, provided to the program under this section, for purity and cannabinoid content and the capacity to detect contaminants. (c) In order to ensure objectivity in evaluating proposals, the program shall use a peer review process that is modeled on the process used by the National Institutes of Health, and that guards against funding research that is biased in favor of or against particular outcomes. Peer reviewers shall be selected for their expertise in the scientific substance and methods of the proposed research, and their lack of bias or conflict of interest regarding the applicants or the topic of an approach taken in the proposed research. Peer reviewers shall judge research proposals on several criteria, foremost among which shall be both of the following: (1) The scientific merit of the research plan, including whether the research design and experimental procedures are potentially biased for or against a particular outcome. (2) Researchers’ expertise in the scientific substance and methods of the proposed research, and their lack of bias or conflict of interest regarding the topic of, and the approach taken in, the proposed research. (d) If the program is administered by the Regents of the University of California, any grant research proposals approved by the program shall also require review and approval by the research advisory panel. (e) It is the intent of the Legislature that the program be established as follows: (1) The program shall be located at one or more University of California campuses that have a core of faculty experienced in organizing multidisciplinary scientific endeavors and, in particular, strong experience in clinical trials involving psychopharmacologic agents. The campuses at which research under the auspices of the program is to take place shall accommodate the administrative offices, including the director of the program, as well as a data management unit, and facilities for storage of specimens. (2) When awarding grants under this section, the program shall utilize principles and parameters of the other well-tested statewide research programs administered by the University of California, modeled after programs administered by the National Institutes of Health, including peer review evaluation of the scientific merit of applications. (3) The scientific and clinical operations of the program shall occur, partly at University of California campuses, and partly at other postsecondary institutions, that have clinicians or scientists with expertise to conduct the required studies. Criteria for selection of research locations shall include the elements listed in subdivision (b) and, additionally, shall give particular weight to the organizational plan, leadership qualities of the program director, and plans to involve investigators and patient populations from multiple sites. (4) The funds received by the program shall be allocated to various research studies in accordance with a scientific plan developed by the Scientific Advisory Council. As the first wave of studies is completed, it is anticipated that the program will receive requests for funding of additional studies. These requests shall be reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Council. (5) The size, scope, and number of studies funded shall be commensurate with the amount of appropriated and available program funding. (f) All personnel involved in implementing approved proposals shall be authorized as required by Section 11604. (g) Studies conducted pursuant to this section shall include the greatest amount of new scientific research possible on the medical uses of, and medical hazards associated with, marijuana. The program shall consult with the Research Advisory Panel analogous agencies in other states, and appropriate federal agencies in an attempt to avoid duplicative research and the wasting of research dollars. (h) The program shall make every effort to recruit qualified patients and qualified physicians from throughout the state. (i) The marijuana studies shall employ state-of-the-art research methodologies. (j) The program shall ensure that all marijuana used in the studies is of the appropriate medical quality and shall be obtained from the National Institute on Drug Abuse or any other federal agency designated to supply marijuana for authorized research. If these federal agencies fail to provide a supply of adequate quality and quantity within six months of the effective date of this section, the Attorney General shall provide an adequate supply pursuant to Section 11478. (k) The program may review, approve, or incorporate studies and research by independent groups presenting scientifically valid protocols for medical research, regardless of whether the areas of study are being researched by the committee. (l) (1) To enhance understanding of the efficacy and adverse effects of marijuana as a pharmacological agent, the program shall conduct focused controlled clinical trials on the usefulness of marijuana in patients diagnosed with AIDS or HIV, cancer, glaucoma, or seizures or muscle spasms associated with a chronic, debilitating condition. The program may add research on other serious illnesses, provided that resources are available and medical information justifies the research. The studies shall focus on comparisons of both the efficacy and safety of methods of administering the drug to patients, including inhalational, tinctural, and oral, evaluate possible uses of marijuana as a primary or adjunctive treatment, and develop further information on optimal dosage, timing, mode of administration, and variations in the effects of different cannabinoids and varieties of marijuana. (2) The program shall examine the safety of marijuana in patients with various medical disorders, including marijuana’s interaction with other drugs, relative safety of inhalation versus oral forms, and the effects on mental function in medically ill persons. (3) The program shall be limited to providing for objective scientific research to ascertain the efficacy and safety of marijuana as part of medical treatment, and should not be construed as encouraging or sanctioning the social or recreational use of marijuana. (m) (1) Subject to paragraph (2), the program shall, prior to any approving proposals, seek to obtain research protocol guidelines from the National Institutes of Health and shall, if the National Institutes of Health issues research protocol guidelines, comply with those guidelines. (2) If, after a reasonable period of time of not less than six months and not more than a year has elapsed from the date the program seeks to obtain guidelines pursuant to paragraph (1), no guidelines have been approved, the program may proceed using the research protocol guidelines it develops. (n) In order to maximize the scope and size of the marijuana studies, the program may do any of the following: (1) Solicit, apply for, and accept funds from foundations, private individuals, and all other funding sources that can be used to expand the scope or timeframe of the marijuana studies that are authorized under this section. The program shall not expend more than 5 percent of its General Fund allocation in efforts to obtain money from outside sources. (2) Include within the scope of the marijuana studies other marijuana research projects that are independently funded and that meet the requirements set forth in subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive. In no case shall the program accept any funds that are offered with any conditions other than that the funds be used to study the efficacy and safety of marijuana as part of medical treatment. Any donor shall be advised that funds given for purposes of this section will be used to study both the possible benefits and detriments of marijuana and that he or she will have no control over the use of these funds. (o) (1) Within six months of the effective date of this section, the program shall report to the Legislature, the Governor, and the Attorney General on the progress of the marijuana studies. (2) Thereafter, the program shall issue a report to the Legislature every six months detailing the progress of the studies. The interim reports required under this paragraph shall include, but not be limited to, data on all of the following: (A) The names and number of diseases or conditions under study. (B) The number of patients enrolled in each study by disease. (C) Any scientifically valid preliminary findings. (p) If the Regents of the University of California implement this section, the President of the University of California shall appoint a multidisciplinary Scientific Advisory Council, not to exceed 15 members, to provide policy guidance in the creation and implementation of the program. Members shall be chosen on the basis of scientific expertise. Members of the council shall serve on a voluntary basis, with reimbursement for expenses incurred in the course of their participation. The members shall be reimbursed for travel and other necessary expenses incurred in their performance of the duties of the council. (q) No more than 10 percent of the total funds appropriated may be used for all aspects of the administration of this section. (r) This section shall be implemented only to the extent that funding for its purposes is appropriated by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act.. |