Registry expected Observers here generally expect the task force to propose a confidential registry, run by the state health department, to collect documentation and issue patient identification cards. That's being done already in Oregon and Alaska under terms of their voter-approved initiatives. Bill Zimmerman, head of Americans for Medical Rights and chief political strategist on the medical marijuana side, urged such provisions after seeing the difficulty California police were having determining who had a legitimate claim under 215. He notes that now in California, those who assert a plausible 215 defense are rarely charged in most major cities or along the coast. But in more rural and politically conservative areas, busts continue.
Defendants have to wait for a trial to offer a medical defense.
We're not there yet. Police Chief Mel Brown started issuing 215 identification cards in 1997. Brown said he opposed 215 and would again. He complains that anyone who can find a willing physician can legally possess marijuana for virtually any ailment. But I guess it's the same with Percodan or lots of other prescription drugs.