NEWS Friday, April 20, 2001
Medical marijuana school rolling into Grass
Valley
By Jill Darby
Accepted medicinal use of marijuana is more than
just a pipe dream to the American Medical Marijuana Association.
In an effort to educate medical marijuana patients about their
rights, AMMA is offering a one-day Medical Marijuana School Saturday
at the Northern California Center for the Arts at 314 West Main
Street in Grass Valley.
"We need to alert people that there are risks in being a medical
(marijuana) patient and the biggest risk is prison," said Shelly
Arnold, who will be teaching a cannabis cooking class at Saturday's
event. "We want to let people know that we really are on a mission
here. It's not a party. The purpose of this school is to teach
people what their rights are so they can be informed. It's open to
anyone. You will not receive your medical marijuana card and this is
not a bong party. This is an educational forum put on by the
American Medical Marijuana Association."
The school will encourage attendees to earn their "Prop 215
Diploma" by attending classes, seminars and panel discussions,
viewing exhibits, displays and videos and reading handouts and
booklets on medical marijuana. According to AMMA, those who
"graduate" from the school will gain a thorough knowledge of their
rights under the Compassionate Use Act and decide if marijuana can
help treat their conditions.
"Our school gives residents of Placer, Nevada and El Dorado
counties and others the chance to cut through all the confusion
about medical marijuana and find out how the law and the medicine
applies to them," AMMA Legal Director Edie Lerman said in a written
statement. "We will have doctors, lawyers, patients and activists on
hand to share their knowledge and experience and we hope that any
questions someone might have will be answered at Medical Marijuana
School."
Arnold, a medical marijuana caregiver, receives medical cannabis
from doctors and medical lawyers and cooks the shake into butter.
"I'm teaching a cooking class so people can have containers of
butter and take it home and make Rice Crispy treats and brownies,"
she said. "I'll show how to make oil and butter and a recipe or two
you can do with it. Another woman is going to make Scampi out of
medical marijuana butter."
Also featured at the school will be an interactive
display/question and answer session titled "How does your garden
grow?"
"Basically what we're doing is joining three counties to get
people information on Proposition 215," Arnold said. "There will be
classes on how to know your rights and what the risks of growing are
due to the fact we have many law enforcement officials who do not
recognize Prop. 215."
Arnold said people suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis,
AIDS and other illnesses need marijuana to ease their pain and often
have to acquire it illegally which sometimes involves dealing with
criminals.
"People are getting busted so I went in front of the (South Lake
Tahoe) City Council and I asked City Council if they would please
give us some guidelines so the medical marijuana patients in this
town can receive their medicine without having to go through the
black market."
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