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Flint pot vote mostly symbolic
02.05.07|Flint Journal

The three days Charles Snyder III spent in jail after being accused of a laundry list of drug crimes strengthened his resolve to seek legalization of marijuana for medical use.

Snyder, 29, of Flint is one of the driving forces behind an initiative that would change Flint ordinances to allow possession and use of marijuana with doctor's approval - theoretically, at least.

The issue goes before Flint residents in a Feb. 27 election, but the vote is largely symbolic because pot usage - recreational and medicinal - would still be illegal under both state and federal laws. And they trump local ordinances.

Opponents say a city already battling a crime problem dominated by drugs shouldn't legalize marijuana use, even under special circumstances.

City Council President Darryl Buchanan said he can't speak from a medical standpoint, but he opposes the initiative and believes it could send a wrong message about drug use to children.

"I don't condone any drug use. I will not be voting for it," Buchanan said. "We already have our hands full combating drugs and crime in Flint."

Supporters claim marijuana helps treat nausea, pain and other symptoms of as many as 200 diseases. They say it's important to offer as much protection as possible to prevent seriously ill patients from going to jail for smoking pot.

Snyder said the three days he spent in jail before being able to post bond were a "wake-up call" to continue pushing for such a measure. He was busted in August 2005 after a raid on his house, where he was growing 12 marijuana plants.

He originally was charged with six drug offenses, including maintaining a drug house. All were eventually dropped except manufacture of marijuana, for which he paid a $500 fine.

Snyder said he had been smoking marijuana to self-medicate for nail patella syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes pain in his joints.

He said he now takes OxyContin, a powerful pain reliever known for its addictive qualities, three times a day through a doctor's prescription, but that marijuana worked better.

The ballot proposal would allow individuals and their caregivers to be in possession of marijuana and paraphernalia if they have written proof they use it under a doctor's supervision. It also allows the patient, but not a caregiver, to use marijuana.

Medical marijuana is a trendy national issue, thanks in part to aging baby boomers who are experiencing more health ailments. It has grown in attention along with herbal remedies, pain management and end-of-life care.

There's little scientific study of marijuana as a medicine, though, and most prominent politicians are loath to express support.

Flint resident Mark Harris, 50, at first was leery of any legalization of pot - until he found out the local initiative mandates a doctor's approval.

Harris said he was still concerned about possible abuse, but he thought marijuana could help some people, especially terminally ill patients.

"That's something you do for sick people, you make them comfortable before they leave you," Harris said.

Snyder, along with campaign manager Brian Morrissey, 24, of Flint, collected more than 2,000 signatures to put the issue to a vote. They also tried in 2005 but never made it onto the ballot because of improper proposal language.

The Genesee County Medical Society has not taken a stance on the issue, and the effort has received no official endorsements from local officials.

Still, backers are confident and expect to spend a $7,500 grant from the Marijuana Policy Project on campaign material.

Supporters might have reason to be optimistic. The medical marijuana measure has passed in Michigan every time and everywhere it's been on the ballot. Four other Michigan cities have approved similar ordinances.

However, residents in those communities are no closer to openly smoking pot than anyone else.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that patients using marijuana under a doctor's care still can be charged for violating federal law, essentially overriding local communities and the 11 states that now allow it.

Snyder said he believes approving the ballot measure would at least give Flint police the option of looking the other way.

And, ultimately, its passage would bring more weight to efforts to change people's hearts and minds, as well as state and federal laws, he said.