Schwarzenegger
reinstates California's medical marijuana ID program

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday bowed to the threat of a lawsuit by activist groups and agreed to reinstate the state's medical marijuana ID program a week after it was shelved. The program, just days away from statewide expansion from its initial four-county tryout, was pulled by the Schwarzenegger administration in the wake of last month's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that federal laws banning marijuana use trump state-level laws permitting medicinal use. California health officials said the ID program, which provided ID cards to state residents deemed eligible to grow, buy, or smoke medicinal marijuana, was stopped because it was unclear whether participants or state employees involved in the program could face federal prosecution. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Drug Policy Alliance last week announced they planned to file suit against Schwarzenegger to force him to fully support the state's voter-approved medical marijuana law. They also pointed out that attorneys general in Hawaii, Alaska, and Oregon had already determined their states' medical marijuana programs could legally move forward despite the Supreme Court decision. When California's attorney general sided with the two groups, Schwarzenegger backed down and reinstated the marijuana ID program. "California's reinstatement of the card program squarely confirms that state medical marijuana laws across the country remain completely valid and in force," said Allen Hopper, an attorney with the ACLU's Drug Law Reform Project. "Patients can breathe a sigh of relief today, and we applaud the attorney general's prompt attention and resolution of this issue."