A city church distributed marijuana on Sunday to patients who possessed a doctor’s recommendation in wake of the temporary injunction closing the San Francisco Cannabis Buyers’ Club.
About 25 patients showed up for the giveaway, news of which was spread through word of mouth. Those possessing valid documentation were provided with one-eighth of an ounce of marijuana.
“I believe the moral stance [in this instance] is to break the law to make this marijuana available,” said Rev. Jim Mitulski of the Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco. “Our church’s spiritual vitality has always come from a willingness to act where people have been reluctant to act. This is not a bystander church.”Allen White, a community activist who helped organize the event, said he had notified Mayor Willie Brown, Assistant Police Chief Earl Sanders, and District Attomey Terence Hallinan Saturday night about the church’s plan to distribute marijuana. Organizers said that they knew of no other church that had conducted such an operation.
Mitulski did not specify whether he would hold repeat giveaways, but added that there were no plans to do distribute marijuana on a long-term basis. He said he hoped other churches will become actively involved in the issue.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre of NORML @ (202) 483-5500.