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104 <br />MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE <br />CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN MARCOS, <br />TEXAS, SEPTEMBER 9, 1996 <br />PRESENT: Mayor <br />Mayor Pro-Tem <br />Council Members <br />i <br />City Manager <br />Assistant City Manager <br />City Secretary <br />City Attorney <br />Director of Library <br />Director of Planning and Dev. <br />Director of Human Resources <br />Fire Chief <br />Director of Health <br />Director of Parks and Recreation <br />Director of Public Works <br />Billy G. Moore <br />Rick Hernandez <br />Ed Mihalkanin <br />Jane Hughson <br />Ronald K. Hart <br />Fred Guerra <br />Joe B. Cox, Jr. <br />Larry Gilley <br />Laura Huffman <br />Janis K. Womack <br />Mark Taylor <br />Stephanie Langenkamp <br />Ron Patterson <br />Carolyn Liner <br />Dan O'Leary <br />Terry Ewald <br />Rodney Cobb <br />George Boeker <br />Also Present: Melissa Millecam, Joe Castillo, Scott Maier, Collette <br />Duran, Ollie Giles, Mario Gutierrez, Kyev Tatum, Nina Pryatel, Bob <br />Sappington, Harvey Ginsburg, Phil Neighbors, Kelly Franks, Lydia <br />Marie Trevino, Larry Hanson and others. <br />Mayor Moore called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. <br />Mayor Moore introduced the Citizen comment period. No one wished to <br />speak. <br />Mayor Moore stated Item 4, approval of Board appointments, would be <br />delayed until later in the meeting when Mr. Guerra is present. <br />Mayor Moore introduced the receiving of information regarding a <br />proposed ordinance related to medical use of marijuana. Dr. Harvey <br />Ginsburg, Professor at SWT, thanked the Council for placing this on <br />the agenda and stated he would like the Council to consider holding <br />a public hearing on October 24 to hear from the following health <br />professionals that might facilitate the Council's understanding of a <br />very complex public health matter and address the need for possibly <br />changing the City's public health code of ordinances: Dr. Richard <br />A. Evans, Houston, Texas, author of Making the Right Choice: <br />Treatment Options in Cancer Surgery, Dr. Lester Grinspoon, Harvard <br />Medical School, editor of the Harvey Mental Health Letter, and <br />author of marijuana, The Forbidden Medicine, and Dr. J._Arly Lee <br />Nelson, University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in <br />Houston, and Mrs. Nina Pryatel, Retired Nurse and San Marcos <br />resident, Dr. G. Alan Robison, University of Texas Medical School of <br />Houston, and Dr. Malcolm Skolnick, Attorney and Professor of Health_ <br />Law and Technology, University of Texas Public Health at Houston. <br />Dr. Ginsburg read an article regarding a woman in Austin who had <br />used marijuana to ease her pain from multiple sclerosis. The <br />Federal Drug Policy prohibits physicians from prescribing marijuana <br />to patients with serious medical disorders. In the last year some <br />organizations have adopted resolutions to change this. On June 13 <br />the California Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist <br />Church approved a resolution stating it was a matter of Christian <br />compassion and to support enactment of State and Federal legislation <br />to establish prescriptive medical access to marijuana with <br />appropriate controls to safeguard against diversion for nonmedical <br />use. Dr. Shirley Ogletree, Department Chair and Professor in <br />Psychology at SWT, stated she supports the proposed ordinance <br />because marijuana reduces intraocular pressure in glaucoma, reduces <br />nausea and vomitting in association with chemotherapy, stimulating <br />appetite for patients with aids and suffering from the wasting <br />syndrome, controlling spasticity associated with spinal cord injury <br />and multiple sclerosis, decreasing the suffering from chronic pain <br />and controlling seizures with seizure disorders. Patients and <br />* Mr. Guerra present 8:14 p.m.; Mr. Coy, not present at this meeting.