03/25/1999 03:08 PM House HES

         HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL                                                                                     
            SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                                         
                   March 25, 1999                                                                                               
                     3:08 p.m.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MEDICAL MARIJUANA REGULATIONS REVIEW                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
TAPES                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
99-24, SIDE A & B                                                                                                               
99-25, SIDE A                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIRMAN COGHILL convened the House Health, Education and                                                                    
Social Services Committee meeting at 3:08 p.m.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
PRESENT                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Committee members present were Representatives Dyson, Coghill,                                                                  
Green and Morgan.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
ELMER LINDSTROM, Special Assistant, Office of the Commissioner,                                                                 
Department of Health and Social Services, described the Medical                                                                 
Marijuana Draft Regulations resulting from the initiative                                                                       
relating to Medical Uses of Marijuana for Persons Suffering from                                                                
Debilitating Medical Conditions.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
AL ZANGRI, Chief, Vital Statistics, Division of Public Health,                                                                  
Department of Health and Social Services, spoke about the draft                                                                 
regulations and responded to questions from Representatives Dyson                                                               
and Murkowski.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
DEL SMITH, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Public Safety,                                                                    
described law enforcement problems related to this initiative and                                                               
answered questions from the committee.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
KAREN SINUNU, Assistant Attorney General, Santa Clara County,                                                                   
California, testified via teleconference from California, and                                                                   
described the problems encountered in California resulting from a                                                               
similar initiative in California.  She also answered a number of                                                                
questions from the committee.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
DUANE UDLAND, Chief of Police, Anchorage Police Department,                                                                     
testified via teleconference from Anchorage, and spoke on                                                                       
enforcement problems and answered related questions.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
DAVID FINKELSTEIN, representing Alaskans for Medical Rights,                                                                    
testified via teleconference from Hawaii, and concurred with some                                                               
of the problems and suggested regulation changes similar to the                                                                 
changes proposed in SB 94.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MICHAEL FAGNANI, Anchorage, and JEFF COOK, Fairbanks, were                                                                      
available to testify, but the teleconference was set up for                                                                     
testimony by invitation only to gather information on regulation                                                                
problems.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIRMAN COGHILL adjourned the meeting at 4:06 p.m.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
NOTE:  The meeting was recorded and handwritten log notes were                                                                  
taken.  A copy of the tapes and log notes may be obtained by                                                                    
contacting the House Records Office at 130 Seward Street, Suite                                                                 
211, Juneau, Alaska  99801-1182, (907) 465-2214, and after                                                                      
adjournment of the second session of the Twenty-first Alaska                                                                    
State Legislature, in the Legislative Reference Library.