Supporter's cannabis pitch fails to take root with council
by Anthony Millican

April 08, 1998 - San Diego Union Tribune - letters@uniontrib.com

Dion Markgraaff's idea went up in smoke as quickly as it was presented to the San Diego City Council yesterday.

In the span of three minutes, Markgraaff demanded that council members declare a state of emergency, come up with a policy on helping sick people who need medical marijuana and, well, that they get a load from his exhibits.

Markgraaff passed out T-shirts and newspapers promoting cannabis. He handed over hemp oil. Then, he produced a bag of hemp seeds.

Befuddled city clerks thought the bag contained plain old marijuana. Police arrived. The pseudo-pot was confiscated.

As it turned out, the seeds had been sterilized and can't grow, which makes them legal. Council members did not take action on Markgraaff's requests.

Hemp, which grows wild throughout the world, is a type of cannabis plant that is used to make rope, paper and other products. It has little of the intoxicating substance found in more potent types of marijuana.

Markgraaff is free on bail awaiting trial in one of the county's first tests of voter-approved Proposition 215, the medical marijuana measure. He addressed the council during the public comment portion of yesterday's council meeting.

Even seen-it-all council observers couldn't recall a similar episode.

Markgraaff, 28, an SDSU political science and history graduate, says he was just trying to "plant the seed of a little bit of knowledge."

An indignant Councilman Juan Vargas left his seat, grabbed one of the T-shirts and handed it back to Markgraaff in the audience.

"I won't be needing this," Vargas told him.

"Well, then do your job," Markgraaff shot back.

It's a good thing the seeds didn't spill onto the carpet, quipped City Clerk Chuck Abdelnour. The carpet is so bad, the seeds might have taken root there.

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