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| Medical Marijuana Program To Start Oct. 1 |
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Posted by FoM on July 20, 2001 at 08:07:22 PT By Ed Vogel, Donrey Capital Bureau Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal 
The Department of Agriculture director said Thursday he will launch the state's medical marijuana program on Oct. 1 with or without the $30,000 needed to cover all first-year costs. "We are going to take care of it with existing staff," Director Paul Iverson said. "It is no different than any other unfunded mandate. We encourage donations, but we are going to make it work with what we have." With permission from their doctors, people who suffer from AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and other illnesses can use marijuana for medicinal purposes. Some studies have found the drug can alleviate the nausea and help increase the appetite of people wasting away from illnesses. A new state law that goes into effect in October allows qualified patients to grow as many as seven marijuana plants. The law is patterned after a program in Oregon. To secure approval of the law, Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, removed provisions from a bill that allocated $30,000 to cover Department of Agriculture costs for running the program. At the time, legislators were cutting budgets because of an economic forecast that state revenue would fall $121 million below expectations over the next two years. Any bills that cost the state additional money were in jeopardy. She said she hoped Nevadans would donate money to help run the medical marijuana program. Voters in two consecutive elections approved a ballot question to set up a Nevada medical marijuana program. So far only $1,300 has been donated to the Department of Agriculture. Gov. Kenny Guinn had not included money to operate the medical marijuana program in his two-year $3.8 billion budget. The governor's failure to provide money prompted former gubernatorial candidate Aaron Russo to run a series of advertisements blasting Guinn and urging Nevadans to donate money to the marijuana program. Russo said last week he soon will start new advertisements urging donations to the medical marijuana program. "I never offered to pay the $30,000 personally because I felt it would be a mistake for various reasons," he said. "I have held from the beginning that I would be willing to spend money to raise the money." He added the citizens of Nevada are being forced to cover program costs because "Kenny Guinn screwed them. Our citizens should recognize this fact and once and for all take off the blinders and see what a corrupt government we really have here." Iverson said he wishes Russo would not begin another advertising campaign. He said the potshots at Guinn take away from the value of the program. "To make it political takes away from the program," Iverson said. "We definitely can use help. Donations are good, but it is not necessary to make a big issue out of it." But he added he will ask legislators in 2003 to cover costs of the medical marijuana program. Iverson said more than 200 people have called about the program and he expects interest to increase as Oct. 1 nears. His agency will have public hearings in Reno and Las Vegas in September on regulations needed to begin the program. Iverson has named staff employee Cecile Crofoot the medical marijuana program project manager. She also has other duties with the Department of Agriculture. Note: With or without proper funds, plan is to move forward. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV) Related Articles: Medical Marijuana: Funding To Run Program Lacking Medical Marijuana Law Earns Signature Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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Comment #1 posted by marcy on July 24, 2001 at 10:17:35 PT:
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| I would like to participate in the research as I am a cronic pain sufferer due to severe head injury(via brain surgery)and am already prescribed marinol but don't get the instant relief I need from migraine.So,I smoke it and let my doctor who wrote me a recommendation to legislate that I should be able to smoke it,I let him know that yes in fact I smoke it for instant relief.He agrees that I should be able to smoke it. [ Post Comment ] |
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