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| Senate Pot Bill Passed |
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Posted by CN Staff on May 14, 2002 at 23:10:10 PT By David Mace, Vermont Press Bureau Source: Rutland Herald 
The Vermont Senate has passed a bill that would allow sick people arrested for marijuana possession to claim their illness as a defense against prosecution, keeping the issue alive this session. By a 22-7 margin, senators approved an “affirmative defense” amendment to a bill that would revamp some of the state’s laws regarding blood tests for drunken drivers, then passed the bill on a voice vote. A mix of both Democrats and Republicans voted for the measure. The measure is far less sweeping than the House-passed version, which decriminalized marijuana possession and use for patients suffering from a variety of illnesses. It was unclear whether the House would agree to the Senate’s plan. The chief sponsor, Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington, said the move was a small step toward helping sick Vermonters avoid prosecution for using marijuana to relieve their symptoms. “I don’t think any of us want to see them arrested or prosecuted,” he said. But he noted there simply wasn’t time this session to take up the House’s more complex bill. The measure wasn’t universally supported, though. Sen. James Leddy, D-Chittenden, said it didn’t go far enough. “It offers the illusion of help, but I believe it offers no real help,” he said. “... If we are truly interested in relieving pain, why is it still a crime?” But others said it was a good first step and helped send a message that the Legislature was serious about addressing the problem. “We cannot eliminate the crime,” said Sen. John Campbell, D-Windsor. “But we can provide a defense to it.” And some senators remained opposed to any changes in the drug laws. Sen. Julius Canns, R-Caledonia, argued that federal law outlawing marijuana superseded state law, and questioned whether the amendment would lead to more people growing marijuana to supply it to patients. “I’m going to plant about 20 acres of this and see if I can get away with it, too,” he joked. Supporters of the measure also had to beat back an attempt by Sen. William Corrow, R-Orange, to attach an amendment to the bill that would have required minors to get permission from their parents to use marijuana for medical purposes. But the Senate version didn’t exactly thrill the lead sponsor of the House’s bill, Rep. David Zuckerman, P-Burlington, who said he’d prefer no bill. Zuckerman, who helped patch together a coalition of Progressives, Democrats and Republicans to shepherd the bill through the GOP-controlled House, said advocates would prefer to try again next year and feared passage of the affirmative defense would hurt that effort. “We waited 20 years since the last time we addressed this issue,” he said, referring to a state law that would have allowed limited medical marijuana testing but was never implemented. “If we sign this will we have to wait another 20 to finish the job?” Zuckerman asked. “I’d rather have nothing and complete the deal next year, or get it (the House version) in a (joint House-Senate) conference committee.” Agreeing with that was Kat Perera, an AIDS patient from Hancock who had testified before both House and Senate committees that she uses marijuana to treat wasting syndrome and nausea caused by her medications. “Affirmative defense doesn’t really guarantee anyone anything,” she said. “It forces chronically ill people to deal with drug dealers. ... It doesn’t provide anything for a caregiver for someone who’s too chronically ill to take care of themselves. “I believe the states really have to step up and treat marijuana as a medicine and tell the federal government we need to do this research,” Perera said. “And an affirmative defense law doesn’t really move us in that direction.” The House bill allows use and possession of marijuana to alleviate pain, nausea and other symptoms associated with diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and AIDS. It would require a doctor’s certification that the patient suffered from one of these conditions and that certification would be sent to the Department of Public Safety. A patient or designated caregiver could possess up to three mature plants, four immature plants and 3 ounces of marijuana, and could grow the plant if they do it in a secure, indoor location. Gov. Howard Dean, a staunch opponent of medical marijuana, opposes the House bill. He has not said publicly whether he would support the Senate’s affirmative defense bill. Sears said a compromise between the House and Senate bills seemed unlikely, but said he respected Zuckerman’s position. “Once you get into the growing and certification by a doctor, you get into some thorny issues this Senate just doesn’t want to get into,” Sears said. Newshawk: Rob - http://www.mpp.org/ Related Articles & Web Site: Medical Marijuana Information Links Medical Marijuana Bill Hits a Snag Senate Debates Medical Marijuana Bill Senate Panel OKs Marijuana Measure Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #6 posted by p4me on May 15, 2002 at 11:50:29 PT |
| I looked at the statistics for files opened at Cnews yesterday and it looks like a record - 94,158. I do not know how many readers that is because some of us open the same file many times to read recent comments. It is good news that the conglomerate media does not have a lock on information. I hope that the Cnews readers are putting up some links at the other messageboards they participate in so they too can come to a new understanding of reality. Also, if you are writing responses to the source links provided with the article please try to furnish them with a link so that they might read the comments people make hear and introduce them to the best resource on the net for cannabis news. Please be part of spreading some reason around and lets see if we cannot get 100,000 files soon. I need you all to help get my freedom back and make a better world for us all. VAAI down to dogcatcher. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #5 posted by Jose Melendez on May 15, 2002 at 11:44:16 PT:
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some will see light, some won't be able to stand the brightness and will turn away. Read on: [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by the_dude180 on May 15, 2002 at 11:35:00 PT |
| I guarentee you that half of the people that are AGAINST buds have never even smoke a bowl once in there life. The gov tells you not to smoke cause it causes cancer in some people. lets see, you only live once so why not enjoy life instead of worrying about things you dont need to. If pot was legal, then drug dealers would lose that costumers. Then there costumers are gone and they have no one to sell weed to cause we would be getting the high-grade good buds from the gov.
The goverment needs to look and things a little better. How come holland does not have a problem with drugs like the US does?? thats cause there educated about it and taught to use it responsibilty. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by Tigress58 on May 15, 2002 at 04:23:27 PT |
| and say that soaps have some good use. I've always felt that they are a moralistic evil to society that should be outlawed. However, if they help to raise the awareness of reform for MJ and provide political relief for the US, then I change my opinion that they have a limited use. Creative idea to use the soaps for public awareness. In the end, the soaps can also provide public awareness of how the DEAth squads operate, and the innocent victims that are ruled justifiable homicide, the property forfeiture cases that have no criminal charges levied in the name of probable cause, and our public servants that have been or are users, turning a knife in our backs for politics and money. Should get real interesting. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by mayan on May 15, 2002 at 03:56:44 PT |
| EJ, I've never watched a soap in my life but I might have to check that one out if it turns out like you predict...keep us up on it! As for this article, these pols are just playing games & stalling to make it look like they're actually doing something. These games just dont wash anymore. We will hold all of them accountable! Mike Vreeland on webcast tonight!!!(5/15/02): http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/051402_kpfa.html Hell to Pay: 9/11,The Proving Ground http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/05.15A.WRP.Hell.5.htm [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on May 14, 2002 at 23:49:13 PT |
| Suspicious things have been happening on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless that add up to an interesting suggestion of a story line that could be coming: 1. The show is set in Genoa City, Minnesota and Jesse Ventura is a big fan, having done guest shots as himself on the show several times to push issues such as health insurance reform. 2. The show has a troubled teen Colleen whom we know has been buying pot regularly from the high school "bad boy" for months now. Yet the writers have not turned this into a typical troubled girl story arc. They just let us know she was buying pot, and let it drop quietly into the background that this girl has a regular supply of weed from the black market. 3. The strict "Zero tolerance" stepmom of the troubled teen just had a lumpectomy and radiation for a ductal cell carcinoma and we are going to learn next week that her cancer has unfortunately spread to her lymph nodes and she is going to have to undergo CHEMO 4. Jesse Ventura is an outspoken friend of medical marijuana. My guess is: Colleen is going to buy her stepmom some weed to help her out and she's going to get busted by a narc at her fancy private school and be kicked out. She happened to have been kicked out of her last fancy private school for marijuana too. It's just an educated guess that this is the next direction for the soap opera envelope to be pushed. The omens have spoken! [ Post Comment ] |
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