cannabisnews.com: Legislators Rethink Supporting Drug Bills 










  Legislators Rethink Supporting Drug Bills 

Posted by FoM on January 23, 2002 at 11:52:34 PT
By Gilbert Gallegos, Tribune Reporter 
Source: Albuquerque Tribune  

Some legislators are getting squeamish again about easing drug laws. Proponents of Gov. Gary Johnson's package of drug reform bills came into the legislative session with a head of steam.They appeared to have made headway in convincing skeptical legislators that Johnson is not trying to legalize drugs. He said he just wants to shift the attention from punishing people for using drugs to treating their problems instead.
But judging from Tuesday's debate over this year's version of a medical marijuana bill, some senators are still suspicious about the end-result of the governor's package.The Senate Public Affairs Committee put the medical marijuana bill on hold Tuesday after several legislators said they had problems with the idea of allowing patients to grow pot plants on their own."I don't know what to do," Senate Majority Leader Mary Jane Garcia, a Las Cruces Democrat, said after Tuesday's two-hour debate. "I'm torn."Garcia was one of a handful of senators from both parties who started to have doubts about the medical marijuana bill they once supported.Garcia said she promised the governor she would support the bill. But after listening to Tuesday's debate, she left with more questions than answers."Before you know it, there's going to be a plant growing in everybody's back yard," Garcia said.Sen. Rod Adair, a Roswell Republican, convinced the committee to remove language in the bill that would have allowed patients to grow up to one ounce of marijuana.The bill spells out a process for patients suffering from certain debilitating illnesses to use marijuana to ease their pain. The patients would qualify for exemption from the drug possession laws under rules to be developed by the state Department of Health.But without the ability to grow marijuana plants on their own, patients would be left without a legal way to get the drug.Sen. Roman Maes, the sponsor of the measure - Senate Bill 8 - said he would work with members of the committee to figure out a way to give the Department of Health the ability to produce and distribute the drug to patients.Sen. Dede Feldman, the chairwoman of the committee, said she would schedule the issue for another hearing as soon as Thursday.Legislators are in the second week of a 30-day session that runs through Feb. 14.Johnson is backing a total of six drug reform bills, including a measure to give judges more flexibility to sentence non-violent drug offenders to treatment programs rather than prison cells.Source: Albuquerque Tribune (NM)Author: Gilbert Gallegos, Tribune ReporterPublished: January 23, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Albuquerque TribuneContact: letters abqtrib.comWebsite: http://www.abqtrib.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmSenate Cans Part of Pot Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11825.shtmlN.M. Legislature To Vote on Decriminalization http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11801.shtmlBattle Lines Drawn in Drug Policy Debate http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11729.shtml

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Comment #13 posted by CorvallisEric on January 24, 2002 at 01:51:19 PT
Fixed link for Comment #12
http://www.spr.org/
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Comment #12 posted by observer on January 23, 2002 at 19:03:53 PT
If Prohibitionists were Honest ...
If politicians were honest, wouldn't they have to tell us the whole truth?"Before you know it, there's going to be a plant growing in everybody's back yard," Garcia said.Shouldn't this politician be honest about what she really means?"Therefore," added Garcia,"I think that adults who use marijuana -- people who voted for me -- they should rot in jail, after the government takes their children, house and car."Sand shouldn't the paper be a bit more honest about what this politician really intends for your sons and daughters:Sen. Rod Adair, a Roswell Republican, convinced the committee to remove language in the bill that would have allowed patients to grow up to one ounce of marijuana.Shouldn't the paper add a bit about "JAIL"? Perhaps something along these lines:"Because of my superior morality and better religion," Republican Rod Adair asserted, "Your daughters and sons who may be sick, but also grow their own marijuana are really just sick 'drug criminals' which need to be jailed (should they disagree with government 'treatment' professionals). Hell, they are 'manufacturing marijuana,' the little malcontents, so they deserve to share a long cell term with bank robbers and murderers and rapists: people that will rape and punish them like they deserve for being little pot-smokers."  Added Adair: "That's what I think of you and your children and anyone who dare disagrees with my choice of intoxicant. May you all rot in jail and may the government take your money and property for being pot smokers."
Yeah ... why do you think they just don't come out and level with us?
Stop Prison Rape!
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Comment #11 posted by Sam Adams on January 23, 2002 at 15:09:31 PT
Quote from an old spaghetti Western movie....
"Out here, we put criminals in jail. In Washington, they ELECT 'em!"
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Comment #10 posted by QcStrt on January 23, 2002 at 14:09:10 PT
          Pharmaceuticals 
Has the Pharmaceuticals Co. bought off the legislators??? this is what it looks like.
they are way behind the world, in the states. mooooore mooooooooooney hungry bast*rs
taking what helps the Ill.Vote them out there are the SICK ONES.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on January 23, 2002 at 13:39:50 PT
Give us 3 years!
Give us 3 years to show that legalizing marijuana can work. If they would allow the laws to be changed for a trial period of 3 years they would have the option of changing them back if we fail to show that it won't hurt anyone or society. 3 years is a fair time because at first people would be so happy that it would seem like more people are getting into marijuana but by 3 years it will settle down to the way it will be. Just an idea.
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Comment #8 posted by p4me on January 23, 2002 at 13:35:27 PT
why the confusion
"I don't know what to do," Senate Majority Leader Mary Jane Garcia, a Las Cruces Democrat, said after Tuesday's two-hour debate. "I'm torn.Well on one hand you could continue the felony charges and let people that could be helped by MJ with chronic pain and conditions suffer or pay big prices for medicine that has many more side effects than MJ or you could do what is right and let people grow it and use it and see what happens. I do not recall any adverse problems brought on by Proposition 215 except the corrupted policy that makes criminals out of medicine just because the pill industry wants all the money. THC is not allowed in any amount in food anymore because the DEA said so and hopefully the courts will tell the DEA to quit making laws. And then the pill industry can sell Marinol at a tremendous price and that is legal. Go figure.If I could replace all these corrupted, unenlightened, or totally misguided elected politicians I would. It won't be long before there is a pool of 300 million Americans to chose from. There are at least 535 people in Congress that need to be sent home to stay. Vote against all incumbents and help create a new team that understands freedom, tolerance, compassion, and pragmatism.
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Comment #7 posted by TroutMask on January 23, 2002 at 12:55:35 PT

I agree with SpaceCat...
We are winning the war regardless of the occasional small defeat. The momentum is ours. The truth will not change and we have the truth on our side. Just like with so many other huge social changes (voting rights for women, the end of alcohol prohibition, the end of slavery jump to mind), it will take unrelentless truth to knock down this wall of stupidity.and the alternative, status quo, obviously isn't going to work. the war on some drugs will never succeed, will never even likely be even somewhat successful. so we have ever-more-obvious truth vs. ever-more-obvious stupidity. we can't lose.chin up and keep writing those letters!!!-TM
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Comment #6 posted by SpaceCat on January 23, 2002 at 12:40:49 PT

Hang in there!
I think it's a pretty positive sign when the debate is about whether or not to let people people grow their own or to have the state produce and distribute it!Would this discussion even have been possible even two years ago? In public, let alone in a senate committee?As Ambassador Kosh of the Vorlon Empire put it: "The avalanche has begun; it is too late for the pebbles to vote"The line in the sand is definitely moving, it's just hard to see when you are one of the grains.Regarding Lambeth: Did you think the prohibitionists would just roll over? They are punching their own buttons. As usual, their position is one of barely concealed hysteria, but instead of gasps of horror it is being greeted with gales of laughter. I've seen three articles that quote one guy, presenting no evidence but his own "feelings" about the hard drug connection, followed by a much more cogent rebuttal from those actually running and evaluating the experiment. The voices of reason are finally being heard over the cacophony of the ill-informed and those with vested interests. That feels like winning to me.
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Comment #5 posted by Jose Melendez on January 23, 2002 at 12:35:19 PT:

sure...
"Before you know it, there's going to be a plant growing in everybody's back yard," Garcia said.As if that would be such a bad thing. Don't see too much tobacco growing in backyards now, do we? 
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Comment #3 posted by Ethan Russo MD on January 23, 2002 at 12:34:30 PT:

What the Feds Want
The Feds want us to be demoralized. It is only with critical mass in popular opinion, and the will to make it happen that things will change.

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Comment #2 posted by FoM on January 23, 2002 at 12:26:14 PT

Robbie
I know how discouraging this is. This administration must be working over time to defeat us. I hope that society sees how wrong they are. If we can't convince them then it will be time to quit and go into hiding. That's how many people have lived for many years in fear of our government. Young people must understand that all the effort in the world still might not be enough to fight against the extreme right wingers. They want everyone to be a holy christian by their standards. That's the bottom line and having any kind of fun is a sin. Isn't that pathetic? Hang in there friend.
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Comment #1 posted by Robbie on January 23, 2002 at 12:17:08 PT

I am discouraged
For every 15 positive things that happen in drug and/or marijuana law reform, ONE thing comes along to knock them all down.Are we really making any progress? Is anything really changing? Even the Lambeth pot experiment is being lambasted as drawing the druggies in, pushing more buttons on hysterical prohibs.I just don't see any real change happening. Maybe it's just me. I am starting to think that I will not see MJ legalization in the US in my lifetime. Sad, but, I think, true.
Sunny with snow, cloudy and warm...lets talk about the weather
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