cannabisnews.com: Medical Use Of Marijuana Favored By State Senator Medical Use Of Marijuana Favored By State Senator Posted by FoM on March 10, 2002 at 21:16:04 PT By Rob Moritz, Arkansas News Bureau Source: Morning News Sen. John Riggs, D-Little Rock, said Monday he plans to file a bill during the 2003 legislative session that would legalize marijuana use for medical purposes. First, he said he plans to ask Legislative Council next month to approve an interim study to look at the issue. It will be discussed by experts who will appear before committees, including the Joint Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor, during the interim study, he said. "We'd be able to look at the issue and get a lot of questions answered before we go into the session," he said. Riggs said marijuana's benefits to people who are ill and suffering outweigh any social concerns about the drug. "Basically, it's a humanitarian issue," Riggs said. "We have people out there that are suffering, who have catastrophic diseases and we don't have the medical technology, in some cases, to relieve their suffering." "We have a plant that God gave us that does this in certain circumstances," he said. "To me it's a no brainer. I think Arkansans are for the most part very compassionate. We're talking about people that are terminally ill ... and we should do whatever is possible to make their lives as comfortable as possible." The state senator cited results from a recent University of Arkansas Political Science Department poll that showed two-thirds of the 767 state respondents said they support allowing seriously ill patients to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. Riggs said the proposal, which would allow those using the marijuana to grow it themselves, mirrors a proposed citizen initiative being circulated by the Northwest Arkansas-based group Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas. The proposal would require a doctor's permission. It is patterned after an Oregon law, and would be regulated by the state Health Department. "If you have a certain disease or debilitating medical condition, such as cancer or HIV, you'd be able to get the marijuana," he said. The Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas has collected nearly 6,000 signatures and must collect about 56,000 by July 1 to get the proposed initiative on the November ballot. Denelle Campbell, executive director of the Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy, said her organization will continue to collect signatures but also strongly supports Riggs' proposal. "We haven't abandoned our petition drive," she said. "We don't want to give up anything, so we're doing both. Certainly it would be more efficient for us if a bill is introduced." Rep. Jim Lendall, D-Mabelvale, introduced a bill last year that would have legalized medical marijuana but the measure did not reach the House floor. Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon and Washington allow people who are ill and suffering to receive, possess, grow or smoke marijuana for medical purposes without fear of state prosecution. Source: Morning News, The (AR)Author: Rob Moritz, Arkansas News Bureau Published: Tuesday, February 26, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Stephens Media GroupContact: news nwaonline.netWebsite: http://www.nwamorningnews.com/Related Articles & Web Site:ARDPArk, Inc.http://www.ardpark.org/Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmLawmaker Plans Push To Legalize Medical Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11753.shtmlMarijuana Helps Her Live Again Disabled Woman Says http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11754.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by Jose Melendez on March 12, 2002 at 18:33:24 PT: More politicians sign on to allow marijuana WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The battle to protect patients from the Justice Department's ongoing war against medical marijuana gained momentum this week, with three respected members of the U.S. House of Representatives -- Reps. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Tom Lantos (D-CA), and John Conyers (D-MI) -- signing on as co-sponsors of H.R. 2592, the States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act. Reps Join Fight to Stop DEA War on Medical Marijuana [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Jose Melendez on March 11, 2002 at 06:53:16 PT: on a related note... Senator Fred Thompson is retiring, some say partly because his daughter died in January from a hydrocodone overdose. Perhaps someone will point out to the Senator that access to safe, legal marijuana might have allowed her to get high without having to die... Also, I hope someone sits down with Fred Thompson and points out that the sequiterpene caryophyllene oxide, present in roses, lemon balm and sage (the smoke of which is said to ward off evil spirits) is also present in cannabis smoke.From:http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/sunday/news_c3b83108630b90670069.html"As you go along in life, some things become more important, some of it in the category of smelling the roses," he said at a Nashville news conference a day after announcing he would not seek re-election this fall. "We weren't meant to do one thing all our lives."Fred Thompson Arrest Prohibition [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by SoberStoner on March 10, 2002 at 22:04:48 PT: One more crack.... The dam is springing leaks everywhere...how many DEA Agents do we have in our country? Not enough to cover the 8 already medical states, arkansas, alaska, maryland and any other states pending MMJ bills...Plant those seeds and overgrow the system. The goverment cannot put 70 million people in jail at once. Our day is comingSS [ Post Comment ] Post Comment