cannabisnews.com: No Vote for Marijuana Bill





No Vote for Marijuana Bill
Posted by FoM on March 23, 2002 at 11:42:33 PT
By Douglas Tallman, News-Post Staff 
Source: Fredrick News-Post 
Lawmakers who support and oppose legalizing marijuana for the terminally ill passionately debated the bill for nearly an hour Friday night before their committee chairman abruptly announced the evening session would end without a vote on the measure."I am not going to have a part of something that is in violation of federal law," said Delegate Joseph Vallario, his voice tinged with anger.
Committee chairmen have broad authority to decide when, and even if, their committees will vote on a bill. Many measures die each year because the chairmen refuse to allow voting sessions.The announcement from Mr. Vallario, D-Prince George's, stunned the legislators and the few observers in the hearing room. Mr. Vallario then ordered a handful of lawmakers into his office for a 15-minute, closed-door session.During the debate, lawmakers argued with righteous zeal both for and against the bill, some revealing they only recently changed their minds on the issue.Delegate Joseph Getty, R-Carroll, had opposed the bill, even though he felt an "emotional tug" over the experience of his mother, who died of cancer in 1990.To the bewilderment of the family, he said, she turned to marijuana. For her it didn't help."But it's always been in the back of my mind that (it didn't work because of) the anxiety of breaking the law and the apprehension that if she was caught it would bring a great embarrassment to the family," he said.Mr. Getty said he was planning to vote in favor of the bill.But Delegate Anthony O'Donnell, R-Calvert, said lawmakers can't decide bills with emotion or anecdotes. He noted that MedChi, the state medical association, and the Maryland State Police both oppose the bill. The bill has become nearly an obsession for its sponsor, Delegate Donald Murphy, R-Baltimore County, who has introduced "The Darrell Putman Compassionate Use Act" on two previous legislative sessions.Mr. Putman, who operated a carriage business in Frederick County, was an anti-drug Vietnam War veteran who reluctantly turned to marijuana as he was fighting lymphoma.He told his friend, Mr. Murphy, that the drug was fighting his nausea and helping him to build his appetite, making it easier for him to undergo chemotherapy. But he worried that using marijuana would threaten his family, if he were caught.So he asked Mr. Murphy to sponsor legislation to make marijuana use legal for the terminally ill. Delegate Louise Snodgrass and David Brinkley, both cancer survivors, are co-sponsors of the legislation.As the committee's voting session began, Mr. Murphy told reporters he thought he had enough votes to get the bill out of committee and then onto a vote on the floor of the House of Delegates.One of the unknowns was Delegate Carmen Amedori, R-Carroll. In a speech to her fellow committee members, Ms. Amedori said she was being "pulled and tugged and pushed and squeezed" on the issue.She said she had received a number of e-mail messages from people close to her that persuaded her to support the bill.In her remarks, she said she remained against drug use."But I believe marijuana has and will continue to help these people who are truly suffering from a pain we are fortunate enough not to know," she said.Delegate Ann Marie Doory, D-Baltimore, said she objected to the bill's lack of controls."The law of unintended consequences is still out there," said Ms. Doory, who serves as Judiciary's vice chairman.Delegate John Giannetti, D-Prince George's, said marijuana hadn't been proven to be medically effective."Kids will be smoking it. People will be smoking it more. I cannot do that with my vote," he said.As the session began, Mr. Vallario passed out a letter from Asa Hutchinson, the administrator of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which said Maryland residents might be confused to think that they could use marijuana and escape federal penalties.But to get marijuana, it would still need to be cultivated, distributed and possessed, all federal crimes, Mr. Hutchinson said."The DEA is opposed to it because that's what they're there for," said Delegate William H. Cole IV, D-Baltimore.Shortly after that statement, Mr. Vallario halted the debate and summoned the lawmakers into his office.Lawmakers were reluctant to reveal the conversation that took place, except that Mr. Vallario might support a bill that keeps the penalty but allows courts to be lenient to cancer patients.Last year, Mr. Vallario bottled up Mr. Murphy's bill after a Senate committee voted it down. During the 2000 session, Judiciary voted to kill the bill. Source: Fredrick News-Post (MD)Author: Douglas Tallman, News-Post Staff Published: March 23, 2002Copyright: 2002 Great Southern Printing and Manufacturing CompanyWebsite: http://www.fredericknewspost.com/Contact: http://www.fredericknewspost.com/contact/Related Articles & Web Sites:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Marijuana Rx May Be an Option http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12278.shtmlPush Made for Medicinal Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12248.shtmlMedical-Pot Bill Bars Prosecution http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12242.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by biglaughinggym on March 25, 2002 at 10:58:42 PT:
where i live
Here marijauna is just as illegal as murder rape. And I am sure most officials here believe it is a bigger problem than murder and rape. I am currently still suffering from having 2.5 grams of marijuana found on me. It's almost 4 years. I have seen the ridiculus. Being pulled over and having about 10 cops searching your car screaming where is the pot. Also being roughed up in the process. I am sure all this was because I was driving a car with long hair with 3 other guys with long hair. They didnt find shit and had to let me go. 
Our state ran out of money. I cant get my state income tax.
Our schools may be the shittiest school around. I went to an elementary school with box fans in the summer and cold rooms in the winter. Jr. high was no better with over half the school being held in portable classrooms. High school was better. They had just built a new high school, but i am sure over time it will be the same as before. The money will not be there to fix it up because it will have been wasted. I say stop wasting the money. Use it instead to send our cops to anger managment classes.BTW I live in alabama
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Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on March 25, 2002 at 05:05:16 PT:
"Maryland, My Maryland"
I am not surprised at Mr. Vallerio's undemocratic stance. We have that kind of thing happen all the time.You have to understand something about my home State; we haven't had a clean election since the Civil War. Governors like Marvin Mandell and Lt. Governors like like Nixon's VP lapdog Agnew have wound up in prison on a regular basis. There is every reason to believe the present dicta- uh, er, "Governor" actually may have lost in the first election due to vote fraud...which was widely known, acknowledged and is still hotly debated.This I believe is a direct result of one thing; the pervasive and unwarranted influence of the Federal government. Simply because so many Fed workers live there...and have entirely too much say when it comes to State matters. Which is why a State legislator like Vallerio will cringe and scrape before Asa like low level flunky Fed agent instead of a duly elected representative of the Maryland taxpayers. Who is sworn to uphold Maryland's Constitution, not the Controlled Substances Act. If he wants to become a Federal agent, let himn quit and take the civil service tests; I am sure Asa could always use another sycophantic brown-noserMr. Vallerio, having just nullified his own mandate for representing his own people, should be removed from office posthaste and a new Representative who can read the Maryland Constitution and understand it in its' entirety replace him. We've had enough anti-democratic bilge floating in and around Annapolis long enough.
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Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on March 23, 2002 at 15:48:04 PT
I think this is a bad article
They didn't mention the fact that the bill had a record number of sponsors - I think it was 40 or 50. So democracy is clearly being suppressed by this guy, who won't even allow a public committee vote.The truth is, as bad as the federal govt is, state government are far more corrupt and dictatorial in nature. MPP has put in years of effort in MD and must be getting pissed off at these clowns by now.
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Comment #4 posted by silverman on March 23, 2002 at 15:35:35 PT:
his decision bites.
he obviously doesnt care about the people who need marijuana .he only cares about his own personal stance on the subject, get an ex pothead in his seat and see who is the braver man to tackle the subject.
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Comment #3 posted by overtoke on March 23, 2002 at 14:08:26 PT:
States Rights
"I am not going to have a part of something that is in violation of federal law," said Delegate Joseph VallarioThis guy should have no business in government. He completely negates his own job by making that statement. Why have state and local governments at all? I know his comment was just something he said as an excuse to skip the subject. The fact that it is such a stupid statement makes that perfectly clear.Someone should investigate them to see just how strictly they follow that guildeline in all their descisions.It would be nice if the federal government legalized medicinal cannabis. That would save the 40 remaining states the 'hassle' of having to do it for themselves. (Hassle means millions of dollars and precious time.)
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Comment #2 posted by i420 on March 23, 2002 at 13:16:34 PT
What a j/k
"I am not going to have a part of something that is in violation of federal law," said Delegate
   Joseph Vallario, his voice tinged with anger. 
 
Gee some of our gov't officials didn't care it was against federal law when they didn't inhale.Delegate John Giannetti, D-Prince George's, said marijuana hadn't been proven to be medically effective.   "Kids will be smoking it. People will be smoking it more. I cannot do that with my vote," he said.
Oh here we go again save the kids!!KIDS ARE ALREADY SMOKING IT! CHANGE THE LAW !!!! OR THE TERRORIST WIN....AGAIN.
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Comment #1 posted by p4me on March 23, 2002 at 11:55:46 PT
War Against Drug Ignorance
Those stupid prohibitionist are some ignorant people regarding medical marijuana and marijuana in general. So In the War Against Drug Ignorance I would first like to say, whatever you do, do not ever put a cigarette in your mouth. It is worse than putting a loaded gun in your mouth. It is hard to get that through with the WOD minus T&A.I am still trying to get over Nixon swaying the country into such a stupid path after the FDA came out with their findings. All this stupidity and pain and waste could have been avoided if Nixon were not so warped. I will refer everyone to the website that Dr. Russo recommended for scientific answers regarding MMJ: http://www.cannabis-med.org/english/home.htmVAAI and educate the prohibitionist and play your part in the War Against Drug Ignorance.
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