cannabisnews.com: Senate Panel OKs Marijuana Measure





Senate Panel OKs Marijuana Measure
Posted by CN Staff on May 03, 2002 at 08:14:22 PT
By Tracy Schmaler, Vermont Press Bureau 
Source: Rutland Herald 
A proposal to provide some legal protections to seriously ill patients who use marijuana won the support of a Senate committee Thursday, but advocates of legalizing the drug for medicinal purposes argued the measure doesn’t go far enough. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-1 to include a marijuana provision in another bill dealing with police arrest powers. 
The language provides patients who possess up to an ounce of the drug a so-called affirmative defense in court if they were to be prosecuted. An affirmative defense does not make it legal to possess the drug. Instead, it would provide patients with a defense they could mount before a judge or jury. “There’s a lot of good ideas here, but we don’t have time to deal with all the good ideas. I look at this as an interim step,” said Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington, chairman of the committee. “We’ve come up with a modest proposal ... that has some form of protection.” Sears and other Senate leaders announced the measure at a news conference Thursday and appeared optimistic about its chances of passage, despite the public opposition from advocates and House members and a mixed message from Gov. Howard Dean. “We’re determined to pass a bill to help vulnerable Vermonters,” said President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, D-Windham. “We intend to pass a bill before we go home.” Shumlin said Dean agreed to the compromise this week, a marked change for the governor, who has stated repeatedly he would not sign a bill allowing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes without the drug first going through the Federal Drug Administration process. But at his news conference Thursday, Dean was not clear on how he would handle the bill if it made its way to his desk. “We want to be cooperative; we want to be helpful,” he said. “We don’t want to deny people relief.” He insisted he would not support a bill legalizing marijuana, but at the same time noted that the Senate proposal does not do that. “I’m not unwilling to change my mind, but I’d like to see the science,” he said. “This has to be science-based; it can’t be emotional-based. I say that with all due respect to the suffering people who believe pot will help them. We’ve really got to do this in a careful, thoughtful, scientific way.” Even if the governor does decide to support the Senate version, the proposal still faces some obstacles, namely patients who use the drug and House members who had supported a broader bill legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. House lawmakers and advocates announced their opposition to the Senate proposal Thursday, calling it a weak attempt that would force patients to risk arrest for buying the drug illegally. “I’m upset that I would have to be arrested and a breach in my privacy to defend myself,” said Katherine Perera, who uses marijuana to stem the nausea and vomiting caused by myriad medicines she takes to stay alive with AIDS. Rep. David Zuckerman, P-Burlington, the chief sponsor of a medicinal marijuana bill that passed earlier this year, said he would not be able to support the Senate proposal as it was written. “We feel we passed a bill out of the House that was comprehensive. ... This proposal is confusing for patients, doctors and law enforcement,” he said. The House bill allows patients to grow the drug as long as they obtained a certificate from their physician. It also created a database with the state of those approved patients so police could verify that they had obtained the marijuana legally. The Senate is likely to take the issue up next week. Source: Rutland Herald (VT)Author: Tracy Schmaler, Vermont Press Bureau Published: May 2, 2002Copyright: 2002 Rutland HeraldContact: info rutlandherald.comWebsite: http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmMedical Marijuana Still Alive in Montpelierhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12699.shtmlMedical Marijuana Clears Senate Hurdle http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12646.shtmlSenate Panel Takes Up Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12573.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on May 03, 2002 at 10:52:32 PT
What Gov. Dean really wants
But at his news conference Thursday, Dean was not clear on how he would handle the bill if it made its way to his desk.?We want to be cooperative; we want to be helpful,? he said. ?We don?t want to deny people relief.?
You don't want the voters to throw your behind out of office, that's what you don't want, and you know it dude.How hard it must be for these officials -- having to face the loss of all that law enforcement money -- or having to face the loss of all that voter support.
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Comment #1 posted by mr greengenes on May 03, 2002 at 10:39:18 PT
Emotions
“I’m not unwilling to change my mind, but I’d like to see the science,” he said. “This has to be science-based; it can’t be emotional-based."        Isn't the drug war emotionally based?
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