cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Measure Advances Medical Marijuana Measure Advances Posted by CN Staff on February 25, 2004 at 07:52:54 PT By Erin Duggan, Capitol Bureau Source: Times Union A bill legalizing the medical use of marijuana is gaining momentum in the state Assembly, with bipartisan sponsorship and a successful vote Tuesday in the Assembly Health Committee.The bill, which would allow primarily terminally ill patients to be prescribed marijuana for nausea, pain and other symptoms, has 41 Assembly sponsors, including seven Republicans. "If you have ever seen anyone on their deathbed, dying in agony, screaming in pain every day as I had with my father who had cancer ... the risks of smoking marijuana are outweighed by the therapeutic benefits," said Assemblyman Robert Prentiss, a conservative Republican from Colonie.The bill has broad support from the medical community, with endorsements from medical societies in New York, Westchester, Putnam, Orange, Rockland and Dutchess counties. It is also supported by the state Health Department's AIDS Advisory Council, the New York State Association of County Health Officials, the New York State Nurses Association, the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State, Statewide Senior Action Council, Gay Men's Health Crisis and the New York AIDS Coalition. Note: Albany -- Legislation clears Assembly panel with bipartisan support. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/advance.htm Source: Times Union (Albany, NY)Author: Erin Duggan, Capitol Bureau Published: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 Copyright: 2004 Capital NewspapersContact: tuletters timesunion.comWebsite: http://www.timesunion.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmPols Stoke Debate on Medical Pot Use http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18390.shtmlNY Panel OKs Medical Marijuana Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15911.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #8 posted by FoM on March 01, 2004 at 16:01:22 PT Related News Article from Join Together Conservative N.Y. Lawmaker Supports Medical-Marijuana BillMarch 01, 2004 New York Assemblyman Tom Kirwan (R-Newburgh), a former State Police lieutenant, said he is in favor of a bill that would legalize marijuana for medical purposes, the Middletown Times Herald-Record reported Feb. 25.Kirwan joined other Republicans in co-sponsoring a Democratic bill that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to patients suffering from life-threatening, degenerative, or disabling diseases."If that's going to ease their pain, how can you be against it?" said Kirwan, known as a conservative lawmaker.Opponents of the bill, including Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long, said legalizing medical marijuana could lead to complete legalization of the drug."We really believe there's enough medication on the market that in fact will do everything humanly possible to help people who are cancer victims," said Long.The New York Senate leadership is currently reviewing the bill. No lawmaker has come forward to sponsor the bill in the Senate.http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,569598,00.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by kaptinemo on February 25, 2004 at 15:17:21 PT: Actually, one of the Founders DID get it right Dr. Benjamin Rush, George Washington’s personal physician and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, warned: "Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an underground dictatorship... All such laws are un-American and despotic and have no place in a republic... The Constitution of this republic should make special privilege for medical freedom as well as religious freedom."The problem today is the same as was is his day: the long-sighted are few, the short-sighted are many. The long-sighted see 10-20-30 years down the road as to a dangerous legislation's effects; the short-sighted, being inherently selfish in nature, only see at best a few years, if that many.Today we live in Dr. Rush's 'underground dictatorship' of both a politically powerful AMA in thrall to the pill factors, and a government that allows LEOs to practice medicine without a license in making a drug Schedule One by bureaucratic *fiat* and not one whit of scientific evidence.More about the Good Doctor Rush, in whose company I have no doubt our own Doc Russo would have been welcomed, as Dr. Rush was not afraid to 'push the envelope', so to speak: Benjamin Rush Signer of the Declaration of Independence http://www.benjaminrush.com/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by afterburner on February 25, 2004 at 14:48:47 PT: Putting the WOD in Perspective For drug-free read medicine-free. For drug store read medicine store. For war on drugs read war on medicine. For Office of National Drug Control Policy read Office of National Medicine Control Policy. For "'marijuana' is not medicine" read cannabis is not a drug. For Partnership for a Drug-Free America read Partnership for a Medicine-Free America. For "May I have my medicine now?" read "Just say no!"Medical Freedom Amendment for 2004, build the choice that our founding fathers forgot! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on February 25, 2004 at 14:38:55 PT Dankhank I agree. Spread the word! These are such interesting times for me. I don't have much news to post on CNews these days but it's ok. I kinda smile when I think of it all. We have matured into really good activists. That is so exciting to me to see happen. I'm proud of everyone. I read Kerry's Board and I know many people see a different importance as far as the drug war goes but I see respect for each others opinion. Each one of us comes to the reform movement for one reason and it is unique to each person and it's all just fine and important. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Dankhank on February 25, 2004 at 14:13:38 PT Yes .... I agree that Kerry faking toking a joint with Peter, Paul and Mary was the turnaround for him also. It fits with the story I linked since it is a great dissemination of his minds bent.So we must ALL spread the word. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Virgil on February 25, 2004 at 13:59:47 PT Monkey protein prevents AIDS From http://tinyurl.com/2f57v -Scientists say they've discovered how some monkeys resist infection with the AIDS (news - web sites) virus, a finding that might lead to a treatment that blocks HIV (news - web sites) in people. Researchers found that once HIV enters monkey cells, it encounters a protein that stifles its attempts to replicate. That stops the virus from spreading in the animal. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 25, 2004 at 12:53:38 PT Dankhank I believe John Kerry's campaign turned around when he did his puff the magic dragon thingy. I know that seems very simple but I know that is when I started to pay attention to him. When he started smiling that helped too. He has a lot of passion and I like that about him. Being a Vietnam Vet and then protesting the Vietnam War tells me he is a man that can be influenced because the war obviously influenced him or he would have kept his medals and kept quiet and gone about the business of getting into politics. Dean's scream did him in in my book. I get turned off when someone acts that way and I can't forget it. I hope this makes sense. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Dankhank on February 25, 2004 at 12:04:37 PT: Social Decision-making The Kerry Cascade ...http://slate.msn.com/id/2095993/seems to have application in what we try to do here ...and suggests we must "spread the word" as much as "beard the politicians." Hemp N Stuff [ Post Comment ] Post Comment