cannabisnews.com: House: Very Sick Can Use Marijuana House: Very Sick Can Use Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on May 14, 2004 at 08:13:23 PT By James Jardine, Special To The Caledonian-Record Source: Caledonian-Record Montpelier, VT -- The House of Representatives spent four hours Thursday debating proposals to allow patients suffering from chronic pain to smoke marijuana to alleviate their pain.The debate followed a vote late Wednesday in the Senate to allow certain seriously ill patients to possess limited amounts of marijuana. After the Senate amended a House bill by adding a medical marijuana section, the bill returned to the House for a vote. The House debate was emotional and divisive. Supporters of the proposal to allow patients to possess marijuana said they believed allowing patients in intractable pain to smoke marijuana to relieve the pain was a kind and compassionate act that would be limited to a small number of people each year. Opponents said the bill would violate federal law, which makes the possession and use of marijuana, a Class A regulated drug, illegal. They said approving legislation that violates federal law violates the oath of office legislators took when they were sworn in.The final vote of the day approved a House bill dealing with medical care directives amended by a House Health and Welfare Committee marijuana proposal by a vote of 79-48 with 23 members not voting. The vote meant the proposal was approved on its second reading and was advanced for a third and final vote today.The proposal approved by the House requires a patient to have an established doctor-patient relationship for six months prior to a patient's application to possess and use marijuana. To be eligible, a patient must be receiving end-of-life care for cancer or AIDS or other specific conditions with intractable symptoms and no success with other treatments.Patients may possess a limit of one mature plant, two immature plants and two ounces of usable marijuana. A patient must complete an application with the Department of Public Safety. The department will review the application and conduct a criminal records check. The applicant must pay a $100 application fee.Northeast Kingdom representatives voting in favor of the House Health and Welfare proposal include Donald Bostic, R-St. Johnsbury, David Brown, R-Walden, John Rodgers, D-Glover, and Bobby Starr, D-Troy. Kingdom representatives who voted against the proposal were David Bolduc, R-Orleans, David Clark, R-St. Johnsbury, John Hall, R-Newport, Cola Hudson, R-Lyndon, Bill Johnson, R-Canaan, Duncan Kilmartin, R-Newport, Leigh Larocque, R-Barnet, Janice Peaslee, R-Guildhall, Loren Shaw, R-Derby, and Nancy Sheltra, R-Derby. Steve Larrabee, R-Danville, was absent for the vote.The passage of the House version of a marijuana bill followed votes on two earlier proposals. Rep. David Zuckerman, P-Burlington, introduced an amendment that was more liberal in its scope than the Health and Welfare version. It was defeated by a vote of 49 in favor and 87 against. Rep. Bobby Starr, D-Troy, was the only Kingdom representative to vote in favor of the Zuckerman proposal. On the next vote, the House voted to substitute the Health and Welfare amendment in place of the Senate amendment by a vote of 113-21.Today, the House of Representatives will vote on the bill on its third and final reading. If it is approved, which is likely, the bill must return to the Senate for a vote. The Senate must vote on whether to approve the House action, which substitutes a House amendment for an amendment approved by the Senate Wednesday night.Wednesday night the full Senate took up a bill titled "Directives for Health Care." The bill, H.752, is a House bill that outlines new guidelines and rules for persons who wish to create advanced directives for their health care should they become seriously ill. After the full House passed the bill, it went to the Senate for a vote.While in the Senate, the Senate amended the House advanced directives bill by tacking on a Senate medical marijuana proposal. The Senate then approved the marijuana amendment and subsequently approved the underlying bill and its amendment and returned the amended House bill to the House for a new vote.The Senate action Wednesday night set up the four-hour House debate and votes on Thursday.Sen. Bernier Mayo, R-Caledonia, was one of 17 senators who sponsored the medical marijuana amendment. The proposal to amend the advanced directives bill passed by a vote of 22-6. The amended bill was then approved by the Senate on a voice vote.Locally, Sens. Mayo and James Greenwood, R-Essex-Orleans, voted to approve the marijuana amendment, while Sens. Vincent Illuzzi, R-Essex-Orleans, and Julius Canns, R-Caledonia, opposed adding the marijuana amendment.Sidebar: MontpelierStatehouse ShockerLoren Shaw Not Seeking Re-electionSays He 'Got The Sword' From GOPBy James Jardine, Special To The Caledonian-RecordFollowing a historic vote by the House of Representatives to approve a bill that would allow severely ill patients to possess and consume marijuana, Rep. Loren Shaw, R-Derby, told the House that he would not be seeking re-election. Moments earlier, representatives voted to approve a bill dealing with advanced directives for health care. The bill was amended by the House to include the creation of a program that allows certain patients to use marijuana to treat chronic pain. After the vote, Shaw addressed the House saying, "Mr. Speaker, I thought I could make a difference when I ran for the House, but have now found out different. For you Republicans who voted for this bill, enjoy next year but I will not be part of your party and will not seek re-election." After the House adjourned, fellow legislators came up to Shaw and told him they sympathized with his position, but they begged him to reconsider and urged him to change his mind and seek re-election. Shaw said he "got the sword from my own party one too many times." He said the vote to support marijuana possession and use "really got to me" because "it's illegal - what don't they understand?" He added, "What bothers me most is that I took an oath of office" to uphold the law. Shaw believes those who voted in favor of the bill violated their oath of office. Shaw, a Derby resident, has been a member of the House since 2001 and is finishing his second term. He is a businessman and owns a Newport restaurant.Source: Caledonian-Record (VT)Author: James Jardine, Special To The Caledonian-RecordPublished: Friday, May 14, 2004Copyright: 2004 Caledonian-Record News Website: http://www.caledonianrecord.com/Contact: gonyawm caledonian-record.com Related Articles & Web Sites:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/ Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmHouse Says Very Sick Can Use Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18854.shtmlGovernor Reiterates Opposition To Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18811.shtmlMMJ Law Heads To Vermont House for Votehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18808.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #12 posted by tokenitallup4162 on May 15, 2004 at 07:19:45 PT: BAM!!!! dont let the door hit you in the booty, on the way out!!!!Maybe this will be a wake up call, to ALL our elected officials, who deem marijuana, bad. I wonder if MR.Shaw has ever done anything wrong, THINKING he was right??? [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Sam Adams on May 15, 2004 at 05:21:46 PT 79 to 48? Isn't that enough to stick it up the governor's a$$? I mean, override his veto? [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by FoM on May 14, 2004 at 23:12:52 PT John Tyler It's good to know that many of us feel similarly. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by John Tyler on May 14, 2004 at 22:14:25 PT comment Years ago I read a story called "Red Dirt Marijuana". In the author says that the political leaders (doesn't matter which ones) don't like marijuan because it allows the users to relax and think. Think about their situation, the realities of life, and everything that goes along with it. Users also get a clearer picture of the BS the political leaders are actually throwing at them. Political leader are fearful that the public will realizes they are full of hot air and lies. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Hope on May 14, 2004 at 11:20:48 PT cannabis effects "People who smoke cannabis are thinkers but they also have a deep sense of feeling more then people who don't partake."Mice who partake don't like their tails being taped to a bar either and will pursue release longer than those that didn't have cannabis.Cannabis may make it harder to sit still for injustices. Naturally they don't want the rabble to get hold of something like that. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on May 14, 2004 at 10:29:45 PT A Ghost In The Iraqi Prison This where I read about marijuana use.***By 1955 Hersh had already experimented with marijuana, read J.D. Salinger and watched controversial comedian Lenny Bruce at a Chicago club. http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=13394 [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on May 14, 2004 at 10:14:03 PT I Just Had a Thought I think I really know why they hate Cannabis. The man who broke the prison torture horror story with the pictures smoked marijuana. One more person who is anti-establishment that they fear. People who smoke cannabis are thinkers but they also have a deep sense of feeling more then people who don't partake. Is that what bothers them besides not being able to make money off of a God Given plant? [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Max Flowers on May 14, 2004 at 09:43:22 PT Two words for Shaw Good Riddance.These idiots will evidently need to be shown one by one, again and again and again until they get the message.OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, and FOR THE PEOPLE.Not "Of my power-hungry, prejudiced, Draconian and zero-compassion buddies and me"!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on May 14, 2004 at 09:33:41 PT: I don't consider it meanness 'Meanness' is the likes of someone like Shaw in essence sanctioning the harassment of sick people because of his vote. Like the inquisition brutally interrogating and then slaughtering a penitant after receiving a confession given under torture; they were doing it to 'save the soul'. Much like Shaw's misguided claim to be 'upholding the law'. Dante said there were only nine rings of Hell; Satan must have been working overtime to construct some expansions to hold such 'moralistic' creatures. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on May 14, 2004 at 09:09:14 PT kapt I'll be a little mean and say what I think about his comment.Here's your hat what's your hurry? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on May 14, 2004 at 08:59:03 PT: The writing's on the wall *"What bothers me most is that I took an oath of office" to uphold the law. Shaw believes those who voted in favor of the bill violated their oath of office.* Some people just can't seem to get it into their thick skulls that they were elected to carry out the 'will of the people'...which in this case is medicinal cannabis. THAT is what their 'oath of office' means. Not vote their own personal or party prejudices.Another dinosaur bites the dust...and I can't say I'm saddened; not in the least. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 14, 2004 at 08:14:53 PT To Write To The Paper This url was too long to look right to post in the article but here it is. http://www.caledonianrecord.com/pages/letters_to_editor/submit_letter_to_editor.php [ Post Comment ] Post Comment