cannabisnews.com: White House Official Opposes NJ's MMJ Law





White House Official Opposes NJ's MMJ Law
Posted by CN Staff on June 08, 2006 at 15:40:06 PT
By Angela Delli Santi, Associated Press Writer
Source: Associated Press
Trenton, N.J. --  A White House drug enforcement official on Thursday dismissed efforts to pass a medical marijuana law in New Jersey, saying "anecdotal evidence should not drive our nation's approval process for prescription drugs."Dr. Bertha Madras, deputy director for demand reduction in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, described marijuana as potentially addictive and capable of causing harmful health effects, and said the federal Food and Drug Administration does not endorse its use as a pain reliever. The FDA has, however, approved use of a prescription drug made with an active ingredient found in marijuana.
On Thursday, a state Senate health panel heard from drug policy experts and patients it had solicited for information on a bill sponsored by Sen. Nicholas Scutari to allow chronically ill patients with diseases such as cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis to use marijuana medicinally. Eleven other states have medical marijuana laws.Those testifying Thursday included television personality Montel Williams, a registered medical marijuana user in California, who said he turned to marijuana to relieve debilitating knee and foot pain after trying Oxycontin and a variety of other drugs to no avail.Alternately angry and weepy as he addressed the Senate panel, Williams said despite his accomplishments as a former Naval officer, television personality and actor, he's become known as a poster child for marijuana."What angers me so much is that all people want to consider me is a dope addict," he said, "when all I'm trying to do is get up in the morning and go to work, pay rent."Don McGrath, whose 26-year-old son Sean died of cancer two years ago, told the panel that when all other drugs failed to ease his son's nausea from chemotherapy, an oncologist recommended marijuana "off the record.""As a parent and a caregiver for Sean, I didn't need several years of clinical studies or an FDA approval to determine that marijuana was effective," his father said. "We relied on the recommendations of the medical specialists that were treating him and we saw clearly that it worked. And, I might add, it was working better than all the other FDA-approved, legal drugs that he was taking."Scutari's bill would allow certain chronically ill patients to use marijuana medicinally by smoking it, eating it or taking it in tablets. The drug would be prescribed by a doctor and the program would be monitored by the state Health Department. The amount of marijuana a patient could possess would be capped at 1 ounce and patients would be issued cards identifying them as registered medical marijuana users.The legislation has long been proposed by Scutari, D-Union, but had never before received a legislative hearing.Scutari was the first to defend the bill Thursday, criticizing as ridiculous opponents' assertions that medical marijuana laws are a backdoor attempt to decriminalize the drug for recreational use. Complete Title: White House Official Opposes NJ's Proposed Medical Marijuana LawSource: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Angela Delli Santi, Associated Press WriterPublished: Thursday, June 8, 2006Copyright: 2006 Associated Press Related Articles & Web Site:CMMNJ http://www.cmmnj.orgThe Cherylheart Foundationhttp://www.cherylheart.org/TV Host Pushes N.J. on Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21896.shtmlCommittee To Hear Medicinal Marijuana Testimonyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21895.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #30 posted by JustGetnBy on June 09, 2006 at 12:49:38 PT
Each Little Candle...
..... makes a little darkness go away.          Peace
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #29 posted by FoM on June 09, 2006 at 10:47:03 PT
JustGetnBy
You're very welcome. If everyone lights just one little candle what a bright world this would be.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #28 posted by JustGetnBy on June 09, 2006 at 10:44:41 PT
Jerry Sisson
FOM  Thanks much. I know that you and several other C-newsers are writing Jerry and sending him some comissary money.
I commend you all for any effort to help support Jerry & family. It is a fine thing we do here every day, exposing propaganda, and telling the truth for all to see, but it is a finer thing to support and give comfort to a man who has been unjustly imprisoned by an uncaring justice system. I'll not get on my soapbox , as I would be preaching to the choir. I would remind everyone that if we who care don't do what is just and right, who will? Thanks for the quick response FOM, as I am headed for the Post Office now. I'll be dropping a line to Jerry, and a small M.O. and note to Linda. Thank you all for being here.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #27 posted by FoM on June 09, 2006 at 10:05:42 PT
JustGetnBy
 Here you go.Jerry Sisson Reg#66424-065    FMC Devens Federal Medical Center    P.O. #879 Devens Ma 01434http://www.terryhubbard.com/J/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #26 posted by JustGetnBy on June 09, 2006 at 09:56:39 PT
     OT: Jerrys Addy
  Would someone be kind enough to give me Jerrys adress at the prison for personal letters. I have mis-placed it.          Thanks
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #25 posted by FoM on June 09, 2006 at 08:27:46 PT
global_warming 
I'm sorry. I have been really busy this morning with construction activity and I didn't see your post. I would have named you Newshawk. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #24 posted by ekim on June 09, 2006 at 07:36:50 PT
June 16-18- Michigan Renewable Energy Fair: 
June 16-18- Michigan Renewable Energy Fair: 
To highlight energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy technology. Manistee County Fairgrounds, M22 in Onekama. 
Contact Brendan Schauffler, 517-646-6269.web site www. manisteecountychamber.comJoin us for the Michigan Renewable Energy Fair June 16-18, 2006. The Fair will be held at the Manistee County Fairgrounds in Onekama, Michigan. Onekama is 10 miles northeast of Manistee in the beautiful Gold Coast country of Northwestern Michigan. The fairgrounds are located on the shore of Portage Lake, an inland lake which connects to Lake Michigan. 
http://www. manisteecountychamber.com
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #23 posted by mayan on June 09, 2006 at 05:47:10 PT
global warming
I just noticed you beat me to that Alaska link!Even if the state can prove that cannabis is more potent than it was three decades ago,which I doubt they can, the fact is that stronger = safer!Regardless, Murkowski and his fellow fascists have no right to nullify the freedoms guaranteed by the Alaska State Constitution.THE WAY OUT...One Night In Chicago:
http://www.stoplying.ca/articles/june06/chicago060806.htm9/11 Fairness and Accuracy: MUJCA Coordinator Responds to NY Times Journalist: 
http://mujca.com/nytimes.htm The MIHOP 9/11 Truth Movement: The Most Significant Movement on this Earth to Prevent WWIII:
http://mujca.com/chicagostory.htm9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB - OUR NATION IS IN PERIL:
http://www.911sharethetruth.com/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #22 posted by mayan on June 09, 2006 at 05:33:09 PT
Alaska
This ought to get interesting...Judge asks state to document pot claim: 
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7817777p-7732250c.htmlOther stuff...Another Marijuana Myth Goes Up In Smoke:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/armentano-p/armentano-p11.htmSaskatchewan Marijuana Party officially registered: 
http://tinyurl.com/oyewnMarijuana resolution meets resistance: 
http://www.steamboatpilot.com/section/news/story/37563
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #21 posted by global_warming on June 09, 2006 at 05:02:17 PT
meanwhile back on the ranch
"JUNEAU -- A judge is asking the state of Alaska for its evidence that marijuana has become so dangerously potent in the last three decades that it warranted tightening one of the nation's most liberal possession laws.Judge Patricia Collins requested the documentation Thursday, three days after the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska asked the court to block a new state law recriminalizing marijuana."http://tinyurl.com/zh6ot
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #20 posted by global_warming on June 09, 2006 at 03:01:30 PT
listened to the whole hearing
I thought the pros sounded excellent, the antis are still pushing for more safety and specifics, maybe some of them still refuse to drive at the new posted speed limit 65 mph, back when they wanted to raise it to 65 it was those same mindsets that questioned the value of such change, it would increase traffic accidents and it would lead to anarchy.Well they tried a pilot change on a few roads, to every bodies surprise, the accident rate went down.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #19 posted by afterburner on June 08, 2006 at 21:53:53 PT
#2: I Object
"potentially addictive" disproved!"Marijuana could not be smoked ... in correctional facilities."This has already been a disaster for medical cannabis patients like Michael Patriquen in Canada and Peter McWilliams, Jonathan Magbie and Steven Kubby in the USA. Why should a prisoner be deprived of his/her effective medicine? Does this not violate the UN Charter of Rights?"gateway drug"disproved!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #18 posted by FoM on June 08, 2006 at 21:30:34 PT
Taylor121
I hear the worry about Cannabis as a stepping stone for children in the arguments. I'm still listening to it now. Can children under the age of 18 drink alcohol? No. Do they sometimes drink alcohol? Yes. If they get caught do they get in trouble? Yes.Cannabis is not for children. I wish they would stop using children as their argument.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #17 posted by Taylor121 on June 08, 2006 at 21:23:46 PT
Cannabis vs other herbs
I think one could argue that cannabis has radically different properties than the other herbs on the open market and should be treated accordingly. It's just going to take alot of work to educate people that cannabis is not the end of the world.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #16 posted by FoM on June 08, 2006 at 20:53:06 PT
Just a Thought
I am still listening to the hearing and I want to say this while I'm thinking about it. I can take Saint John's Wort or Valarian Root. It is legal to take natural herbal products. Cannabis is an herb just like SJW or the Valarian Plant. Why isn't Cannabis legal based on how all other natural plants are legal?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #15 posted by FoM on June 08, 2006 at 20:39:41 PT
Taylor121
Montel was great. I hope everyone at least takes the time to listen to Montel.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #14 posted by FoM on June 08, 2006 at 20:32:55 PT
Taylor121
Now Montel is speaking. He is doing such a good job.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #13 posted by FoM on June 08, 2006 at 19:53:23 PT
Taylor121
I still haven't had time to listen to it but I will soon. Not everyone is into organizations and that is fine but the issue is Medical Marijuana for sick people in New Jersey. The organizations are just organizations.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #12 posted by Taylor121 on June 08, 2006 at 19:41:34 PT
Prohibitionists worth listening to
if you want to throw up in your mouth..They make a personal attack on the MPP and the DPA and use it as a reason not to support the bill. This type of argument is called a guilty by association fallacy. Although attractive, who is making an objective argument does not invalidate the argument itself.Typical of prohibitionists to use their reasoning abilities and instantly be fallacious. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by FoM on June 08, 2006 at 18:24:18 PT
Taylor121
Thank you. I stopped listening to it until later since I am watching Joe Scarborough now. I will listen to it a little later on tonight. I really want to hear it. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by mayan on June 08, 2006 at 18:24:06 PT
Eating + Tablets
Scutari's bill would allow certain chronically ill patients to use marijuana medicinally by smoking it, eating it or taking it in tablets.It looks like the prohibitionist argument against smoked cannabis has gone "up in smoke" in New Jersey!On an unrelated note, the power mongers are getting very nervous...Alex Jones Detained On Orders Of Bilderberg Group:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2006/080606alexjones.htmTHE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Alex Jones Bull Horns for 9/11 Truth in Downtown Chicago (video):
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2006/070606_b_BullHorns.htmAlex Jones' Keynote Speech at the Chicago 9/11 Truth Conference:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2006/070606keynotespeech.htmAlex Jones Inteviews Professor Steven E. Jones (audio):
http://www.prisonplanet.tv/audio/070606jones.htmKurt Nimmo's 9/11 E-mail to Congresscritters: 
http://kurtnimmo.com/?p=398MSM Damage Control Kicks In?
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=200606061100305509/11: Revealing the Truth, Reclaiming Our Future:
http://www.ny911truth.org/events.htmThe FBI "Has No Evidence":
http://georgewashington.blogspot.com/2006/06/fbi-has-no-evidence.html
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by Taylor121 on June 08, 2006 at 17:59:24 PT
Montel starts a little after 50 minutes
Just thought you would like to know in case you wanted to skip it, but there is some good testimony here. Prohibitionists should just stop.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by FoM on June 08, 2006 at 17:56:06 PT
Taylor121
Thank you. I am listening to it now. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by ekim on June 08, 2006 at 17:50:58 PT
Burning Rainbow Farm Book dates in MI
we are working to find a independent film maker to do a documentary on Rainbow Farm. Tonight in Saugatuk Mi the 8th annual film festival is starting and with luck someone will be interested in Deans Book. Editor/Producer:
http://cannabisnews.com/news/21/thread21888.shtml
On the Labor Day weekend before September 11, 2001 a battle for American civil liberties was taking place in a small, blue-collar town in southwestern Michigan. BURNING RAINBOW FARM: How a Stoner Utopia Went Up in Smoke (Bloomsbury; 1-59691-142-5; July, 2006; $24.95; 304 pages) tells the gripping true story of how a peaceful campground in rural Michigan became the setting for a five-day standoff with the FBI and a battle over the role of government in our daily lives.
http://www.minorml.org
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by rchandar on June 08, 2006 at 17:50:18 PT:
John Tyler
People are dying. They're sick, diseased, in extreme pain--and we're preaching the law to them and locking them up (where they're sure to die). The MMJ issue is really an example of how barbaric and disgusting our "lawmakers," corrupted, drunkard, and rich, are in "meting out justice" to people who really need the help of MJ. I'm fairly sure that the whole MJ issue will be one on which posterity will judge us as a "democracy." How we couldn't accept man's right to intake things into his body that really were completely harmless, and how arbitrary hyper-allegiance to "the law" created violence, death, and criminal lucre.Makes me sad. End the Drug War. --rchandar
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by Taylor121 on June 08, 2006 at 17:31:23 PT
The Hearing
Fast forward to around 15 minutes in and it begins.http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/archive_audio2.asp?KEY=SHH&SESSION=2006
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by John Tyler on June 08, 2006 at 17:16:03 PT
which is good?
The detractors will say what they will but the truth is that for thousands of suffers, cannabis therapy, whether eaten, vaporized or smoked is effective treatment. If it wasn’t they wouldn’t risk using it would they? They can tell good medicine from bad. The mild feeling of “well being” associated with its use is a bonus not a side affect. They know it and their friends and relatives know it too. Finally some politicians are beginning to catch on.  
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by global_warming on June 08, 2006 at 16:34:50 PT
from the last post
"free to choose"That says it so well.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by FoM on June 08, 2006 at 15:49:31 PT
PoliticsNJ.com Press Releases
SENATOR SCUTARI'S REMARKS TO THE SENATE HEALTH COMITTEE ON S-88, 'THE NEW JERSEY COMPASSIONATE USE MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACT' Jason Butkowski on June 8, 2006"Chairman, members of the Committee, good afternoon."I would like to open today by thanking you, Mr. Chairman, for scheduling this informational hearing on my bill, S-88, The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. This is not an issue that is bereft of controversy; medical marijuana has both passionate advocates and detractors. Therefore this hearing marks an important opportunity to better educate the public about a subject that is often obscured by the harsh rhetoric, conjecture, and misinformation that attends such heated debate."As a society, we recognize that we owe a special duty to the ill and the infirm. We devote tremendous resources both public and private to discovering cures and treatments for the diseases that torment us - exemplified in this state by the creation of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and the push to establish facilities to promote stem-cell research. We work very hard to raise money and awareness, participating in AIDS walks and Races for the Cure; we wear red and pink ribbons to symbolize our solidarity with those among us who valiantly battle illness. "When our friends and loved ones are suffering, there is no price we would not pay, no limits to how far we would go to ease their pain, ensure their comfort, and preserve their dignity. This commitment, this deeply held belief in the value of another human life, is the very definition of basic human decency. It is in this spirit that I have introduced the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act."This bill promises to create an avenue of last resort for the many New Jerseyans with chronic and debilitating illnesses for whom currently available treatments and medications have sadly proven ineffective. By establishing a policy on medical marijuana that is complete with strict controls and safeguards, we can make another option for pain management available to doctors and their patients."I must make it perfectly clear that I do not endorse or support legalizing marijuana for recreational use, nor is this legislation any type of "backdoor" attempt at doing so. As a municipal prosecutor who has done his utmost to enforce New Jersey's anti-drug statutes, I find such assertions insulting, as well as a cynical attempt to trivialize an important debate."My bill is very specific about the persons who would be allowed to possess small amounts of marijuana for strictly medicinal purposes, and the process by which they would become eligible to do so. They would have to demonstrate the presence of a debilitating medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following symptoms: severe or chronic pain, wasting syndrome, severe nausea, seizures, or severe and persistent muscle spasms. AIDS, cancer, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, and glaucoma are all common diseases that can produce such symptoms. "A physician with whom the patient has a bona fide relationship would have to certify in writing that other available avenues of treatment have proven ineffective, and that patient would find relief through the use of marijuana. The patient would then apply to the state Department of Health and Senior Services for permission to possess a limited quantity of marijuana for medicinal purposes. If the application is approved by the Department, the patient would then be entered into a confidential statewide registry of approved medical marijuana users, and a photo-bearing registration card would be issued. Registrants successfully completing the process would be entitled to possess six marijuana plants or one useable ounce of marijuana with protection from arrest and prosecution by state and local authorities."This Legislation was thoughtfully designed to include several important safeguards. The bill explicitly prohibits the operation of vehicles while under the influence of marijuana administered for medicinal purposes. Marijuana could not be smoked on public transportation, school property, in public parks and beach areas, or in correctional facilities. The amount of marijuana a registrant is allowed to posses is strictly limited to prevent abuses of the system."Critics will say that by permitting the medical use of marijuana we would be tacitly endorsing its recreational use. This claim is absurd. Cocaine, morphine, codeine, OxyContin, and Percacet are just a handful of the dangerous substances that are both available for medical use and are abused recreationally. Society clearly has the capacity to differentiate between the lawful use of substance in a medical context and its illicit abuse in a recreational one. Eleven other states have medical marijuana laws on the books, and there is no evidence to suggest that it has had any impact whatsoever on the level of recreational use."It is not my intention to circumvent the FDA. However, the Agency's continuing refusal to permit a legitimate clinical trial process for marijuana to move forward, especially in light of mounting scientific evidence suggesting its efficacy, has forced my hand. I do not believe that people suffering in excruciating pain should have to wait for the political winds to change. It is my sincere hope that the FDA will one day reconsider its position, but until then I have seen no evidence that would compel me to believe that marijuana's detrimental physiological effects outweigh its medicinal benefits for people afflicted with severe and debilitating illnesses. "I certainly realize that smoked marijuana is not the ideal way to provide relief to those who are suffering. Scientists will keep on searching for better methods, better medicines, and ways to turn chronic conditions into curable ones. My bill will not halt that progress, and I look forward to the day when it is no longer necessary. Unfortunately, that day has not yet come."In 1999, the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine published a report on the potential medical value of marijuana that was commissioned by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. The report made a series of recommendations and observations, including a recommendation to conduct clinical trials of smoked marijuana in the hopes of developing better and more consistent cannabinoid delivery systems. Sadly, the Institute's conclusions have been inexplicably ignored. "In the report is a passage that I believe perfectly encapsulates the debate over medical marijuana: "Patients who are currently suffering from debilitating conditions unrelieved by legally available drugs, and who might find relief with smoked marijuana, will find little comfort in a promise of a better drug 10 years from now. In terms of good medicine, marijuana should rarely be recommended unless all reasonable options have been eliminated. But then what? It is conceivable that the medical and scientific opinion might find itself in conflict with drug regulations. This presents a policy issue that must weigh--at least temporarily--the needs of individual patients against broader social issues." "So the real question that we must answer here is whether or not the state of New Jersey's interest in arresting and prosecuting chronically and terminally ill persons for the possession of limited quantities of marijuana outweighs the benefit those people would receive from its use. We aren't talking about thrill-seekers or drug addicts here. We certainly aren't talking about a population for whom marijuana could plausibly become a gateway drug. We are talking about very sick people who are in desperate need of relief. These people are not criminals, and it does not behoove us as a society to treat them as such."I want to thank some of the people who are here today in support of this bill: the McGrath family -- Don and Gerry, Montel Williams, Sharon Rainer of the New Jersey State Nurses Association, the Academy of Family Physicians, and Dr. John Morgan. I hope their personal stories and professional expertise will shed further light on why this legislation is vital to the wellbeing of many of our fellow citizens. "I look forward to working with the members of the committee and all my fellow legislators to produce a piece of legislation that balances society's interest in preventing and reducing illegal drug use with our interest in ensuring that doctors and patients are free to choose the best option for treatment possible. We owe it to our friends, our families and ourselves to establish a humane policy that places a premium on comfort, dignity, and relief. Thank you."### FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:Elizabeth OpacitySenator Scutari's OfficeTel: (908) 587-0404E-Mail: SenScutari njleg.orgWeb: http://www.njsendems.com/http://politics.nexcess.net/pressrelease/2006/06/state_senator_nicholas_p_scuta.html
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 08, 2006 at 15:41:51 PT
Remove Cannabis From Schedule I
How can Cannabis stay in Schedule I anymore?Excerpt from article: The FDA has, however, approved use of a prescription drug made with an active ingredient found in marijuana. 
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment