cannabisnews.com: Gov Now Backs Marijuana RX 





Gov Now Backs Marijuana RX 
Posted by CN Staff on June 13, 2007 at 05:36:35 PT
By Kenneth Lovett and Fredric U. Dicker
Source: New York Post
Albany, NY -- Gov. Spitzer has changed his mind, and said yesterday he can support legalizing marijuana for medical use by people with life-threatening diseases. "We've taken a hard look at it over the past number of months, and I'm open to signing a bill if it's properly structured for appropriate use," Spitzer said.
During his gubernatorial campaign last year, Spitzer said he opposed legalizing pot for medical purposes, arguing there are legal synthetic drugs that can relieve nausea and pain as marijuana can. A medical-marijuana bill is making its way through the Democrat-controlled Assembly, although Speaker Sheldon Silver told The Post that, despite reports to the contrary, a decision on whether to bring it to the floor for a vote has not been made. In the GOP-controlled Senate, spokesman John McArdle said, "There's no plan to pass anything on the medical-marijuana bill." Spitzer said his signing of any medical-marijuana bill would depend on how it deals with issues such as access to the drug, how many people are eligible, how it is regulated, and "how you ensure that you're not just dispensing a narcotic." "I'm glad to see the governor has stepped up to the plate," said TV host Montel Williams, who has been prescribed marijuana in California for his multiple sclerosis and has lobbied in the past for New York to pass a medical-marijuana bill. Source: New York Post (NY)Author: Kenneth Lovett and Fredric U. DickerPublished: June 13, 2007Copyright: 2007 N.Y.P. Holdings, Inc.Contact: letters nypost.comWebsite: http://www.nypost.com/Related Articles: Spitzer is Open To New York Legalizing Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23066.shtmlMedical Marijuana Law Gains Momentum in Albanyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23065.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 13, 2007 at 05:42:13 PT
Albany: Spitzer Reconsidering Medical Marijuana 
By Danny HakimPublished: June 13, 2007Gov. Eliot Spitzer said yesterday that he was open to making the medical use of marijuana legal in New York, reversing a position he took during the campaign. It was unclear, however, whether the Legislature would pass such a bill. “There was a moment during a debate last summer, I think, where I spoke more negatively of it based upon what I understood the medical considerations to be,” the governor said. “I’ve taken a hard look at it over the past number of months, and I’m open to signing a bill if it’s properly structured.” The Democrat-led Assembly is expected to pass a bill before the session ends next week, but it is unclear whether it will be taken up in the Republican-led Senate. “It’s a bill that is under review, but it’s not right now on our radar,” said John McArdle, a spokesman for Joseph L. Bruno, the Senate majority leader.Copyright: 2007 New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/nyregion/13mbrfs-POT.html
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