cannabisnews.com: Texans Convene To Support Legalization of MJ





Texans Convene To Support Legalization of MJ
Posted by CN Staff on May 05, 2008 at 04:55:59 PT
By Teresa Mioli
Source: Daily Texan
Texas -- Amid the incense aromas and reggae beats, several hundred Austinites rallied at the Capitol on Saturday for the legalization of marijuana for personal and medical use.The Texas branch of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, and Outgrow Big Bro, a cannabis-user advocacy organization, hosted Sunday's Texas Cannabis Crusade.
Josh Schimberg, director of Texas NORML, said the Texas Cannabis Crusade was part of the 2008 Global Marijuana March. More than 200 cities worldwide registered for rallies at the Global Marijuana March Web site."We're trying to get everybody that agrees with us to come together at the Capitol and show people that we want the laws changed," Schimberg said. "And we will get together and congregate to show the politicians, show the public that there's a group of people out here in the public that are being persecuted and we want it to stop."Event attendee Julian Ward said he gave written testimony last year for medical marijuana use, but the bill did not pass."I'm on a lot of drugs that are dangerous drugs, legally, and was told that if I could be on marijuana, that I wouldn't need to take these drugs," Ward said.Starting Sept. 1, 2007, Texas police officers could legally issue citations instead of arresting people in possession of four ounces or less of marijuana. The officer can only issue a citation if the individual is a resident of the county where the offense occurred, according to the policy.Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Ron Paul, R-Texas, on April 17 introduced a bill to the U.S. House of Representatives that would eliminate most federal penalties for possession of marijuana for personal use.The bill is in committee and defines personal use as 100 grams or less or the not-for-profit transfer of one ounce or less of marijuana between adults. According to the bill, a civil penalty for public use of marijuana may still be imposed.The same day, April 17, Frank, Paul and three other legislators introduced the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, which is also still in committee. The bill would prohibit federal law from interfering in states with laws protecting the possession, transportation and manufacture of medical marijuana to prescribed patients.Sarah Newton, a philosophy and English student at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, spoke at the rally as Miss High Times 2007. She said legalization of marijuana is a pressing issue in the U.S. and strongly believes that it is a right for which people need to fight."We have people that need it, not just to get high but for medication. Some people need it to survive," Newton said. "Not to mention, in college, we all know we're stressed out, and it definitely helps out."Complete Title: Texans Convene To Support Legalization of MarijuanaSource: Daily Texan (U of TX at Austin, Edu)Author: Teresa MioliPublished: May 5, 2008Copyright: 2008 Daily TexanContact: editor dailytexanonline.comWebsite: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/Texas NORMLhttp://www.texasnorml.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #5 posted by Hope on May 06, 2008 at 13:45:20 PT
Words of that Final Word in 1972
(People in the Senate... all over government knew this in 1972. They KNEW it thirty six years ago. They KNEW it as a fact. The report just has the written proof of it. Yet they still wrecked so many lives, even killed people, on purpose, to keep up this prohibition that they KNEW was wrong... and they turned us into the most incarcerated nation of people in the world... in history. Why? Why is the insanity of cannabis prohibition still going on?)A Final WordMore than one observer of drug abuse problems has been moved to comment that, "the worst thing about marijuana is the laws we have against it." The central question now facing this Committee and the Texas legislature can be put this way: In view of the present state of knowledge about marijuana's medical and social effects, should a person go to jail merely for using it? The consensus of medical and legal authority in the English-speakng world answers this question overwhemingly in the negative.In Part One of this Report, we found that an estimated 800,000 to one million Texans have used marijuana at least once. Only a tiny fraction of these have actually been convicted - the number is probably well below 20,000. The rest are free. In the contemplation of the law, however, they are merely unapprehended felons who should be incarcerated in Huntsville, Gatesville or another state facility. Were it possible for the law enforcement authorities to apprehend them all and sentence them to prison as the law provides, nearly one-tenth of the total population of the state of Texas would be put behind bars and supported at public expense by the remainder of the citizenry. The education of more than 200,000 Texas college students and more than 100,000 high school students would be continued, if at all, inside prison walls. The ranks of teachers, doctors, house wives, labor union members, lawyers, and even public officials would be visibly reduced. When the disparity between felonious conduct and actual social practice become as wide as this, it is necessary to remind ourselves that "the law is made for the people - not the other way around."
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Hope on May 05, 2008 at 15:40:34 PT
The cover of 1972 report... 
http://houstonnorml.org/resources/marijuanaintexas1972.pngPhotocopy of original Final Word from report.http://houstonnorml.org/resources/marijuanaintexas1972finalword.png
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by FoM on May 05, 2008 at 08:23:40 PT
Just A Note
I am having connection issues so if I miss some news that would be the reason why. I thought I should let you all know while I'm able.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by Hope on May 05, 2008 at 07:52:41 PT
What the Texas Senate knew about marijuana
in March of 1972.http://houstonnorml.org/modules.php?name=Encyclopedia&op=content&tid=14
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 05, 2008 at 04:59:04 PT
Ohio: Legalize-Pot Rally Held Here
Pain sufferers say it has medicinal qualities.May 5, 2008Ohio -- A few hundred people gathered at Fountain Square on Sunday for a rally to support legalizing marijuana - a scene that played out in many U.S. cities this weekend.The crowd listened to music and speeches about why the drug should be legalized before marching to the federal building a couple of blocks away.Young and old sported hemp jewelry and shirts with the plant - all for a drug they said should be available to "those who need it and those who want it."Snipped:Complete Article: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080505/NEWS01/805050320/1056/COL02
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment