cannabisnews.com: Senate Endorses Bill Tweaking MMJ Program





Senate Endorses Bill Tweaking MMJ Program
Posted by CN Staff on February 21, 2009 at 12:15:56 PT
By Mike Dennison, Gazette State Bureau
Source: Billings Gazette
Helena, MT -- By a single vote, the state Senate today endorsed a bill designed to give medical-marijuana patients easier access to the drug they say relieves agonizing pain for a range of chronic diseases."This is not about getting high," Sen. Steve Gallus, D-Butte, said as he tried to convince fellow senators to vote for the bill. "It's about medicine. It's about access to health care. If you have just a little bit of courage and a whole bunch of compassion, you can realize this is a health-care issue."
The 25-24 vote in favor of Senate Bill 326 sets up a final, binding vote early next week in the Senate, which could send the measure on to the House or possibly kill it, if a few votes change.Five Republicans - Sens. Dave Lewis of Helena, Jerry Black of Shelby, Terry Murphy of Cardwell, John Brueggeman of Polson and Bruce Tudtvedt of Kalispell - joined 20 Democrats in voting for the measure. Two Democrats - Sens. Ken Hansen of Harlem and Sharon Stewart-Peregoy of Crow Agency - joined 22 Republicans against it. Democratic Sen. Larry Jent of Bozeman was out of town and not present for the vote.SB326, sponsored by Sen. Ron Erickson, D-Missoula, makes several changes to the medical-marijuana law that Montana voters put into place by initiative in 2004.It increases the amount of marijuana that a patient or "caregiver" can possess from one ounce to three ounces; allows patients to get the drug from more than one licensed caregiver; allows licensed growers to have six "mature" plants rather than just six plants; and adds some additional medical conditions or diseases that can be legally treated by marijuana, such as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and post-traumatic stress syndrome.Erickson said the bill makes practical changes in the program so it will work better for those who need it. Source: Billings Gazette, The (MT)Author: Mike Dennison, Gazette State BureauPublished: Saturday, February 21, 2009Copyright: 2009 The Billings GazetteContact: speakup billingsgazette.comWebsite: http://www.billingsgazette.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/OMVhAChaRelated Articles:Lawmakers Sniff Out Pros, Cons of Cannabishttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24504.shtmlMedical Marijuana Measure Advanceshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24482.shtml
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on February 24, 2009 at 19:54:52 PT
AP: Marijuana Bill Passes State Senate
 February 24, 2009 HELENA - The Montana Senate passed a bill Tuesday to increase the amount of medical marijuana caregivers and patients can hold.Senate Bill 326 passed the Senate and was sent to the House on a 28-22 vote. The House referred the bill to its Human Services Committee. The bill increases the amount of marijuana it is legal to hold for medical purposes from one ounce to three ounces. It also makes a distinction between mature and immature plants.People growing medical marijuana could now have up to 14 plants, with only six at a mature, flowering stage. The sponsor, Democratic Sen. Ron Erickson of Missoula, says the changes are needed to ensure patients relying on marijuana for pain relief are not without medicine. Montana voters passed the medical marijuana initiative in 2004.Powered by Broadcast Interactive Mediahttp://www.abcmontana.com/news/state/40261687.html
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on February 22, 2009 at 08:06:17 PT
Warlock
Welcome to CNews. You have a nice blog.
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Comment #11 posted by Warlock on February 22, 2009 at 07:10:20 PT:
Well done
At least this is a step in the right directionWarlock
My Cannabis Blog
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Comment #10 posted by runruff on February 22, 2009 at 05:58:37 PT
The carnarge left by the "Son of Babs"!
This is a fine left he messed us with! Now Obama is having to deal with the high profile problems and he is finding a dump truck full of dirt swept under the rug as well.We all know of gifts that just keep on giving like VD, DEA, prohibition, The Son of Babs. This guy broke the unbreakable. Depleted the Cornucopia, Murdered the innocent. Stole from the POOR and gave to the RICH. Pilfered and weaseled billions of taxpayers money. Ramped up the war on HIS two favorite drugs [cannabis and cocaine].He smirked, mumbled and butchered the English language for all the world to see. My aren't we proud!Now he is going to retire with the best medical care to keep him around for decades. A fat retirement from his faux stint as the world leader, and the billions he and his family pilfered from public venues.Georgy Porgy puddin' and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry!When the boys came out to play, Georgy Porgy ran away!
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on February 21, 2009 at 20:45:28 PT
DEA
I"ve been wondering who Obama will pick for the head of the DEA. I hope he picks some one with a progressive mind.
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Comment #8 posted by Had Enough on February 21, 2009 at 20:37:19 PT
DEA
The Dick Nixon gave them to us…All the others followed suit, and they are still with us today…I certainly hope that Michele Leonhart enjoys her trips around the world on our dime. Their wasteful habits, lies, and charade’s times are about over. If she paid for that stuff out of her own pocket I believe she would have stayed home and watched the TV Ad Machine instead.Sooner or later will come the day when our country is out of cash to send these people around the world to places like Bogotá.Here is the latest line up of BS’ers from this ‘Dept. of Useless Bureaucrats and Wasted Taxpayers Money’http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/agency/administrator.htmWhen you click on the link below michele’s picture it goes to a page that says she is an ‘acting’ administrator with a B.S. in Criminal Justice.BS and acting kinda go together …don’t they…http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/agency/leonhart.html
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Comment #7 posted by Had Enough on February 21, 2009 at 19:56:15 PT
DEA
Hitch a ride to Bogata…Slap-O-Gram…is in order…many…Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the Worldhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ughqjbzx2Fk
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Comment #6 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 21, 2009 at 19:24:44 PT
DO AWAY WITH THE DEA
DEA has 106 planes, so why did it charter private jet for chief?By Marisa Taylor McClatchy NewspapersWASHINGTON — The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration spent more than $123,000 to charter a private jet to fly to Bogota, Colombia, last fall instead of taking one of the agency's 106 planes.The DEA paid a contractor an additional $5,380 to arrange Acting Administrator Michele Leonhart's trip last Oct. 28-30 with an outside company.The DEA scheduled the trip as the nation was reeling from the worst economic crisis in decades and the national debt was climbing toward $10 trillion. Three weeks later, lawmakers slammed chief executive officers from three automakers for flying to Washington in private jets as Congress debated whether to bail out the auto industry.William Brown, the special agent in charge of the DEA's aviation division, said he'd asked DEA contractor L-3 Communications to arrange the flight because the plane that ordinarily would've flown the administrator was grounded for scheduled maintenance. He said he didn't question the cost at the time.
entire article
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Comment #5 posted by Had Enough on February 21, 2009 at 18:49:39 PT
Star of the North
“ "This sensible, humane, bipartisan bill is modeled after laws that have been working well for years in states like Montana and Rhode Island," said Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan). "We should not be using our scarce law enforcement dollars to arrest suffering patients for using a medicine their doctor has recommended."” “Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia), sponsor of the bill, hailed the vote, saying, "Today's vote is an important step toward protecting seriously ill Minnesotans. The evidence is clear that medical marijuana can help some patients who suffer terribly, and it's time to protect these patients from arrest and jail."”It’s about time these Clowns & Jokers caught the message…!!!************·	Nicknames for Minnesota: 	
o	"Land of 10,000 Lakes" 
	o	"North Star State" 
	o	"Gopher State" 
	o	"Land of Sky-Blue Waters" 	
o	"Bread and Butter State" 	 State motto: L'Étoile du Nord ("The Star of the North") http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota
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Comment #4 posted by Had Enough on February 21, 2009 at 18:25:29 PT
Minnesota
House Committee Passes Medical Marijuana, 9-6February 18, 2009ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA - Minnesota's medical marijuana bill, H.F. 292, cleared its first hurdle in the House of Representatives today, passing the Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight Committee in a vote of 9 to 6. The vote came after medical marijuana patients and others testified to the relief provided by medical marijuana when conventional treatments had failed."Before medical marijuana, I was in such pain I had no life," said K.K. Forss of Ely, who suffers chronic, severe pain as a result of a ruptured disk in his neck and repeated surgeries on his neck and upper spine. "It was so horrible I wanted to die every day. No one should have to face a choice between suffering unbearably and risking arrest and jail."Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia), sponsor of the bill, hailed the vote, saying, "Today's vote is an important step toward protecting seriously ill Minnesotans. The evidence is clear that medical marijuana can help some patients who suffer terribly, and it's time to protect these patients from arrest and jail.""This sensible, humane, bipartisan bill is modeled after laws that have been working well for years in states like Montana and Rhode Island," said Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan). "We should not be using our scarce law enforcement dollars to arrest suffering patients for using a medicine their doctor has recommended."Thirteen states, comprising approximately one-quarter of the U.S. population, now permit medical use of marijuana under state law if a physician has recommended it. The newest such law was enacted by Michigan voters last November, passing with a record-setting 63 percent "yes" vote. Medical organizations which have recognized marijuana's medical uses include the American Public Health Association, American Nurses Association, American Academy of HIV Medicine, and American College of Physicians, which noted "marijuana's proven efficacy at treating certain symptoms and its relatively low toxicity," in a statement issued last year.http://www.mpp.org/news/press-releases/mn/house-committee-passes.html
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Comment #3 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 21, 2009 at 16:50:07 PT
Just by the hair
on my chinny chin chin! What a close vote!RIP Robin 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 21, 2009 at 14:01:52 PT
Marijuana Bill Squeaks by First Senate Test
 February 21, 2009HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The Senate narrowly endorsed a bill that would increase the amount of medical marijuana caregivers and patients can hold.Senate Bill 326 squeaked by in a 25-24 vote Saturday. If it passes its next Senate vote, it will move to the House.The bill increases the amount of marijuana it is legal to hold for medical purposes from one ounce to three ounces.It also clarifies existing medical marijuana law to make a distinction between mature and immature plants. Under the change, people growing medical marijuana can now have up to 14 plants, with only six at a mature, flowering stage.The measure is sponsored by Democratic Sen. Ron Erickson of Missoula, who says the changes are needed to ensure patients relying on marijuana for pain relief are not without medicine.Voters passed the medical marijuana initiative in 2004.Copyright: 2009 The Associated Press
 http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=9883500&nav=menu227_2
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 21, 2009 at 12:31:21 PT
Step By Step
Progress is slowly being made.
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