cannabisnews.com: Medical Uses Approved: Lawmakers OK Marijuana Bill Medical Uses Approved: Lawmakers OK Marijuana Bill Posted by FoM on June 05, 2001 at 08:01:17 PT By Ed Vogel, Donrey Capital Bureau Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal Legislators, responding to the will of voters Monday, gave final approval to the bill setting up a program that allows approved patients to smoke marijuana for medical reasons. The Assembly agreed on a unanimous voice vote to the version of Assembly 453 already approved late Sunday by the Senate. The bill will allow Nevadans with AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and other illnesses to use marijuana with the written permission of the doctors. They may grow up to seven marijuana plants. The bill also will defelonize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Under the bill, a person arrested for the first time for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana would be charged with a misdemeanor, punishable by a $600 fine. Only with the fourth conviction would the user of small amounts of marijuana be charged with a felony. Gov. Kenny Guinn plans on signing the bill into law, said his press secretary Jack Finn. Under Senate amendments to the bill, the University of Nevada School of Medicine will seek federal approval for a research project into the medical uses of marijuana. Only two small research programs, however, have won federal approval in the past decade. The bill also includes a preamble -- written almost as a warning to federal agencies to leave medical marijuana patients alone -- in which the Legislature emphasizes that Nevada "as a sovereign state has the duty to carry out the will of the people." Marijuana remains an illegal controlled substance under federal law. Nevada voters in two consecutive elections passed a ballot question that created a constitutional amendment compelling the Legislature to set up a medical marijuana program. "The public recognizes our policies regarding drugs, period, haven't worked," said Assemblywoman Chris Giun- chigliani, D-Las Vegas. "They very well know there are accepted alternative medicines ... Laetrile, acupuncture and medical marijuana. Sometimes the public has to force legislators to look beyond their own special interests." She placed language from Oregon's medical marijuana law into her AB453. In Oregon, 1,900 people have permission to use medical marijuana. Despite federal laws prohibiting marijuana, no one in the Oregon program has been subject to federal arrest. Giunchigliani expects 200 people in Nevada initially will receive permission to use medical marijuana. The bill calls on the Department of Agriculture to set up a program under which approved patients will receive medical marijuana registry cards. The law goes into effect Oct. 1. The bill does not specify where patients will acquire seeds for growing marijuana. There are many Internet Web sites, mostly in Canada, however, that sell seeds of dozens of exotic sounding varieties of marijuana. Regarding the reduced penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana, Giunchigliani said, "The public recognizes misdemeanors and treatment are the most appropriate way to go. I think we have done damage to many families who generally are hard-working people who screw up once in a while and get busted for having an ounce or less of marijuana." Currently, Clark County has a drug court program that gives first-time drug offenders an opportunity to have the charges against them dropped or substantially reduced if they complete a rigorous program of testing, acupuncture and counseling. Dan Hart, leader of Nevadans for Medical Rights, also hailed the passage of the medical marijuana bill, saying "the will of the people has been reflected in the vote of the Legislature." His organization is a subsidiary of Americans for Medical Rights, whose petition initiatives have led to nine states passing medical marijuana laws. The road to passage was not as smooth in the Senate, which passed the bill 15-6 late Sunday. Sen. Ray Rawson, R-Las Vegas, said the bill was crafted in a way to avoid a controversy with the federal government. "We cannot predict what the federal government will do, whether or not there still will be federal prosecutions," Rawson said. He reminded legislators that the state back in 1979 passed a medical marijuana law, largely to benefit the late District Judge Keith Hayes, who died in November of that year of cancer. That law was repealed in 1987. "There are probably some legitimate uses for this plant," Rawson said. "It is out of a desire to help people with intractable illnesses that we are doing this." He said marijuana use reduces nausea in sick people and improves appetite so patients do not literally waste away. Sen. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, said he was satisfied by a ruling from legislative lawyers that Nevada can pass a medical marijuana law, despite the recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion that struck down a marijuana program in Oakland, Calif. Voting against the bill were senators Bill Raggio, R-Reno; Lawrence Jacobsen, R-Minden; Jon Porter, R-Henderson; Maurice Washington, R-Sparks; Bill O'Donnell and Ann O'Connell, both R-Las Vegas.Note: Legislators carry out will of people, defy U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)Author: Ed Vogel, Donrey Capital BureauTuesday, June 05, 2001Copyright: 2001 Las Vegas Review-JournalContact: letters lvrj.comWebsite: http://www.lvrj.com/Related Articles:Medical Marijuana, Defelonization Approved http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9966.shtmlSenate Subcommittee Backs Medical Marijuana Bill http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9951.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by Louise on June 11, 2001 at 06:29:17 PT: open question... I am trying to find out if cannibis is legally prescribed for Neuropathy? can anyone answer this?please respond to my email address...thanks [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: