cannabisnews.com: Alaska Legislature Limits Voter-Approved MM Law!





Alaska Legislature Limits Voter-Approved MM Law!
Posted by FoM on May 20, 1999 at 17:35:16 PT
NORML's Weekly News Bulletin!
Source: NORML
Juneau, Alaska The Legislature approved a measure this week limiting legal protections for medical marijuana patients. The bill, S.B. 94, amends provisions of a November initiative that legalized the use of medical marijuana under a physician's supervision.
Alaskans for Medical Rights spokesman David Finkelstein called the revised law unnecessary, but conceded it will still protect many bona fide medical marijuana patients from state prosecution. "While we opposed the involvement of the Legislature in the initiative process, the final version of S.B. 94 will still work for patients," he said. Finkelstein noted that grassroots opposition to the Senate bill persuaded legislators to eliminate some of its most restrictive provisions.   Senate Bill 94 removes legal protections for medical marijuana patients who refuse to register with the state health department, or who possess greater amounts of marijuana than authorized by state law. The state's present medical marijuana law, approved by 58 percent of voters, affords a legal defense to non-registered patients and those who can demonstrate adequate need to possess large quantities of medical marijuana.   The Department of Health and Social Services will approve regulations next month to begin licensing qualified medical marijuana patients. Senate Bill 94 includes a $58,000 appropriation to fund the confidential patient registry program.   Provisions requiring physicians to certify that "there are no other legal treatments that can be tolerated by the patient that are as effective" as marijuana, and limiting the types of diseases that marijuana may legally treat, were eliminated from S.B. 94. The bill also includes language allowing nurse practitioners and physician's assistants to legally recommend marijuana to a patient.   Governor Tony Knowles (D) is expected to sign the bill shortly.   For more information, please contact either R. Keith Stroup, Esq. of NORML   (202) 483-5500 or David Finkelstein of Alaskans for Medical Rights   (907) 277-2567. To download a copy of S.B. 94, please visit: www.legis.state.ak.us/basis21.htm. 
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Comment #1 posted by adam on November 08, 2000 at 05:27:06 PT:
hello high
this is soooooo cooool and im sooo high
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