cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Repeal Draws Crowd of Opponents
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Medical Marijuana Repeal Draws Crowd of Opponents
Posted by CN Staff on February 03, 2011 at 14:12:30 PT
By Cody Bloomsburg
Source: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Helena, MT -- Montana's medical marijuana law is flawed but repeal is not the answer, according to most of those who testified Wednesday on the Legislature's first bill to scrap the voter-approved act.Supporters of repeal told members a House committee that voters today want to scrap the law, but Ken Lindeman, a medical marijuana patient and caregiver, cited the numbers of anti-repealers as his proof. "If the voters didn't want (medical marijuana), then how come every committee meeting we come in and outnumber them 3-to-1?" he asked.
At today's hearing, 86 signed up to speak against the bill and 28 registered as opponents.Lindeman said the law obviously needs to be fixed, adding that those legitimately using the drug and those who favor repeal have a shared enemy in those abusing the law.Bozeman Mayor Jeff Krauss called for the state to follow his city's model for regulation and reminded lawmakers that people are always turning to the government to take away their fears."I think you can make this work if you take the time to do it," Krauss said. "Don't just close your minds and call for prohibition."But House Speaker Mike Milburn, R-Cascade and the sponsor of House Bill 161, disagreed, saying the only answer was to shut the system down. He compared the recent explosion of the medical marijuana industry to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina."We're not talking about the dikes holding back the water anymore," Milburn said. "We're talking about how do you rebuild the city?"Both he and others hinted at returning to the idea of medical marijuana after a repeal and at the possibility of another law, but offered no specifics.Mark Long, chief of the Montana Narcotics Bureau with the Department of Justice, said repeal was the only way to go.He said the amount of marijuana being produced in the state far exceeds the amount patients can use, making it a prime choice for smugglers. He added that a colleague in North Dakota called Montana a "source country" for the drug, likening the state to Mexico or Colombia.Long also said the loose regulations surrounding medical marijuana attract criminals looking to set up shop and ship out-of-state under the guise of being caregivers. He joked that the same colleague who blamed Montana for exporting marijuana also thanked him for taking criminals in.As with all of the medical marijuana legislation that has come before the 2011 session, patients said they are caught between a burgeoning industry and a worried public.Kai Weber, a University of Montana student who treats her chronic pain with marijuana, addressed the committee from a wheelchair. She said she hopes to attend law school and that medical marijuana has kept her in school and out of the hospital this year."If this repeal passes," Weber said, "you not only take away my access to a wonderful medicine, you take away my hopes and dreams for the future."Source: Bozeman Daily Chronicle (MT)Author: Cody BloomsburgPublished: February 3, 2011Copyright: 2011 The Bozeman Daily ChronicleContact: citydesk dailychronicle.comWebsite: http://bozemandailychronicle.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on February 07, 2011 at 20:35:53 PT
Yes... Robin.
If she could have stood it, and still been here, she would be a help right now, I'm sure.
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on February 07, 2011 at 20:34:29 PT
Comment 9
I second that salutation. It's always good to see you, Fight_4_freedom!
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on February 07, 2011 at 17:32:11 PT
Fight_4_freedom
It's good to see you!
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Comment #8 posted by Fight_4_freedom on February 07, 2011 at 16:36:37 PT
horrible news
These Montanans need to step up and stand up now. Stand up for themselves, stand up for us, and how could we forget, stand up for Robyn and all she fought for.....RIP Love you all C-Newsers....Together we can still save the world...God Bless
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on February 04, 2011 at 21:24:52 PT
Drinking alcohol
Prohibitionists scream "Why should we allow something else on the list of intoxicants people are allowed to use?" "Haven't we got enough trouble already?"Listen carefully. It's about ending the persecution, the jailing, the fining, the killing, the imprisoning, the terrorizing, the punishing, the hand cuffing, the humiliating, the robbing, and the persecution of a large group of people that do in fact like their choice of intoxicant better than they like your "List" of "Allowable" intoxicants. It's about freedom and rights and human dignity. It's not about your "List". In case you haven't noticed it, a very significant number of Americans have not felt that totally bound by what you choose to "Allow" in this case. Do you actually think that marijuana doesn't exist and people don't use it because of your prohibition? You do realize, don't you that many, many people use the plant whether you've "Allowed" it or not?What we're asking isn't an extension or "Adding to" of the so called "List". We're demanding that you stop treating people the way you do over the plant. Stop treating people the way you do over the plant! Stop ruining and harming people's lives over the plant! 
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on February 04, 2011 at 19:43:26 PT
Hope
Look how they push beer on TV. 
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on February 04, 2011 at 19:41:44 PT
Hope
It is astounding.
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on February 04, 2011 at 19:23:51 PT
The prohibitionists are so dangerous...
They're overtly authoritarian. They're anti-capitalist, if it's not the "right" people doing what they think are the "right" capitalistic ventures. They're anti-freedom and anti-democracy.These so called "Representatives" of "Representative government"... they blatantly ignore the everyday, regular people longing to be free and slave after the prohibitionists and narcotics police. It's so disgusting. So blatantly wrong! They're killers and torturers, too. Most of them would rather see the killing of "pothead" people than allowing them to be free from the persecutions of prohibition. It's astounding.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 04, 2011 at 18:38:39 PT
Hope
I know what you mean. All I can do is shake my head and go I can't believe it but I do.
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Comment #2 posted by Hope on February 04, 2011 at 18:05:08 PT
Comment 1
Oh my gosh!
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 04, 2011 at 16:50:37 PT
Medical Marijuana Repeal on Path for House Passage
By Matt Gouras, Associated PressFebruary 4, 2011Helena, MT -- A plan to repeal the state's medical marijuana law appears headed for easy approval in the state House.The plan being pitched by House Speaker Mike Milburn would repeal the ballot initiative overwhelmingly adopted by voters in 2004. Supporters of repeal argue the industry has gone far beyond what voters envisioned.The Cascade Republican's bill easily cleared a House committee Friday on a party line vote.Minority Democrats argue the Legislature should move forward a plan to fix the law with more self-funded regulation and stringent requirements for registering as a patient. They argue an outright appeal should be left to voters.Republicans hold a 68-32 majority in the House. Any measure that clears that chamber would have to go to the Montana Senate and then the governor's desk. Copyright: 2011 Associated PressURL: http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/medical_marijuana_repeal_on_path_for_house_passage/21723/
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