cannabisnews.com: NORML's News Bulletin - March 15, 2001 NORML's News Bulletin - March 15, 2001 Posted by FoM on March 15, 2001 at 17:05:03 PT Swiss Government Moves to Okay Marijuana Use Source: NORML Bern, Switzerland: Swiss government officials recently endorsed draft legislation that recommends police stop enforcing laws prohibiting the cultivation and sale of small amounts of marijuana. The move comes on the heels of a nationwide poll indicating that more than one-quarter of the population has used the drug, and that 54 percent favor liberalizing marijuana laws. "Decriminalizing the consumption of cannabis and the acts leading up to this takes account of social reality and unburdens police and the courts," lawmakers representing the seven-member Federal Council announced Friday. Council members proposed the law change after consulting with the country's cantons, political parties, and export commissions, and finding strong support for softening Parliament's stance on marijuana. Officials stated that the proposed policy would also tolerate the creation of private establishments, similar to so-called Dutch coffee-shops, that would sell small amounts of marijuana. In 1999, the Swiss Federal Commission for Drug Issues recommended Parliament legalize the possession and use of marijuana, and implement a national policy "making it possible for cannabis to be purchased lawfully." The government's decision to liberalize its marijuana laws ignores pressure from United Nations officials, who last month chastised Swiss drug policies as overly lenient. In recent years, several European nations - including Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain - have stopped enforcing criminal laws prohibiting the possession and use of marijuana. Last January, Belgium became the latest European country to decriminalize marijuana. German courts have also ruled that minor marijuana possession should not be a criminal offense, but federal legislators have yet to amend the law to reflect that sentiment. "Since the 1970s, most European countries have pursued marijuana policies contrary to those of the United States, which rely almost exclusively on arresting and punishing users," NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. "Nevertheless, studies reveal that Americans use marijuana and other illicit substances at rates nearly twice as high as our European counterparts. U.S. political leaders could - and should - learn by example." For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director, at (202) 483-8751. To learn more about European marijuana policies, please visit: http://www.norml.org/legal/european_policy.shtmlSwiss Clear the Way for Cannabis Legalisation http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8940.shtmlNew Mexico House Okays Medical Marijuana: House-Senate Bills Scheduled for Conference Committee: Santa Fe, NM: House representatives narrowly approved legislation Monday that would permit qualified patients to smoke marijuana medicinally in accordance with state law. The Senate passed a similar though not identical version of the bill last week. Both houses must now agree on a final version of the bill to send to Governor Gary Johnson (R) for approval. The House's passage of the bill readies New Mexico to become only the second state government (Hawaii passed a similar law last year.) to approve legislation exempting medical marijuana patients from criminal penalties under state laws. Eight additional states have passed similar laws via voter initiatives. "What kind of message are we sending? The right message," said Rep. Dan Foley (R-Roswell), one of ten Republicans who backed the bill. "The message that we care about people and that we're not going to turn our back on them because of some scare tactic [by people who say] someone suffering from cancer is going to become a drug pusher because of this." According to results of a recent state-wide poll commissioned by the Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation, nearly four in five New Mexicans favor allowing seriously ill patients to use medicinal marijuana legally. Sixty-five percent of poll respondents also said that they favored reducing penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana from a criminal misdemeanor to a civil offense. Two additional bills seeking to decriminalize marijuana for recreational purposes remain in committee, but have yet to be voted on by the House or Senate. New Mexico's legislative session ends on March 17. For more information, please contact R. Keith Stroup, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500. For more information on these bills, visit: http://capwiz.com/norml2/officials/state/?state=NM&lvl=LMedical Marijuana Bill Squeaks by Househttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8999.shtmlAnother Committee OKs Medical Pot Bill http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8927.shtml Spanish Political Parties Back Medical Marijuana: Catalonia, Spain: The Spanish Congress is expected to consider the question of legalizing the medical use of marijuana after government officials from the Catalonia territory recently endorsed a plan to allow patients access to the drug. All five political parties in the Catalan Parliament recently backed a proposal to permit patients to use the drug therapeutically. The proposal is anticipated to pass later this year, and then be submitted to the Spanish Congress for national consideration. In addition, Catalan Health Department head Eduard Rius recently sent a letter to the Spanish health minister urging her to allow the importation of marijuana-based medicines, and to consider allowing legal access to the drug. Under prohibition, "only a privileged and well informed minority can take advantage of this therapeutic resource," he said. A spokesman for the health ministry responded that they have recently commissioned studies to better determine marijuana's medical value, and will render a decision based upon their outcomes. For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director, at (202) 483-8751. Catalan Parliament Pushes for Legalisation http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8872.shtmlNORML's News Indexhttp://www.norml.org/news/index.shtmlCannabisNews NORML Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by FoM on March 15, 2001 at 19:48:55 PT Good Program Thanks m segesta,I'm listening to it now and saved it too. Good program! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by dddd on March 15, 2001 at 19:45:39 PT apologies/obsessions m segesta.Please dont apologize for anything you do here.I am delighted by this stuff.What a goodie,,,,,'I didnt know what I was voting for.'..unfortunatly,,when you get busted,,"I didnt know there was a mandatory minimum",doesnt work with the judge....dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by m segesta on March 15, 2001 at 19:07:10 PT: Contrast with U.S............my obsession with D.C Sorry if I seem obsessed with the D.C. lately, but while surfing on some drug policy issues I came across an episode of one my favorite programs -- NPR's This American Life (available on streaming audio using RealPlayer) -- addressing the disproportionate sentences in drug cases and the racial disparity in how those awful sentences are meted out. It also features a wonderful interview with one of our C-News favorites, Eric Sterling, former counsel to the Judiciary Committee responsible for these tragedies.http://www.thislife.org/ra/143.ramThe best part: when an ex-congressman admits he did not know what he was voting for when he voted for "mandatory minimums" and now regrets his vote.Check it out. As host Ira Glass asks, "What's Wrong With This Picture?"[ Post Comment ] http://www.thislife.org/ra/143.ram [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: