US CA: Editorial: Attacking Medical Marijuana Users Doesn't Make Sense

US CA: Editorial: Attacking Medical Marijuana Users Doesn't Make Sense

"Mark2101"	7/28/2004 1:27:52 AM
US CA: Editorial: Attacking Medical Marijuana Users Doesn't URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1065/a02.html Newshawk: Jane Marcus Votes: 0 Pubdate: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 Source: Desert Dispatch, The (Victorville CA) Copyright: 2004 Desert Dispatch Contact: john_bennett@link.freedom.com Website: http://www.desertdispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3218 Note: reprinted from The Bellingham (Wash.) Herald Note: Editorials are the opinion of the newspaper and are often written and signed by General Manager Hans K. Meyer. In some cases we use editorials from other publications and wire services. When those editorials are used, the original publication or wire service is identified. Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) ATTACKING MEDICAL MARIJUANA USERS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE It's difficult to see what good could come from federal prosecution of an emaciated cancer patient who needs a pot brownie to keep her dinner down. It's equally difficult to see why the U.S. House of Representatives is seeking to limit states' rights by overriding laws that allow the use of medical marijuana. A 268-148 House vote July 7 approved a measure to allow the federal government to continue prosecuting people who use medical marijuana where it is allowed by state law. Washington state voters approved a citizen initiative allowing for the use of medical marijuana by more than a 2-to-1 margin percent in 1998. It gave people with serious medical conditions like HIV, cancer and multiple sclerosis the right to possess and use marijuana with a doctor's approval. It does not allow for the sale of the drug. Our system of government clearly allows federal laws to take precedence over state laws; however, this crusade led by Republicans, the party dedicated to limited government and states' rights, seems both hypocritical and out of step with the people's larger concerns. At a time when the Bush administration should be focused on its cornerstone issue of national security and Congress should be giving as much attention as possible to the American public's concerns about the economy, whether or not a few people with AIDS are lighting joints is a minor concern at best. Critics of medical marijuana laws argue that they encourage drug use, yet they cannot offer proof of the claim. Representatives on both sides of the issue have argued that medical marijuana prosecution should not be a national priority. Last year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the federal law outlawing marijuana should not apply to people using it on a doctor's recommendation. The Bush administration appealed and the U.S. Supreme Court agreed last week to hear the case. The high court refused to hear a case brought by the Justice Department that would have punished doctors who discussed with their patients the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. This is not only a matter of states' rights, it's a matter of national priorities and personal freedom. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake ************************ Mark "Marijuana clearly has medicinal value. Thousands of seriously ill Americans have been able to determine that for themselves, albeit illegally. Like my own family, these individuals did not wish to break the law but they had no choice." --Lyn Nofziger, former deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee From the book, Marijuana Rx, by Robert C. Randall, the founder of the medical marijuana movement. Marijuana Rx is published by Thunder's Mouth Press.)



Ian MacLure	7/29/2004 5:25:18 AM
"Mark2101" <Markss2101@cox.net> wrote in news:dsJNc.1080$wz.172@fed1read01: US CA: Editorial: Attacking Medical Marijuana Users Doesn't Granted. ATTACKING MEDICAL MARIJUANA USERS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE Doesn't mean we are going to let up on recreational abuse of pharmaceuticals which is after all your real agenda. IBM _______________________________________________________________________________ Posted Via Uncensored-News.Com - Accounts Starting At $6.95 - http://www.uncensored-news.com <><><><><><><> The Worlds Uncensored News Source <><><><><><><><>

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