cannabisnews.com: Legislative Roundup - A Letter To Asa Hutchinson





Legislative Roundup - A Letter To Asa Hutchinson
Posted by FoM on February 01, 2002 at 09:03:21 PT
Gov. Gary Johnson also took a shot at the DEA 
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican 
A letter to Asa: U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency chief Asa Hutchison wrote Sen. Ramsay Gorham, R-Albuquerque, this week, saying the medical-marijuana program proposed in Senate Bill 8 would violate federal drug laws. In response, five New Mexicans suffering AIDs and other serious illnesses wrote to Hutchison, requesting he butt out."We are concerned about your interference on our state's political process," the letter says. 
"We are not out to get high or make marijuana available to our friends and family for recreational purposes," the letter continues. "Simply put we are desperately sick and marijuana allows us to feel better."For us marijuana is medicine, just like aspirin and codeine - but for most of us, it works better than any prescription drug on the market," the letter says. "All we want is to be exempt from criminal prosecution for using a substance that helps us get through the day."The letter - released by New Mexico Drug Policy Project, which is lobbying for SB8 and other bills in Gov. Gary Johnson's drug-reform package - is signed by AIDs patients Preston Harmon Michael Morgan and Hank Tafoya; Jack Kaplan, who suffers from AIDs, hepatitis C and degenerative arthritis; and James Patterson, a quadriplegic.No word yet on whether the DEA plans to respond with a personal visit to the homes of the letter signers.States' rights: Gov. Gary Johnson also took a shot at the DEA director's medical-marijuana letter. "I take offense that the federal government is writing us to say it is a violation of federal law," he told reporters. "It does have to do with states' rights. If we want to kowtow to the federal government, change will never take place."But Darren White, director of the anti-drug group Protect New Mexico - and Johnson's former Public Safety secretary - said he thought Johnson's states' rights argument was interesting. "Didn't he go calling on the federal government to take on the redistricting suit?" White asked rhetorically. "What could be more of a state issue than redistricting?"Jennings defends Bradley: Lt. Gov. Walter Bradley, who is running for governor, was attacked this week by fellow candidate Rep. John Sanchez, R-Albuquerque, for sending out a fund-raising letter during the legislative session. On Thursday, an unexpected ally came to Bradley's defense: former Democratic Majority Leader Tim Jennings of Roswell."Rep. Sanchez is questioning the integrity of the president of the Senate," Jennings said on the Senate floor, referring to one of the lieutenant governor's roles. "For 16 years, I've known the president of the Senate and never once have I questioned (Bradley's) integrity."Bradley probably wishes Jennings would have stopped there. However, he went on to note that Bradley is from Clovis. "When people call him a country hick, I call that offensive," Jennings said in his Chavez County drawl.Addressing Bradley, Jennings said, "I don't know who Rep. Sanchez thinks he is, but whenever he walks half the yardage you have for the state of New Mexico, maybe then he can stand up and criticize."Electronic filing: Candidates for any state or county office would have to file their campaign-finance reports by computer and make them available to the public on the Internet in SB19, which cleared the Senate Public Affairs Committee unanimously Thursday.The bill is backed by Common Cause and several other open-government groups.It goes on to the Senate Finance Committee before going to the Senate floor. A similar bill is moving through the House.Home-school-tax credit: The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on Thursday unanimously approved a proposal to give the parents of home-schooled children a tax credit to help offset the costs of their education.Rep. Judy Vanderstar Russell, R-Rio Rancho, sponsor of HB132, said her proposal would "just give them a little bit of a break."Parents would receive a tax credit of $250 per semester, per student - up to a maximum of $1,000 per family.Russell said the bill doesn't offer enough of an inducement for parents to yank their kids out of public school and would have little impact on the state budget.The New Mexico State Department of Education estimates there are more than 6,700 home-schooled kids in the state.Quote of the day:"This is the worst assault on the poor people of New Mexico I've ever seen. ... Forty-six thousand children! Why don't you round 'em up if they're such a problem? Why don't we round 'em up and ship 'em to Texas?"- Sen. Shannon Robinson, D-Albuquerque, protesting Gov. Gary Johnson's proposed cuts to Medicaid, which would eliminate an estimated 46,000 children. Source: Santa Fe New Mexican (NM)Published: February 01, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Santa Fe New MexicanContact: letters sfnewmexican.comWebsite: http://www.sfnewmexican.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:The Drug Policy Alliancehttp://www.lindesmith.org/Protect New Mexicohttp://www.protectnewmexico.org/Protect New Mexico Poll http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11883.shtmlStatistical Contradictionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11836.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by tr on March 09, 2002 at 13:28:30 PT:
DEA 
I recently attended a marijuana risk seminar By river Valley behavioral health, in kentucky. the reasons the prohibitionists use and my brief rebuttal. 1) doctors dont want people 'smoking' because 'smoking anything at low temperatures produces carcinogens' (they also say cooking hamburgers at the wrong temperatures produces 'carcinogens' But we are still'allowed to cook for ourselves,at least for now) 2) Marijuana is 'physcologically addicting' They think they(users) have it to get through the day, so they use more. 2a Ever try to keep kids from playing nintendo? Ever gone back for more coffee? or zoloft or prozac? 3)It makes driving worse. 3a You probably should not drive while high. Using cell phones also makes driving worse. some people just can't drive. some people get old and can't see. Don't the cops pull over bad drivers? Some studies say pot smokers slow down to compensate. Accountants can cause ENRON, but we don't outlaw accountants. We should regulate them, though. George Bush's granddad was a nazi collaborator. they had their assets seized under the trading with the enemy act. We did't hear much about that during either Bush campaign, So don't expect to much forthrightness about thier pharmacuetical companies and how MJ would cut into thier sales. You see anyone can get ugly and one sided about the issues. The truth doesn't matter nowadays much. Its the "almighty dollar". The dollar bill says in God we trust but what god is that on the dollar bill? I mean they call it the all seeing eye, but which government official will say. They say that church and state are seperated. At least half do. The christian half says the name of there God. All I see is money worshipping and stealing. Georgia can't even pay back its tax refunds. And I thought Tennessee was bad.
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Comment #3 posted by Elfman_420 on February 01, 2002 at 09:47:56 PT
It's all politics...
But Darren White...said he thought Johnson's states' rights argument was interesting. "Didn't he go calling on the federal government to take on the redistricting suit?" White asked rhetorically. "What could be more of a state issue than redistricting?"Frankly, we don't care about the govenors politics because he is helping our country begin turning towards true reform. I hope Gary runs for senate or something after he is govenor where he could hopefully get them to start talking about the issue.
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Comment #2 posted by Morgan on February 01, 2002 at 09:47:41 PT
???
" U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency chief Asa Hutchison wrote Sen. Ramsay Gorham, R-Albuquerque, this week, saying the medical-marijuana program proposed in Senate Bill 8 would violate federal drug laws."Since Sen. Ramsay Gorham is the wife of Frank D. Gorham III, co-founder of the prohibitionist group 'Protect New Mexico (from freedom)" and all around wealthy republican Oil slut , I don't think that Assa had to remind her about federal laws. She knows these too well, and is using them as the basis of her attacks on our freedom. So why did he write to her, and not, say, Gary Johnson? Just wondering about the workings of political
chicanery, I guess.
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Comment #1 posted by Dark Star on February 01, 2002 at 09:11:25 PT:
Showdown
What we have here is an Old West showdown. It is heartening that Gov. Johnson is willing to get in a pissing match with the skunks. Ultimately, leaders can lead, but the people will need to be extremely vocal and adamant with the politicians that this situation might change. Money may work, but the threat of losing office will ultimately work best. This requires a few more politicians to go out on the cannabis limb, preferably during the campaign.I hope that everyone who expresses strong opinions in this forum spend at least an equal time lobbying on the issue with the people in power. We can all be squeaky wheels, and must be.
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