cannabisnews.com: Left, Right Join in Medical Pot Fight Left, Right Join in Medical Pot Fight Posted by CN Staff on July 25, 2002 at 08:11:17 PT By Megan Garvey, Times Staff Writer Source: Los Angeles Times By their own admission, the medicinal marijuana advocates who gathered Wednesday in a basement room of the Capitol made up a bizarre partnership. And they agreed that their cause--getting the federal government to butt out of states' laws on the use of marijuana for medical purposes--was pretty much hopeless right now.But a former aide to President Reagan and several members of Congress--including an openly gay, die-hard liberal, a onetime Libertarian presidential candidate and a Southern California Republican known for wearing puka shells and surfing--said the time had come to push the matter with a reluctant Legislature. "Nine states have decided to allow physicians to prescribe medical marijuana," said Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), one of the bipartisan authors of HR 2592, which was introduced a year ago but has yet to make it out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to the floor for debate. "What our bill does is to say that in those states, there will be no federal prohibition on such use." Eight Western states--Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington--and Maine have laws letting doctors to prescribe marijuana to patients suffering from illnesses such as glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, AIDS and cancer. Proponents of medical marijuana use contend that for these patients, it relieves a variety of symptoms--including pain, nausea and loss of appetite--with minimal side effects.But state laws permitting medical marijuana clash with federal regulation of illegal narcotics. That has resulted in federal prosecutions of individuals who, under state law, have committed no crime.In its first review of a medical marijuana initiative passed by state voters in 1996, the California Supreme Court last week ruled unanimously that residents who grow marijuana for personal medical use are protected from state prosecution if they have their doctor's approval. However, the U.S. Supreme Court, considering the California initiative last year, ruled that marijuana offered no "medical benefits worthy of exception" to federal anti-drug laws.Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas)--the former Libertarian presidential candidate--called the denial of access to marijuana to suffering patients "criminal.""Where are the compassionate conservatives today? They're not here, and they should be," Paul said, arguing that decriminalizing marijuana, which he dubbed a "so-called illegal drug," would be restoring rights lost to federal oversight in the early 1900s. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pot25jul25005052.story?nullNewshawk: Nicholas Thimmesch - http://www.norml.org/Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author: Megan Garvey, Times Staff WriterPublished: July 25 2002Copyright: 2002 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/Related Articles & Web Site:NORML Pictures from Press Conference http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5359 Odd Bedfellows Join Fight for Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13531.shtmlMedical Marijuana Takes Center Stage On The Hillhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13529.shtmlBarney Frank Gets Help from Former Reagan Aidehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13525.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by FoM on July 25, 2002 at 11:38:29 PT Same Article Here's the same article that I didn't have to snip because it was published in another paper.Backers Again Seek Medicinal Marijuana http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread13538.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on July 25, 2002 at 11:35:19 PT We are family! Come on everybody and see!Okay, put on some music and dance! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment