cannabisnews.com: Backers Again Seek Medicinal Marijuana Backers Again Seek Medicinal Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on July 25, 2002 at 10:18:57 PT By Megan Garvey Source: Boston Globe By their own admission, the medicinal marijuana advocates who gathered yesterday in a basement room of the Capitol made up a bizarre partnership. They agreed that their cause - getting the federal government to stop meddling in 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 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 Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts and one of the bipartisan authors of the bill, 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.'' Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Maine have laws permitting 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 with minimal side effects. State laws permitting medical marijuana use 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 ruled unanimously last week that residents who grow marijuana for personal medical use are protected from state prosecution if they have their doctor's approval. However, the US Supreme Court, considering the California initiative last year, ruled that marijuana offered no ''medical benefits worthy of exception'' to federal antidrug laws. Backers of the bill emphasized that its scope was very narrow: to stop interference by federal law enforcement agencies in the distribution of medical marijuana where it is allowed by states. The legislation, they said, was not meant to open the door to broader legalization of marijuana, although some boosters of the bill have pushed for such change. This story ran on page A13 of the Boston Globe on 7/25/2002. Source: Boston Globe (MA)Author: Megan GarveyPublished: July 25, 2002Copyright: 2002 Globe Newspaper CompanyContact: letter globe.comWebsite: http://www.boston.com/globe/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 Post Comment