cannabisnews.com: Hashing Out Marijuana Hashing Out Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on January 27, 2003 at 08:27:13 PT By Liz Heitzman of the Tribune’s Staff Source: Columbia Daily Tribune Articulate J. David Sapp seems to be an ideal spokesman for a proposed Columbia ordinance that seeks to legalize marijuana for medicinal use and make possession of small amounts of marijuana a municipal offense.Until Sapp returned to Columbia four years ago, he had a doctor’s prescription that allowed him to buy marijuana-laced brownies from San Francisco’s Cannabis Club. He said the drug seemed to be the only thing that would help lessen the tightening and spasms of his muscles, which are caused by multiple sclerosis. Refusing to buy marijuana illegally since moving back to his native Missouri, Sapp is speaking out in support of Proposition 1, the so-called marijuana ordinance drafted by law students at the University of Missouri-Columbia."People need to realize that this is an issue about being compassionate for people who need help," said Sapp, 52, a former attorney whose condition has left him completely disabled. "I am a person with a serious illness that causes a lot of pain, and marijuana relieves that. I refuse to go on the black market to buy it. I’m not interested in lining the pockets of the people who would be selling it."Voters take up the issue April 8, but whether it would legalize Sapp’s ability to "obtain, possess and use" medicinal marijuana, as the ballot language says, is in doubt.Scott Holste, spokesman for Attorney General Jay Nixon, said legalizing marijuana for anyone would be in direct conflict with state statutes."Passing a city resolution or the implementation of a city ordinance does not void a state law," Holste said. "City police must still enforce state laws. You cannot, say, pass a law against burglary."Holste saw no problems with the other element of the proposition, which limits fines and makes possession of up to 35 grams of marijuana a municipal offense.City Attorney Fred Boeckmann also doubted the medicinal marijuana language would stand up to legal muster but said, "I don’t think our prosecutor would" go after "anyone with cancer with or without this provision," he said.Columbia attorney Dan Viets, who is on the board of directors for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, helped MU law student Anthony Johnson write the proposition. He disagrees that the issue is as cut and dried as suggested by Holste and Boeckmann."I agree that this is something that has not been tested in Missouri, but I disagree with the attorney general and city attorney," Viets said. "Every prosecuting attorney has complete discretion in whether or not to pursue a charge. The city prosecutor is an employee of the city, and I can’t imagine why the people of the city can’t direct the prosecutor."Viets also said someone must file a lawsuit in order for the medicinal marijuana language to be tested in court.Johnson, 25, who is president of the campus chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said he’s not sure legalizing marijuana for medicinal use would stand up in court. Johnson noted that the proposition contains a severance clause, which would mean any part of the ordinance invalidated by courts could be dropped without affecting the rest of the proposition.Combining the issues in one proposition has led some people to wonder whether the medicinal marijuana element was added merely to snag votes from seniors and the seriously ill.It’s a criticism Johnson strongly denies."First, the courts have not ruled on it. And second, we believe that legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes would help seriously ill persons," Johnson said. "I believed including it was the right thing to do."While supportive of the medicinal marijuana clause, MU sophomore Chelsea Hughes said she intends to vote against the proposition."I don’t think students need any more motivation to smoke marijuana," she said. "Every college campus is going to have a lot of students sympathetic" to more lenient marijuana laws, "but I don’t think this is a good proposal."Hughes fears that greater leniency toward marijuana would result in lessening of other drug laws.So far, much of the discussion about the proposition, which was voted down by the Columbia City Council last week, has focused on students, who could lose financial aid if convicted of a drug offense in state court.Sapp intends to speak to anyone who will listen about medicinal marijuana.But Johnson admits he wishes the issue was not lumped together with the other leg of the proposition dealing with fines and prosecution of people caught with marijuana."I support the entire ordinance, but I think they are two very different issues, and that could potentially be confusing to people," he said.Note: Medicinal use likely to face challenges, city attorney says.Newshawk: Nicholas Thimmesch - http://www.norml.org/Source: Columbia Daily Tribune (MO)Author: Liz Heitzman of the Tribune’s Staff Published: Sunday, January 26, 2003Copyright: 2003 Columbia Daily TribuneContact: editor tribmail.comWebsite: http://www.showmenews.com/Related Articles & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Proposal To Ease Marijuana Penalties On Ballothttp/cannabisnews.com/news/thread15273.shtmlCity Council To Vote on Pot-Possession Penaltieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15227.shtml Groups Hope Petition Helps Soften Pot Policieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14445.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by malleus2 on January 27, 2003 at 12:14:28 PT Three fatal words: "I don't think..." "While supportive of the medicinal marijuana clause, MU sophomore Chelsea Hughes said she intends to vote against the proposition. "*I don’t think* students need any more motivation to smoke marijuana," she said. "Every college campus is going to have a lot of students sympathetic" to more lenient marijuana laws, "but *I don’t think* this is a good proposal. Hughes fears that greater leniency toward marijuana would result in lessening of other drug laws."definition of sophomoric: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sophomoricsoph·o·mor·ic ( P ) Pronunciation Key (sf-môrk, -mr-, -mr-) adj. 1) Of or characteristic of a sophomore. 2) Exhibiting great immaturity and lack of judgment: sophomoric behavior.Yep, foots the bill, doesn't it? This utterance was *truly* sophomoric.When people preface a remark with the words, "I don't think", I'm seriously tempted to take them at their word and tend to discount what they say, as Freudian slips tend to show up in the most common speech patterns. This case was a dead giveaway, as this young lady has no understanding of what she feels she may speak of with intelligence. The problem arises when equally foolish but less articulate people take this as an intelligent comment and act as if it's viable.Rather like the whole propaganda effort against re-legalizing cannabis... [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on January 27, 2003 at 09:39:45 PT SuperBowl Video - Pregnancy I couldn't seem to paste the video but here are all of the Superbowl ads.http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=36975 [ Post Comment ] Post Comment