cannabisnews.com: House To Debate Medical Marijuana House To Debate Medical Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on March 04, 2003 at 07:24:41 PT By Steve Terrell, The New Mexican Source: Santa Fe New Mexican A bill to legalize marijuana as a treatment for New Mexicans suffering from debilitating medical conditions is headed for debate on the House floor. Despite a barrage of pointed questions from a longtime foe of liberalizing drug laws, the House Judiciary voted 9-1 Monday to recommend passage of House Bill 242. "What are we saying to the young people?" asked former northeastern New Mexico legislator David Salman, who testified for the bill. "We're saying that New Mexico, this Legislature, cares about your fellow citizens and doesn't want to see them suffer needlessly, subject to Draconian laws."The lone dissenter was Rep. Ron Godbey, R-Cedar Crest, who argued that the state would violate federal drug laws if the medical-marijuana bill becomes reality.New Mexicans shouldn't be put in the position of breaking federal law, he said. "Federal authorities could still roll in on me if I had a joint under this act."Marijuana has no proven medical value, Godbey added.Rep. Eric Youngberg, R-Corrales, disagreed with opponents' arguments that medical marijuana is the first step in legalizing marijuana for everyone."It seems with all these amendments, the bill is not legalizing marijuana in any way," Youngberg said.The bill would make possession and use of marijuana legal for seriously ill patients with cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy, HIV or AIDS, multiple sclerosis and certain spinal injuries. A doctor would have to certify the patient was suffering from one of those conditions and the Department of Health would issue such patients identification cards.The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ken Martinez, D-Grants, is titled The Lynn Pierson Compassionate Use Act. It is named for a Vietnam veteran with lung cancer who in 1978 persuaded the Legislature to pass a research project for medical marijuana.Salman was House majority leader at the time and sponsored that bill. Pierson later died of his disease.The research project lost its funding years ago.Unlike some medical-marijuana bills in the recent past, HB242 does not establish marijuana-distribution programs. Patients would have to grow their own or obtain it from illegal sources.Each approved patient would be allowed to keep a three-month supply of marijuana.As in the past, the medical-marijuana bill is opposed by various law-enforcement organizations.Fred MacDonald, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and a spinal injury, told the committee he spends half the year in Las Cruces and half in Seattle."I can use marijuana in Washington state, but not in New Mexico," he said.Smoking a small amount of marijuana helps alleviate his pain much better than conventional medications that make him sleepy, MacDonald said.Gov. Bill Richardson has said he would consider signing a medical-marijuana bill. At a news conference early in the session, however, he showed little enthusiasm for such legislation and said it wasn't one of his priorities.In 2001 both the House and the Senate passed separate medical-marijuana bills, which were strongly supported by then-Gov. Gary Johnson. However, neither passed both houses, which is necessary for a bill to become law.Last year a medical-marijuana bill was killed in the Senate Judiciary Committee.Source: Santa Fe New Mexican (NM)Author: Steve Terrell, The New MexicanPublished: March 4, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Santa Fe New MexicanContact: letters sfnewmexican.comWebsite: http://www.sfnewmexican.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmMedical Marijuana Bill Takes Step http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15528.shtmlMedical Marijuana Bill Alive http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15410.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by The GCW on March 04, 2003 at 16:12:17 PT Rep. Ron Godbey, R- Doesn't GET IT.Cannabis prohibitionists are relegated to argument that amounts to stupidity. Godby is unable to imagine that if additional states accept using cannabis for medicine... the Feds. will have lost. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by i420 on March 04, 2003 at 13:17:40 PT Wow... The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ken Martinez, D-Grants, is titled The Lynn Pierson Compassionate Use Act. It is named for a Vietnam veteran with lung cancer who in 1978 persuaded the Legislature to pass a research project for medical marijuana [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Virgil on March 04, 2003 at 08:56:59 PT Michael, I second that emotion Marijuana has no proven medical value, Godbey added.That is enough to discount everything he says 100%. When that statement came out of his mouth a person should not worry about sorting out what else might follow....opponents' arguments that medical marijuana is the first step in legalizing marijuana for everyone.The guy should have said "If they would quit singing their slippery slope chant someone should ask them why legalization is not the Logical Conclusion." [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by michael on March 04, 2003 at 08:25:24 PT: The Truth Thats What!! The "message" to our kids is simple. We as adults will start telling the truth. We as adults will put pain, suffering and death, ahead of lies, distortion and obvious ignorence. We as adults will give our children the facts to make all life decisions, not just this one. Of course any idiot knows they are trying top rogram our childrens minds by repeating lies, eh! It did work in the first part of the 1900s when we as a people believed every word of our government. The good thing is that our currant government is so out there in so many areas as to dig their own hole, how wonderful! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment