cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Bill Passes Senate





Medical Marijuana Bill Passes Senate
Posted by CN Staff on March 14, 2003 at 10:03:48 PT
By David Mace, Vermont Press Bureau 
Source: Times Argus 
Montpelier — A bill that would allow people with serious illnesses to legally possess and use marijuana to alleviate their symptoms passed the Senate Thursday with broad bipartisan support and now moves to the House for consideration. The 22-7 vote came after senators amended the bill to require minors under age 18 to have a parent or guardian sign the application to participate in the medical marijuana program. 
Supporters of the bill stressed that they were not changing marijuana’s status as an illegal drug. “I must be clear. We are not legalizing marijuana,” said Sen. John Bloomer, R-Rutland, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that helped craft the legislation. “We’re creating an exception for an individual to receive treatment.” The bill, modeled closely after the one that passed the House last year with tri-partisan support, requires a doctor’s certification that the patient suffers from one of several specified conditions, or from diseases like AIDS and cancer. Patients would apply to the Vermont Department of Health and those who were rejected could appeal to a panel of three doctors appointed by the Medical Practice Board. In addition, a person could register to be a patient’s caregiver, and the Health Department would keep the records confidential unless police needed to verify the information. Medical marijuana users would only be allowed to use the drug at home, and they or their caregiver could also grow medical marijuana in a locked indoor facility and transport it in a locked container. Since a search warrant would be needed to look in the container or search a home, that would provide time to check the database and determine whether the owner was exempt from prosecution. An amendment by Sen. Mark Shepard, R-Bennington, that would have required minors to get parental permission before being allowed access to medical marijuana was viewed by some as a vehicle for advancing the cause of parental notification for a minor’s abortion. It was withdrawn after Shepard said Bloomer’s substitute language was sufficient to address his concerns about parental involvement in children’s health care. But that still didn’t sway Shepard to vote for the bill. He and some other senators continued to object to the measure for a variety of reasons, including the fact that changing the law on marijuana would put Vermont in conflict with federal statutes outlawing it and that it would advance the cause of those seeking to decriminalize marijuana. Others wondered whether the bill was needed, pointing out that there have never been cases where police and prosecutors went after sick Vermonters using marijuana. “It seems to me we have a problem in the closet, and we seem determined to bring it out of the closet,” said Sen. Hull Maynard, R-Rutland. Senate Health and Welfare Committee Chairman Sen. James Leddy, D-Chittenden, said that the message his committee heard from those suffering from diseases was clear: “We are not criminals.” He also rejected arguments that the bill would encourage drug use, and noted that for some patients legal prescription drugs simply didn’t help them. “Can we look at those sick people and say, ‘We feel your pain — just say no?’ That is not the answer of caring society, of a just society,” Leddy told his fellow senators. House leaders have said there is uncertainty whether the bill can clear that body, though a similar measure passed in the last session when Republicans held a wider margin there. And like his Democratic predecessor, Gov. Howard Dean, current Gov. James Douglas has indicated that he is opposed to the measure, although he’s stopped short of saying he would veto the bill. Confirming the fears of some opponents, a group that advocates for legalizing marijuana under all circumstances — the Washington DC-based Marijuana Policy Project — hailed the passage of the bill and said it expected House passage as well. “Then, the question will be whether or not Governor Jim Douglas follows the will of Vermont’s citizens and their elected representatives,” Billy Rogers, director of state policies for the group, said in a statement. Local advocates — who have stressed that their goal is only to help the sick, not support legalization — expressed satisfaction. “We’re excited,” said Gail Zatz, a lobbyist for the HIV Public Policy Project, which supported the bill. “We’re happy that seriously ill Vermonters will be able to get the medication they need within the privacy of their own home, under the supervision of their doctor.” She called the bill “the strictest in the country” and expressed hope for its chances in the House. Seven other states — Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington —have similar laws. “I think the committees did a terrific job putting together a bill that’s compassionate of patients and respectful toward legitimate law enforcement issues,” said Senate President Pro Tem Peter Welch, D-Windsor. “…There’s a very simple proposition here, and that is if it’s a medical issue and it helps with medical concerns, this is no different than any other medication that’s used properly and under appropriate medical supervision.” Source: Times Argus (VT)Author: David Mace, Vermont Press BureauPublished: March 14, 2003Copyright: 2003 Times ArgusContact: info timesargus.comWebsite: http://timesargus.nybor.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Senate Gives Final Approval To Marijuana Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15719.shtmlMedical Pot Bill Advances in Senatehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15711.shtmlCommittee Backs Medical Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15408.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on March 14, 2003 at 12:26:45 PT
Question
Does anyone know a newspaper web site that I might find an article about this press release. I'd sure love to post an article. 
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Comment #3 posted by afterburner on March 14, 2003 at 12:22:36 PT:
Eyes Open, Canada!
You, too, can provide safe access for medical cannabis patients.“Can we look at those sick people and say, ‘We feel your pain — just say no?’ That is not the answer of caring society, of a just society,” [Senate Health and Welfare Committee Chairman Sen. James] Leddy[, D-Chittenden,] told his fellow senators.DEAth, take note: the jig is up. Compassion will overcome your legalistic vindictiveness; your days are numbered.ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 14, 2003 at 11:02:48 PT
druid
Thank you. I will keep my eyes open for an article. That is excellent news. 
What's New
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Comment #1 posted by druid on March 14, 2003 at 11:00:07 PT
MMJ to be in Dutch Pharmacies March 17
 Medical Marijuana to be in Dutch Pharmacies March 17         Doctors Can Prescribe Immediately;
        Government Preparing to License GrowersWASHINGTON, D.C. -- Under a groundbreaking new law effective March 17,
physicians in the Netherlands will be able to prescribe medical
marijuana and pharmacies will dispense it to patients as they do other
prescription medications. This will make the Netherlands the first
country to treat marijuana in the same manner it treats other
prescription drugs.  In order to establish a stable, quality-controlled supply of the
medicine, the Dutch government will shortly begin contracting with
medical marijuana growers, who will be required to meet specific
standards covering product quality, as well as security rules designed
to prevent diversion into the illegal market. Spokesman Bas Kuik of
the Dutch government's Office of Medicinal Cannabis said that he
expects the first contract to be signed "somewhere near the end of
March," with the first crop reaching pharmacies in September. Once
this system is in place, pharmacies will be required to dispense only
medical marijuana from these government-licensed providers. Until
then, they will be permitted to obtain the medicine from producers of
their own choosing.  While the Netherlands is the second nation to formally sanction the
medical use of marijuana, it is the first to incorporate it in its
standard system of prescription drug regulation. The Canadian
government established a medical marijuana program in July 2001, but
only a limited number of patients have made it through the complex
permission process. In addition, Canada has yet to provide these
patients with a legal means of obtaining their medicine, a problem
that has led to continuing litigation.  "This is yet another indication of how out-of-step the U.S. is on
medical marijuana policy," said Robert Kampia, executive director of
the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. "While the
Netherlands is guaranteeing patients safe access to quality-controlled
medical marijuana through doctors and pharmacies, we're still fighting
just to keep people with cancer and AIDS out of jail. Americans like
Ed Rosenthal face up to 40 years in federal prison for providing the
same service to patients that the government of the Netherlands is
ensuring through licensed producers and pharmacies. The rest of the
world increasingly regards the U.S. policy of criminalizing medical
marijuana patients and providers as cruel and pointless."  The Dutch Office of Medicinal Cannabis can be reached by telephone
at 011-31-70-340-5129. The new Dutch law and implementation
regulations can be viewed at http://www.mpp.org/Dutch .  With 11,000 members nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the
largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP
works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana -- both the
consumption of marijuana and the laws that are intended to prohibit
such use. MPP believes that the greatest harm associated with
marijuana is imprisonment. To this end, MPP focuses on removing
criminal penalties for marijuana use, with a particular emphasis on
making marijuana medically available to seriously ill people who have
the approval of their doctors.
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