cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Bill Dies In House Medical Marijuana Bill Dies In House Posted by CN Staff on May 22, 2003 at 11:08:31 PT By Christopher Keating, Capitol Bureau Chief Source: Hartford Courant After a spirited debate focusing on compassion and prosecution, the House of Representatives rejected a cutting-edge bill Wednesday that would have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes.By a vote of 79-64, the House decided against allowing Connecticut to join eight other states that say marijuana can relieve pain for people suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and severe muscle spasms. Several legislators spoke passionately about family members who have suffered in their final days, while others said the bill was actually a back-door maneuver to open huge loopholes and lead to the legalization of a banned drug.The bill would have allowed doctors to certify that a patient needed marijuana for medical purposes. The bill also would have allowed patients to cultivate a limited number of marijuana plants, but would have forbidden marijuana smoking in public, in the presence of minors or by anyone younger than 18.Sponsors admitted they could not find a way to provide for medical users to legally obtain marijuana seeds for cultivation.Rep. Robert Farr, a West Hartford Republican, said that passing the bill would have sent a false message that marijuana is not harmful. Another problem, he said, is that marijuana is not helpful for a series of illnesses mentioned in the bill."Show me a doctor who prescribes smoking marijuana for glaucoma, and I would like to see his medical malpractice bill," said Farr, an attorney. "I consider this a cruel hoax."Some legislators questioned how patients could obtain marijuana legally. They charged that the patient would need to break the law in order to obtain the seeds to grow the marijuana plants."I go out on the corner with Little Johnny Junkie, and I have to deal with him to buy the drug," said Rep. John Wayne Fox, a Stamford Democrat. "This bill is about legalizing marijuana."A freshman legislator, Penny Bacchiochi of Somers, brought the 151-member House chamber to silence when she said that no anti-nausea medications would help her husband when he was suffering from terminal bone cancer. After an operation, he became a paraplegic and suffered intense pain."A courageous doctor took us aside, and he told us that my husband needed to try marijuana," said Bacchiochi, 41. "It was obtained at great legal risk to my family, but it worked, and it worked wonders. And it gave him back some quality of life. I will always remember how my husband suffered, and I will always remember if this legislature had passed a bill like this, he would have suffered less."State lawmakers waded into the highly volatile debate despite a national controversy and a unanimous ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court two years ago that made medical marijuana illegal.The debate has a long and memorable history in Connecticut, going back to 1981 when two young legislators named John Rowland and Moira Lyons were serving in their first year as lawmakers in the House. They both voted for a bill that allowed physicians to write prescriptions for medical marijuana, but no Connecticut doctors have done that in the ensuing 22 years because federal law prevents it, lawmakers said.During that 1981 debate, state Rep. Robert C. Sorensen of Meriden was credited with helping save the bill from defeat when he announced that he was undergoing "the horrors of chemotherapy" as the result of colon cancer. Several years later, his claim was discounted when he admitted that he had lied in another speech about having served in the Vietnam War.Wednesday, after a 2½-hour debate, the two top House Democrats - Lyons, speaker of the house, and Majority Leader James Amann - both missed the vote on the bill because they were in a back room talking about the state budget and the ongoing fiscal crisis. Their absence prompted a complaint by deputy House Republican leader Claudia "Dolly" Powers of Greenwich, who said she was "embarrassed as a legislator" because the leaders were absent on a key issue. Note: Detractors Keep Lid On A `Cruel Hoax'Source: Hartford Courant (CT)Author: Christopher Keating, Capitol Bureau Chief Published: May 22, 2003 Copyright: 2003 The Hartford CourantContact: letters courant.comWebsite: http://www.ctnow.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmHouse Just Says No To Pot as Rxhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16355.shtmlHouse Rejects Plan To Legalize Medical Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16351.shtmlMarijuana Bill Surprises Some With Support http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16253.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by observer on May 22, 2003 at 12:21:07 PT breaking news Montgomery Gazette (MD) ''Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. signed legislation reforming CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield on Thursday in Annapolis, as well as a bill to create a task force to study granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and one reducing penalties for using marijuana if a judge deems that it was a medical necessity. '' http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/article/gazette.net5697.htmUK: Telegraph - Money - Cannabis deal sends GW to all-time high http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/xarticle/telegraph11199.htmbreaking drug news http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/breaking pot news http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/potuk http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/ukcanada http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/canadaaustralia http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/australia breaking pot news ... RSS feeds and more [ Post Comment ] Post Comment