cannabisnews.com: Weed Watch Weed Watch Posted by CN Staff on May 30, 2003 at 00:03:34 PT By Jordan Smith Source: Austin Chronicle U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Surfside, has joined a bipartisan group that has reintroduced legislation to end federal prosecution of medical-marijuana patients in states that have legalized that practice. The States Rights to Medical Marijuana Act would reschedule marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act and allow states who've enacted medical-marijuana laws to experiment with various means of distributing pot to patients. Paul joined Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California, Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, and Janice Schakowsky, D-Illinois, in reintroducing the bill, making it the sixth time the legislation has been filed. Although the bill has never even made it to committee, the number of sponsors continues to grow, reports the Drug Reform Coordination Network. This time around 25 lawmakers have signed on. In other news, on May 22 Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich signed into law that state's Compassionate Use Act, which provides for a maximum penalty of $100 for medical-marijuana users. Maryland is the ninth state to pass medical-marijuana legislation; Ehrlich is the first Republican governor to sign such a bill. Meanwhile, over on Capitol Hill, the bill reauthorizing the White House Office of the National Drug Control Policy has stalled in committee, partly due to controversial verbiage that would allow drug czar John Walters to use tax dollars from his office's nearly $1 billion anti-drug media budget to campaign against individual political candidates or ballot initiatives that favor drug reform or legalization. The measure was scheduled for a vote May 22 by the House Government Reform Committee, but was left pending while legislators grapple with the language. Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Bruce Mirken called the stall a partial victory: "We've headed off the evil empire for the moment," he told the DRCNet. Source: Austin Chronicle (TX)Author: Jordan SmithPublished: May 30, 2003 - Vol. 22 - No. 39Copyright: 2003 Austin Chronicle Corp.Contact: louis auschron.comWebsite: http://www.auschron.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:DRCNet: http://www.drcnet.org/Ron Paul: http://www.ronpaul.org/Marijuana Policy Project: http://www.mpp.org/Reefer Sanity vs. Puritans in The White Househttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16388.shtmlEhrlich Signs Marijuana Lawhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16363.shtmlBuying Initiatives - Daniel Forbeshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16350.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by Jose Melendez on June 01, 2003 at 18:05:42 PT Hey! "...No more aspirin..."Shh! Some of us use aspirin. ;) [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by afterburner on June 01, 2003 at 15:45:51 PT: Fewer Drugs Better, No Drugs Best "No family, no community is better because more drugs are available," said Dr. Andrea Barthwell, deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.Close all the drug stores. Let the physicians use only surgery and leeches. The ONDCP has spoken. No more aspirin, no more cough medicine, no more sleeping pills, no more allergy medicine, no more tranquilizers, no ritalin, no prozac, no viagra!ego transcendence follows ego destruction when the prohibitionists shift their brains out of reverse. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 31, 2003 at 13:58:47 PT News Article from Snipped Source Lawmaker Leading Push to Legalize Pot 06/01/2003 By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News WASHINGTON – Proponents of looser marijuana laws got a number of reasons to celebrate in recent weeks. Maryland drastically reduced the penalty for anyone caught using marijuana as medicine. A few days later, the Canadian government proposed a law that would turn possession of a small amount of pot from a crime into an offense akin to a traffic violation. It's all good news for the handful of American lawmakers who favor liberalized drug laws – among them Texas Rep. Ron Paul, R-Surfside, a physician and former Libertarian presidential candidate. "I really believe this country is one day going to wake up and say that whole experiment on drug prohibition is a failure. I think we're just starting to break through on that," he said. He and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., one of Congress' most liberal members, have tried many times to legalize the medical use of marijuana. They filed their most recent bill 10 days ago. It's the sixth try for such a bill. Last year's version drew 47 co-sponsors in both parties, but like the earlier tries, it died in committee. Federal drug authorities call the approach wrongheaded. "No family, no community is better because more drugs are available," said Dr. Andrea Barthwell, deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. She contends that medical marijuana advocates ignore the fact that the drug's active ingredient is already available by prescription as the pill Marinol. "We see the move to smoke weed as a medicine as a way to have people have more liberal responses to marijuana," she said. "They are trying to make drugs more available." Dr. Paul disputes that the push for medical marijuana is a front for a more ambitious agenda. However, he said, "I would admit that if we go in the direction of a more liberal approach to the drug laws, it would please me." Political, medical beliefs For him, it's a fight that combines ideological distrust for federal authority with a doctor's compassion. As a Libertarian, he believes individuals have the right to make their own choices, and that states, not the federal government, have the authority to regulate drugs. He noted that Prohibition required a constitutional amendment to ban alcohol nationwide. As a physician, he said drug use should be handled like alcoholism – as an ailment, not a crime. "My medical training re-emphasizes my political beliefs," he said. "There's so much evidence now that some individuals have done quite well with the use of medical marijuana. People who have suffered from cancer and AIDS are able to maintain their nutrition a lot better if they're allowed to smoke marijuana." Dr. Paul has paid a political price for his advocacy. In his 1998 House campaign, for instance, after he voted against a $2.3 billion fund for anti-narcotics efforts in Latin America, his Democratic opponent accused him of being "committed to flooding our streets with dangerous drugs." "It's so unfair," Dr. Paul said. "I have 16 grandchildren. As a physician I think drugs are horrible. I've never seen anyone smoke a marijuana cigarette. That's how far away I am from this stuff. But I also try to look at this objectively." Dr. Paul served four House terms before losing the 1984 GOP Senate primary to Phil Gramm. Tom DeLay, now the House majority leader, won the House seat that Dr. Paul had vacated. Dr. Paul returned to Congress in 1996, winning election in a neighboring district. "If I were so off-base on this, I would have trouble in my district, which is a very, very conservative Bible Belt district," he said. In mid-March, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws visited Capitol Hill to press their cause. Dr. Paul was the only Texas lawmaker to meet with them personally. "We recognize it's an uphill battle," said Keith Stroup, NORML's executive director. Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/politics/columnists/tgillman/stories/060103dnnattexwatch.90887.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment