cannabisnews.com: Bill To Protect Medicinal Pot Users Falls Short Bill To Protect Medicinal Pot Users Falls Short Posted by CN Staff on July 24, 2003 at 07:05:35 PT By Edward Epstein, Chronicle Washington Bureau Source: San Francisco Chronicle Washington -- A surprisingly strong bid to shield medicinal pot smokers in California and nine other states from federal prosecution was defeated in the House on Wednesday after a spirited debate that centered on states' rights and even reached back to the pre-Civil War "nullification" debate. Proponents of the proposal by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, got 152 votes, compared to the 94 votes for medicinal marijuana in a 1998 House vote. But pot opponents still won handily, with 273 votes, down from 311 in 1998. Hinchey-Rorhabacher supporters cited such recent federal actions as the successful prosecution of San Francisco medicinal pot grower Ed Rosenthal as the actions of an over-reaching Department of Justice. "It is a travesty for the federal government to send agents into my state and throw people in a cage for doing something that people in my state say is legal," Rohrabacher, a self-described libertarian Republican, told the House as it debated the measure late Tuesday night. He choked up as he told colleagues that he wished legal pot had been available when his mother was dying from cancer. California voters easily passed Proposition 215 in 1996 by 56 percent to 44 percent to allow patients to get marijuana with a doctor's recommendation to treat the pain of such ailments as cancer, AIDS or glaucoma. Ever since, federal authorities have made it clear that they don't view the law as valid. Through such actions as Rosenthal's prosecution or the raid last year on a Santa Cruz pot farm, the Drug Enforcement Administration has thrown a damper on Prop. 215. Similar federal efforts have occurred in the other nine medicinal pot states: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The Hinchey-Rohrabacher measure would have barred the Justice Department from challenging the state medicinal pot laws. Opponents of the amendment to the Justice Department authorization bill say states don't have the right to unilaterally override a federal law. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/07/24/MN85824.DTL Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Edward Epstein, Chronicle Washington BureauPublished: Thursday, July 24, 2003 Copyright: 2003 San Francisco Chronicle - Page A - 3 Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Related Articles & Web Sites:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Ed Rosenthal's Pictures & Articleshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/trialpics.htmInsurers Spurning Medicinal Pot Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16935.shtmlParts 1 & 2: Hinchey - Rohrabacher Amendmenthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16934.shtmlParts 3 & 4: Hinchey - Rohrabacher Amendmenthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16933.shtmlGrowing Outrage - Jacob Sullumhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16931.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by afterburner on July 24, 2003 at 18:03:23 PT: Flashback 2000! Richard Cowan At The Seattle Hempfest http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-172.html THC-TV with THC-TV http://www.pot-tv.net/ram/pottvshowse172.ram Running Time: 12 min Date Entered: 20 Aug 2000 Viewer Rating: 8.97 (15 votes) Number of Views: 672 "Rousing Speeches From The Mainstage, And Peter Mc Williams Stage By Pot- TV's own Anchor"ego transcendence follows ego destruction: Freedom has nothing to fear from the truth. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by CorvallisEric on July 24, 2003 at 12:18:53 PT Republican family and friends Rohrabacher, a self-described libertarian Republican ... He choked up as he told colleagues that he wished legal pot had been available when his mother was dying from cancer.I wonder if most Republicans who lead on this issue don't have family or friends in similar circumstances. Example, the Maryland legislator most responsible for starting their effort:[Delegate Donald Murphy (R-Baltimore)] became an unlikely pitchman for the medical marijuana provision three years ago [1999], after he was approached by a constituent who was dying of cancer. Darrell Putman, a fellow Republican who has since died, told him that smoking the drug eased the intense nausea he felt after chemotherapy. Murphy, a self-described "law-and-order Republican," adopted the cause. He had little success at first. http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/12/thread12360.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Windminstrel on July 24, 2003 at 08:43:36 PT They didn't want it to pass anyhow If they'd wanted it to pass, they would have attached it as an ammendment to a popular bill, like billy Biden did with the 'Rave' act. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on July 24, 2003 at 08:04:14 PT What About The Children? Good Morning Everyone,I'm in a strange mood today. I feel insulted that's the emotion I feel. They say what about protecting the children and yet they are going to show pictures of the executed bodies of Saddam Hussein's sons on the news very soon. As I wait to see these pictures I'm getting more upset. Many children are not supervised by a parent because both parents are working and controlling the tv is almost impossible. I didn't see dead bodies on tv when I was young. We were protected from that thank goodness. They are desensitizing people to killings but when Aljazeera showed the bodies of dead americans our goverment went orbital. Thanks for reading my rant. I'm very annoyed. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Kegan on July 24, 2003 at 07:55:08 PT Wiping their butts ............ with YOUR constitution.What are YOU gonna do about it, Amerika?How much longer are you gonna let this go on? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by afterburner on July 24, 2003 at 07:28:55 PT: It's Not Youth vs. Medicine Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., has a different view. "This is a cultural issue, " he said. "It's about taking the culture in the wrong direction. Medical marijuana laws send the wrong message to our youth." The message being sent to our youth by medical cannabis is one of compassion. Many medical drugs are not available to children. What kind of message does that send them?ego transcendence follows ego destruction, the world's foremost democracy is being left behind by the rest of the world in the compassionate use of medical cannabis. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by mike2003 on July 24, 2003 at 07:26:44 PT: people's vote means nothing Well i guess a person's vote means nothing.If you wanted this bill to pass i suggest you find out which of your state reprsentitives voted against this bill and not vote for them again.Its going to come to the point where state laws mean nothing.By god if alcohol were an issue the u.s federal government would say hell yeah make your own laws we love the kickback of money we get!thanks, mike [ Post Comment ] Post Comment