cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Bill Passes Assembly Committee





Medical Marijuana Bill Passes Assembly Committee
Posted by CN Staff on March 04, 2004 at 09:26:16 PT
By Robert Lachman 
Source: Millbrook Round Table 
Buying, selling or using marijuana is illegal in New York State but a bill legalizing marijuana for medical purposes and supported by two local legislators has passed the Assembly Health Committee.The Assembly Health Committee voted 18-6 to approve bill A. 5796 on Feb. 24. The bill is sponsored by 41 Assembly members including seven Republicans.
Assemblymen Patrick Manning (R- East Fishkill) and Joel Miller (R- Poughkeepsie) are among them.Miller said he was the first Republican to sign on to the bill early last year and that for a long time, as a Republican, he was discouraged from being part of a bill sponsored by Democrats. "Things have softened lately and this is the first time Republicans have been able to do this," said Miller. "This is the worst part of partisan politics."The Health Committee is the first of three committees that the bill must pass before it can find its way to the Senate and the Assembly floors. If it passes the Codes and Ways and Means Committees it may have a chance."I think the main indicator of it is that the bill now has seven Republican co-sponsors," said Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard N. Gottfried who began sponsoring this bill in 1997."It's a pretty wide ideological spectrum and I'm hoping we will build from that," he said. Not enough votes This is not the first time the bill has passed those three committees. Last year, the bill passed all three committees by large bipartisan margins but there were not enough votes to move it to the floor for a vote."There is no Senate sponsor for the bill yet," said Gottfried."It's a pretty controversial issue and I think a lot of my colleagues are reluctant to back it," Gottfried said. "But if a patient and his or her doctor agree that marijuana is the most effective treatment for a serious illness, government should not interfere."The bill has the support of the Westchester, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess and Rockland Medical societies.Adam Bradley, Kevin Cahill, Thomas Kirwan, Amy Paulin and Gary Pretlow are among other Hudson Valley legislators who are sponsoring the bill.The New York County Medical Society and the New York State Health Department's AIDS Advisory Council as well as a number of other medical associations throughout the state support the bill."I cannot verify for a fact there are legitimate uses for marijuana as a medication, but physicians can," Miller said."A drug is a drug and a medicament is a medicament and I disagree with any legislation that gets between a patient and a doctor or a doctor and a patient," Miller said. Assembly Health Committee legislative aide Michael Rabinowitz said one of the reasons the bill could pass this time around is because it is so tightly controlled and there is no chance of the drug being diverted from medical to recreational use. Long touted as effective Marijuana has long been touted by patients and doctors alike as effective in treating glaucoma, the side effects from chemotherapy drugs, multiple sclerosis and the wasting syndrome associated with AIDS.No conditions are specified in the bill because, according to the Health Committee spokesman, "We didn't want a bill that was out of date."Perhaps medical marijuana's time has come in New York State. A statewide Zogby Poll conducted last year found that 66% of New Yorkers would be more likely to vote for their legislators if he or she voted to legalize the medical use of marijuana."Thousands of seriously ill New Yorkers could benefit from medically supervised marijuana," stated Vincent Marrone of New Yorkers for Compassionate Care, a coalition of health practitioners and patients. "The Health Committee's action provides hope that someday soon physicians and patients can make treatment decisions without fear of criminal sanction," Marrone said.According to Rabinowitz, if this bill passes it would allow physicians and other health care professionals who can prescribe controlled substances the right to treat patients with life-threatening or degenerative diseases with marijuana.Patients could then legally possess limited amounts of the drug from strictly regulated non-profit state sponsored organizations."It's an uphill battle but I would ask my Republican colleagues to put partisanship aside and support this bill," Miller said. "We're not legalizing marijuana for sale in Wal-Mart. It will only be available by prescription." "I don't think it has ever been proven that marijuana is a gateway drug and I think it has a better chance of passing than ever before," he said.Complete Title: Medical Marijuana Bill Passes Assembly Health Committee Source: Millbrook Round Table (NY)Author: Robert LachmanPublished: March 4, 2004Copyright: 2004 Millbrook Round Table Contact: roundtable midhudsoncentral.comWebsite: http://www.millbrookroundtable.com/ Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmMedical Marijuana Bill Gains Kirwan's Support http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18399.shtmlMedical Marijuana Measure Advances http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18398.shtmlPols Stoke Debate on Medical Pot Use http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18390.shtmlNY Panel OKs Medical Marijuana Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15911.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #9 posted by FoM on March 05, 2004 at 14:45:46 PT
Reefer Madness: Marijuana-Logues - March 18th 
Reefer Madness: Marijuana-Logues Explores the Pursuit of Pot, Starting March 18 in NYCBy Kenneth JonesMarch 5, 2004 The Marijuana-Logues, a new theatre piece that doesn't attempt to glorify pot smoking but rather "illustrates that cannabis culture can be a thing of substance" and humor, begins an open-ended run March 18 at the Actors' Playhouse in Greenwich Village.Ideal Entertainment Group and Magic Arts & Entertainment present the work, written and performed by comic-actors Arj Barker, Doug Benson and Tony Camin and directed by Jim Millan. Actors' Playhouse has been home recently to Naked Boys Singing, which moves to midtown Manhattan March 10."Catch the buzz as Barker, Benson and Camin riff on the rites and rituals of pot and regale the crowd with the highs and lows of marijuana," states the announcement. "Told from all points of view from hazy to highbrow, The Marijuana-Logues...sets herb centerstage, delving into fact and fiction, myths and misnomers alike. Not since the '60s has there been such an exploration of this oft-taboo but totally titillating topic."Opening is set for March 30.Arj Barker, Doug Benson and Tony Camin are national touring stand-up comics as well as actors.Director Jim Millan hails from Canada. He founded Crow's Theatre in 1983, which has since produced over 50 new works and numerous tours in Canada and abroad. He is best known for his creation and work on the "Kids in the Hall" show, Same Guys, New Dresses which played five sold-out months across the U.S. and Canada. In 2002, he created and directed the latest "Kids in the Hall" production, Tour of Duty, which toured North America and was filmed for pay-per-view/DVD release. With the "Kids" he develops and stages new material and also revisits favorite sketches for adaptation to stage. He is the team's director as they consider future projects.Founded by Jeffrey Chrzczon and A.C. Lichtenstein, Ideal Entertainment Group is a versatile entertainment company specializing in the management and production of live entertainment. Other current credits include the rock musical Ministry of Progress at the Jane Street Theatre and the international tour of Spider Man Live!Lee D. Marshall and longtime partner Joe Marsh have rejoined to form Magic Arts & Entertainment. The powerhouse team has produced and promoted some of the most successful concerts, theatrical and family shows worldwide for the last 20 years. Theatrical producing credits include the national tours of Jesus Christ Superstar, The Magic of David Copperfield, Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance, Hello, Dolly! starring Carol Channing, Evita, A Chorus Line, West Side Story, The Pointer Sisters' Ain’t Misbehavin' and The Gin Game starring Julie Harris and Charles Durning.The Marijuana-Logues will play Tuesday through Thursday at 8 PM, Friday & Saturday at 8 PM & 10 PM and Sunday at 4:20 PM. The Actors’ Playhouse is located at 100 Seventh Avenue South (between Christopher and Bleecker). All tickets are $55 and can be purchased through Telecharge.com at www.telecharge.com.A limited number of same-day $20 "rush" tickets will be available for purchase at the box office only at 4:20 PM on each performance day, except Sunday when "rush" tickets will be available at 3 PM. Limit four $20 tickets per person, subject to availability. For more info, go to: http://www.marijuanalogues.com/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/84788.html
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by FoM on March 04, 2004 at 18:55:59 PT
sukoi 
Thank you for using those articles on Senator Kerry's board! I appreciate it! Keep getting the word out! 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by FoM on March 04, 2004 at 15:47:03 PT
Thank sukoi 
If they do start a separate forum for mj and or hemp issues please let me know. That would be interesting to read. I know Marc Emery is involved with that substance for heroin addicts. It probably works. Cannabis can help a person off of hard drugs. That I do know. There is plenty of time to push for MJ reform. It's a long way off until election time. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by sukoi on March 04, 2004 at 15:15:05 PT
About the Kerry forum
FoM, no they haven't started a thread specifically about MJ. The thread has kind of been going back and forth between Ibogaine (which I'll admit I had never heard of prior to reading about it at Kerrys' forum) and cannabis. I don't know what happened to the "Hemp" thread that I started, the moderator said that it was merged with the WOD thread, but I couldn't find any of the posts. I think that it should have been left where it was. I suspect that it was probably moved or deleted because it was among the "issues" on the main page. Here is the link to the current WOD thread:Issues and Solutions to the War on Drugs, Volume 2
http://forum.johnkerry.com//index.php?s=61f1bc18f69ae72d1c066909c5674ba0&showtopic=8035&st=210
 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by FoM on March 04, 2004 at 13:41:13 PT
A Question About Kerry's Forum
Have they started a marijuana topic yet? Did everyone give up on Kerry's board. I only have one bookmark but it isn't at all about marijuana issues. I'm going to delete the bookmark but if they get one going on MJ please let me know and I'll bookmark that one then. Thanks in advance.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by FoM on March 04, 2004 at 11:41:39 PT
Live Vote and Article from MSNBC
Bush Campaign Defends TV AdsSome families of victims of 9/11 attacks are angry March 04, 2004Live Vote  If the presidential election were held this week, who would you vote for?  * 20364 responses  
 
 George W. Bush -- 48%  
 John Kerry -- 49%  
 Ralph Nader -- 3% 
 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4420934/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on March 04, 2004 at 11:07:34 PT
Why the Repubs need to lose to survive
They have strayed from core conservative values in Iraq and in the WOD and in the Patriot Act.The Repubs need to lose so they can get their party back under some kind of coherent ideology.Rather than this mishmash of Christian-Soviet thinking where the imagine that God wants a really big Soviet-style government so the government can force everyone to be saved, or put them in prison if they won't be.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on March 04, 2004 at 11:04:30 PT
Losing in 2004 will be good for them
I think losing in 2000 was good for the Democrats. Once they stopped obsessing over being victims, and started acting like grownups again, they finally started to see maybe they shouldn't make war on this community.Losing in 2004 wil be good for the Republicans. They need it, we need it, everyone needs it.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by Max Flowers on March 04, 2004 at 09:50:53 PT
Republicans, get on board
Get on board this life raft before the U.S.S. Cannabiswar goes under, taking you with it. She's listing heavily and taking on water. All aboard who want to survive!
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment