cannabisnews.com: Committee Approves Medical Marijuana Bill





Committee Approves Medical Marijuana Bill
Posted by CN Staff on March 15, 2004 at 15:33:37 PT
By The Associated Press
Source: Associated Press 
Hartford, Conn. -- A bill that will allow sick people to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes cleared its first legislative hurdle Monday, despite opposition from lawmakers who described the measure as a backdoor attempt to legalize the drug.The Legislature's Judiciary Committee voted 24-15 to approve the bill, which is nearly identical to a measure that made it out of committee last year before failing on the House floor. This year's bill decreases the number of plants that can be grown from six plants to five and would require the plants be grown in a secure, indoor area, said bill sponsor state Rep. Jim Abrams.
The bill is not an attempt to legalize or decriminalize marijuana for recreational use, Abrams said."It's used to treat sick people to keep them out of jail," said Abrams, D-Meriden.The bill would allow doctors to provide a written certification that qualifies their patient to use marijuana only for medical purposes. The patient or a caregiver would then be allowed to grow up to five plants for personal use and present the doctor's certificate as a legal defense for having the illegal substance.Connecticut's public policy enacted in the early 1980s permits physicians to prescribe marijuana for people suffering from cancer, glaucoma, AIDS and other chronically painful illnesses. Patients say it relieves pain and nausea when no other drugs can. But doctors in Connecticut have not prescribed marijuana because its use is illegal under federal law.Under the bill, the certificate also would provide the doctor with a defense from federal prosecution."It takes the doctor out of the chain of procurement," Abrams said.Opponents contend the bill would make the drug more available to society as a whole."You have proponents out there whose underlying goal is to legalize the drug," said state Rep. Robert Farr, who voted against the measure.He said there are other legal drugs available that can be used to treat the maladies.Farr questioned the validity of studies that tout the medicinal benefits of pot for people with glaucoma, an incurable and painful eye condition and the second leading cause of the blindness. He pointed to other studies that showed the opposite."It's not effective, but actually causes further eye damage," Farr said. "The message that we send out to our society is that somehow marijuana is not a dangerous drug."Other critics suggested that the drug should be controlled by pharmacies and not grown by the user. Still others questioned the unintended legal consequences that may arise from the law."The scenario that we are creating all to get around a federal law that is the problem, creates a bigger set of circumstances," said state Rep. Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk.But Abrams countered that the judicial system is equipped to deal with the gray areas of the law."That's what the courts are for," Abrams said. "There are always questions around the edges and that's why we have trials. If someone's busted under those circumstances, that's what the courts will have to determine."Eight states - Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington - have laws protecting seriously ill patients who use medical marijuana with their doctor's recommendations.The Connecticut bill heads to the full House where it will likely be forwarded to the Public Health Committee for further review.Source: Associated Press Published: March 15, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Associated Press Related Articles & Web Sites:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmMarijuana Proposal Revivedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18430.shtmlPhysicians Testify in Support of MMJ Legislation http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18425.shtmlMarijuana Bill Surprises Some With Support http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16253.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on March 17, 2004 at 09:49:26 PT
Related Video and News Article from WTNH.com
Video: http://video.wtnh.com/news/2004/mar/clips/03172004-marijuana.ramDebate Over Legalizing Marijuana for Medical Use
 (New Haven-WTNH, Mar. 17, 2004 12:10PM ) _ This week, a bill allowing medical marijuana in Connecticut got the green light from a legislative committee. The bill, now heading for review, would allow patients to use pot for their pain. However, not everyone says they should be allowed to.Watch the story by News Channel 8's Jocelyn Maminta. 
Today, opponents were at the state capitol speaking out against legalizing marijuana for medical use. They say there's already an accepted alternative treatment available. Marinol is a marijuana derivative and is used for the same purposes as smoking marijuana. What concerns them most about legalizing marijuana for medical use is that it compounds the problem of drug abuse among young people. Maxwell Barrand, Norwalk High student says, "On a daily basis I see fellow students with drugs or paraphernalia -- even boasting to one another about their new pipe. All this goes on in the classroom despite the fact that marijuana is illegal. Legalizing any form of smoked marijuana is ludicrous. Already rampant among students, marijuana will become justified in their minds and all hesitation to use it will end."The bill would allow patients with cancer, glaucoma, or some other type of painful debilitating disease to use marijuana. Doctors will have to certify their medical conditions, then the patient or caregiver will be permitted to grow up to five marijuana plants. The doctor's certification would be used as a legal defense and provide legal protection from federal prosecution. House legislators are expected to vote on the bill this month.http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=1717926&nav=3YeXLb06
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on March 15, 2004 at 21:22:33 PT
Cannabis Enthusiast
Here's the article I found.New Group Backs Medical Marijuana in Texas March 02, 2004 By Ann Hatchitt, Austin Business Journal Staff Source: Austin Business Journal  A newly organized group has launched a campaign to promote the medicinal use of marijuana in Texas. Texans for Medical Marijuana will work to change current law so that seriously ill Texans can have the right to use marijuana under a doctor's recommendation. The group plans to encourage Texans to influence state legislators to support medical marijuana legislation. Snip:http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread18431.shtml
Texans For Medical Marijuana
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Comment #4 posted by Cannabis Enthusiast on March 15, 2004 at 21:08:56 PT
HOLY CRAP! Texas just pulled a "Nevada".
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=&Group_ID=4566^Texas pot lawsWas this story on CannabisNews? I have been somewhat out of the loop for awhile, getting my life back in order, but I just almost s**t in my pants when I was reading talk.politics.drugs (USENET) and saw that Texas decriminalized not only marijuana, but all personal use quantities of drugs at THE STATE LEVEL!Goddamn, I have faith in this hellhole of a country (U.S.) that we may someday have sane drug policies. 
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Comment #3 posted by Virgil on March 15, 2004 at 17:18:28 PT
The stuff of caricature
He said there are other legal drugs available that can be used to treat the maladies.One of these days a crowd will break out laughing when these cartoon figures spout the same old lines. Here we see another lie and something goofy anyway. This is a goofy lie. The reason the opposition comes from the pill industry is because cannabis is as friendly as Ronald McDonald is to youthful customers. Stupid is probably a better word than goofy, but lie is as accurate and simple as you can get for the above statement.
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Comment #2 posted by Petard on March 15, 2004 at 16:45:35 PT
Frozen, blind, and
brain damaged, immune compromised, lungs full of cancers and tars, nerve damaged, constipated, depressed, schizoid, manic, and "libruhls". Why it's just amazing with all the physical and emotional problems this Miracle Plant causes us that we're even still alive. Even more amazing that with all the "damage" this "drug" does that there's NEVER been a fatality caused by cannabis. 
Aw heck, there goes my shakes and 'pheming, gotta get me some more before the convulsions of withdrawal start, again. Maybe if I go knock over a liquor store and rape the white women inside I can score me some reefer? Jes hopes ah dun hafta kill me no chilruns dis here time massa an dat I dun turn inner no bat and goes ta flyin roun' neitha.Why, between gay marriage and med mj the apocalypse MUST be upon us. Hey, when do the riots and looting begin? I'd hate to miss it. Quick somebody dump some Crisco on my head!! Save me!
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on March 15, 2004 at 15:40:38 PT
Yay!
Another step forward. Nice job by the AP quoting all opponents on a story about the measure passing by a huge margin.According to the all the recent propaganda, as a daily user of cannabis, I must be frozen to death AND blind by now.  Is this heaven?
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