cannabisnews.com: An Anniversary That Calls for Action





An Anniversary That Calls for Action
Posted by CN Staff on June 02, 2004 at 13:19:35 PT
By Steve Fox, AlterNet
Source: AlterNet
One year ago, on June 4, 2003, something remarkable happened in a California courtroom: A judge who could have sentenced the defendant in front of him to 40 years in federal prison instead heeded the pleas of the jurors who had convicted the man, who said that their own verdict was wrong. The judge let the man walk free, sentenced only to time already served, and a tragic injustice was averted. Still, Ed Rosenthal – who was simply obeying the laws of his state and trying to help sick people – left that courthouse a convicted felon. Congress must make sure that such an injustice never happens again.
Eight states allow seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana legally, and in a matter of days, Vermont will become the ninth. These laws have given a measure of comfort to tens of thousands of patients battling cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other horrific illnesses. But the federal government refuses to accept these laws and continues to wage a bizarre and cruel war on the sick. Federal agents have stormed into homes and businesses, arresting sick people and their caregivers. In one particularly grotesque raid, Drug Enforcement Administration agents pointed automatic rifles at the head of Suzanne Pfeil, paralyzed from the after – effects of polio, demanding that she stand – and when she couldn't, they handcuffed her to her bed. Congress will soon have an opportunity to stop this madness by passing what is called the Hinchey/Rohrabacher amendment. This measure, to be introduced by a New York Democrat and a conservative California Republican during consideration of the Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill, would prevent the federal government from interfering with state medical marijuana laws. It would end the DEA's raids on medical marijuana patients and caregivers following state law. It would not prevent the DEA from arresting individuals who are involved in marijuana-related activities unconnected to medical use. Last year, 152 members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted for this sensible, humane proposal – an impressive start, but not nearly good enough. It will take 66 more votes for the House to pass this amendment. Those votes shouldn't be hard to come by, since a huge majority of Americans supports medical marijuana. According to a Time/CNN poll taken in October 2002, 80 percent of the American people "think adults should be able to use marijuana legally for medical purposes." The public understands that it is cruel and pointless to criminalize people battling terrible illnesses for trying to relieve some of their suffering. Support for protecting medical marijuana patients continues to grow in America's public health community. At its 2003 annual meeting, the 2.6 million member American Nurses Association adopted a resolution supporting medical marijuana, calling for "legislation to remove criminal penalties including arrest and imprisonment for bona fide patients." Other groups taking a similar stand in recent months include the American Academy of HIV Medicine and the Rhode Island Medical Society, as well as the United Methodist Church. These groups join an impressive list of organizations supporting legal access to medical marijuana for seriously ill patients, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Public Health Association and the New England Journal of Medicine. The federal government has been consistently hostile to medical marijuana, yet a federally funded study concluded that marijuana is an effective medicine. According to the 1999 National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine's report, Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base, "Nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety are all afflictions of wasting, and all can be mitigated by marijuana." The experts and the public agree: It makes no sense to subject people fighting for their lives to arrest and jail just because they and their doctor find that medical marijuana provides relief when standard medicines fail. It is time for Congress to stop this madness, now. Steve Fox is director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. Source: AlterNet (US)Author: Steve Fox, AlterNetPublished: June 2, 2004Copyright: 2004 Independent Media InstituteContact: letters alternet.org Website: http://www.alternet.org/DL: http://alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18845Related Articles & Web Sites:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Drug Policy Alliancehttp://www.drugpolicy.org/Americans For Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccessnow.org/Ed Rosenthal's Trial Pictures & Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/trialpics.htmThe Debate: Hinchey - Rohrabacher http://freedomtoexhale.com/dofcomm.htmCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #5 posted by afterburner on June 03, 2004 at 08:40:47 PT
'Crude Plants' God-Given for Healing of Nations
Ezekiel 47:12
' And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. ' 
http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?passage=EZEK+47:12&language=english&version=KJV&showfn=on&showxref=on
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Comment #4 posted by BigDawg on June 03, 2004 at 06:04:44 PT
This always gets to me...
"The experts and the public agree: It makes no sense to subject people fighting for their lives to arrest and jail just because they and their doctor find that medical marijuana provides relief when standard medicines fail."^^^Cannabis has been used by humans for 5000 to 8000 years depending on who ya ask. What is standard medicne? That which has been safely used for thousands of years... or some chemical concoction created in a lab in the last half century?
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Comment #3 posted by global_warming on June 02, 2004 at 16:49:20 PT
Real Heroes
The ones who are in cages and the ones with scars on their backs because of this "prohibition"..I sure hope to watch on cspan this vote, maybe somebody will post the time?This event may become the true turning point in this crazy world.
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on June 02, 2004 at 15:20:46 PT
Real Heroes
the American Nurses Association - heroes the American Academy of HIV Medicine - heroes the Rhode Island Medical Society - heroes the United Methodist Church - heroes the American Academy of Family Physicians - heroes the American Public Health Association - heroes the New England Journal of Medicine - heroes 
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Comment #1 posted by mayan on June 02, 2004 at 14:02:01 PT
85% - 90%?
According to a Time/CNN poll taken in October 2002, 80 percent of the American people "think adults should be able to use marijuana legally for medical purposes."I wonder what the percentage is now with the massive backlash against Bush and America's ever-increasing enlightenment - thanks to the internet. The politicians better get on board or they will be out on the street!Sorry if this has already been posted...Texas study shows anti-drug ads don't work:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2595607The way out...Moore's Anti-Bush Film Set for June 25 U.S. Debut:
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Entertainment/reuters20040601_572.htmlMoore Documentary Gets U.S. Distributor: 
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=529&e=1&u=/ap/20040602/ap_en_mo/michael_moore_film9/11 Sceptics Hold Inquiry:
http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=239859/11 CitizensWatch:
http://www.911citizenswatch.org/
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