cannabisnews.com: Medical Pot Group Targets Members





Medical Pot Group Targets Members
Posted by CN Staff on June 02, 2004 at 16:58:32 PT
By Peter Savodnik
Source: Hill News
Medical-marijuana backers are targeting a bipartisan group of House members that they claim are hostile to patients who toke up to ease the pain.On Friday — the one-year anniversary of the sentencing of Ed Rosenthal, who was convicted for growing marijuana — hundreds of patients and others will descend on 100 congressional district offices to protest what they view as the mistreatment of medical-marijuana users.
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is coordinating the protests. Targets include Reps. Joseph Hoeffel (D-Pa.) and George Nethercutt (R-Wash.), both running for Senate and Reps. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.), Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) and David Wu (D-Ore.).The group singled out members opposed to an amendment introduced by Reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) that would prevent the Justice Department from harassing medical-marijuana patients and caregivers.The amendment failed, attracting the support of 152 members last year. MPP spokesman Bruce Mirken said that it was impossible to target all the members who had opposed the amendment and that, in some cases, the group zeroed in on members considered possibly open to a vote change. Mirken said focusing on some members — such as Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) — “would be a waste of time.” Souder spokesman Martin Green, said, “Congressman Souder, in his capacity as chairman of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources, has held hearings at which the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies that have examined [both] sides [of the issue] have demonstrated that there isn’t medicinal value in smoked marijuana.”Mirken said the MPP hopes that the medical-marijuana issue could tip the scales in close Senate contests in Washington, Pennsylvania and elsewhere this fall.Source: Hill, The (US DC)Author: Peter SavodnikPublished: June 3, 2004Copyright: 2004 The HillContact: aleisele thehill.comWebsite: http://www.hillnews.com/Related Article & Web Sites:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Ed Rosenthal's Trial Pictures & Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/trialpics.htmAn Anniversary That Calls for Actionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18937.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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