cannabisnews.com: Voters Approve Medical Use of Marijuana Voters Approve Medical Use of Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on August 04, 2004 at 16:19:27 PT By Marisol Bello, Free Press Staff Writer Source: Detroit Free Press Detroit voted Tuesday to allow residents to use and possess marijuana for medical purposes. The measure does not affect state and federal law. With 49 percent of precincts reporting early today, 59 percent of voters had approved the measure and 41 percent had opposed it. "I always knew Detroit would come through for people who need help," said Rochelle Lampkin, a city resident who smokes marijuana for relief from multiple sclerosis. But Andre Johnson, an antidrug activist, said, "This will be a silent killer for Detroit. It's the last thing Detroit needs." The city's proposal earned almost 60 percent approval from votes. It follows on the heels of a movement that has spread mainly in the West. But now other Midwestern cities, including Ann Arbor, Madison, Wis., and Columbia, Mo., are looking at similar measures. "A lot of places that are in your traditional Midwest are looking more like Berkeley, Los Angeles, Portland," said Allen St. Pierre, executive director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a Washington, D.C.-based group in favor of legalizing the drug. So far, nine states -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington -- allow the use of medical marijuana. The Detroit proposal exempts residents who use or possess marijuana for medical purposes from the portion of the city code that makes the drug illegal. That means Detroit police officers would not arrest or ticket residents with medical permission. Those found to illegally possess marijuana still would face up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. Federal agents, state police and county sheriff's deputies could still arrest people with marijuana in the city. But law enforcement officials say most marijuana possession cases are handled by Detroit police. "Our narcotics unit, we're looking for dealers. We're trying to get to the source of the problem," said Lawrence Meyer, undersheriff and chief deputy with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office. Drug Enforcement Agency special agent David Jacobson said the medical marijuana effort is a veiled push to legalize the drug. Advocates of medical marijuana "are preying on the compassion of people across the United States . . . but there is no value to smoking marijuana," he said. He would not say whether federal authorities would arrest or prosecute Detroiters found with marijuana for medical reasons, as has happened in other states with similar laws. Timothy Beck, head of the Detroit Coalition for Compassionate Care, the group that led the effort to place the proposal on the ballot, said smoking marijuana eases the suffering of people with AIDS, cancer and other diseases. "It's simple human justice," Beck said. "We find it reprehensible that people who are sick would be persecuted like criminals."Note: Yes vote would exempt people from city law.Source: Detroit Free Press (MI)Author: Marisol Bello, Free Press Staff WriterPublished: Wednesday, August 4, 2004Copyright: 2004 Detroit Free PressContact: letters freepress.comWebsite: http://www.freep.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Detroit Coalition for CChttp://www.mmdetroit.org/Detroit OKs Medical Use of Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19286.shtmlDetroit Voters Approve Allowing Med Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19279.shtmlMedical Use of Marijuana Nears a Winhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19278.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by Virgil on August 04, 2004 at 18:32:37 PT What happened to the high water mark? Funny how that thrown together poll by the Nazis at Partnership For a Drug Free America kind of hurts their credibility in the eyes of the ignorant that don't know they have no credibility on anything.Turmel had a big day in court today on two fronts. They have asked three times for the return of property in a case that was dismissed and the court is trying to ignore it. He will probably have something up later in the next message, but it could be that they cannot hide the death of prohibition for possession and cultivation any longer. The fuse is lit and here is the powder keg in Canada, the most interesting front in the effort to restore sanity to the governments of the world over the most miraculous of plants- http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MedPot/message/1324 [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by ekim on August 04, 2004 at 17:54:20 PT thanks to Howard and all wellwishers here http://www.leap.cc/events/events.php Aug 5 04 International Police & Firefighter Games 08:00 AM Howard Wooldridge Las Vegas Nevada USA Board Member Howard Wooldridge and Speaker Jay Fleming will be manning an exhibit at the International Police & Firefighter Games.Aug 9 04 Central Vermont Rotary Club 06:15 PM Peter Christ Berlin Vermont USA The Central Vermont Rotary Club welcomes Board Member Peter Christ for dinner and discussion of the failure of America's war on drugs.Aug 9 04 Rutland City Rotary Club 12:00 PM Peter Christ Rutland Vermont USA Board Member Peter Christ meets for lunch and discussion of the failure of the war on drugs with the Rutland City Rotary Club.Aug 9 04 National Black Police Association 32nd Annual Conference 09:00 AM Jack Cole Phoenix Arizona USA The 35,000+ members of the National Black Police Association invite Executive Director Jack Cole to join a panel discussion to explain the impact of drug prohibition on people of Color.Aug 10 04 WDEV AM Radio 09:30 AM Peter Christ Waterbury Vermont USA Board Member Peter Christ is a guest with host Mark Johnson on WDEV 550AM Radio. Topic: The failure of drug prohibition.Aug 11 04 Franklin Breakfast Rotary 07:00 AM Howard Wooldridge Franklin Tennessee USA Flying a kite will not be on the agenda when Board member Howard Wooldridg e meets with the Franklin Breakfast Rotary for breakfast and frank discussion of the failed war on drugs. http://www.leap.cc [ Post Comment ] Post Comment