cannabisnews.com: Assemblymen Seeks To Legalize Medical Marijuana





Assemblymen Seeks To Legalize Medical Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on September 08, 2004 at 23:34:50 PT
By David Benson, Staff Writer 
Source: Press of Atlantic City
It's an unlikely meeting between left and right: A self-described ultra-conservative lawmaker has joined with one of the Assembly's most liberal members to draft a bill to support the medical use of marijuana in New Jersey.Assemblymen Michael Patrick Carroll, R-Morris Township, and Reed Gusciora, D-Princeton Borough, rarely find themselves on common political ground.
"I'm about as far to the right as possible," Carroll said. "And Reed is about as far to the left as he can get."Yet, these two lawmakers found themselves on the same side of this issue for similar reasons."I had a constituent whose son passed away from cancer," Gusciora said. "And another constituent whose wife passed away from cancer." Gusciora said that, in both cases, the medicinal use of marijuana would have relieved nausea and sickness brought on by chemotherapy.For Carroll, considering the use of medicinal marijuana is both political and personal."When my grandmother was dying of a particularly nasty cancer, I would not have stood between her and a release from that pain," he said.Carroll's grandmother did not use marijuana, but the assemblyman believes that other patients should not be put in the position of having to choose between breaking the law and continuing to suffer."There's no such thing as an evil plant," Carroll said. "No such thing as an evil substance. If a patient can benefit from a substance, why should the law stand in between a patient and release?"More than that, however, Carroll said he believes that physicians should be able to choose which drugs they prescribe to their patients without interference from the government. "The less time we spend telling people what to do, the better," he said.The conservative lawmaker instead wants to use this bill to send a message t o the federal government - in particular, the Food and Drug Administration - to rethink its message to doctors."Physicians should be allowed to prescribe drugs as they see fit," Carroll said.If the bill, to be introduced this month, makes it through both legislative chambers and passes the governor's desk, New Jersey would join nine other states that have legalized medicinal marijuana.A spokesman for the Governor's Office, however, said that Gov. James E. McGreevey opposes the legalization of marijuana for medical use. A spokeswoman for state Senate President Richard J. Codey, who will become acting governor after McGreevey's Nov. 15 resignation, said he could not comment before reading the bill.Jim Miller, a Dover Township, Ocean County, resident, is a longtime activist for medicinal marijuana. On June 7, 2003, his wife, Cheryl, died after battling multiple sclerosis for more than 30 years.Cheryl Miller, also an activist for medicinal marijuana, was arrested in 1998 for ingesting marijuana inside the office of a U.S. congressman, with television cameras recording the scene. The U.S. Attorney's Office later declined to prosecute the Millers for possession of marijuana.Five years after the demonstration in the congressman's office, and after Cheryl's death, Jim Miller is finally hopeful that a workable medical marijuana bill will be presented to the Assembly. He sees the joining of the two lawmakers - from far right and far left - as the best chance New Jersey residents have of seeing medical marijuana legalized in the state."I'm about as optimistic as I can get," Miller said. "That Reed (Gusciora) brought on Michael Patrick Carroll astounded me."Miller said that, even though his wife has died, this bill is important to him."I asked Cheryl if she wanted to move to California in 1997," he said. California is one of the nine states that legalized medicinal marijuana. "And she asked me, 'If we went there, who would be here fighting?'"Miller's voice cracked a bit, but he went on: "I don't need to hear the people here in New Jersey cry out in pain. I don't need to see them to know that they're sick."Gusciora said medical marijuana can help people. "I don't think we should make criminals out of our terminally ill," he said. To e-mail David Benson at The Press:Complete Title: Unlikely Pair of State Assemblymen Seeks To Legalize Medicinal MarijuanaNewshawk: http://www.cherylheart.org/Source: Press of Atlantic City, The (NJ)Author: David Benson, Staff Writer Published: September 7, 2004Copyright: 2004 South Jersey Publishing Co.Contact: letters pressofac.comWebsite: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htm Legalize Medical Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19457.shtmlMedical Marijuana Use Has Bipartisan Support http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19420.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on September 09, 2004 at 10:57:26 PT
Conservatives of the World Unite...
You have nothing to lose but your pains. "There's no such thing as an evil plant," Carroll said. "No such thing as an evil substance. If a patient can benefit from a substance, why should the law stand in between a patient and release?"More than that, however, Carroll said he believes that physicians should be able to choose which drugs they prescribe to their patients without interference from the government. "The less time we spend telling people what to do, the better," he said.The conservative lawmaker instead wants to use this bill to send a message t o the federal government - in particular, the Food and Drug Administration - to rethink its message to doctors."Physicians should be allowed to prescribe drugs as they see fit," Carroll said.Doctors to practice medicine instead of federal bureaucrats with moralistic agendas: what a concept!
Medical Freedom Amendment for 2004!
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Comment #1 posted by Max Flowers on September 09, 2004 at 09:54:26 PT
Professional journalism and editing?
"Assemblymen Seeks"?? I'm amazed stuff like that makes it past the proofreaders on a newspaper staff. I want that proofreader's job, dammit.But I don't want to live in New Jersey.
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