cannabisnews.com: Montana To Vote on Medical Marijuana










  Montana To Vote on Medical Marijuana

Posted by CN Staff on September 22, 2004 at 07:04:31 PT
By Haines Eason, Montana Kaimin 
Source: Montana Kaimin  

Some people view the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes as a major step toward the drug’s total acceptance, but Missoula resident Robin Prosser deems it vital to her well-being. Prosser suffers from a form of lupus, a disease that can cause the body’s defenses to attack the joints, kidneys, blood and skin. She said she uses marijuana to curb the extreme nausea and discomfort caused by her medications.
In May of this year, no longer able to endure the pain from her illness, she attempted suicide. Responding officers found pot pipes and residue in her apartment while assisting her and charged her with possession of marijuana. Prosser’s case will be decided at the polls on Nov. 2, when Montanans vote on Initiative-148. If approved, Montana will be the ninth state to allow unrestricted use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Assuredly, many in Prosser’s situation will be watching intently. On Sept. 2, the State of Montana agreed to drop charges against Prosser if after a nine-month probatory period she has no further court appearances. According to Prosser, an arrangement was reached at trial allowing her continued use of medicinal marijuana, as it is part of her physician’s recommended treatment regimen. Asked if this arrangement with the state foreshadows coming changes, Prosser said she was “not sure,” and “couldn’t speak for anyone other than herself.” Paul Befumo, organizer and treasurer of the Missoula-based Medical Marijuana Policy Project of Montana, sees the Prosser agreement much more favorably. He and members of MMPPM, the group responsible for I-148, think Prosser’s agreement is a symptom of changing times and that her personal victory is strong evidence that the initiative is “definitely going to be successful,” Befumo said. “This isn’t something prosecutors or law enforcement agencies want to fight over now,” he said. “We just shouldn’t be putting people in jail over the meds they need.” That same sentiment is shared by several UM students. Jan Montgomery, a psychology major, said she thinks I-148 should be seriously considered by Montana and many other states. “Medicinal marijuana is a good thing to be used for lots and lots of patients that have everything from glaucoma to cancer complications,” Montgomery said. However, Jim Macintosh, an addiction counselor of 30 years and owner of Chemical Dependency Services in Kalispell, urged caution. “If we start talking about the [plant] form, we’re fooling ourselves as far as addiction is concerned. If we legalize [that] form, we get into a whole mess of issues outside of pain relief,” he said. “Marijuana itself, most people think, is not harmful, when in fact it is. It destroys white blood cells, may lengthen illnesses, is carcinogenic and encourages use of other drugs.” Macintosh cited the pill MARINOL, an FDA-approved synthetic form of the active ingredients in marijuana used to treat nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. He said that in pill form, the active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, is more effective in dealing directly with a patient’s pain, and avoids the common disorienting side effects associated with smoking. Despite the argument, in April the Montana secretary of state and attorney general stated that I-148 held legal water. MMPPM then collected 24,305 signatures, nearly 4,000 more than was needed to make the Nov. 2 ballot. According to Befumo, the petition was well received. “There isn’t an organized opposition to this initiative, and I don’t foresee any future difficulties,” Befumo said. If passed, I-148 would protect health care providers and terminally or seriously ill people who use or prescribe medical marijuana from arrest and prosecution. Additionally, medical marijuana patients could “grow up to six plants for their private use,” Befumo said. The Montana Department of Health and Human Services would issue ID cards to both patients and healthcare providers, allowing for quick confirmation of an individual’s status. Eight states – Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Colorado and Maine – have passed laws enabling the terminally ill to possess, use, and grow marijuana with a health care professional’s recommendation. Last year, Arizona legalized use with a doctor’s prescription and Maryland passed a law protecting medical marijuana patients from incarceration, but not arrest. According to Befumo, the time leading up to the November ballot will be spent educating Montanans about the benefits of medicinal marijuana for the seriously ill. Befumo and MMPPM will air television and radio spots to advertise the issue. Montana State University will host a debate about the initiative on Oct. 20, Befumo said. He said he thinks it will be well attended.Source: Montana Kaimin (MT Edu)Author: Haines Eason, Montana KaiminPublished: Wednesday, September 22, 2004Copyright: 2004 Montana KaiminContact: editor selway.umt.eduWebsite: http://www.kaimin.orgRelated Articles & Web Site:Montana Careshttp://montanacares.org/Pot and Prosecution http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19464.shtmlMissoula Man Advocates Pot as Medicine http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19501.shtmlMedical Marijuana Vote About Legalizing Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19431.shtmlMed Marijuana: Initiative Can Help State's Sickhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19410.shtml

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Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 27, 2004 at 10:11:50 PT

Related Article from The Montana Standard
Medical Marijuana Measure Enjoying Grassroots SupportBy Jennifer McKee of The Standard State Bureau September 27, 2004HELENA — Montana voters are big on traditional marriage, medical marijuana and taxing tobacco, a new Lee Newspaper poll shows.By a 61 to 32 percent margin, voters said they would support changing the Montana Constitution to define marriage as valid only if it involves one man and one woman and ban gay marriages. Seven percent were undecided on this measure, which will be on the November ballot as Constitutional Initiative 96.Men were more bullish on the idea that women. Sixty-six percent of men said they would vote for the amendment, compared with 56 percent of women. Thirty-eight percent of women voters said they would oppose CI-96, while 26 percent of male voters would vote against it.The poll, a telephone survey of 625 likely Montana voters, was conducted Sept. 20-22 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc., for Lee Newspapers of Montana. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.A lopsided majority said they would vote for Initiative 148 to legalize marijuana for people with debilitating medical conditions. The poll found 58 percent said they would vote for the measure, while 29 percent were against it and 13 percent were undecided.Women warmed up to medical marijuana more than men, with 63 percent of women supporting I-148 compared with 53 percent of men. Thirty-five percent of male voters opposed I-148, while 23 percent of women would. I-148 would protect patients using marijuana for medical purposes, their doctors and their caregivers from arrest and prosecution.Finally, 59 percent of likely voters said they would approve Initiative 149 to raise tobacco taxes and use the money on certain health care programs and other programs, while 30 percent rejected the idea and 11 percent were undecided.I-149 would increase tobacco taxes by 140 percent. The tax on a pack of cigarettes would rise from 70 cents to $1.70. The tax on snuff would increase from 35 cents to 85 cents an ounce and taxes on other tobacco products would increase from 25 percent to 50 percent of wholesale price.The overall price of tobacco would jump 25 percent.The proposed tax hike, if passed by a simple majority in November's general election, will raise $38.4 million for new health insurance and Medicaid initiatives, an additional $400,000 for state buildings and $6 million for the state's general budget.Women rallied around the tax hike more than men, with 63 percent support it, compared with 55 percent of men. Thirty-three percent of men opposed the ballot measure, compared with 27 percent of women.Copyright: 2004 Montana Standard 
 http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2004/09/27/newsstate/hjjfjahcjijgjh.txt 
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