cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Approved Medical Marijuana Approved Posted by CN Staff on November 03, 2004 at 08:53:41 PT By Allison Farrell, Gazette State Bureau Source: Billings Gazette Helena -- Montanans suffering from certain medical conditions may be able to legally smoke marijuana to ease their symptoms come January 1. The Medical Marijuana Act passed by a 63 to 37 percent margin Tuesday with 375 of 881 precincts reporting. The new act will protect patients, their doctors and their caregivers from state and local arrest and prosecution for the medical use of marijuana. Teresa Michalski of Helena couldn't be happier. Michalski once lived in fear that her late son, Travis, would spend the last few months of his short life in jail for using marijuana during the last stages of Hodgkin's disease. "I knew the people in Montana were compassionate and I could count on them," said Michalski, a fifth-generation Montanan. U.S. Deputy Drug Czar Scott Burns, however, warned Montanans that federal law trumps state law, and said during a recent visit to Montana that no state initiative permitting the medical use of marijuana can circumvent the federal law prohibiting the possession and use of the drug. "There's no safe harbor," Burns said. But Paul Befumo, treasurer of the Marijuana Policy Project of Montana, said he's "elated" that the measure passed. "People don't have to worry about being criminalized any more," he said. Proponents say smoking marijuana relieves nausea, increases appetite, reduces muscle spasms, relieves chronic pain and reduces pressure in the eyes. It can be used to treat the symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and glaucoma, among other diseases, they say. Medical marijuana has been approved by voters in Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. In Hawaii, a law was passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor in 2000. In Vermont, a law was passed by the Legislature and allowed to become law without the governor's signature in May 2004, the Marijuana Policy Project reports. The Montana measure's campaign was financially backed by the national Marijuana Policy Project out of Washington, D.C.Source: Billings Gazette, The (MT)Author: Allison Farrell, Gazette State Bureau Published: November 3, 2004 Copyright: 2004 The Billings GazetteContact: speakup billingsgazette.comWebsite: http://www.billingsgazette.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Montana Careshttp://montanacares.org/Voters Pass Medical Marijuana Ballothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19758.shtml I-148 Blowing Smoke, Vote No on Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19733.shtmlMedical Marijuana Debate a Smoking Issuehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19718.shtmlMarijuana Should Be in The Toolboxhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19664.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by FoM on November 03, 2004 at 13:37:54 PT Hope I mean that war will be more important then us. Medical marijuana will continue to make progress but the overall drug war issues won't be important under Bush. Lock em up and throw away the key is Bush's way of thinking. That will teach them and then they'll find God. Then their base gets stronger. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Hope on November 03, 2004 at 13:27:19 PT "we will become unimportant" comment 6 That can't happen. There are too many of us and we have become too loud to be ignored. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by runruff on November 03, 2004 at 13:02:33 PT: The bitter root. Thoses of who think in terms of liberty for liberty sake, tend to forget. We are up aginst people and oginizations whos' purpose is much more defined and base. Money is the root of all politics. Job security and profits are the driving force behind all prohibition. The rest is all rhetoric. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by dr slider on November 03, 2004 at 12:22:25 PT: 2 cents The duality of cognitive discourse is but the moldy skin of the fruit of Trinity. Below the surface the juices percolate. In time the fruit will ripen.What difference between a shrub and a statesman?Patience brings peace to the heart. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 03, 2004 at 12:00:14 PT Hope I know you want to be hopeful but how Bush will leave us alone is we will become unimportant because of how the war will take over. Bombings, killings, a draft for sure now, invading other countries will be the priority. We can still win medical marijuana under Bush but nothing else will change. Drug laws will stay as they are but medical marijuana has gotten a foot hold and is seen as ok with many republicans as well as democrats. Hard drugs are a totally different story I think.About Kerry he is an honestly good man. Our country needed him. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Hope on November 03, 2004 at 11:55:09 PT mandate I've been dreading hearing that word, and I just did.Kerry's concession speech was touching. He looked more real than he ever has. It made me love him. It would have been good if more people could have seen him like that before the vote. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Hope on November 03, 2004 at 11:50:33 PT inclined to see us better Of course...with their new "mandate" in hand...they may see us and feel they should "get us", and remove our right to freedom of speech. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Hope on November 03, 2004 at 11:37:04 PT "NOTHING TO LOSE" Lombar, I thought about that last night, too. Grasping for bits of hope and light in the whole mess...it occurred to me that maybe...if he, Bush, really is a decent person, which he claims to be, that, with nothing to lose, he might be inclined to see us better instead of ignoring us and maybe the light will dawn on him and, with nothing to lose, he will be able to see the folly of prohibition and move us, as a nation, closer to peace and freedom.I know...it's wild and crazy and more than a little bit stupid to even imagine such a thing. I get the Pollyanna badge for today for sure. But, Governor Johnson did it and miracles do happen. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by lombar on November 03, 2004 at 09:18:40 PT Woke up to insults,4 more years of going backwards Sorry if this is off-topicThe former health minister, Anne Mclellen was quoted :GROW-OPS POSE 'SERIOUS THREAT' TO PUBLIC SAFETY, MINISTER SAYSMarijuana Still Illegal, Users 'Pretty Stupid,' Mclellan SaysThe federal government is committed to eradicating marijuana grow operations and people who smoke marijuana are "stupid," Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan said yesterday."I see grow-ops as one of the single biggest problems we face in our communities -- they do represent a serious threat to public safety," Ms. McLellan told Canada's first national conference on the illicit operations, which opened yesterday in Ottawa.http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1565/a10.html?397I can't get the rest, you have to be subscriber, which I would never do since all the global media exudes right-wing bias. However I can see it shaping up. Now more demonizing will start. In two paragraphs...cannabis users stupid, grow ops dangerous and I'd be willing to wager that there is nothing in the article to back it up(since it is not true). I am SO stupid that I fix computers, maintain several systems, run linux and keep up with the lame governments moves to demonise my recreational activities. I am not so stupid to vote for the CORRUPT liberal party of Canada. I suppose our goverment figures that if they crackdown on pot the Bush administration will lighten up on trade issues. Dream on...I hope the world survives 4 years of Bush who now has NOTHING TO LOSE. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by dongenero on November 03, 2004 at 09:10:19 PT Burns said.... "There's no safe harbor," Burns said.......for U.S. voters with AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and glaucoma, among other diseases. Welcome to 4 more years of intolerant theology and dogma. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment