cannabisnews.com: MMJ: Drug Bust Sparks Questions Over Law MMJ: Drug Bust Sparks Questions Over Law Posted by CN Staff on August 29, 2007 at 21:56:11 PT By Phaedra Haywood, The New Mexican Source: New Mexican New Mexico -- County Commissioner Harry Montoya said Wednesday that he disapproves of the state’s new medical-marijuana law and will try to use his elected position to prevent sanctioned cultivation or distribution in Santa Fe county.Montoya is president and chief executive of a nonprofit called Hands Across Cultures, which works to prevent and treat substance abuse, among other goals. As a commissioner, he represents District 1, which is primarily in the northern part of the county and includes Nambé and Chimayó. Montoya said the new state law, which legalizes the medicinal use of marijuana by people with cancer, epilepsy, AIDS, glaucoma and spinal cord injuries, sends a mixed message to young people. “Socially, morally, ethically and physically, this is not a good policy,” Montoya said Wednesday, speaking at news conference he called to discuss his opposition to the law.Diego Lopez, an employee of Hands Across Cultures, said the law, which took effect in July, works against the group’s efforts to increase young people’s awareness of the ill effects of drug and alcohol use. “They’re looking at it as something healthy,” Lopez said. Montoya, a Democrat, said he was breaking party lines by opposing the law, which was adopted by a state Legislature dominated by Democrats and supported by New Mexico’s Democratic governor, Bill Richardson. Montoya noted he has opposed the measure publicly since 1997. Montoya said it was “no secret” that Richardson had received $50,000 from the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that works to reform drug policies. Montoya said one of his main problems with the law is it conflicts with federal law. He said he thinks the plant “has its proper medicinal use and purpose” in a pill form called Marinol, but he doesn’t agree with the state’s decision to legalize the smoking of marijuana by those certified to use the plant.He commended the Department of Health for its recent reluctance to implement a marijuana-distribution system outlined in the law because it could put state employees at risk for federal prosecution. Department of Health spokeswoman Deborah Busemeyer said the department is going to revisit the possibility of distributing medical marijuana, as was intended by the legislators.“In the meantime, we’re still certifying patients that are eligible to posses it,” she said. “We don’t’ think there is any mixed message. It’s about providing relief for people that are suffering from chronic conditions. It’s a medical program.”County Sheriff Greg Solano, who acknowledged he is not “in sync” with most law enforcement thinking on the issue, said he thinks the state should grow and distribute marijuana so patients who are legally allowed to smoke it can do so safely.“I do think medical marijuana is a good idea in a very strict number of cases,” said Solano, who recently announced plans to run for lieutenant governor. “But I’m not in favor of grow-your-own or people buying it on the streets. I would only support medical marijuana if it was grown and distributed by the state.” Source: New Mexican, The (Santa Fe, NM)Author: Phaedra Haywood, The New Mexican Published: August 29, 2007 Copyright: 2007 The Santa Fe New MexicanContact: webeditor sfnewmexican.com Website: http://www.freenewmexican.com/Related Articles:Multi-Agency Drug Task Force Wastes Money http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23292.shtmlDrug Bust Sparks Questions Over Lawhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23291.shtmlFeds Should OK Medicinal Marijuana Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23287.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #12 posted by FoM on August 31, 2007 at 08:41:36 PT whig Enjoy your holiday weekend. We are going to a friends home tomorrow and have a cookout and watch the town's fireworks tomorrow night. The weather is beautiful for the weekend. Fall is in the air. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by whig on August 31, 2007 at 08:36:38 PT Look at the adjectives Bill Richardson is "angry" and will use "every trick" according to the writer.Look at the adjectives they use to describe each person.I'm heading out of town so I can't do a full analysis of this right now, we're getting on the road soon. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by whig on August 31, 2007 at 08:33:16 PT NM "Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya calls himself a strong Bill Richardson supporter, but he'll fight him every step of the way to get the law off the books."Perhaps Harry Montoya thinks that a county commissioner makes state law? [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on August 30, 2007 at 19:10:08 PT Governor to Battle with Feds over Marijuana Law August 30, 2007 A battle is brewing in Santa Fe over medical marijuana. An angry Governor Richards wants the feds to leave sick New Mexicans alone and let them grow their pot. But a Santa Fe County Commissioner is speaking out, saying he's going to fight to get rid of the medical marijuana law. The current law shields patients from state prosecution, but not from the feds. "I'm very concerned that the Bush administration instead of going after drug dealers, is going after people suffering from cancer, a paraplegic, most recently," said Governor Richardson. Agents raided 44-year-old Leonard French's home near Loving on Tuesday, even though he has state permission to grow and smoke medical marijuana. The D.E.A. says it did not know French had a medical marijuana license until after the raid. "The Bush administration seems to be, because they're unable to go after drug dealers, they seem to be picking on people suffering from cancer. That's inexplicable to me. And I'm gonna fight them," said Governor Richardson. Right now patients have to get the Marijuana on their own, because the State Health Department won't grow or distribute the pot, fearing federal prosecution. Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya calls himself a strong Bill Richardson supporter, but he'll fight him every step of the way to get the law off the books. "Morally, physically, socially this is not good policy. It's still something that is addictive. And for our youth to start getting the message that this is something that is okay, is really not a healthy message," said Montoya. Montoya says patients can use the pill-form of the marijuana. Governor Richardson says he'll use every legal trick in the book to fight the feds on the issue.Copyright: 2007 - KOB-TV, LLC Video: http://kob.com/article/stories/S181890.shtml?cat=500 [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on August 30, 2007 at 13:38:11 PT NM: Commentary: Why Fight Medical Marijuana? http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/aug/30/commentary-why-fight-medical-marijuana-our-wronghe/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Hope on August 30, 2007 at 11:39:23 PT My apologies, Ripit I'd just read a post by NikoKun on another thread...and managed to "jump to" and transpose your names in the jump. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Hope on August 30, 2007 at 11:30:12 PT Sorry....Ripit. But, Ripit...it's their best lie."Protect the Kids"...They're sure doing a dandy job of protecting all the kids. Sure seems safe out there for kids. They won't be stealing part of mom's or dad's stash. They'll have to go to a gun runner or somebody to buy it. That'll be much safer for the kids.My gosh...they can use stuff from the medicine chest or from out in the garage or under the cabinet if they want to get high. Legal Pot? That would just be a disaster.Well it would be a different disaster than the disaster we have now.The disaster we have now is not good. Let's try something else. It, too, might turn out to be some kind of disaster, but it couldn't be worse than the disaster we seem to cling to, as a society, now. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Hope on August 30, 2007 at 11:23:01 PT But Nikokun, "Protect the kids" is probably their best lie. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on August 30, 2007 at 10:40:06 PT ripit I agree that drugs like Meth, Cocaine and Heroin attach themselves to cannabis and we lose. It actually drives me up a wall everytime I see it. I would think that the people who make the money in drug policy reform would see it too but they don't. I'll keep trying as long as I emotionally am able but I won't stand with drug policy reformers that push hard drugs. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by ripit on August 30, 2007 at 10:32:49 PT: need to stop ppl from lumping cannabis in with meth and heroin.and start to accept cannabis plant use for what it is, a SAFE natural medicine! it seems to me that these ppl who run and work in drug reform centers and groups should see this more clearly than others but so many of them aparently see it as a paycheck.especially when they start spouting off the same old dribble like (Diego Lopez) the law, which took effect in July, works against the group’s efforts to increase young people’s awareness of the ill effects of drug and alcohol use. “They’re looking at it as something healthy,” said.) kids are not blind or stupid! they see their parent drink, they see ppl who legally use drugs like norcos and oxycontin and how it affects them, its just not right to hide behind stupid excuses like protect the kids! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by whig on August 29, 2007 at 22:09:07 PT FoM A lot of people have aloe plants because if you burn yourself it's a good medicine to break off a little piece and smear the juice on your skin. It would be a shame if people couldn't grow their own herbs, I don't see the sheriff's problem. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 29, 2007 at 22:00:28 PT Another Twist Let's see how far this goes. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment