cannabisnews.com: Voters Approve Arizona Medical Marijuana Measure

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  Voters Approve Arizona Medical Marijuana Measure

Posted by CN Staff on November 13, 2010 at 19:03:56 PT
By Bob Christie, The Associated Press 
Source: Associated Press 

Phoenix -- Arizona voters have approved a measure that will legalize medical marijuana use in the state for people with chronic or debilitating diseases. Final vote tallies showed Saturday that Proposition 203 won by a tiny margin of just 4,341 votes out of more than 1.67 million votes counted. The measure had started out losing on Election Day by about 7,200 votes, but the gap gradually narrowed in the following 10 days.
"Now begins the very hard work of implementing this program in the way it was envisioned, with very high standards," said Andrew Myers, campaign manager for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project. "We really believe that we have an opportunity to set an example to the rest of the country on what a good medical marijuana program looks like."Arizona is the 15th state to approve a medical marijuana law. California was the first in 1996, and 13 other states and Washington, D.C., have since followed suit.The Arizona measure will allow patients with diseases including cancer, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and any other "chronic or debilitating" disease that meets guidelines to buy 2½ ounces of marijuana every two weeks or grow plants.The patients must get a recommendation from their doctor and register with the Arizona Department of Health Services. The law allows for no more than 124 marijuana dispensaries in the state. After ballots are canvassed Nov. 29, the state has 120 days before the law goes into effect.Backers of Proposition 203 have argued that thousands of patients faced "a terrible choice" of suffering with a serious or even terminal illness or going to the criminal market for pot. They collected more than 252,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot — nearly 100,000 more than required.All Arizona's sheriff's and county prosecutors, the governor, attorney general and many other politicians came out against the measure.Carolyn Short, chairwoman of Keep AZ Drug Free, the group that organized opposition to the initiative, said her group believes the law will increase crime around dispensary locations, lead to more people driving while impaired and eventually lead to legalized pot for everyone.She noted that the major financial backer of the new measure, the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project, makes no bones about its ultimate goal: national legalization of marijuana for everyone."All of the political leaders came out and warned Arizonans that this was going to have very dire effects on a number of levels," Short said after the measure pulled into the lead late on Friday. "I don't think that all Arizonans have heard those dire predictions."Arizona voters overwhelmingly approved a medical marijuana law in 1996 and 1998, but it never went into effect because of problems with its wording. Then in 2002, voters rejected a sweeping initiative that would have decriminalized possession of up to 2 ounces of marijuana for any user and required state police to hand out the drug to seriously ill people.The measure that went before voters this month began Friday losing by about 1,500 votes, then surged ahead by 4,421 votes.Maricopa was the only Arizona county with ballots still outstanding on Saturday. The county finished counting all the remaining provisional and early ballots by late in the afternoon.The final, unofficial count was 841,346 in favor of the measure and 837,005 opposed.Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Bob Christie, The Associated PressPublished: November 13, 2010 Copyright: 2010 The Associated PressCannabisNews  Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml

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Comment #13 posted by FoM on November 17, 2010 at 15:00:33 PT
Had Enough
I don't know if you will see this or not but I thought you liked old Lincolns if I remember correctly. Neil Young's Lincoln caught on fire. It can be fix luckily but what a mess. Here's a picture.http://www.lincvolt.com/lincvolt_lincvoltgazette
LincVolt
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Comment #12 posted by museman on November 15, 2010 at 09:20:23 PT
Thanx Mom
And I all the rest of Family in and around Tucson, whom I know voted for it. Now I can go visit my mom and still have medicine. And not have to worry about the republicans - much.LEGALIZE FREEDOM 
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Comment #11 posted by Had Enough on November 14, 2010 at 18:05:06 PT

Missed words…

I so hopeful that Proposition 19 would pass for that reason…among others too…Should have been…I was so hopeful that Proposition 19 would pass for that reason…among others too…Proofread after the fact…But still…It could be a more wonderful world with the current status quo replaced with the real deal…

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Comment #10 posted by Had Enough on November 14, 2010 at 17:54:58 PT

What a Wonderful World…it could be…

“” lots of skeletons falling out of prohib's closets, and a chain reaction felt around the world.””That is what I see too…I was so hopeful that Proposition 19 would pass for that reason…among others too…Ending the cannabis war will open the door to end many other atrocities being carried out by others who are invisible to most.That is the chain reaction I would like to see happen.***What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstronghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xotoDy5806Y
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Comment #9 posted by DrDunkleosteus on November 14, 2010 at 16:23:51 PT:

charmed quark
Perhaps you're right, it really wouldn't be that much different than now, considering those areas that are currently tolerant of cannabis. I think the 'green with envy' statement fits your thoughts perfectly. :)5 years is probably a good guess... after the first state gets it done. I predict it ends with a huge court case, lots of skeletons falling out of prohib's closets, and a chain reaction felt around the world.
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Comment #8 posted by charmed quark on November 14, 2010 at 10:38:35 PT

re: DrDunkleosteus
People crossing a border to sell what was legal in their state to a neighboring state where it is still illegal is not that different from the current situation, where marijuana is smuggled from areas where the illegal growing is tolerated to states where it is not. Not a big change at all - it will still be a high risk activity that will require high prices to make up for the risk. It's not like there is a shortage of high-price marijuana in this county. So people in neighboring states will see very little change.HOWEVER, if a state truly legalizes, people in other states are going to watch to see what happens. If the sky doesn't fall, they will start considering doing the same in their state. There will be a major increase in acceptance at all levels.The big problem will be the feds. As long as it is illegal at the federal level, few large businesses will get involved. But it will certainly work for small growers, and especially people growing for personal use.I expect many/most states will legalize within five years once California does.
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Comment #7 posted by RevRayGreen on November 14, 2010 at 10:30:09 PT

Big thanks to the Pima County and AZ4NORML
Tucson MASSIVE that really made the difference. Now I gotta get me one of those Sherwiff Joe shirts..
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Comment #6 posted by DrDunkleosteus on November 14, 2010 at 01:29:24 PT:

Once we reach 25
states with medical marijuana laws, the government is going to look awfully silly... However, I don't think we'll have to wait that long though, assuming a state passes legalization in 2012. When that happens something will have to give, one way or the other.Say California or Colorado gets it done in 2012, is it really going to be possible to contain that within state borders? Let's be honest for a second: What's going to happen when those residents living near the borders of their states realize that the oz (that they can legally drive around with) can make them a ton of money for just a short drive to the next state where it is still illegal? How will law enforcement stop this from happening? The answer: they can't. Right now, the only thing keeping people from doing this is the perscription that's tied to their names, the limited quantity they can possess, driving with it is still not legal (I presume, but how do patients and delivery services transport it?... I may be wrong there), and the fact that the vast majority of people with access to it, NEED it for their health problems... the reason they're able to get it in the first place.Once one state makes it legal, there will be big changes for the whole country, I guarantee it. I'm surprised no one has brought this up before..
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Comment #5 posted by Had Enough on November 13, 2010 at 21:52:21 PT

Friends from Arizona

I’d like to take some time to thank our voting friends in Arizona…Thank you…way to go…!!!!…cool…very cool…***Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends (From "Live in Berlin" DVD)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQLtCoh5EaI&feature=channel

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Comment #4 posted by Had Enough on November 13, 2010 at 21:09:52 PT

Sheriff Joe…

Looks like his supplier of pink underwear and green bologna will see some degree of less revenue…************More Tales from the Land of Pink Underwear and Green Bolognahttp://hubpages.com/hub/More-Tales-from-the-Land-of-Pink-Underwear-and-Green-Bologna************Pink Underwear
One of Arpaio’s most visible public relations successes was the introduction of pink underwear, which the Maricopa County Sheriff’s website cites as being “world famous.” Arpaio has claimed that that traditional white underwear, labeled with Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, was being smuggled out of the jails and sold on the streets, and he thus had the underwear dyed pink, believing that pink is not considered a “macho” color, and would not be stolen.Arpaio subsequently started to sell customized pink boxers (with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s logo and “Go Joe”) as a fund-raiser for Sheriff’s Posse Association. Despite allegations of misuse of funds received from these sales, Arpaio declined to provide an accounting for the money.Arpaio’s success in gaining press coverage with the pink underwear resulted in him extending the use of the color. He introduced pink handcuffs, using the event to promote his book, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, America’s Toughest Sheriff. Later, Arpaio ordered that sheets, socks, towels, and other fabric items be dyed pink.The outer uniform is not pink, but traditional black-and-white. This was part of another Arpaio-instituted change. One day, allegedly, Arpaio thought he saw an inmate escapee in the then-existing sea-green inmate uniform outside the jail (it turned out to be a hospital worker in scrubs). Later, he noted that the orange uniforms of the chain gangs were similar to uniforms used by county workers (the orange being needed for safety). Believing that inmates should be easily identifiable should they escape, Arpaio re-instituted the traditional black-and-white inmate uniforms, which even with the advent of everything else being pink has not changed.*Underwear March*In 2005, nearly 700 maximum-security prisoners were marched the four blocks from Towers Jail to the newly opened Lower Buckeye Jail, wearing only their underwear and flip-flops to prevent the concealment of weapons. Prisoners were strip-searched when they left Towers Jail and again when they reached their destination.“It’s a security issue,” Arpaio said. “If you let them wear their clothes, they can conceal the fake keys and everything else.”*Changes to Jail Operations*Arpaio runs Maricopa County’s jails, which house inmates serving jail sentences, as well as pretrial detainees, who are legally innocent until proven guilty.Arpaio believes that inmates should be treated as harshly as legally possible to emphasize the punishment aspect of their incarceration. Thus, upon his initial election, Arpaio began instituting the controversial changes for which he would later become noted.Arpaio began to serve inmates surplus food including outdated and oxidized green bologna and limited meals to twice daily. Meal costs would be reduced to 90 cents per day; as of 2007 Arpaio states that he has managed to reduce costs to 30 cents per day. Certain food items were banned from the county jail, mainly coffee (which also reduced “coffee attacks” on corrections officers), but later salt and pepper were removed from the jail (at a purported taxpayer savings of $20,000/year).http://maricopacountyjail.net/sheriff-joe-arpaio/
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Comment #3 posted by Had Enough on November 13, 2010 at 20:49:36 PT

The Sheriff

The High Sheriff from Maricopa County just got ‘bitch slapped’/Slap-O-Gramed.***Mr. Bob Marley…I shot the sheriff.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrnZSLwfzVs

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Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 13, 2010 at 19:51:49 PT

Good News
I wonder how the Sheriff from Maricopa County feels about Proposition 203 passing? I bet not too happy.
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Comment #1 posted by b4daylight on November 13, 2010 at 19:51:45 PT

Higher
15 statesGood job AZ for the 3rd time.
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