cannabisnews.com: Montel Williams Seeks Medical Marijuana Bill
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Montel Williams Seeks Medical Marijuana Bill
Posted by CN Staff on January 24, 2011 at 19:54:00 PT
By The Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
Maryland -- Former talk show host Montel Williams urged lawmakers on Monday to legalize medical marijuana in Maryland, saying the drug is the only thing that alleviates neuropathic pain he has suffered for years because of multiple sclerosis. The 54-year-old Baltimore native was flanked by lawmakers from both parties who support the legislation."Marijuana may not work for everyone, but what it has done for me is it's given me my life back," Williams said, his voice wavering as he tearfully spoke about his condition at a news conference.
Williams, a Baltimore native and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy blocks from the Maryland State House, said he has been living with neuropathic pain in his lower extremities, face and side for 10 years. Opiates, he said, don't work for him anymore.Williams was cited recently for possession of drug paraphernalia at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee after authorities found he had a pipe commonly used for marijuana as he passed through a security checkpoint. Williams said he paid a fine, and he plans to have an attorney fight the citation in three days."I'm right now the poster child and in a lot of places a lot of people are looking for somebody to make an example of to prove a point," Williams said. "All I'm trying to do is live."Williams, who now lives in New York which doesn't have a medical marijuana law, told The Associated Press that he is a "card-carrying member" in two states that allow marijuana to be used for medicinal purposes. But he declined to comment in detail about where he buys it.The Maryland Senate passed a bill last year to allow physician-approved use of marijuana, but members of the House of Delegates wanted more time to study the idea. Last year's measure would have allowed pharmacies to distribute marijuana to patients who receive authorization from a physician. It also would have re-categorized marijuana as a highly regulated pain medication like morphine instead of keeping it in the same category of drugs as heroin.Delegate Dan Morhaim, D-Baltimore County, said he plans to submit similar legislation again this year.Morhaim, a physician, said the bill will be similar to last year's measure with some recommendations added by a House work group that examined the proposal. The recommendations include tightening rules on who physicians would recommend its use and making sure fees are adequately collected to support the program. Morhaim described the changes as relatively minor."We're attempting to put this in as close a model to how other controlled and dangerous substances that I prescribe every day when I'm in practice," Morhaim said.In 2003, Maryland approved a law limiting sentencing to a $100 fine for people who use marijuana if they have a medical excuse. But critics of that law say it still drives people whose pain could be alleviated by marijuana into alleys to buy from drug dealers."The first thing we want to do is to replace the drug pusher-patient relationship with the doctor-patient relationship," said Sen. Jamie Raskin, D-Montgomery, who said his recent experience with colon cancer has redoubled his belief that marijuana should be available for medicinal purposes.Sen. David Brinkley, R-Frederick, underscored last year's bipartisan support in the Senate for creating a tightly crafted law to enable sick people to get relief."We've come full circle to join hands on this issue," Brinkley said.Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have approved a medical marijuana law.Source: Associated Press (Wire)Published: Monday, January 24, 2011Copyright: 2011 The Associated PressCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on January 25, 2011 at 18:56:19 PT
Garry
That is good news.
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Comment #6 posted by runruff on January 25, 2011 at 17:43:16 PT
' know why I laughed?
Mark Souder's own state is repudiating him, big time!Pouty, Mark Souder must be taking his Valium with a shot of single malt about now, just to calm down. All the lies, the theatrics, the Vaudevillian side shows on the floor of congress. All the self righteous spouting and name calling. The disparaging remarks about anyone who who disagrees that MARIHUANA is dangerous and evil! Mark Souder, the ghoul who looked like, if the Pillsbury dough boy was melting.What his state is saying about him; "Well,...you see,... the thing about Mark is,...he's an idiot!"Mark will not be soon forgotten by me, while I was sitting in my cage, I used to listen to him on C-Span talk radio, about putting pot dealers away to protect society from ultimate ruin. He talked about the scourge of pot and how it ruined families and lives.How ironic that his family was ultimately ruined by his own uncontrollable compulsions. He got to jonesing on the sex drug.
What if he had just gone to the park and had a joint to mellow out instead of sexing with a lover? His career and family along with his integrity would still be intact. How I feel? I would much rather have the love and trust of my wife than an affair of any kind. If a person spends the time and keeps their mate and only their mate in mind, thinking everyday, how can I make my wife happy, how can I alleviate some of the stress she is feeling, how can I help her understand this thing perplexing her, how did these dishes get so high in the sink? My Sweetie will need me to take care of this. Afterward I will reward myself with a fattie and thank all goodness in life that I have my wife!Mark is an idiot and a fraud. I am glad his home state wants to rub it in his face!
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Comment #5 posted by Garry Minor on January 25, 2011 at 16:52:56 PT
FoM---comment #3
Indiana!!!This is really good news! 
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Comment #4 posted by The GCW on January 25, 2011 at 15:39:35 PT
Change.org - ?'s for Obama
Marijuana Holds Top 50 Spots in Questions For Obamahttp://www.tokeofthetown.com/2011/01/marijuana_once_again_leads_questions_for_president.php(AGAIN)Change.org is once again asking the American public for questions for President Obama, based on their top concerns. This time it's in the form of "Your Interview with the President, hosted on YouTube. And once again, marijuana legalization questions are dominating the polling, by one account nailing down the top 50 spots based on popular vote.But unsurprisingly, the subject of marijuana doesn't show up anywhere on the YouTube site -- unless you do some sorting.
 Rather than being allowed to actually see the obvious popularity of marijuana law reform, visitors have to click "All Questions" and then click "Sort By Popularity" to see that all the questions with the most votes relate to cannabis prohibition in some form.Cont.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 25, 2011 at 09:19:35 PT
Legalize Pot? State Senator Files a Bill To Do It
 January 25, 2011 Indianapolis -- A state senator is asking a question she hopes will spur debate about sentencing laws and possibly save Indiana millions of dollars: Should the state legalize marijuana?Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, wants a criminal law and sentencing study committee to examine Indiana's marijuana laws next summer and come up with recommendations. Other states have already decriminalized small amounts of marijuana or created programs to allow medical marijuana, and Tallian says it's time for Indiana to have the discussion.Tallian says Republicans who control the Senate have assured her they will give a legislative hearing to her proposal, which would direct the summer study committee to examine the issue.Copyright: 2011 Associated Press
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on January 25, 2011 at 07:37:51 PT
prosecute marijuana violations is lunacy
US CA: Column: Sentencing for Marijuana Violations Is a Matter of Pot Luckhttp://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n042/a04.html?397Webpage: http://www.contracostatimes.com/tom-barnidge/ci_17162147SENTENCING FOR MARIJUANA VIOLATIONS IS A MATTER OF POT LUCK JEFFREY SCHWARTZ has been a public defender, county prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. Before he came to his senses, he was even a journalist, working for the National Law Review. Thanks to those varied perspectives, more than 20 years into his career, he has arrived at a conclusion about our criminal justice system: The way we prosecute marijuana violations is lunacy, not to mention a waste of money. The Arcata-based lawyer believes this so strongly that he spends about 60 percent of his time defending marijuana suspects. Cont.
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Comment #1 posted by RevRayGreen on January 24, 2011 at 21:28:00 PT
Thanks again Montel
enjoy these gems all CN..Waving My Medical Cannabis Terrible Towel 515 Steelers Nation http://tin­y.cc/j45rk (.25sec)IA Rep.Clel Baudler get's phone call from concerned Iowan http://tiny.cc/toe5p (1:50)Green Central ALERT !!!!!!! http://tiny.cc/qvlkt 
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