cannabisnews.com: Governor Should Ignore Federal Threat & Sign Bill
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Governor Should Ignore Federal Threat & Sign Bill
Posted by CN Staff on April 18, 2011 at 16:36:48 PT
Seattle Times Editorial
Source: Seattle Times
Seattle, WA -- "Just sign it," is our advice to Gov. Chris Gregoire regarding the medical-marijuana bill, when the bill lands on her desk. The people of Washington will back her up. They voted for medical cannabis in 1998, and polls show they would vote yes again by an even greater margin today.In this matter, experience is the great persuader. The latest conversion is Republican Rep. Dave Reichert, who said last month in a KCTS-TV interview that his mother, who died last week from pancreatic cancer, used cannabis and "it provided her relief."
The former King County sheriff said, "I do recognize the medical benefit and it's only come to me recently that I recognize that."Gregoire now worries about the federal law. She is a lawyer, a former state attorney general and a possible future candidate for a law-related job in the Obama administration. And so, faced with the medical-marijuana bill passing both houses of the Legislature, she made the mistake of asking Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder, if it was OK to sign it.Bad idea. She should have just done it.Holder's answer, relayed through U.S. attorneys, is a restatement of the law: marijuana is forbidden. Federal agents have the power to arrest growers and dispensaries, and even public employees who treat them as legitimate businesses "would not be immune from liability."The feds are not going to promise immunity. But the words carefully fall short of a promise to prosecute.The local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said New Mexico has had state-licensed dispensaries since early 2009, and "the feds have not gone after any state employee there." Nor, said the ACLU, have federal agents cracked down on dispensaries in the other states that license them: Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maine, Colorado and Arizona.We think if Gregoire signs the bill, the feds will do nothing here — because it would make Obama unpopular in his own party, and it would force our two Democratic senators either to defy him or to make excuses for him.Suppose the feds did crack down, and arrested the Seattle city employees who already have issued business licenses to medical-cannabis dispensaries. Would any jury around here convict them? Would any judge sentence them to prison?We think not.Just sign the bill.The Seattle Times editorial page urges Gov. Chris Gregoire to ignore federal threats and sign the Legislature's medical-marijuana bill when it reaches her desk.Source: Seattle Times (WA)Published: April 18, 2011Copyright: 2011 The Seattle Times CompanyContact: opinion seatimes.comWebsite: http://www.seattletimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/0FMvOlzXCannabisNews Medical Marijuana  Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #9 posted by The GCW on April 23, 2011 at 05:16:30 PT
Seattle Times does it again
The Seattle Times editorial board keeps on keepin on.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on April 21, 2011 at 12:45:23 PT
Legislature Approves Medical Pot Bill
April 21, 2011The state Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would further define Washington's medical marijuana laws, sending one of the most high profile bills of this legislative session to Gov. Chris Gregoire.But Gregoire has indicated she might not sign Senate Bill 5073, which would establish a regulatory system for the medical pot business and seek to provide criminal liability protection for patients. Gregoire has said she fears federal authorities could arrest and prosecute users and even state workers because the medical use of cannabis is not legal under federal law.The Senate OK'd changes the House made to 5073. The measure passsed by a 27 to 21 vote.Washington is one of 15 states where pot use for medical purposes is legal; Voters here overwhelmingly approved an initiative in 1998.Opponents dismissed talk of the medical benefit of cannabis, said the bill was one more step toward total legalization and that the federal government arrest and prosecute people in Washington."We see a lot of young people hiding behind cancer victims," said Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville. He said cancer treatments are improving and that certain sufferers "don't need this crap."URL: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Legislature-approves-medical-pot-bill-1347232.php
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on April 20, 2011 at 13:54:34 PT
Thanks, afterburner.
Wonder how that all went today? I haven't heard anything. The Facebook page doesn't even come up for me anymore. Said it was closed or something.
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Comment #6 posted by afterburner on April 20, 2011 at 09:03:19 PT
Did Anyone Post This One Already? 
Obama's Facebook Forum Fails to Silence Marijuana Legalization Advocates.
Scott Morgan, 04.19.2011.
Associate Editor, StoptheDrugWar.org.
The real political significance of the Internet is that it's the one place where political priorities are spelled out by the people, unedited, uncensored, and allowed to stand on their own strength.
Read Post | Comments (58)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-morgan/obamas-facebook-forum-fai_b_850318.html?ir=Politics
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Comment #5 posted by runruff on April 20, 2011 at 08:21:42 PT
Henry Ford collided with the feds.
Different faces, same agenda. The feds are trying to stop or at least slow down the spread of mmj. They have been at this enabling-profit-protection game for a long time now.http://dailypaul.com/75317/henry-fords-hemp-car-1942-suppressed-by-the-governmentI was watching "Democracy Now" this morning the first anniversary of the Gulf oil spill. If Henry's ideas had been implemented we would have bio-fuels and this disaster would not have happened.This makes the FED the greatest Terrorist on the planet for all time!
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Comment #4 posted by Richard Zuckerman on April 19, 2011 at 10:59:52 PT:
VERMONT STATE LEGISLATURE PROPOSAL:
Recently, www.whatreallyhappened.com posted an article about a proposal, perhaps a Resolution, by the Vermont State Legislature, to repeal federal constitutional personhood protection of Corporations. I forwarded that article to New Jersey State Legislature members. About an hour and a half ago, I personally visited the office of N.J. State Senator Barbara Buono, asked her Receptionist to support Vermont State Legislature's idea.
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Comment #3 posted by NoCowLevel on April 19, 2011 at 01:03:21 PT
 Zuckerman
Can't piss off the corporations or they won't give her gross amounts of money after she resigns.
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Comment #2 posted by Richard Zuckerman on April 18, 2011 at 21:15:46 PT:
Lame Excuses
Who voted in this Governor? Flimsy excuse to refuse to approve this legislation!
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on April 18, 2011 at 16:53:53 PT
Thank You Seattle Times Editorial Board
Thank you for speaking exactly what you feel.
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