cannabisnews.com: Gov. Martinez OKs Bill Creating MMJ Fund
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Gov. Martinez OKs Bill Creating MMJ Fund
Posted by CN Staff on March 05, 2012 at 18:36:11 PT
By Milan Simonich 
Source: Las Cruces Sun-News 
Santa Fe -- Neither Ripley nor countless New Mexico residents would believe it, but Republican Gov. Susana Martinez signed a marijuana bill on Monday. Martinez, who was a prosecutor for 25 years, spent half her lifetime fighting the war on drugs.She took office as governor after the state already had a law permitting marijuana to be used for select medicinal purposes. Now Martinez has signed Senate Bill 240, creating a medical cannabis fund to cover the program's costs.
Producers of marijuana for medical treatment pay the state fees of $10,000 to $30,000 a year, said Sen. Cisco McSorley, who sponsored the bill.Rather than the money going into the state's general spending account, it will be maintained by the Department of Health as a specific fund to pay for administration of the medical marijuana program."It means the few New Mexico taxpayers who objected to their money going toward the medical marijuana program no longer have to worry," said McSorley, D-Albuquerque.He said he worked on the bill with Martinez's secretary of health, Dr. Catherine Torres, but had no contact with the governor regarding the bill.Martinez's press secretary did not respond to requests for comment on her decision to sign the bill into law.McSorley said New Mexico's medical marijuana law was carefully thought out and had become "a model for the nation."He said the state had a strict screening process, in which both a patient's physician and an independent medical board have to endorse the use of marijuana to help in curtailing pain.The state had 4,310 medical marijuana patients in October, the latest period for which the health department has statistics.They have cancer, chronic pain, HIV, AIDS or post-traumatic stress disorder. The leading category for medical marijuana use was PTSD with 1,854 patients.McSorley said state government had been careful to limit the illnesses for which marijuana could be used."We have designed conditions that are much tougher than elsewhere. The result is we have a lot fewer patients than other states," he said.His bill for the medical cannabis fund cleared the Senate 33-0, but had a tougher time in the House of Representatives, where 27 members opposed it. They included 25 Republicans, one Democrat, Dona Irwin of Deming, and independent Andy Nuñez of Hatch.Source: Las Cruces Sun-News (NM)Author:  Milan Simonich Published: March 5, 2012Copyright: 2012 Las Cruces Sun-NewContact: letters lcsun-news.comWebsite: http://www.lcsun-news.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/NfRLXygWCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by Storm Crow on March 06, 2012 at 15:36:56 PT
Rev, AMEN! 
The synthetics are dangerous! Just with the PubMed studies as evidence, I wouldn't touch that stuff with a 10 foot pole! "Withdrawal Phenomena and Dependence Syndrome After the Consumption of "Spice Gold"""Convulsions Associated with the Use of a Synthetic Cannabinoid Product."  "Psychosis Associated With Synthetic Cannabinoid Agonists: A Case Series" "Severe toxicity following synthetic cannabinoid ingestion."   "Myocardial Infarction Associated With Use of the Synthetic Cannabinoid K2." The news articles echo the studies, but also add kidney trouble to the list- no studies on that yet, but it wouldn't surprise me! The stuff is POISON!   
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Comment #2 posted by RevRayGreen on March 06, 2012 at 07:24:01 PT
Don’t smoke synthetic pot; smoke the real thing - 
http://www.dailyiowan.com/2012/03/06/Opinions/27338.html"We're sure we have all heard our token stoner friend tirelessly advocate for the legalization of marijuana by calmly explaining, "It's not like anyone has ever died from smoking too much weed."Any skepticism about marijuana's harm should vanish upon learning that the former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders is an agreement with our token stoner friend's statement. She publically announced her support for the legalization of marijuana because it is "not a toxic substance" and has "never caused anybody, directly, to die."Marijuana's illegality continues to be the only valid argument for choosing synthetic over natural weed. So those who do choose to smoke drugs (and even those who don't) should be aware of their rights when dealing with law enforcement.Whether you're breaking the law or not, you are not obligated to say yes when a police officer asks to search your car, home, or person. One way to opt out of this right is to provide the officer with "probable cause" to search. In this case, marijuana's distinct odor is the most common way to provide the officer with probable cause.So, again, if you choose to smoke weed (which we don't encourage or support), never smoke in your car, do not let the smell leave your doorstep, and be sure to know your rights. If you are able to comply with the above, you may be able to enjoy your high throughout your life without many harmful side effects — medical or legal.While the all-out legalization of marijuana continues to be unseen on Iowa's horizon, manufacturers will continue promote legal designer alternatives. These may seem like fine alternatives, but be sure: They are not natural. They were developed in a lab. They are not proven to be safe — in fact, it is more likely they are objectively harmful to human health. Even though natural marijuana is illegal (for whatever reason), it is proven not to be detrimental to health by any significant measure.If you choose to get high, learn your rights"http://youtu.be/p1bgLnPmduE
CheeseCastlePizza now Green Central Staion/ DMLive.tv sponsor Johnny Reeferseed v. Gov. Terry Bull
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on March 06, 2012 at 05:31:52 PT
The high cost of caging citizens who use cannabis
US CO: Cost of Colorado drugged-driving legislation is stumbling block Webpage: http://www.denverpost.com/news/marijuana/ci_20109488/bills-cost-is-stumbling-block
Pubdate: 6 Mar. 2012
Source: Denver Post (CO)The state public defender says the measure "will be very costly" because of demands on attorneys. For a bill to create strict new standards in Colorado for driving under the influence of drugs — including marijuana — the next challenge is not the contentious science behind the proposal but the price tag.The next stop for Senate Bill 117 is the Senate Appropriations Committee, which decides whether a bill is worth its cost. In many instances, this is a perfunctory stopover on a bill's journey through the legislature.But SB 117 carries with it some weighty baggage: The state Public Defender's Office estimates the bill will cost the office nearly $600,000 more per year to defend drugged-driving cases."The increased workload on my agency," Douglas Wilson, the state public defender, testified before a legislative committee debating the bill last month, "will be significant, and it will be costly."Cont.
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