cannabisnews.com: Advocates Confident Questions Will Be On Ballot
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Advocates Confident Questions Will Be On Ballot
Posted by CN Staff on July 03, 2012 at 07:22:57 PT
By Shannon Young, The Associated Press 
Source: Associated Press
Boston -- With the clock ticking on Tuesday’s deadline for ballot question signatures, supporters for three Massachusetts initiatives say they are confident that voters will have the opportunity to weigh in come November. Advocates for legalizing medical marijuana, allowing terminally ill adults to self-administer a life-ending drug and requiring car manufacturers to provide software needed to diagnose car trouble to independent repair shops must have their final round of registered supporter signatures to the Secretary of State William Galvin’s office Tuesday for the proposals to be included on the November ballot.
Under state law, more than 68,000 certified voters must sign an initial petition, with not more than one-quarter of all the signatures coming from the same county. If the Legislature does not take up the issue, an additional 11,000-plus registrar-certified signatures are needed by July 3 to put it on the ballot.The ballot proposals include legalizing contentious issues like medical marijuana and ‘‘aid in dying,’’ which would allow adult Massachusetts residents who have been given a prognosis of six months or less to live to obtain drugs that would end their lives. It would not legalize euthanasia, meaning a third party could not perform the act. Patients would have to ingest the pills themselves. Stephen Crawford, a spokesman for the proposal’s advocacy group Dignity 2012, said he is confident the measure will appear on the ballot. Crawford said Monday that the group had submitted 16,000 signatures to Galvin’s office — 5,000 more than required. ‘‘An increasing number of mass voters are interested in passage of this referendum question because they’re seeking greater dignity and control for those in their final days of life,’’ he said. Likewise, a proposal that calls for auto manufacturers that sell cars in Massachusetts to provide access to their diagnostic and repair information system through a universal software system that can be accessed by dealers and independent repairs shops could also make its way onto the ballot. Art Kinsman, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition, which represents more than 1,000 mechanics supporting the legislation, said the group had also submitted 16,000 certified signatures to the secretary of state by noon Monday — well over the necessary threshold.Meanwhile, Jennifer Manley, spokeswoman for the Committee for Compassionate Medicine, said her medical marijuana advocacy group had submitted the more than 11,000 required signatures to the secretary of state’s office by Monday and that more may be filed before Tuesday’s deadline.The medical marijuana ballot proposal would legalize the drug for patients suffering from specific conditions. It would also outline a system of state-regulated marijuana dispensaries where patients who possess proper identification would be able to obtain the drug. During the 2010 election, Massachusetts voters were asked 18 non-binding advisory ballot questions to gauge support for overhauling the state’s marijuana laws. Nine of the questions supported the use of marijuana for medical reasons while another nine backed legalizing the drug outright, allowing the state to regulate and tax it. According to an Associated Press review of the campaign returns, support for the questions varied from 54 percent to 70 percent in state legislative districts. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick would not say whether he supported the proposed ballot measures, but he told reporters Monday that he ‘‘respects the process.’’Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Shannon Young, The Associated Press Published: July 2, 2012Copyright: 2012 The Associated PressCannabisNews  Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by afterburner on July 04, 2012 at 09:30:43 PT
Looking Out my Backdoor
WORLD -- July 3, 2012 at 4:38 PM EDT.
Mexico's President-Elect: Legalization Should Be Part of Drug Strategy Debate.
By: Margaret Warner
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/07/mexican-president-elect.html
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on July 03, 2012 at 19:39:55 PT
A win for citizens.
Medical marijuana patient Bob Crouse acquitted of felony chargesIt’s been 14 months since the police swarmed Bob Crouse‘s Colorado Springs House, confiscated his personal medical marijuana garden and brought a felony charge against him for possession with intent to distribute. Friday an El Paso County jury found the leukemia patient not guilty.Cont.“You can lose yourself in a little garden. When I was in there working with my plants I would forget all about what was going on inside my body,” he recalls.“I was beating it,” he says of the cancer. “The effect medical marijuana had on me, on my life, was huge. I felt like I was being healed. I could feel it working in my body.Cont.http://coloradoindependent.com/123483/medical-marijuana-patient-bob-crouse-acquitted-of-felony-charges-0-The article and this win also exposes the bad people for what they are.
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Comment #1 posted by ekim on July 03, 2012 at 12:01:21 PT
good luck Joe
http://michiganmedicalmarijuana.org/topic/40402-federal-appeals-court-to-reinstate-lawsuit-against-wal-mart-for-wrongfully-firing-joseph-casias/page__pid__394523#entry394523
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