cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Distribution by State Debated





Marijuana Distribution by State Debated
Posted by FoM on March 14, 2000 at 14:22:41 PT
By Michael O’D. Moore, Of the NEWS Staff
Source: Bangor Daily News
A bill debated Monday would put the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency in the unusual role of distributing marijuana as medicine.LD 2580, ‘‘An Act to Provide Legal Access to Marijuana for Medical Use,’’ would allow eligible patients to register voluntarily with the Department of Human Services in order to get as much as 4 ounces a month of confiscated marijuana from the Maine DEA.
In November, Maine voters passed the Maine Medical Marijuana Initiative, which legalized marijuana use by people with certain illnesses. The problem is that there is no distribution system for legal use of the illegal drug. An Attorney General’s task force is studying the issue.On Monday, proponents said the bill would give the sick easier access to marijuana without forcing them to grow plants or seek out drug dealers. But opponents argued that the distribution system would put state officials at odds with federal laws and risk millions in federal grant money.Testifying in favor of the bill was Robin Lambert, a Portland resident who said he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1992. He said he should have easy access to marijuana to ease the side effects brought on by a daily group of drugs he takes known as ‘‘an AIDS cocktail.’’‘‘Really, wouldn’t you rather have me get my medicinal marijuana from a legal source instead of making me scrounge on the black market for it?’’ Lambert asked the Health and Human Services Committee.Elizabeth Beane, a social worker and campaign manager for Mainers for Medical Rights, said the biggest question since the referendum has been how to find marijuana for medical use.‘‘And most of these seriously ill and dying patients are bewildered that the state, which possesses a ready supply, will not make it available to them,’’ Beane said.She said the committee should do what is right for patients. ‘‘These patients should not have to be criminals to get the medicine they need,’’ she said. ‘‘Nor should they have to go to criminals to get it.’’But state officials said the proposed distribution system would make them into criminals.Providing up to a quarter pound of marijuana — or about 100 large marijuana cigarettes — a month would ‘‘require state employees to commit a federal felony criminal offense as part of their job,’’ said James M. Cameron, assistant attorney general.No other states have distributed marijuana, and if Maine did so it would put about $19 million received annually from grants through the Department of Justice in ‘‘jeopardy,’’ Cameron said. He explained that Maine has to certify it is in compliance with federal laws in order to be considered for Department of Justice funds. But Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion, who broke ranks with other law enforcement officers to support the original bill, said he doesn’t believe such arguments and will support the distribution bill.‘‘I find that proposition highly unlikely, or, if true, shall we as a sovereign state be held hostage by a federal government simply because we intend to treat our sick and afflicted?’’ Dion said.He said a U.S. attorney had assured the Seattle Police department it wouldn’t be in any jeopardy observing that state’s medical marijuana referendum.‘‘And if we choose to expand upon that law with a limited, legal distribution system as proposed in this bill, federal funds will continue to flow in support of law enforcement projects we all agree upon,’’ Dion said.One question both sides agreed upon is that the confiscated marijuana could be laced with other substances. Those for the bill said that the state would be held harmless and that patients would accept the risks just as they do when they buy marijuana on the street. Opponents said it would put the state in the unwholesome position of distributing unscreened drugs.Although the Maine Medical Association opposed the original referendum, Executive Director Gordon Smith testified neither for nor against the latest proposal.He said while the association remains opposed to the referendum question, it isn’t making the distribution proposal an issue. But, he did say to committee members that they shouldn’t be concerned that patients can’t get marijuana while an Attorney General’s task force is at work studying how to make the drug legally available. Marijuana is readily available on the street, he said.He said it remains an individual physician’s choice about whether they want to participate in providing marijuana for medical use. He said in addition to about 10 physicians who supported the original bill another handful have said they will participate.‘‘When you start with a base of 3,000 physicians, there will be a handful that will participate in this,’’ he said.Don Christen of Madison, a major proponent of last fall’s referendum, said he was speaking neither for nor against the distribution proposition.‘‘This herb you’ve been discussing all morning isn’t a drug, it’s a homeopathic herb,’’ Christen said. ‘‘You have to come up with a state-run system that would eliminate the black market.’’The committee will next hold a work session on the bill at 3 p.m. Thursday. Augusta: Published: Tuesday March 14, 2000©2000 Bangor Daily News. All rights reserved. Related Article & Web Site:Mainers For Medical Rightshttp://www.mainers.org/Bill Would Let State Supply Medical Marijuana Userhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5059.shtmlState Would Distribute Confiscated Marijuana http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5057.shtmlCannabisNews Articles On Maine, Medical Marijuana Plus Archives: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtmlhttp://www.google.com/search?q=CannabisNews+Maine http://www.google.com/search?q=CannabisNews+Medical 
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