cannabisnews.com: Legal Pot as Medicine Aim for 2002





Legal Pot as Medicine Aim for 2002
Posted by FoM on June 11, 2000 at 07:22:16 PT
By Christal Cody
Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
They lacked enough signatures to put their initiative on the November ballot, but that won't stop a Fayetteville group from forging ahead for a 2002 try to legalize medical marijuana in Arkansas.  Members of the Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas met Saturday at the Fayetteville Public Library to map their next steps after they failed to get the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act on the ballot.
  Alliance President Denele Campbell, who started the initiative a year ago after watching a friend suffer the final stages of cancer, said, "We knew we probably didn't have a chance of getting enough signatures in that time, but it was worth it to get out there and get started."  The group had about 10,000 signatures, well short of the 56,481 signatures of registered voters needed to place the proposal on the November ballot.  About 11 people, ranging from health-care professionals to a woman who watched her HIV-infected stepson use marijuana to ease nausea, showed up at the meeting to learn how they might help.  A major goal for the next two years will be gathering personal stories from people who have used marijuana for medical purposes, Campbell said.  "This will be one of the most useful tools we have to getting on the ballot for 2002," she said.  One of the group's problems in gathering signatures for the petition to allow chronically or terminally ill patients to harvest up to 6 pounds of marijuana annually is the fear factor, Campbell said.  Indeed, a health-care professional who showed up at Saturday's meeting said he did not want to work publicly with the group for fear of reprisal from his co-workers and bosses.  Dr. John Day, a retired physician from the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Fayetteville who lent his support to the group, said he's had some patients who suffered from lack of pain management. But he's had a lot more "patients who don't suffer because they have used marijuana -- they just didn't get caught."  Possession of up to an ounce of marijuana is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000 and up to a year in jail.  The alliance plans to get certification for a new petition for the 2002 ballot and then take a break until August, Campbell said.  After that, Campbell said she will place exhibits at the Washington County Fair in September and other county fairs in the state to educate the public.  Seven states have enacted laws allowing the medical use of marijuana, while initiatives are under way in eight other states.  The alliance's proposal was one of three initiatives involving marijuana approved by the office of Arkansas Attorney General Mark Pryor for circulation of petitions.  The other two initiatives involving marijuana may still make it to the ballot if they gather enough signatures before the July 7 deadline.  One, submitted by Barry Emigh of North Little Rock, would allow people diagnosed by a doctor as suffering from chronic or terminal illness or pain to grow and use marijuana. It also would reduce the penalty for possession of a half-ounce or less of marijuana to a $75 fine. The other proposal, submitted by the Arkansas chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, would limit the penalty for possession of an ounce or less to a $200 fine with no prison time.Published on Sunday, June 11, 2000Copyright © 2000, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Related Articles & Web Sites:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansashttp://www.ardpark.org/Backers of 3 Marijuana Related Proposals Seek Votershttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread4704.shtmlPryor OKs Ballot Title For Proposal On Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3112.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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