cannabisnews.com: Illegal Drug or Medicine?





Illegal Drug or Medicine?
Posted by FoM on September 05, 2000 at 05:12:04 PT
By Jim Herron Zamora, San Francisco Examiner
Source: Arizona Daily Star 
Despite the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling barring distribution of medicinal marijuana in California to people whose doctors prescribe it, local cannabis supporters are optimistic they will win the fight in the long run. Supporters, including San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan, said recently that they are not quite willing to give up the court battle. But they concede that the quest to legalize the medical use of marijuana will most likely be resolved in Congress and the White House rather than in court. 
"The federal classification of marijuana as a drug with no medical benefit is a case where the federal law is wrong," Hallinan said. The 7-1 ruling, in response to an emergency request from the Clinton administration, postponed the effect of a federal court ruling that would have allowed the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative to distribute the drug for medicinal use. But although it is the first time the Supreme Court has weighed in on the issue, it does not mean the justices have made their final decision on medical marijuana. The brief order from the high court is a stay that suspends a lower court ruling - one favorable to cannabis advocates - until the issue could be appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and then heard by the Supreme Court. No dates have been set for the next round of appeals. Hallinan and other supporters hope a new president and new Congress may be willing to revisit federal laws banning medical marijuana early next year. The court order was the latest development in a four-year conflict between federal narcotics laws and Proposition 215, the 1996 voter initiative that legalized medical marijuana in California. A similar measure was approved by Arizona voters in 1996. It allows physicians to prescribe marijuana and otherwise illegal drugs to seriously ill and terminal patients. But doctors so far have been reluctant to test the federal ban. "The federal government is way out of touch with medical reality and public opinion on this issue," said Hallinan. "This is a step backward, but ultimately I think it will force the U.S. government to come to grips with this issue. Talk About The News:* Do you believe that marijuana should be available to seriously ill and terminal patients? * Should the federal government reconsider its stand that marijuana is a drug with no medical benefit? * What should Arizona do about putting into place the results of a 1996 ballot question that says doctors should be able to prescribe marijuana? Share your thoughts on today's News Talk. Because of space limits, a sample of responses will be selected to offer a range of opinions. E-mails should contain two to four sentences and may be sent to: newsq azstarnet.comPhone messages of no more than one minute may be called in to 434-4094. Be sure to spell your name and leave a phone number for verification purposes. All comments should reach us by noon today. News Talk appears on Page A2 Monday through Friday. Responses appear Tuesday through Saturday on the Opinion page. Published: Tuesday, 5 September 2000Source: Arizona Daily Star (AZ)Copyright: 2000 Pulitzer Publishing Co.Contact: letters azstarnet.com Website: http://www.azstarnet.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Cooperativehttp://www.rxcbc.org/Supreme Court on Medical Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6906.shtmlOfficial Reefer Madnesshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6894.shtmlFeds' Needless Pot War http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6889.shtmlCourt Sends Firm Signal on Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6886.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #1 posted by Frank on September 05, 2000 at 17:47:38 PT
The Federal Government is of No Benefit to Us.
The government can say marijuana is illegal. The can demand that the sun stop its movement in the sky – a lot of good it will do them. The ridiculous laws against pot are unenforceable. Most of the American people don’t give a damn anymore what the government says about marijuana (we know it all lies). Even old ladies smoke it for health problems now. A high school freshman knows that the marijuana laws are based in lies and racism The government does not care about you or me just money and power. The Government is preparing to make cannon fodder out of your sons and daughters in Columbia. Don’t let it happen. It’s time to stand up and say “No More Drug War” and yes to medical marijuana 
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