cannabisnews.com: Blazing Joints, High Rhetoric Alienate Lawmakers





Blazing Joints, High Rhetoric Alienate Lawmakers
Posted by FoM on February 25, 2001 at 08:39:32 PT
By Steve Terrell, The New Mexican 
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican
Some state lawmakers backing bills from Gov. Gary Johnson's drug-reform package warn that pro-pot activists showing up at committee hearings could make the measures go up in smoke.Last week, at the end of a Senate Public Affairs Committee hearing on a bill to legalize the use of marijuana to treat some medical patients, Sen. Steve Komadina, R-Corrales, scolded activists who showed up to complain about marijuana laws in general.
"The more the marijuana advocates come to testify, the more likely I'll be tempted to vote against the bill," said Komadina, who had voted for a do-pass recommendation for Senate Bill 319, which won a unanimous vote.Earlier in the day, legalization activists attended a meeting of the House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee. That committee voted to recommend a measure to legalize hemp - a nonpsychoactive cousin of the marijuana plant - as a crop for industrial purposes.When nobody rose to oppose House Bill 582, activists broke into applause, and one man began chanting "Grow hemp, grow hemp."Although the industrial-hemp bill is not part of the governor's package, such displays are making some legislators cringe."They're a hindrance," said Sen. Roman Maes, D-Santa Fe. Referring to a rally during the first week of this legislative session, he said, "They were dancing in front of the Legislature, openly smoking marijuana. That didn't help matters at all."When they get up to testify, it's alarming to some legislators who say this is a Trojan horse for legalizing marijuana." Some working on the drug-reform package say they aren't concerned about the activists."The governor's view is the big-tent approach," said Johnson's legislative liaison, Dave Miller. "These are our citizens, it's the people's building, and they are all welcome here to give their opinions and their advice."Sen. Cisco McSorley, D-Albuquerque, who is sponsoring several drug-related bills, including one to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, said, "I don't fault the people who are most passionate about the issue for showing up."McSorley said the drug bills will pass or fail depending on whether fellow legislators perceive that "Middle America" no longer thinks the drug issue should be dealt with as a criminal matter.As for the activists themselves, one man who spoke at the medical-marijuana hearing - Albuquerque lawyer John McCall - said he thinks there might be tension because nearly all states that have enacted medical-marijuana laws did so by citizen initiatives, not the legislative process."Activists have worked longer on these issues than legislators have," McCall said. "In the legislative process you have to deal with political fears. I think it's a clash of populist politics with the representative system."McCall said the process is more difficult for New Mexico legislators because "the spotlight has been turned on bright" due to national attention drawn by Johnson's position that the "War on Drugs" has been a failure.Another activist who spoke at the meeting was Bruce Bush, who heads the Delta-9 Coalition, a pro-legalization group. Bush said he realizes that he might have alienated some legislators. "We will shut up if that helps sick people have access to medical marijuana," he said.Maes hopes that is true. "I'm trying to deal with a very serious problem," he said. "Medical marijuana is for very sick people. But a lot of the activists see it as an opportunity to discuss legalizing marijuana. These are two totally different issues, and those that are there to support legalization are hurting the bill."Komadina agreed. A physician by profession, the freshman senator said marijuana is indeed an effective treatment for some people who suffer some types of medical conditions.He said he has sought out and spoken with many patients who have been successfully treated with marijuana and has met several times with state Health Secretary Alex Valdez, who would set up a medical-marijuana program if the bill passes. As vice president of the state Medical Society, Komadina helped win an endorsement for the bill from that group. But, he said, he does not want to "send a wrong message" about marijuana use. When activists spoke out at last week's committee meeting, Komadina said, "They suddenly destroyed the credibility I had created for this bill. "I'm afraid if they show up (for more hearings), other senators will think I've been lying," he said.Bush, a 20-year electronics instructor at Albuquerque's Technical Vocational Institute, said he had not intended to speak at the medical-marijuana hearing.But he changed his mind after District Attorney Matt Sandoval of Las Vegas, N.M., who is opposed to the bill, spoke and said marijuana is a "gateway" to harder drugs.Komadina said, "I've found that people on both sides make inflammatory comments and use scare techniques."NewsHawk: normlmediaSource: Santa Fe New Mexican (NM)Author: Steve Terrell, The New Mexican Published: February 25, 2001Copyright: 2001 The Santa Fe New MexicanAddress: 202 E Marcy, Santa Fe, N.M. 87501Fax: (505) 986-3040Contact: letters sfnewmexican.comWebsite: http://www.sfnewmexican.com/Related Articles:Committees Pass Medical Marijuana Bill http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8754.shtmlJohnson Bill Would Legalize Small Amounts of Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8218.shtmlCannabisNews Articles - Governor Gary Johnsonhttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=gary+johnson 
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Comment #8 posted by dddd on February 27, 2001 at 05:46:33 PT
Scared Straight
Gotta agree with Zion.Careless disobediance does not do well inthe news,,,,but the frustration driven wreckless acts,are understandablein light of the monstrosity of the drug war behemoth. Alot of people,including me,,,find such simplistic activism,,,sort of admirablein its' regretfully careless innocence.I might even do such things if I wasnt scared shitless of being handcuffed and throwninto the brutal twilite zone of the penal empire..........dddd
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Comment #7 posted by Dan B on February 27, 2001 at 04:22:17 PT:
My 2 cents
I agree that these people are trying to help, but that is not the point (as NiftySplifty and zion have correctly pointed out). The fact is that thepeople smoking on the legislature's steps are not helping to advance the cause; they are simply behaving as the pols erroneously believe all cannabis consumers behave, and that does more harm than good.Try to think of it this way: you don't have to have respect for the people who make the laws, but try to show some respect for the fact that those people have the power to make or break the drug war. If we can show them that they are wrong about us, maybe they'll begin to understand that their policies are as wrong as their stereotypes. Dan B
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Comment #6 posted by NiftySplifty on February 26, 2001 at 18:33:43 PT
I agree, zion.
If the subject were whether alcohol should be legalized, it would be silly for some college kids to pull a keg out of the truck and throw a party on the steps. It's easy for the Antis to hate those whom they see as "potheads/hippies", and it affects everyone in the movement.It's more difficult to point fingers at a well-organized, guy in a suit with a briefcase, because the See? They're dirty hippie scum! argument doesn't fit. Nifty...
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Comment #5 posted by zion on February 26, 2001 at 16:25:48 PT
I disagree. Keep professionalism in forefront.
Let's face it, the only reason that the medical marijuana movement has advanced to the level of success that it has (in spite of aggressive attempts by federal legislators, agencies and law enforcement to the contrary) is because of well-organized, articulate and professional activism. It's hard to be a Nazi when your opponent is a well-informed, well-connected professional.I'd hate to see a repeat of the late 70's when everyone was convinced that legalization was right around the corner, and people just got lazy, partied and acted like legalization already happened - head shop aftermarkets, magazines like High Times on the coffee tables, etc. Parents who came of age in the late 50's couldn't deal with it in their kids, they organized and the politicians listened. No articulate, professional resistance from legalization crowd met the challenge - they were too busy celebrating the illusion of freedom, and alienating everyone in the process.So let's not count chickens before they're hatched, and let's maintain a high semblance of professionalism as the movement progresses. And that includes not using advances in medical marijuana and industrial hemp legislation as an excuse to fire up a doobie in front of the legislature.-zSo, 
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Comment #4 posted by Imprint on February 25, 2001 at 12:39:14 PT:
Baby talk
“The more the marijuana advocates come to testify, the more likely I'll be tempted to vote against the bill," said Komadina”What a childish thing to say.  Let’s face it, legalization of marijuana and the medical marijuana are broken into two issues to pacify the anti-freedom politicians. We have to break it down into little pieces so they can understand and digest them. This is no different that how a parent has to teach their children. These politicians are acting like little kids and we are treating them how they act. Wake up Komadina!!!
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Comment #3 posted by MikeEEEEE on February 25, 2001 at 12:04:41 PT
Freedom
From the article: "The more the marijuana advocates come to testify, the more likely I'll be tempted to vote against the bill," said Komadina, who had voted for a do-pass recommendation for Senate Bill 319, which won a unanimous vote.Since when has the 1st amendment become a problem? The problem isn't people speaking their minds, it's the ANII freedom types implying less freedom.
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Comment #2 posted by observer on February 25, 2001 at 09:53:14 PT
Both Ways / Any Excuse
"The more the marijuana advocates come to testify, the more likely I'll be tempted to vote against the bill," said Komadina, who had voted for a do-pass recommendation for Senate Bill 319, which won a unanimous vote.The maturity and probity of this legistator is astounding. As we see over and over, any (and I do mean any) excuse will do. If people who want their freedom returned to them didn't show up and make noise, he'd turn around and say, "Well, nobody showed up in support of Legalizing Drugs for Our Children", so I guess I'll just have to let the police/prosecutors/prison-guards make the laws (like they always do) All for The Children!" 
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Comment #1 posted by sm247 on February 25, 2001 at 09:10:21 PT
Drunks dance too!
"They're a hindrance," said Sen. Roman Maes, D-Santa Fe. Referring to a rally during the first week of this  legislative session, he said, "They were dancing in front of the Legislature, openly smoking marijuana. That didn't help matters at all.Maybe you should listen to and support these people who YOU represent. Have you ever seen people dance and drink booze in a bar at least these people are trying to help society by wanting to end the stupid prohibition of a plant that helps people physically and emotionally.STOP THE WAR NOW !!
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