cannabisnews.com: Bill Would Allow Medical Marijuana Use In Nevada 





Bill Would Allow Medical Marijuana Use In Nevada 
Posted by FoM on April 12, 2001 at 21:44:33 PT
By The Associated Press
Source: Tahoe Daily Tribune 
The wife of a paraplegic urged Nevada lawmakers Tuesday to approve a bill that would let her husband legally use marijuana to help stop the seizures he suffers. ''My husband has no feeling in his body. Using medical marijuana enables him to function,'' the woman told the Assembly Judiciary Committee. ''The goal is not to cause trouble or to break the law but to survive and function.'' 
The woman, identified only as ''Rose,'' spoke in favor of Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani's AB453, which authorizes medical use of marijuana and decriminalizes possession of small amounts of pot. The bill would create a state registry for all patients whose doctors recommend they use marijuana for medical reasons. People with cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, severe pain and nausea would be eligible for a marijuana user card. ''It's time we recognize the absence of opposition that's here,'' said Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, adding that 65 percent of state voters favored in November for Question 9, a constitutional amendment allowing medical marijuana. Giunchigliani also proposed a state-managed farm for the growth and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes. The state Department of Agriculture estimated that it would cost roughly $750,000 to get the program started. Opponents included Gemma Waldron, a lobbyist for the Washoe County district attorney's office, who said the bill isn't necessary. ''As a two-time cancer survivor, I never once used marijuana and I didn't need to,'' she said. Some Judiciary members were in favor of the bill, but reluctant to support the state's involvement in cultivating and distributing marijuana. ''We need to support the will of the people,'' said Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas. ''They voted for it. But I'm hesitant to go to a state-run program. The state doesn't always do things well. The state has no money this session.'' Judiciary Chairman Bernie Anderson, D-Sparks, was more comfortable leaving it up to patients to find their own source of medical marijuana. ''We can process the bill and it doesn't put us in the marijuana business,'' he said. Among the conditions for a patient to get approval for medical marijuana are state residency, having a qualified medical condition and having a licensed physician in Nevada. Assemblyman Greg Brower, R-Reno, wondered why the measure couldn't be simplified. ''This bill seems very, very complicated. I'm not sure it has to be. If we all agree there's a need for medical marijuana, why don't we treat it like another prescribed drug like Valium? Why does the state have to be involved?'' The measure also goes further than the constitutional amendment and -thanks to Giunchigliani - would change the law on possession of an ounce or less of marijuana to a misdemeanor offense. Nevada is one of the few states with a felony law for marijuana possession. Under AB453, a person with an ounce or less of marijuana would be charged with a misdemeanor punished by a fine of no more than $600. A second offense would result in a higher fine and assignment to a treatment or rehabilitation program. Third-time offenders would be charged with a gross misdemeanor and have to pay an even steeper fine. Source: Tahoe Daily Tribune (CA)Published: April 12, 2001Copyright: 2001 Tahoe-Carson Area Newspapers Contact: tribune tahoe.com Website: http://www.tahoe.com/tribune/ Related Articles:Medical Marijuana: State Run Pot Farm Idea Sinkshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9335.shtmlBill Proposes State-Run Marijuana Program http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9330.shtmlMedical Marijuana And Other Bills Introducedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9171.shtml 
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