cannabisnews.com: R.I. Pro-Pot Decision Won’t Sway His Opposition





R.I. Pro-Pot Decision Won’t Sway His Opposition
Posted by CN Staff on January 05, 2006 at 22:46:40 PT
By Sara Withee, Daily News Staff
Source: Milford Daily News
Massachusetts -- A local lawmaker whose opposition to legalizing medical marijuana use triggered a 2004 ballot question in his district, said he remains opposed, even after Rhode Island passed such a law this week. Sen. Richard Moore, D-Uxbridge, said similar legislation pending in Massachusetts can only fail.
"Even if we were to pass the bill, it would have no meaning as the Rhode Island bill has no meaning because it’s contradicting a federal law," Moore said. "There’s still very little in the way of research to show smoking helps."   Rhode Island is the 11th state to legalize marijuana for medical use. The state Legislature overrode the governor’s veto Tuesday and voted to allow medical patients to use marijuana to treat ailments associated with cancer, AIDS, HIV infections and other chronic pain conditions. Patients can keep up to 12 plants after receiving a card from a physician certified to write prescriptions.   Maine and Vermont are among the other states that have approved medical marijuana use and legislation is pending in Connecticut.   Two pieces of pro-marijuana legislation are pending in Massachusetts and have had hearings before the Judiciary Committee and the Public Health Committee, according to Whitney Taylor, executive director of the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts.   She hopes this week’s vote in Rhode Island propels the bills forward.   "It will show the Massachusetts Legislature that not only is it politically viable to vote and pass a medical marijuana law, but it’s also the right thing to do, from a scientific vantage point, a public health vantage point, a medical vantage point," said Taylor.   Moore maintains the bills should not be passed, saying research has not shown smoking marijuana helps medical patients.   However, he said there is research suggesting some of the plant’s ingredients can be curative and that any movement on medical marijuana should build on that.   "I don’t think it will be by smoking it," he said. "I think it will be in the pill form, not to get people high." The groups pushing the law in Massachusetts targeted the districts of Moore and state Rep. James Vallee, D-Franklin, among other legislators in 2004, by putting nonbinding ballot questions out to their constituents.   At that point, Moore was serving as chairman of the Senate Public Health Committee and Vallee was co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Criminal Justice. Moore now leads the Health Care Financing Committee while Vallee sits on the Ways and Means Committee.   Vallee’s district in Franklin and Medway voted 60 percent in favor of making marijuana possession a civil violation instead of a criminal offense. Prior to the vote, Vallee said he did not believe decriminalization had enough support among legislators to pass. He did not return calls to his State House office during the past two days seeking comment on the Rhode Island vote.   Moore’s Worcester and Norfolk Senate district voted 69 percent in favor of instructing legislators to vote on medical marijuana legislation, but he reiterated this week that, "You can’t tell someone to break the law, federal or state."   Taylor and her group the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts which sponsored the nonbinding ballot questions, said her organization was disappointed it failed to change Moore’s view.   Moore also said if a medical marijuana law was passed, the distribution would be a problem because people will grow marijuana themselves or obtain it on the street.   "I don’t think Rhode Island will be blazing any new trails as far as Massachusetts or any other states are concerned," he said. "We have a far more serious issue with OxyContin and heroin in this state to deal with before marijuana."Complete Title: Sen. Moore Says R.I. Pro-Pot Decision Won’t Sway His OppositionSource: Milford Daily News, The (MA)Author: Sara Withee, Daily News StaffPublished: Friday, January 6, 2006 Copyright: 2006 The Milford Daily NewsContact: milford cnc.comWebsite: http://www.milforddailynews.comRelated Article & Web Site:DPFMAhttp://www.dpfma.org/Politics of Painhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21444.shtmlOle Miss Marijuana Monopoly Under Fire http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21392.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #8 posted by runruff on January 06, 2006 at 17:30:14 PT:
Holy swacko, batman!
So this guy says maybe someday we can extract the benneficial components from marijuana so that people can use it as medicine without getting high? This thinking just
just burns my butt! What does he care how anyone gets his 
slice of euphoria. I'll bet $10.00 to a Twinkie he has his method and thinks it is just all right. That we get completly swacked on legal drugs never occured to him. He is a write in the realm of logic. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by runderwo on January 06, 2006 at 08:31:11 PT
unreal
I can't believe someone so clueless not only is occupying a legislative seat somewhere, but somehow commands enough attention to wrap an entire newspaper article around. This guy is a laughing stock to anyone who has studied cannabis.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by Patrick on January 06, 2006 at 07:08:25 PT
Distribution Problems
Moore also said if a medical marijuana law was passed, the distribution would be a problem because people will grow marijuana themselves or obtain it on the street. That's how people get it now! The problem isn't getting it, the problem is getting arrested for getting it. Sometime I feel sorry for how stupid these people can be. Sometimes.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by mayan on January 06, 2006 at 06:23:16 PT
No Meaning???
"Even if we were to pass the bill, it would have no meaning as the Rhode Island bill has no meaning because it’s contradicting a federal law," Moore said.These folks sure do whine awful loud over bills and initiatives that "have no meaning"!!! So much time and money our opposition spends fighting our meaningless activism! THE WAY OUT...Silverstein Answers WTC Building 7 Charges:
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/january2006/050106silversteinanswers.htmTHE FBI SHUT DOWN OF ARAB MUSLIM WEB SITES IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO 9/11:
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/fbishut.htmlDaily 9/11 info:
http://www.daily911.info/NYC 9/11 Truth Events:
http://ny911truth.org/The SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 TREASON INDEPENDENT PROSECUTOR ACT:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/736718529?ltl=1135908579
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by lombar on January 06, 2006 at 05:57:50 PT
Somebody must have found this before :)
I was looking for a quote for an LTE and I came across this article and the following was related to OverwhelmSams' comment:"Figure 2 shows that the underground economy swiftly moved from the production of beer to the production of the more potent form of alcohol, spirits.[13] Prohibition made it more difficult to supply weaker, bulkier products, such as beer, than stronger, compact products, such as whiskey, because the largest cost of selling an illegal product is avoiding detection.[14] Therefore, while all alcohol prices rose, the price of whiskey rose more slowly than that of beer.Fisher used retail alcohol prices to demonstrate that Prohibition was working by raising the price and decreasing the quantity produced. However, his price quotations also revealed that the Iron Law of Prohibition was at work. The price of beer increased by more than 700 percent, and that of brandies increased by 433 percent, but spirit prices in creased by only 270 percent, which led to an absolute in crease in the consumption of spirits over pre-Prohibition levels.[15]A number of observers of Prohibition noted that the potency of alcoholic products rose. Not only did producers and consumers switch to stronger alcoholic beverages (from beer to whiskey), but producers supplied stronger forms of particular beverages, such as fortified wine. The typical beer, wine, or whiskey contained a higher percentage of alcohol by volume during Prohibition than it did before or after. Fisher, for example, referred to "White Mule Whiskey," a name that clearly indicates that the product had quite a kick. Most estimates place the potency of prohibition-era products at 150+ percent of the potency of products produced either before or after Prohibition.[16]"--------------------------------The thought occured to me today that activists and all the good folk trying to eliminate prohibition should not have to justify why the laws need to be changed, why the dreadfully sick should be deprived of even the illusion of relief, instead those who support prohibition should have to justify its effectiveness and the continued suffering of those cannabis may help. Why should people have to argue why they should not be caged for using a plant? It is absurd.
Alcohol Prohibition Was A Failure
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by OverwhelmSam on January 06, 2006 at 04:24:01 PT
Toker00
Have you heard the latest? They're called Farm parties (Farm=Pharmaceutical). That's right, kids have switched from using marijuana because of drug testing to the more dangerous ritilan, valium, oxycontin, percoset, you name it. It's good for the pharmaceutical companies, bad for the kids. I guess our moral government is okay with devising a drug policy that has steered our children to potential liver damage, brain damage and overdose drugs. They should be proud.Hopefully, one day they'll come to accept that people like to do drugs, that it's okay in moderation, that marijuana is the least dangerous of all drugs, and work to help the seriously addicted to hard drugs, instead of working to jail them.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by OverwhelmSam on January 06, 2006 at 04:16:05 PT
The Prohib Spin Doctors Are Gearing Up
And guess what, no one is listening to their empty messages anymore.It might still be against federal law, but guess what, the states have no obligation to enforce federal law. Now how exactly is that meaningless?Overhwelm Uncle Sam
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by Toker00 on January 06, 2006 at 03:58:19 PT
Panty waits.
"We have a far more serious issue with OxyContin and heroin in this state to deal with before marijuana."OOPS! Too late. If you had ended Cannabis Prohibition long ago, you would not have these "drug" problems, or at least not as bad. I've never seen more cowards, in one spot, than I see in my government. The higher up you go, the more cowards you find. Capitalism. The way for the weak to steal from the strong.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment