cannabisnews.com: GOP Leaders Use Strong Words To Condemn MMJ
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GOP Leaders Use Strong Words To Condemn MMJ
Posted by CN Staff on February 24, 2011 at 15:10:54 PT
By Charles S. Johnson, Gazette State Bureau
Source: Billings Gazette
Helena, MT -- Republican legislative leaders strongly condemned Montana's medical marijuana program Thursday as they spoke to reporters at the mid-session break, while Democratic leaders denounced repeal attempts as another GOP attempt to defy the will of voters.At a Capitol press conference, House Speaker Mike Milburn, R-Cascade, talked about his bill to repeal the law -- and Senate President Jim Peterson, R-Buffalo, spoke strongly against medical marijuana, although he stopped short of saying it should be repealed.
"On marijuana, it's a horse of another color now," Peterson said. "You know, we started out with a white horse and now we got a black horse. And we got to do something about it. It's out of control. We don't need a state run with this kind of activity."Peterson did say that perhaps Montanans should have another chance to vote on the issue, and that they might change their mind this time and reject it.In 2004, Montana voters, by a margin of 62 percent to 38 percent, voted to legalize the use of marijuana for medical treatment purposes.Milburn's House Bill 161 would repeal that law. The bill has cleared the House on a mostly party-line vote and now faces action in the Senate.Milburn said Montana now is confronted with "an out-of-control organized drug trade" involving organized crime."We're talking about infiltrating into the schools, into the neighborhoods, taking down whole neighborhoods," Milburn said. "That's what we're talking about now. So we're talking about a totally different issue than what the people voted in."Democratic leaders, however, were adamant against the repeal of the medical marijuana law."That's not what the people of this state told us to do," said House Minority Leader Jon Sesso, D-Butte. "There are sick and dying people in this state that deserve to have their drug of choice. We have to fix the system, not repeal it."Senate Minority Leader Carol Williams, D-Missoula, called it another Republican attempt this session to hijack a voter-passed law.The medical marijuana law needs to be tweaked, not repealed, she said."But to go out and say we're going to repeal it is one more attempt to thumb your nose at the voters," she said.Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer, consistent with his policy, declined to say what he will do if a repeal bill hits his desk, but he sounds as if he agrees with Williams and Sesso."I think most people in Montana agree with me that the result of the initiative that passed is one, that we have more people with medical marijuana cards that any of us anticipated there would have been," he said in an interview this week. "The people ... said that there are a certain number of people in our population that need or require the medical marijuana as part of their treatment."I'm not going to say to the people of Montana that you were wrong about that, but I certainly think that there are people that have got marijuana cards that just want to smoke pot, not that they need medicinal cannabis, as it's now called."At the GOP press conference, Peterson asked if Montanans want one-third of high school kids with medical-marijuana cards.Official state statistics show that 51 people under age 18 have been issued medical marijuana cards as of Feb. 1, or 0.18 percent of the 28,362 people with cards.Milburn urged repeal of the law to give Montanans a chance to reassess and re-evaluate it "so we can get back on track with the medical part of it, sometime this session or in the future.""We have to protect the public safety and welfare of the people of our state," he said.Williams said the Legislature should consider HB68, by Rep. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, which was developed by an interim committee that studied the issue. That bill, which hasn't been acted on, imposes stricter licensing and regulatory standards to stop some of current abuses and charges fees to pay for it.She cited current and past Republican legislative efforts to change voter-passed initiatives.Source: Billings Gazette, The (MT)Author: Charles S. Johnson, Gazette State Bureau Published: February 24, 2011Copyright: 2011 The Billings GazetteContact: speakup billingsgazette.comWebsite: http://www.billingsgazette.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/dCuJxrppCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #9 posted by josephlacerenza on March 04, 2011 at 14:49:13 PT:
Botanical Analysis Lab in Bozeman, Montana Biotech
E- Mail from MPP about the repeal here in MT:March 4, 2011 MT: Senate repeal hearing on March 11 — Fill your cars and come to Helena!Ask your senator to support an amended S.B. 154 insteadDear "Member":Montana patients need your support. On Friday, March 11 at 8:00 a.m. in Room 303 of the Capitol Building, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on H.B. 161, medical marijuana repeal. Although the House recently passed H.B. 161, 63-27, we are much more hopeful that the Senate will do the right thing. In order to make that happen, we need a huge show of support at the hearing. Please attend to demonstrate that many Montanans care about protecting and preserving the rights of Montana medical marijuana patients. Remember to dress professionally and act respectfully.You can also show your support by e-mailing and calling your senators, urging them to vote against repeal.Also, the Senate Judiciary Committee met in February to consider S.B. 154, which would regulate the medical marijuana provider supply system. The content of these regulations is still uncertain, but the committee will likely be using S.B. 154 and other ideas to develop its own regulation bill. Please tell your senator to amend S.B. 154 and pass tight, reasonable regulations for the medical marijuana industry.Again, please fill your cars with as many patients, advocates, and friends as possible, and get to Helena on March 11!Sincerely,Noah Mamber signature (master)Noah Mamber
Legislative Analyst
Marijuana Policy Project
Montana Botanical Analysis Lab, Bozeman MT, Montana Biotech
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Comment #8 posted by josephlacerenza on March 04, 2011 at 14:44:46 PT:
Montana Biotech a Botanical Analysis Lab
This from the Billings Gazette:Medical pot didn't hurt the statehttp://billingsgazette.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_4253e72a-f474-557b-9424-9ba9825b9b7a.html
Montana Biotech, Botanical Analysis in MT
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Comment #7 posted by josephlacerenza on March 04, 2011 at 14:41:17 PT:
A Montana Botanical Analysis Lab in MT
I just wanted to fill people in on MT!!Montana NORML's Blog:Next Steps Towards Medical Marijuana Repeal in Montana
Last month, HB 161, which would erase medical marijuana from the Montana law books, passed the Montana House of Representatives.
The next step is to pass the Senate. The first piece of that process will be on March 11th, 2011, when the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider the bill. If it passes, it’ll next go to the full Senate, and then, the Governor. Ideally, we can persuade the committee to kill the bill next week.
You can let it be know how you feel about repeal by using one of the email messages here (before March 11th, 2011).
Alternately, here’s info on what to say, and how.http://blog.montananorml.org/2011/03/02/next-steps-towards-medical-marijuana-repeal-in-montana/
Montana Biotech, Botanical Analysis Lab, Bozeman MT
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Comment #6 posted by dongenero on February 25, 2011 at 13:44:27 PT
MT GOP
Their "strong words" are nothing compared to their strong smell. It's the smell of deceit and contempt for democracy, freedom and their fellow Montana residents,.....of whom they consider themselves and their opinions, superior to.
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Comment #5 posted by aslader on February 25, 2011 at 06:45:43 PT:
would you prefer DISorganized crime?
Milburn, Berry, etc. are a bunch of corrupted, money-grabbing biggots that do not give a shit about our state, do not give a shit about our children, and they damn sure dont care that montana's economy is on the rebound thanks to medical marijuana. But wait, we have 0.18% of Montanans with cards that are under the age of 18! And now its in our schools, in our neighborhoods, and its being shipped out of state! ..For god's sake, its BEEN LIKE THAT FOREVER. the only reason these retarded representatives are concerning us with their empty political rhetoric is because they don't see it going exactly the way they planned, and are using it as a scapegoat. Now that theres regulation, its out in the open, the truth has been told. People will be using drugs everywhere. All of the time.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on February 24, 2011 at 17:59:17 PT
dongenero
I hadn't been watching the news until recently. Why would anyone think Republicans are right? They want to bring Union workers down to the level of pay of companies without a Union. How poor do they want people to become?
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Comment #3 posted by dongenero on February 24, 2011 at 17:23:36 PT
GOP
Considering all the recent news events across the country, it's obvious the GOP is having a concerted run at taking their nationwide culture war to full steam on all fronts.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 24, 2011 at 16:28:10 PT
Related Article From The Billings Gazette
Major Medical Marijuana Bills***February 24, 2011Helena, MT -- Here's a list of some major medical marijuana bills introduced so far at the 2011 Legislature and their status:House Bill 19, by Rep. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, to clarify that the Clean Indoor Air Act applies to smoking of medical marijuana. Passed the House and a Senate committee and awaits Senate floor action.HB43, by Rep. Gary MacLaren, R-Victor, clarifying the employer's right related to employees' use of medical marijuana. Passed House and awaits Senate committee hearing.HB68, by Sands, to revise the voter-passed law and create a licensing and regulatory structure for the industry. Heard in House committee but not yet acted on. As a revenue measure, it faces a later transmittal deadline.HB82, by Sands, to require reporting of complaints on physicians' practices related to medical marijuana, passed House and awaits Senate committee hearing.HB161, by Speaker Mike Milburn, R-Cascade, to repeal the state's medical marijuana law. Passed the House and awaits Senate committee hearing.HB175, by Rep. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, to submit a repeal of the Medical Marijuana Act to Montana voters in 2012. Not yet heard in House committee, but has a later transmittal deadline as a referendum bill.HB185, by Rep. Tom Berry, R-Roundup, to ban synthetic marijuana. Passed House and awaits Senate hearing.HB389, by Rep. Pat Noonan, D-Ramsay, to require a warning label on marijuana sold for medical use. Approved by House committee, but not yet acted on by full House. Still alive because it has a financial impact.HB429, by Berry, to revise medical marijuana procedures to greatly limit who is eligible for a card by requiring a doctor's and then a judge's approval to get a card. Approved by House committee, but not yet acted on by House. Still alive because it has a budget impact.HB488, by Rep. Jerry O'Neil, R-Columbia Falls, to limit medical marijuana smoking to a person's home, but not allowing it to be done in the presence of children. Tabled in House committee and missed transmittal deadline.SB154, by Sen. Dave Lewis, R-Helena, to regulate the medical marijuana supply system and tax it. Heard by a Senate committee, where Lewis said he wants to amend out the tax and otherwise revise it, but not yet acted on. Still alive because it is a revenue measure.SB170, by Sen. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, to require a three-physician panel to endorse a doctor's recommendation that a patient get a medical marijuana card for chronic pain. Heard by Senate committee but not acted on by Senate. Status uncertain.SB193, by Sen. Gene Vuckovich, D-Anaconda, to revise medical marijuana laws. Heard in Senate committee, but not yet acted on by Senate. Still alive because it has a revenue impact.SB334, by Sen. Jim Shockley, R-Victor, to repeal the legality of medical marijuana. Tabled at sponsor's request and failed to meet transmittal deadline.SB336, by Sen. Dave Wanzenried, D-Missoula, to authorize the use of medical marijuana for treatment of post traumatic stress disease. Voted out of Senate committee but re-referrred to the committee. Status uncertain.Several other proposed bills are awaiting to be drafted.Copyright: 2011 The Billings GazetteURL: http://drugsense.org/url/YrJt0tzn
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on February 24, 2011 at 16:13:40 PT
What country is this: I forgot?
Republicans can not be allowed to defy the will of voters.
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