DEA Accepts Rescheduling Petition

Medical Marijuana -- Yes in Maryland, No in Connecticut

From: http://www.drcnet.org
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2003 9:27 AM

Medical marijuana advocates won one and lost one at statehouses this week. In Maryland, Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R) signed into law HB 702, the Darrell Putnam Compassionate Use Act. Ehrlich's signature marked not only Maryland's first medical marijuana law, but the first time a Republican governor has signed such a bill anywhere. The bill, which does not legalize marijuana for medical purposes but does provide for a maximum penalty of a $100 fine, passed the Maryland legislature this year after several years of defeats.

There had been some concern that Ehrlich would not sign the bill. He had been a supporter of medical marijuana in his election campaign, but once the bill had passed the legislature, foes of medical marijuana, including drug czar John Walters, pressured Ehrlich not to sign it. That pressure didn't work, and Ehrlich signed the bill into law on Thursday. Maryland becomes the ninth state to protect its medical marijuana patients from jail and the second to act to do so through the legislative process.

Connecticut won't be the third state to do so, at least not this year. On Wednesday, the Connecticut House of Representatives defeated a medical marijuana bill on a vote of 79-64. The bill would have allowed doctors to certify that a patient needed marijuana for medical purposes and would have allowed patients to grow a limited number of plants.

In Connecticut, compassion ran up against fear of marijuana, with opponents worrying aloud that such a bill would "send the wrong message," that marijuana was not proven effective as a medicine, and that protecting medical marijuana patients was a back-door maneuver by the "drug legalizers."

HempFarm.com Commentary to above article: Reality is catching up with some people who've had firsthand or close family experience of the medical application of cannabis; that of easing nausea and pain as well as providing a way of feeling better for cancer patients undergoing chemo. Ehrlich has had this happen with a close friend Darrell Putnam, a cancer patient who passed away before could witness it being signed it into law. I dare not think what would have happened if Ehrlich did not have this experience. Eventually all of us will get this message sooner or later even when you are republican. Interesting to note that the name Ehrlich in German means "honest" so we can truly say that the Governor has done an honest thing; easing the pain of the sick and dying among us. To the opponents of this bill I would like to say how can this "send the wrong message" when we are already comfortably living with current medical practices such as morphine and novocaine, not to mention oxicontin etc. And how about the 7 million kids on ritalin in schools? Do you know that ritalin is metampheminine and did you know that this stuff is also used by air force pilot who describe this substance as "go pills" ? The Institute of Medicine in their 1999 report stated that Marijuana has medical applications. And by now, we know far more about the beneficial health effects of cannabis, see articles on this site. About "Drug Legalizers" there are more and more among those of the ranks of "Drug Legalizers" including recent Scotland Yard Chief says; legalise it! including former republican governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson and many police officers around the world. We were always taught about the stupidity alcohol prohibition and now some of us still fail to see that failure with current drug policies. Why? The analogy is simple. And if cigarettes are legal and are scientifically proven to be more addictive than heroin and cause many more deaths, why is that ok? And cigarettes are not even, remotely considered, a medicine, go figure!

*Industrial-Hemp has no psychoactive properties following definition of the European Economic Community (EEC); THC content is less than 0.3%. In general, low THC-seed varieties without psychoactive properties are those that have a THC content of less than 1%. (See also No-THC Hemp-seed.) THC= Delta-9 TetraHydroCannabinol.