* This message forwarded from private area of Rich Woods
  * Original message dated 07 Nov 96  18:56:51, from Cclist@hempbc.com
 
 Apparently-to: rich.woods@245.genesplicer.org
From: cclist@hempbc.com
Date: Thu, 7 Nov 1996 18:56:51 -0800
Apparently-To: 
Apparently-To: 
The following is forwarded to CClist from US NORML.
*
California, Arizona Voters Approve Initiatives In Favor Of Medical Marijuana
Voters in both California and Arizona have approved initiatives endorsing
marijuana's therapeutic value and allowing patients to use marijuana for
medical purposes where its use has been deemed appropriate by a physician.
The result came despite heavy campaigning by opponents and decades of
anti-marijuana hysteria.
The passage of Proposition 215 in California and Proposition 200 in Arizona
demonstrates that Americans can clearly distinguish between the use of
marijuana as a medicine for serious ill patients and legalization for
recreational use.  It further shows that the country has reached a
consensus on the former, even as it remains divided on the latter.
"This is a victory for medical marijuana as well as for patients and
doctors," said NORML Deputy Director Allen St. Pierre.  "It shows that
Americans do not want the federal government to interfere with the
relationship between a seriously ill patient and the recommendation of his
or her physician."
Both state and nationwide polls taken prior to this election's vote have
shown that a majority of Americans favor medical marijuana reform.  The
recent events in California and Arizona may finally push those on Capitol
Hill to take a close and objective look at this issue.  It may also
encourage some of the 23 states that currently have laws regarding medical
marijuana to modify their measures so that they can begin directly
benefiting patients.
"These votes demonstrate that the public are ahead of the politicians when
it comes to reforming our drug policies, specifically medical access to
marijuana," said NORML Executive Director R. Keith Stroup.  "Americans do
not believe that denying medicine to the sick and dying should ever be a
part of the drug war."
The California initiative says that "Patients or defined caregivers, who
possess or cultivate marijuana for medical treatment recommended by a
physician, are exempt from the general provisions of law which otherwise
prohibit possession or cultivation of marijuana."  It further provides
that, "Physicians shall not be punished or denied any right or privilege
for recommending marijuana to a patient for medical purposes."  The Act
does not supersede state legislation prohibiting persons from possessing or
cultivating marijuana for non-medical purposes.
"Despite heavy opposition from federal politicians and law enforcement, the
California medical marijuana initiative passed because individuals know by
either their own personal experience or by the experiences of those around
them that marijuana has medical utility," said St. Pierre. "The government
has lost all credibility on this issue by claiming otherwise."
"With the passage of Proposition 215 in California, new legal protections
will be put into place for patients who use marijuana under a doctor's
order," said Dave Fratello of Californians for Medical Rights (CMR), one of
the primary proponents of the measure.  The group also announced that they
will offer a toll-free number, 1 (888) YES-4-215, to explain how 215 works,
and for whom it is and is not designed.
Proposition 200 in Arizona, known as the "Drug Medicalization, Prevention
and Control Act," is broader than California's measure and would
essentially "medicalize" Arizona's drug policy.  The Act calls for
mandatory, court supervised treatment and probation as an alternative to
incarceration for non-violent drug users and provides expanded drug
treatment programs.  It will also allow doctors to prescribe controlled
drugs such as marijuana to patients suffering from serious illnesses such
as glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, cancer, and AIDS.  Arizonans voted in
favor of the initiative by a vote more than two to one.
"These votes give a flashing green light to the American public that they
have the power to change the course on American drug policy," said St.
Pierre.
*
--
Dana Larsen (muggles@hempbc.com)
Editor, Cannabis Canada, "Canada's National Magazine of Marijuana & Hemp"
Visit Cannabis Canada online at http://www.hempbc.com
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For more info visit our webpage at http://www.hempbc.com/marc4mayor
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