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Newsbrief:
Schwarzenegger
Vetoes
Medical
Marijuana
Bill
7/23/04
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
this week terminated a bill passed by both houses of the legislature that
would have removed quantity limits on medical marijuana patients in the
state. Sponsored by retiring Sen. John Vasconcellos (D), SB 1494
would have allowed patients to possess any quantity of marijuana deemed
necessary to meet their medical needs. Schwarzenegger vetoed the
bill on Monday.
SB 1494 was the latest effort
to fix continuing problems with the state's medical marijuana law, passed
by voters in 1996. Currently, local governments set quantity limits,
with the result that patients face widely varying quantity rules depending
on where in California they live.
The bill was supported by
the California Medical Association and the California Nurses Association.
Social conservative groups, such as the Traditional Values Coalition and
one we haven't heard of before called the Capital Resources Group opposed
it, arguing that "the bill is the latest attempt to legalize dangerous
and destructive illegal narcotics."
Gov. Schwarzenegger has previously
spoken out in favor of medical marijuana, but he said he vetoed this measure
because it would make marijuana law enforcement more difficult. "Reasonable
and established quantity guidelines allow medicinal marijuana patients
to seek relief from symptoms free from legal questions and permit law enforcement
to carry out the law," Schwarzenegger wrote in a note to the State Senate
explaining his veto. "Enactment of this bill would create uncertainty
in this area of the law, thereby making it more difficult for law enforcement
to determine when a person was in possession of marijuana for medicinal
purposes."
-- END --
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Issue #347, 7/23/04
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