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Maine
Sheriff
Endorses
Medical
Marijuana
10/22/99
Cumberland County, Maine
Sheriff Mark Dion held a press conference in Portland yesterday morning
(10/21) to pledge his support for the state's medical marijuana initiative,
Question 2. In his statement, Dion said he had not turned his back
on the war on drugs, but he asked his fellow citizens to "declare a cease
fire so that we can treat the wounded in our society."
Dion served on the Portland
police department for more than 20 years before he was elected Sheriff
of Cumberland County in 1998. Among other things, he is credited
with implementing community policing in Portland and taking the lead in
combating hate crimes.
"The reduction of chronic
pain and suffering is a serious public health question. One which
we in criminal justice should act to help, and answer, not hinder," Dion
said. "I have taken an oath to uphold the law, yet I am bound to
an equally important duty to seek justice," he added.
Many drug warriors have bemoaned
the "bad message" medical marijuana sends to children, but Dion said he
hoped his endorsement of Question 2 would send a different message to his
own children.
"My hope is that my children
will learn today that sometimes the right decision is not immediately popular
with your peers," he said. "But if that decision seeks to advance
human compassion and dignity, then one can take comfort there."
Dion was joined at the press
conference by three medical marijuana patients, including former Portland
city council member Barb Wood, who used marijuana to alleviate nausea during
chemotherapy she received for ovarian cancer.
The full text of Question
2, along with further information about the initiative, is online at http://www.mainers.org.
-- END --
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Issue #113, 10/22/99
California Reports Record Percentage of Drug Prisoners: One in Eight Imprisoned for Simple Possession of Drugs | Marijuana Arrests Stay at Record-High Level: FBI Reports 682,885 Marijuana Arrests in 1998, 88% for Possession | NORML Foundation Releases Report Detailing European Marijuana Policies | Maine Sheriff Endorses Medical Marijuana | Just Say Know: New Directions in Drug Education -- Conference in SF Next Week | Safety First: Reality-Based Drug Education Booklet Published by The Lindesmith Center | Newsbriefs | San Francisco Beats New York at Crime Reduction | Newsbriefs | Publication Suspended of New Book Claiming George W. Bush Arrested for Cocaine in '72 | Elizabeth Dole Drops Out of Race | Editorial: Whose life is it anyway?
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