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Newsbrief:
Lame
Duck
Governor
Vetoes
Needle
Exchange
Bill
10/17/03
Despite no longer having
to worry about the political consequence of his actions, outgoing California
Gov. Gray Davis continues steadfast in his opposition to harm reduction
measures that could save the lives of drug users. Spurning the pleas
of harm reductionists to sign a bill that would have made it easier for
California cities and counties to implement needle exchange programs, and
ignoring the wishes of incoming Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that he not
act on bills awaiting his signature, Davis wielded his governor's veto
Saturday, killing the measure.
The needle exchange veto
was one of five bills Davis vetoed. He signed nine others, and more
than 200 more await gubernatorial action -- either by Davis or by Schwarzenegger
once last week's election results are officially certified. That
process must be completed within a month.
The needle exchange bill
(AB 946) would have loosened current state laws that require a public health
emergency to be declared before a needle exchange program could be implemented.
Sponsored by Assemblywoman Patty Berg (D-Sebastopol), the bill passed with
strong support from Democrats and opposition from Republicans. Needle
exchange programs have proven effective in reducing the spread of HIV,
Hepatitis C, and other diseases spread by injection drug users who share
syringes.
But Davis, who had signed
the compromise legislation creating the exemption for public health emergencies,
refused to take the next step. "This bill undermines the key element
that won my support for that legislation, by eliminating the requirement
for a local governing body to make a declaration of a local emergency,"
Davis declared in a statement announcing the veto.
-- END --
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Issue #307, 10/17/03
Supreme Court Upholds Doctors' Right to Recommend Medical Marijuana |
Outgoing California Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Guidelines Bill, But Movement Grumbles Over Plant Limits, Caregiver Provisions, More |
Bolivia on the Brink: Strikes, Blockades, Mass Marches, Dozens Killed as US-Backed Administration Teeters |
DRCNet Interview: Retired New York Supreme Court Justice Jerome Marks |
Newsbrief: California's Proposition 36 Generating Big Increases in Drug Treatment |
Newsbrief: Cops Laud "Big Bust" at University of Virginia |
Newsbrief: Venezuela Vice-Pres Lashes Out at US Drug Czar, CIA |
Newsbrief: Bill to Legalize Coca Prepared in Colombia |
Newsbrief: Prosecution of Southwest Virginia Pain Doc Stumbles |
Newsbrief: Lame Duck Governor Vetoes Needle Exchange Bill |
Newsbrief: This Week's Corrupt Cops Story |
Newsbrief: Damages Sought in Mississippi Raid that Destroyed Innocent Plants |
Media Scan: Zurita on Bolivia/Coca, Barthwell & Kampia, Boston Phoenix on ONDCP Summit, Clarence Page, Prevention Postcards |
Perry Fund Accepting Applications for 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 School Years, Providing Scholarships for Students Losing Aid Because of Drug Convictions |
SSDP ED Search Accepting Applications |
The Reformer's Calendar
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