FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 25, 2011
Senator Margaret Rose Henry Introduces Medical Marijuana
Bill in Delaware
Delaware Patients Join Montel Williams, Multiple Sclerosis Patient & Former Talk Show Host, in Dover to Urge Passage of Medical Marijuana Bill
CONTACT: Morgan Fox, MPP communications manager ……………….… 202-905-2031 or [email protected]
DOVER, DELAWARE — State Senator Margaret Rose Henry and three Senate co-sponsors today introduced SB 17 in the Delaware State Senate, calling for a common sense approach to providing compassionate care for seriously ill patients seeking relief with medical marijuana. Rep. Helene Keeley is the prime sponsor in the House, with eight co-sponsoring House members on the bill.
Montel Williams, a popular former talk show host and multiple sclerosis patient, will attend today’s legislative session to meet with lawmakers and the Governor to urge them to support SB 17. Passage of the bill would allow Delaware patients suffering from several devastating illnesses to receive medical marijuana upon the recommendations of their doctors. Neuropathic pain associated with multiple sclerosis is one of the ailments for which marijuana has been shown to provide relief.
Sen. Henry and Mr. Williams were joined at a press conference today by Joe Scarborough, an HIV/AIDS patient and longtime advocate, as well as Don Brill, a cancer survivor who created the patient advocacy website Delawareans for Medical Marijuana to keep patients informed and provide them with a forum for discussing their experiences.
“Delaware legislators have been listening to patients and families in community meetings and the stories they’ve heard changed minds and hearts,” Sen. Henry said. “Legislators have begun to understand the very real need for legislative action to allow this treatment option without in any way undermining law enforcement or the prosecution of those engaged in the recreational use of marijuana. This bill carries forward common sense restrictions that are now part of state law and it provides an appropriately strong component that is right for our communities.”
Williams has been using medical marijuana for a decade to treat the pain and spasms associated with his degenerative disease. “The Delaware legislature should act without delay to make marijuana legally available for medical use,” Williams said. “Every day that legislators delay is another day of needless suffering for patients like me all across the state.”
Williams noted that 15 states and Washington, D.C. already have passed laws that allow the medical use of marijuana to treat patients suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, and similarly devastating diseases. “Delaware lawmakers now have an opportunity to ensure that patients suffering in Delaware will be treated with the same compassion as patients fortunate enough to live in one of those 15 other states,” said Williams, who retired from the U.S. Navy as Lieutenant Commander after more than two decades of service prior to beginning his television career.
Under SB 17, qualified patients could obtain medical marijuana from state-licensed medical cannabis organizations regulated by the State Department of Health and Social Services, which would also issue medical marijuana ID cards to patients who receive recommendations from their doctors. Public use of marijuana and driving under the influence would be prohibited.
Nationally, the American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association, American Academy of HIV Medicine, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and many other respected health organizations have endorsed the efficacy of medical marijuana.
With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.
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President Obama will be doing a live interview on YouTube this Thursday and, yet again, he wants us to vote on which questions we want answered. I've lost count of how many online voting contests we've been through at this point, but it's a pretty safe bet that questions related to legalizing marijuana and ending the drug war will get the most votes. That's what always happens with these things and if you just sort the page by popularity, you'll see it's about to happen again.
In November, voters went to the polls and passed a proposition to allow medical marijuana in Arizona.
Later this year, the drug will be legally sold for medicinal use.
There are a lot of rules when it comes to dispensaries and hydro-shops, including where they can be built and how many permits will be granted.
As the first state approved and regulated medical marijuana industry education provider, Greenway University will hold seminars during a two day event. Topics include political issues, legal procedures, edibles, nutrition, growing and cultivation. Attendees can even learn how to become "budtenders."
"We aim to not only educate on the laws and how they work, but also on how to go about opening a dispensary, techniques and information on cultivation, in addition to holding seminars by industry experts throughout the Valley and the nation," said Founder and CEO of Greenway University Gus Escamilla. "This is going to be a thriving industry which can really boost the local economy, but only if it's done right. We hope to drive the message of how important it is to have education before implementation."
There will also be video presentations, product testing and business management education.
For more information, contact 1-888-694-2033 or [email protected], or see www.greenwayuniversity.com
Tickets: $295
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 24, 2011
MONTEL WILLIAMS URGES PASSAGE OF MARYLAND MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL
Multiple Sclerosis Patient and Baltimore Native to Speak at Press Conference to Announce Medical Marijuana Legislation in Maryland
CONTACTS: Morgan Fox, MPP Communications Manager …………… 202-905-2031 or [email protected]
Dan Riffle, MPP Legislative Analyst …………………….. 202-905-2026 or [email protected]
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND — Montel Williams, multiple sclerosis patient and popular former talk show host, will attend a press conference today to urge General Assembly members to support legislation that would make Maryland the 16th state in the nation to allow the medical use of marijuana. Williams and other patients will be joined by Deputy Majority Leader and physician Dan Morhaim (D-Baltimore County), Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery County), and Sen. David Brinkley (R-Frederick & Carroll Counties) for a press conference at 4:00 pm, Monday, January 24, in room 302 of the House Office Building.
“I grew up in Maryland, graduated from the Naval Academy, and my family still lives in Baltimore today, so I’m excited about the prospect of helping my home state put in place a policy that’s more compassionate toward our most vulnerable residents,” said Williams, whose father was Baltimore’s first African-American fire chief. Prior to beginning his television career, Williams retired from the U.S. Navy as Lieutenant Commander after more than two decades of service. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a decade ago and has sought treatment at Maryland’s Johns Hopkins Hospital.
The Maryland Senate passed similar legislation last year by an overwhelming margin of 35-12, and this week, Del. Morhaim plans to file a new medical marijuana bill.
“As a physician, I see this as just another tool in the toolbox,” said Morhaim. “This isn’t about ending the war on drugs – it’s about getting the sick and dying off the battlefield.”
Sen. Raskin, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer, noted that Maryland law already provides reduced penalties for marijuana possession to anyone who can show a medical necessity, but that patients have no legal way to obtain it and are still given a criminal conviction even if they are successful in showing a medical need.
“Maryland law already recognizes the medical benefits of marijuana but, bizarrely, sends very sick people into the streets and alleys to find medical relief and then exposes them to criminal arrest and prosecution for seeking relief from pain and nausea,” says Sen. Raskin. “We need to put the doctor-patient relationship at the heart of our policy and we have done that with the most carefully regulated and defined proposal in the country.”
Sen. David Brinkley, a two-time cancer survivor, sponsored the Senate version of last year’s bill and joined with Raskin in leading the bi-partisan effort to pass it.
Says Sen. Brinkley, “This is a bi-partisan bill because compassion is a bi-partisan issue. If it were my loved one suffering from a devastating disease, I would want every treatment option that could relieve their suffering to be on the table. There should be nothing controversial about that.”
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Public Hearing on Medical Marijuana Rules This Thursday and Friday
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Friends,
Go to http://www.youtube.com/askobama and use the search box on the right side to find the question below and then vote it up! Or choose "sorted by popularity," as we're currently at number one!
Q: "As a police officer, I saw how waging the war on drugs has cost a trillion dollars and thousands of lives but does nothing to reduce drug use. Should we discuss legalizing marijuana and other drugs, which would eliminate the violent criminal market?"
We'd really appreciate it if you could activate your Facebook, Twitter and e-mail followers behind this effort. This is a huge opportunity to get our message in front of the nation, and we have until this Wednesday at midnight EST to get as many votes as it takes to stay on top.
Thanks!
Tom
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Tom Angell, Media Relations Director
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
