South Dakota Legislature Will Take Up a Medical Marijuana Bill This Session
South Dakota's one-man marijuana reform movement, Bob Newland, has informed the Chronicle that he has found a legislative sponsor for a medical marijuana bill and there will be a hearing soon, most likely before the end of the month. The text of the proposed bill can be read here.
It would be a very pleasant surprise if this bill were to pass, and a sweet vindication for activists like Newland in the only state to fail to pass a medical marijuana legalization initiative at the polls. In the 2006 initiative, medical marijuana gained 48% of the popular vote. Earlier efforts to pass a bill in the legislature went nowhere, and the opposition to this bill will be led by Attorney General Larry Long (R), who was also point man for initiative opponents in 2006. (Who knew the AG was an MD? Oh, he isn't.)
Newland sought meetings with Long in an effort to address "law enforcement concerns," but Long made it clear that he is unalterably opposed to medical marijuana. Period.
Newland also has a fall-back bill prepared if, as he predicts, Republicans will be aghast at allowing patients to grow their own medicine and try to kill the bill. The fall-back bill simply allows an affirmative defense in a patients is arrested and prosecuted for his medicine.
Looking for the easiest way to join the anti-drug war movement? You've found it!
Good luck...
I hope it passes!
I simply cannot understand these people who are opposed to medical marijuana. I know, I'm preaching to the choir here, but damn! I recently watched a video from Reason/MPP called "A Tale of Two Drug Dealers." It's about the Charlie Lynch ordeal, and his abominable prosecution in California for providing medical cannabis to cancer patient/amputee Owen Beck. This poor kid was obviously suffering terribly, and Charlie Lynch helped alleve that suffering by providing medical cannabis - something that is LEGAL under state law.
Turns out, the Sheriff (John Q. Shitforbrains) "don't like dopers," so he called in the Federales to bust Charlie. Now, for fully complying with state law and the will of California voters, he faces 100 years in prison! Imagine that, the rest of your life in prison for helping a kid with bone cancer.
Now, contrast that with Rite-Aid pharmacies, who violated many areas of the CSA by filling numerous fraudulent prescriptions and participating in other dangerous activities. No one is going to prison in that case, of course...
I can't think anything, other than that these anti-medical cannabis dopes are evil, ignorant crusading hypocrites. If someone is sick, they should be allowed to seek whatever remedy they choose. I though this was "the land of the free?"
Wake up America...
Watch the video here:
(http://www.reason.com/blog/printer/129496.html)
Medical Marijuana in South Dakota
Good Luck Bob Newland and the rest of the Pro Medical Marijuana crowd in South Dakota. It would be a great place to also grow Hemp from which we can make, ethanol, food, clothing, fiber, etc., etc., etc. In fact the legalization of Cannabis would be to today's economy what the repeal of Alcohol Prohibition did by ending the Great Depression. But even states that have legal Medical Marijuana laws want it run without anyone seeing the final product, in any stage, except for the caregiver and the patient. There is still a stigma against it. Funny thing in both Missouri and Iowa you can go to a clinic and pick up Methadone with no problem from law enforcement what so ever. Seems a bit out of balance if you ask me. Especially since there exists no drug in today's pharmacopoeia that safely controls chronic nausea and vomiting which I suffer from and use marijuana in order to control it. My only other alternative is Reglan/Metoclopramide which if used on a regular basis causes Irreversible Parkinson like shakes and tremors and/or Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome which is fatal. Which one would you choose? Marinol is also worthless, I have been on it for years it just does not work. I am willing to risk arrest, prosecution, imprisonment, forfeiture of property and money just to control the debilitating symptoms from Diabetic Neuropathic Gastroparesis. What a country...(Put Bronx Cheer Here)
Who are they trying to protect?
I can't understand people who are opposed to adults using marijuana in any manner at all.
Licensing reputable businesses to legally produce and sell marijuana to adults will eliminate drug dealers and dramatically reduce its use by minors. Isn't this a good thing?
Ending the prohibition on marijuana production and sale in the U.S. will end marijuana sales into the U.S. by Mexican Drug Cartels and end their reason for murdering thousands of people and corrupting Mexico's police and government officials. Isn't this a good thing?
Prohibitionists talk of "sending the right message", to whom are they trying to send this message? ..to the kids who can buy marijuana in their schools and at their local skate parks? ..to the Cartels who receive billions every year from selling marijuana into the U.S.? ..to their victims and their families who live in terror after having witnessed their loved ones beheaded and mutilated in order to send the Mexican government a message to leave the Cartel's operations alone?
Maybe it's to the sick and dying people who could find relief from marijuana if they were just allowed to produce or buy it legally? Or maybe it's to all the rest of us in this country who desperately need jobs right now and are helplessly watching our houses being foreclosed and the economy shrinking while marijuana remains prohibited, instead of licensing reputable businesses to legally produce and sell it to adults which would create thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenues?
To whom is their message directed, and what exactly are they trying to communicate?
Why do they do it?
Why do our "officials" have such a phobia about legalizing cannabis? Is it because they believe, if they can't buy it they won't use it? That might be true, however the reality is. drugs are everywhere, more available than ever before, cheaper and stronger too. So, unless they have a money stake in keeping criminals in business and rich, why don't they get a backbone, legalize and control the substance? Just like they did with booze seventy-five years ago. And that situation with Capone, went away pretty fast. But maybe the "officials" were smarter back then, or maybe more honest. Anyway, just stop supporting an ongoing criminal enterprise.
Real Power
The answer is real power.
Some people say follow the money path. The real path to follow (which can include money) is the power path.
Our society is the net result of a never-ending power struggle. For example, if an American group is powerful enough, not even the U.S. Constitution can stand in their way.
It's not about doing the "right thing". It's about gaining real power.
Successfully convince enough powerful people how they can gain more power by ending drug prohibition, and it will end fast.
Alcohol prohibition ended, I'm guessing in part, because a majority of Americans like alcohol. Only a minority of people like illicit drugs apparently, perhaps the greatest percentage being roughly 1/3 of the American population liking marijuana. This means insufficient public support and the limited power that comes with.
There isn't enough power supporting the reform movement yet, and that's where we should be focusing heavily.
We should find more powerful individuals/groups who benefit by drug prohibition's end and leverage that power.
Let's Support Bob Newland and South Dakotans for Safe Access
Bob says he needs some support - if anyone can donate; he's a one-man band, working on a budget of a few hundred dollars to relieve the suffering of people in So. Dak. - I donated what I could - visit - http://www.sodaknorml.org/sdsa.htm -
WHOO!!
ITS TIME FOR CHANGE. PASS THE BILL AND MAKE THE FIRST STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. ITS A HUGE PROFIT MARGIN IF THEY WOULD ONLY TRY TO CAPITALIZE IT INSTEAD OF TREATING IT LIKE ITS THE WORST THING ON EARTH.
BILL UPDATE
South Dakotas Health and Human Services has passed the bill HB1127 with 9 for and 4 against. They amended the bill several times. But also, the house has introduced the bill HB1128 which allows possession of marijuana to be claimed for a medical purpose.
WHOO WHOO GOOOO SOUTH
WHOO WHOO GOOOO SOUTH DAKOTA!!!!!!!!!!!
Out of Prison
Look at how many people are in prison today. Its overcrowded and they are still packing them in there, over the capacity limit. Over half of the people in prison today are because of a marijuana charge, or selling it. If there was some kind of control on the usage of it and the retail of it, which there isnt now, because it is getting sold on the streets. It would reduce the crime activity and the sale of it. They say that its the gateway drug, it is now because its the mentality of getting the marijuana, selling the marijuana, the sneakiness of getting it, the crowd that associates with it. If one with a sickness could go to a pharmaceutical store and buy it for whatever medical need they have, they wouldnt have to go over to the guys/girls house to go buy it. It reduces the activity of getting it. The overflow of the prisons would go down, we wouldnt have to spend 8 Million dollars on a new min. security prison. But we all know that it is still going to happen, because we all know that it is all about the money involved, its not a secret. The federal government sends a lot of money to hold a single prisoner for a year. And South Dakota banks off it. Im not bashing South Dakota, its a great state. Its just the reality of things. So since marijuana is illegal now, we can still stuff the prison with petty marijuana charges, and make our money and pretend there is no issue. If medical marijuana passes, the prison population will go down and so will the revenue, so its a 50/50 deal. We'll see what happens.
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