Nancy Pelosi Condemns Federal Attacks on Medical Marijuana
Yesterday we reported that advocates had presented House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi with a petition asking her to help end the federal crackdown on medical marijuana. (Click here and scroll down to the last paragraph of the California section of our Medical Marijuana Update.)
Pelosi responded, issuing a statement on "Recent Federal Actions Threatening Safe Access to Medical Marijuana":
"I have strong concerns about the recent actions by the federal government that threaten the safe access of medicinal marijuana to alleviate the suffering of patients in California, and undermine a policy that has been in place under which the federal government did not pursue individuals whose actions complied with state laws providing for medicinal marijuana."
Click here for the full statement on Pelosi's web site.
Looking for the easiest way to join the anti-drug war movement? You've found it!
YES!
I think "leadership" is the correct term for this. I almost forgot what it was called.
Sure took her long enough
My understanding from years ago was that she is a supporter of MMJ, so I've been extremely disgusted by her silence on this issue since November 2008. Given public opinion on the subject, if it's true that she personally supports MMJ, her refusal to act is even more puzzling than Obama's. She still has a long way to go to earn the respect that the Colorado and Washington state Democratic parties have earned by coming clean on marijuana prohibition.
Thank you Nancy Pelosi.
Thank you Nancy Pelosi.
What are these Dems from San Francisco afraid of?
How can you be afraid of being adamantly outspoken in supporting medical marijuana or even full blown legalization when you represent a district located in "Put flowers in your fucking hair" San Francisco? You folks really need to clean house and get rid of the old timers like Nancy Pelosi and Diane Frankenstein.
Talk is cheap
Talk is cheap. Get your shit together, Congress, and do something instead of just talk. The least Congress can do is reschedule marijuana; although I am for the repeal of prohibition, rescheduling would be a step in the right direction. In the mean time, Obama needs to sign an Executive Order to cease and desist all raids and prosecution against patients as well as dispensaries and growers.
Be Careful What You Wish For
I agree the total repeal of Prohibition if the answer. But I just don't think that debate will ever happen in our neo-Temperance climate, especially in election season.
And rescheduling marijuana is likely to cause more problems. One trap marijuana legalization advocates fall into is wanting marijuana to be treated as a regulated medicinal substance in the framework of the Controlled Substance Act. If marijuana were a CSII, it would undoubtedly face the same slippery lack of standards which allow the DEA to enact its de facto criminalization of legal opioids. Currently, the DEA can interpret "legitimate medical need in the course of professional practice" to go after Doctors who prescribe legal opioid pain-killers - even though judiciaries have found this phrase to not have any precise medical meaning. And with medical marijuana being evaluated for just about any conceivable ailment, the DEA would be increasingly harsh in using its latitude to determine "legitimate medical need" and aggressively criminalize Doctors who would prescribe marijuana in a legal controlled substance scenario. A Chilling Effect would ensue, and the availability of marijuana as a medical agent would be stifled. Marijuana crime created from becoming entrenched in the DEA's spiderweb would massively increase, more so than its current underground status.
The Controlled Substance Act is terminally flawed and will further the Drug War.
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