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Medical Marijuana

Press Release: DEA Defies Obama Pledge, Raids Medical Marijuana State, Denies Marijuana FDA Research

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 29, 2009 CONTACT: Dan Bernath, MPP assistant director of communications, 202-462-5747, ext. 2030 DEA Defies Obama Pledge, Raids Medical Marijuana State, Denies Marijuana FDA Research Medical Marijuana Advocates Call on New President to Rein in Rogue Drug Enforcement Administration WASHINGTON — Officials at the Marijuana Policy Project today accused the Drug Enforcement Administration of defying President Barack Obama's stated position by raiding a California medical marijuana dispensary and called on the president to immediately replace Bush administration holdovers at the DEA. The DEA raided a medical marijuana dispensary in Lake Tahoe, Calif., Jan. 22 – only two days after President Obama's inauguration. During the presidential campaign, Obama repeatedly promised not to waste federal resources interfering in states with laws protecting medical marijuana patients from arrest, and he told Southern Oregon's Mail Tribune editorial board on March 28, 2008, "I'm not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue." MPP also urged President Obama to instruct the Bush-appointed current administrator of the DEA to delay a final ruling on a Motion to Reconsider its Jan. 12 decision to deny an application by a University of Massachusetts-Amherst researcher to grow research-grade marijuana in a secure facility, arguing that Obama's own administrator should get to make that decision once in place. The DEA's Jan. 12 denial was one among a series of unrelated 11th-hour regulatory actions the Bush administration attempted to finalize before leaving office. The DEA could rule on the motion as early as Monday unless the White House stops Bush holdover, Michele Leonhart, the DEA administrator. The DEA's Jan. 12 decision came nearly two years after the its own administrative law judge, Mary Ellen Bittner, ruled that approving the application would "be in the public's interest" and after years of delay on the part of the Bush administration. "On the first day of the new administration, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel issued a memo to departments and agencies directing them to hold off on issuing final regulations until President Obama's appointees have a chance to review them," said Aaron Houston, MPP director of government relations. "We're just asking for the same thing here. We'd like a fair hearing from new leadership at the DEA." With more than 26,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org. ####

Make it Safe. Make it Legal. Make it Happen in 2009!

A Call to Action
Make it Safe. Make it Legal. Make it Happen in 2009!

Hello Everyone,

Happy New Year and more importantly, happy new Administration! This is an exciting and challenging time for us. The actions we take in the next few months will help shape President Obama’s medical cannabis policies for the next four to eight years. I hope you all feel the excitement of the possibilities that are before us, and are prepared to meet the challenges that this opportunity will present.

But remember that opportunity is not the same as change…It is going to take a commitment from every one of us to make real change at the Federal level. That is why I am inviting you to renew that commitment by pledging to become an ASA Ambassador and to join ASA in our new campaign for 2009: MAKE IT SAFE. MAKE IT LEGAL. MAKE IT HAPPEN!

By becoming an ASA Ambassador, you are pledging to work with other ASA members to do your part in educating and engaging your elected officials and community. To sign up, contact ASA’s Field Coordinator George Pappas ([email protected]). If we want to succeed, every one of us has a role to play. Every meeting, every call, and every conversation about medical cannabis is part of our plan; a part that you must carry out. As an Ambassador, you will be joining a network of committed activists across the country who share your commitment to our mission.

We start 2009 and the 111th Congress with momentum, optimism, and hope. Since the founding of ASA in 2002, together we have created a patient-led movement with an amazing list of accomplishments under our belt. So, unlike the dark days of the second term of the Bush regime, today we begin new relationships in a very different political climate! Just take a look:

  • Today we have almost 60 ASA chapters and affiliates across the nation, all working to improve their local and state laws, educate legislators and the public, and to create a coordinated national movement for medical cannabis.
  • In just two years, ASA’s Washington, DC Office has become a powerful and influential lobbying force for federal medical cannabis laws. 
  • There are now 13 medical cannabis states, and many more considering legislation and building support and awareness throughout the US.
  • We drove numerous successful court cases in California, improving California’s law and setting the stage for the expansion of other laws across the US., including the U.S. Supreme Court upholding Garden Grove v. Superior Court, ruling that California law enforcement must follow California, not federal, law.
  • We’ve worked side by side with top government agencies to improve state medical cannabis laws and to protect access centers throughout the country that provide safe access to patients who need it.
  • We’ve built unique relationships with top Congressional and Senate leadership, including those tasked with Congressional oversight of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Justice.
  • We elicited supportive statements from President Barack Obama to end federal interference in state medical cannabis laws.
  • We’ve reframed the public discussion of access to medical cannabis as a fundamental human right.

And most importantly … WE HAVE A PLAN! Take a minute to look at the materials ASA has been sharing with the Obama administration and Congress at www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/PresidentialRecommendations

I know the last six years have been hard. We saw little to no movement at the federal level while our loved ones faced lack of access to the treatment they needed, were targeted with threats and intimidation from our own DEA, and were sent to prisons and jails to serve unjust sentences, all for providing treatment to people living with serious illnesses.

But we did not sit back and wait for the tide to turn. Over the years, each action you took, each Representative you called, and each letter you wrote has created an atmosphere of hope across the nation. We’ve seen success at the state and local levels and have built more powerful alliances in Congress than ever before since ASA opened our Washington, DC office in 2006.

I am very proud of the hard work each of you has put into this shared vision. And now I hope we can all provide the leadership necessary to move the nation in the direction of compassion and scientific integrity.

Keep up the great work. I look forward to working with all of you during this exciting time… Let’s Make it safe. Make it Legal. Make it happen!

Sincerely,


Steph Sherer
Executive Director
Americans for Safe Access

Obama and Medical Marijuana

You Can Make a Difference

 

 

Dear friends,

Less than two days. That's how long it took ex-President Bush's cronies inside the federal government to strike out at President Obama and use taxpayer money to undermine him.

Last Thursday the DEA raided a medical marijuana dispensary in California, putting the lives of cancer, HIV/AIDS and other patients at risk.

But we can show President Obama that the American people will stand with him in this fight and hold him accountable for his campaign promise to end these raids.

As you may know, President Obama promised to end the Bush administration's cruel and costly raids on medical marijuana patients and caregivers in states where marijuana is legal for medical use. He's in the process of replacing Bush officials who are the source of the problem, but that takes time.

Quite frankly, what the Bush loyalists inside the DEA did in South Lake Tahoe is the equivalent of giving President Obama the finger. 

Now is our chance to urge President Obama to protect at-risk patients. If he doesn't stand up forcefully to Bush's cronies, they will continue to undermine his presidency. And terminally ill patients will suffer.

Sincerely,

Bill Piper
Director, Office of National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance

NH Compassion Newsletter: Medical Marijuana, We've Got Your Number...

Dear friends, CONCORD, N.H. -- The NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy today announced its support for HB 648, a bill that would protect seriously ill patients from arrest if their doctors recommend marijuana. The group also announced the launch of NHCompassion.org, a new Web site featuring New Hampshire patients, which will serve as a home base for the effort to pass medical marijuana legislation. "HB 648 simply acknowledges the obvious fact that some seriously ill New Hampshire patients benefit from their medicinal use of marijuana," observed Matt Simon, the organization's executive director. "There is no moral justification for continuing a policy that criminalizes patients for trying to relieve their suffering." Simon said he's optimistic about the bill's chances, and noted that New Hampshire voters support medical marijuana reform by a wider margin than they supported most successful candidates in the 2008 election. Simon cited a poll conducted last April by Mason-Dixon Research, which found that of New Hampshire voters, 71 percent supported "changing the law in New Hampshire to allow seriously and terminally ill patients to use and grow medical marijuana for personal use if their doctors recommend it." Only 21 percent of voters said they opposed the reform, with 8 percent undecided. Details on the poll are available at nhcompassion.org. A similar bill, HB 774, was narrowly rejected (186-177) by the House in 2007, but Simon said he believes support will be much stronger this year. "In the past two years, the consensus for allowing medical marijuana has grown. Michigan and New Mexico enacted medical marijuana laws, and now 25 percent of Americans live in medical marijuana states. In addition, the prestigious American College of Physicians issued a paper supporting marijuana's medical value. And, the new U.S. president has pledged to end the federal raids on medical marijuana providers, which had been a concern for many legislators." The bill's prime sponsor is Rep. Evalyn Merrick (D-Lancaster), joined by co-sponsors Sen. John Gallus (R-Berlin), Sen. Martha Fuller Clark (D-Portsmouth), Rep. Tom Donovan (D-Claremont), Rep. James "Doc" Pilliod (R-Belmont), Rep. Trinka Russell (D-Stratham) and Rep. Don Petterson (D-Brentwood). An initial hearing for the bill has not yet been scheduled. If the effort to pass HB 648 succeeds, New Hampshire would become the 14th state since 1996 to pass legislation protecting medical marijuana patients, joining Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. # # # Thanks, -- Matt Simon Executive Director NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy NHCompassion.org [email protected] [4] (603) 391-7450 "Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary, and capricious for the DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of the substance." - Francis L. Young, DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge, 1988

Bush holdovers raid medical marijuana dispensary

Dear friends:

Yesterday — with the leadership of the Department of Justice in flux while Attorney General-designate Eric Holder awaits confirmation by the Senate — Bush administration holdovers raided a medical marijuana dispensary in South Lake Tahoe, California.

President Obama vowed repeatedly during his campaign to stop such raids if elected, and we have every reason to believe he will make good on that promise. However, four top positions at the DEA are still filled by Bush cronies, who are attempting to undercut the president's pledge.

Would you please take one minute to use MPP’s easy online system to e-mail the president and ask him to get his new leadership in place at the DEA quickly, so that these cruel and outdated policies finally end? 

President Obama has promised that arresting patients and raiding clinics in states where medical marijuana is legal won't be acceptable on his watch. Getting political appointees in place takes time, but yesterday the Bush holdovers showed that we must move swiftly.

Please write the White House today to urge the president to quickly place his new leaders at the DEA.

You can see some of the statements the president has made about medical marijuana (generally in response to questions from MPP) here.

Please send your e-mail right away. (You can also call the White House at 202-456-1111.)

Thank you,

Kampia signature (e-mail sized)

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $2.35 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2009. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

Press Release: First Medical Marijuana Raid by DEA under Obama Administration Advocates call on president Obama to quickly change harmful, outdated policy

[Courtesy of Americans for Safe Access] For Immediate Release: January 22, 2009 Contact: ASA Media Liaison Kris Hermes at 510-681-6361 First Medical Marijuana Raid by DEA under Obama Administration Advocates call on president Obama to quickly change harmful, outdated policy Oakland, CA -- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raided a medical marijuana dispensary today in South Lake Tahoe, California, in the first days of the new Obama Administration. Even though President Barack Obama had made repeated promises during his election campaign to end federal raids in medical marijuana states, many high-ranking Bush Administration officials have yet to leave office. For example, still at the helm of the DEA is acting Administrator Michele Leonhart, who has been responsible for numerous federal raids in California, following in the footsteps of her predecessor Karen Tandy. Neither Eric Holder, President Obama's pick for U.S. Attorney General, nor a new DEA Administrator, have taken office yet. "Whether or not this unconscionable raid on a medical marijuana provider is the fault of federal officials from the previous administration, President Obama has an opportunity to change this harmful and outdated policy," said Caren Woodson, Director of Government Affairs for Americans for Safe Access (ASA). "We are hopeful that these are the last remnants of the Bush regime and that President Obama will quickly develop a more compassionate policy toward our most vulnerable citizens." Medical marijuana and an unknown amount of cash was seized during the raid today from Holistic Solutions, but no arrests were made. This first DEA raid under the new Obama Administration is another example of more than 100 raids on medical marijuana providers that have occurred in California over the past two years. While the greatest federal enforcement has occurred in California, the DEA has been active in other states as well. Federal agents raided the Washington State offices of a medical marijuana advocacy group that was supplying starter plants to hundreds of authorized patients. In Oregon, a federal grand jury was used by the DEA to obtain the medical records of several patients, an effort that was later rejected by a federal court. The DEA also went as far as to threaten New Mexico officials for planning to implement that states medical marijuana distribution program. "I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users," Senator Obama said in an August 2007 statement. "It's not a good use of our resources," he continued. This statement was followed up by Obama in other public events in the run up to the election. "President Obama must rise to the occasion by quickly correcting this problem and by keeping the promise he made to the voters of this country," said Woodson. ASA has been working with the new Administration on changing federal law around medical marijuana, which has included providing a comprehensive set of policy recommendations. Further information: Comments by Obama on ending medical marijuana raids: http://granitestaters.com/candidates/barack_obama.html ASA medical marijuana recommendations for incoming president Barack Obama: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/PresidentialRecommendations # # #

Press Release: San Bernardino Supervisors Broke Open-Meetings Law in Medical Marijuana Case, MPP Charges

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    
JANUARY 21, 2009

San Bernardino Supervisors Broke Open-Meetings Law in Medical Marijuana Case, MPP Charges

CONTACT: Aaron Smith, MPP California policy director ................................. 707-575-9870

SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA -- San Bernardino County supervisors appear to have violated the Brown Act, California's open-meetings law, in deciding to take their lawsuit aimed at overturning part of the state's medical marijuana law to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Marijuana Policy Project charged today.

    San Bernardino and San Diego counties first challenged the state's ability to force them to issue identification cards to state-legal medical marijuana patients in the San Diego County Superior Court in December 2005. After losing in the trial court, both counties took their case to the 4th District Court of Appeals, which unanimously rejected the challenge on July 31, 2008.

    Turning down pleas from local patients and advocates, San Bernardino County supervisors voted to take the case to the California Supreme Court during their Aug. 26 closed session. In violation of the Brown Act, the board failed to notify the public of the decision during the open session that followed the vote. Advocates do not know when the decision to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was made, because the public was never notified as required by the Brown Act.

    "I have never seen such utter disdain for voters and the rule of law as has been demonstrated by San Bernardino County's supervisors on this issue," said Aaron Smith, California policy director for the Marijuana Policy Project. "The board is so embarrassed by their decision to waste public funds fighting a popular law that they are trying to hide it from the public, in clear violation of another well-established law."

    Outraged by this failure to follow the law, Fontana resident and medical marijuana patient Craig Johnson filed a written complaint with the Public Integrity Unit at the county district attorney's office. MPP director of state policies Karen O'Keefe and Smith co-signed the letter, which was sent via certified mail on Sept. 15.

    Four months have elapsed and the county has not only failed to respond to the letter but have also formally taken their challenge to the United States Supreme Court.     

    "These supervisors work for the people and must be held accountable for breaking the law," Smith said.

    With more than 26,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.

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Press Release: Sacramento Becomes 48th California County to Adopt Medical Marijuana ID Card Program

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
DECEMBER 16, 2008

Sacramento Becomes 48th California County to Adopt Medical Marijuana ID Card Program
County Was Third Largest Without State-Mandated System

CONTACT: Aaron Smith, MPP California policy director, 707-291-0076

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors decided today to adopt a medical marijuana identification card system, 4 to 1, making it the 48th county to adopt plans to comply with a requirement of a 2003 state law.

    By giving patients the option of obtaining cards identifying them as qualified medical marijuana patients, law enforcement officers will be able to quickly discern whether they are operating within the law, sparing taxpayers the burden of costly, time-consuming false arrests, advocates said.

    The only counties larger than Sacramento that have yet to obey the law requiring a medical marijuana I.D. card program are San Diego and San Bernardino. Those two counties have challenged the program in court three times, all of which have failed. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has announced its intention to make a final appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Meanwhile, Ventura County became the last in Southern California – other than San Diego and San Bernardino – to implement a medical marijuana I.D. card program Monday.

    "The decision today signals the beginning of a new an era for California's medical marijuana law,” said Aaron Smith, California policy director for the Marijuana Policy Project. "It should now be crystal clear to all state and local officials that it's their duty to carry out state law and the will of the voters – regardless of their personal opinion on this issue."

    Patients hailed the Sacramento board's vote as a boon for medical marijuana patients and law enforcement alike.

    "By choosing to offer medical marijuana I.D. cards, the supervisors aren't just demonstrating their respect for the law and the will of the voters," said Candice Works, a Sacramento medical marijuana patient and former substance abuse counselor with Kienböck's disease, a rare and painful bone condition. "They're also showing they care about protecting patients from false arrest and saving our police from wasting time investigating law abiding patients. It's in everybody's interest to ensure our medical marijuana program functions as smoothly as possible, and that's what the I.D. card program does."

    With more than 26,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.

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CMMNJ Minutes & Senate Hearing News

Minutes from our Monthly Public Meeting, Lawrence Township Library, Tuesday, December 9, 2008; 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Meeting was called to order at 7:15 PM and adjourned at 8:30 PM. The October 2008 minutes were approved. Ø The NJ State Senate Health Committee will hold hearings on the “New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act” (S119) on Monday, 12/15/08 at 9:30 AM in the State House Annex. Let Ken know if you plan to attend/submit testimony. Ken to prepare Press Releases. Members may contact senate health committee members to show your support at: https://secure2.convio.net/dpa/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=264 Ø Michigan became the 13th medical marijuana state last month. CMMNJ issued a press release http://drugsense.org/temp/78oTtWM2Mcyv.html & published a letter-to-the-editor (LTE): http://drugsense.org/temp/d9s28IMQbWPM.html Ø CMMNJ sent NJEA the letter: “DARE propaganda about medical marijuana” http://drugsense.org/temp/d8UEdGVs4w1l.html A CMMNJ NJEA member also sent a similar letter. Ø Discussion re: how to most effectively use CMMNJ’s 1100 names of supporters of S119. Ø Update on NJ Crohn’s patient Mike Miceli who was arrested 9/4/08. Mike had major abdominal surgery since his arrest; CMMNJ sent a letter to the prosecutor at Mike’s request. Also, CMMNJ sent a letter to NJ Attorney General Anne Milgram on behalf of MS patient John Wilson who was arrested on 8/18/08 for medical marijuana “manufacture” in Somerset Co. Ø Donald Abrams, MD at San Francisco General Hospital is seeking patients who consume cannabis for a government-funded study. Please directly contact him at 415-476-9554 (x315). Ø Recommendations on medical marijuana for President-elect Obama from the ACLU & ASA are at: http://www.aclu.org/transition/#_Toc212436207 & http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=5612 CMMNJ’s recommendations are: 1. Reschedule marijuana to a more appropriate schedule. 2. Stop all federal harassment of medical marijuana patients and distributors. 3. Pass the New Jersey bill into law. Ø CMMNJ appeared at: The Ewing Twp., NJ “CommunityFest” on the campus of TCNJ on 10/25/08; and at the Fourth Annual Medical Marijuana Candlelight Vigil in Philadelphia at City Hall on 11/1/08. Ø CMMNJ has new photos, etc. on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=502598656 Ø Ken attended the SSDP conference 11/22-23/08 in College Park, MD on the campus of U. of MD Ø Treasury report: Checking account ($2167.92); Paypal account ($577.58). Fund raising? Ø Web site update: Gary updated web site (www.cmmnj.org) for 12 hours @ $15.00 per hour = $180.00. Ø Lawrence Twp. Library OK’d CMMNJ’s dates for 2009 meetings--the 2nd Tues. of each month. Next Meeting: January 13, 2009 at the Lawrence Twp. Library, from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM. All are welcome. Light refreshments are served. (Meeting at the library does not imply their endorsement of our issue.) For more information, please contact: Ken Wolski, RN, MPA Executive Director, Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. www.cmmnj.org 844 Spruce St., Trenton, NJ 08648 (609) 394-2137 [email protected]

Press Release: NJ Moves One Step Closer to Allowing Medical Marijuana

[Courtesy of Drug Policy Alliance] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, December 15, 2008 NJ Moves One Step Closer to Becoming the Fourteenth State to Allow Access to Medical Marijuana Bill Voted Out of Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens, Heads to Full Senate Vote Next Patients, Doctors and Advocates Applaud Compassionate Use Legislation Trenton, NJ — New Jersey moved one step closer today to becoming the fourteenth state in the nation that allows access to medical marijuana. The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee held a hearing today on Senate Bill 119 and voted the bill out of committee with six affirmative votes, one negative, and two abstentions. Senate Bill 119 would allow patients suffering from certain debilitating and life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis to use and possess medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation. The bill would also allow for the licensing of centers where qualifying patients could safely access medical marijuana. The program would be administered by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. Patients, doctors, and advocates applauded the committee's action on Senate Bill 119. The bill now moves to the full senate for a vote. "We want to thank the senators on the committee for voting for the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act," said Roseanne Scotti, director of Drug Policy Alliance New Jersey. "The bottom line is about compassion. If you or someone you love is seriously ill and none of the available medications relieved the suffering, wouldn't you want access to medical marijuana if a doctor recommended it? New Jerseyans overwhelmingly support this legislation and we are grateful to the committee for hearing their voices." Senate Bill 119 is sponsored by Senators Nicholas P. Scutari (D-Middlesex, Somerset, Union), Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic), Sandra B. Cunningham (D-Hudson), Raymond J. Lesniak (D-Union), Brian P. Stack (D-Hudson), Stephen M. Sweeney (D-Salem, Cumberland, Gloucester), Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), and Joseph F. Vitale (D-Middlesex). Senator Scutari, prime sponsor of the legislation, testified before his colleagues on the health committee. Dr. Denis Petro, internationally known expert on medical marijuana, who testified regarding the scientific support for medical marijuana, praised the committee for voting in support of the legislation. "I am pleased to see the support of the committee for Senate Bill 119," said Petro, a board-certified neurologist in Pennsylvania with more than 25 years experience in neurology, clinical pharmacology and marijuana research. "With passage of the legislation, patients with serious and life-threatening disorders can be offered a safe and effective alternative when conventional therapy is inadequate. The bill represents a positive step toward a rational policy regarding medical marijuana". Thirteen states now have laws allowing seriously ill patients access to medical marijuana—Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington State. The New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians, the New Jersey League for Nursing, the New Jersey chapters of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the New Jersey Hospice and Palliative Care Organization all submitted testimony today at the hearing in support of Senate Bill 119. "I am thrilled that today members of the Senate Health Committee supported the common sense and compassionate response to suffering.'' said Nora Bertocci, a registered nurse and chair of the New Jersey Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, which works with sick and dying patients on a daily basis. "Medical marijuana is used very successfully in other states and in other countries. We should not be asking 'why should we legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes?' but rather 'why shouldn't we?' '' Scott Ward, a 24-year-old diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November 2006 while training for the Marine Corps Marathon, tried every legally prescribed medicine his doctors suggested while searching for relief from his symptoms, before he decided to try medical marijuana which has drastically improved his quality of life. Ward was excited by the committee's action and hopeful that the legislation would continue to progress to passage. "To say that I am happy and grateful that the majority of the Senate Health Committee voted in favor of S119 would be an understatement. I came here today to fight for the basic right to live a pain-free life; to be able to get out of bed in the morning not feeling terrible. To use marijuana, my medicine, which works for me," said Ward. "The Senate Health Committee's vote is incredibly encouraging and I urge the rest of the legislature to follow their lead quickly so that other New Jerseyans suffering like myself may find some relief." # # #
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