News (Media Awareness Project) - US SC: PUB LTE: Medical Marijuana |
| Title: | US SC: PUB LTE: Medical Marijuana |
| Published On: | 2001-06-24 |
| Source: | The Post and Courier (SC) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-25 16:00:31 |
MEDICAL MARIJUANA
It's not very often that I agree with a Democrat, but Rep. Barney
Frank, D-Mass., recently filed a bill that would change federal law
to legalize the use of medical marijuana and effectively overturn a
recent Supreme Court decision.
Rep. Frank proposed this bill because, even though eight sovereign
states have passed laws legalizing the use of medical marijuana, the
federal government continues to arrest and prosecute cancer, AIDS and
glaucoma patients who use the drug.
On April 3, Frank introduced H.R. 1344, the States' Right to Medical
Marijuana Act. The bill would amend the federal Controlled Substances
Act (CSA) to allow physicians to recommend medical marijuana and
allow patients to use it, without facing federal charges.
Like numerous other federal laws, the CSA violates the intent of the
10th Amendment of the Bill of Rights, but then, that's never stopped
the federal government from infringing on the rights of sovereign
states or individual citizens.
According to Rep. Frank, "This bill offers an opportunity for my
conservative colleagues to decide if they really want to be
consistent on the question of states' rights, or if they think the
federal government should tell states what to do."
H.R. 1344 would reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug under
federal law, formally acknowledging the drug's potential "medical
utility." It would also effectively overturn the May 14 Supreme Court
decision, which upheld the feds' claim that there is no "medical
necessity exemption" to federal drug laws. By changing the CSA, the
bill would render the decision moot. Currently H.R. 1344 has nine
co-sponsors.
Whether you agree or disagree with the use of medical marijuana,
please ask your congressman to co-sponsor H.R. 1344, and send a
message to Washington that the omnipotent federal government must
obey the Constitution. The decision to allow physicians to recommend
medical marijuana and allow patients to use it should be made either
in Columbia or in our ballot boxes, but not in Washington.
JOSEPH G. LOLLI
It's not very often that I agree with a Democrat, but Rep. Barney
Frank, D-Mass., recently filed a bill that would change federal law
to legalize the use of medical marijuana and effectively overturn a
recent Supreme Court decision.
Rep. Frank proposed this bill because, even though eight sovereign
states have passed laws legalizing the use of medical marijuana, the
federal government continues to arrest and prosecute cancer, AIDS and
glaucoma patients who use the drug.
On April 3, Frank introduced H.R. 1344, the States' Right to Medical
Marijuana Act. The bill would amend the federal Controlled Substances
Act (CSA) to allow physicians to recommend medical marijuana and
allow patients to use it, without facing federal charges.
Like numerous other federal laws, the CSA violates the intent of the
10th Amendment of the Bill of Rights, but then, that's never stopped
the federal government from infringing on the rights of sovereign
states or individual citizens.
According to Rep. Frank, "This bill offers an opportunity for my
conservative colleagues to decide if they really want to be
consistent on the question of states' rights, or if they think the
federal government should tell states what to do."
H.R. 1344 would reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug under
federal law, formally acknowledging the drug's potential "medical
utility." It would also effectively overturn the May 14 Supreme Court
decision, which upheld the feds' claim that there is no "medical
necessity exemption" to federal drug laws. By changing the CSA, the
bill would render the decision moot. Currently H.R. 1344 has nine
co-sponsors.
Whether you agree or disagree with the use of medical marijuana,
please ask your congressman to co-sponsor H.R. 1344, and send a
message to Washington that the omnipotent federal government must
obey the Constitution. The decision to allow physicians to recommend
medical marijuana and allow patients to use it should be made either
in Columbia or in our ballot boxes, but not in Washington.
JOSEPH G. LOLLI
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