LET STATES DECIDE ON MEDICAL CANABIS

We at Americans for Safe Access of Western North Carolina have been
informed by Rep. Heath Shuler's office that our congressman will not
support the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment coming up for a vote this
month. This amendment to the Justice Department appropriations bill
would prevent the Drug Enforcement Administration and the federal
government from interfering in states where medical cannabis
(marijuana) is legal, ending the raids on dispensaries and the
intimidation of patients.

So far this year, the DEA has conducted more than 50 raids against
legal medical-cannabis collectives in California, ignoring the will
of the voters and forcing the chronically ill out onto the streets
for the medicine that is often their only choice. Conventional
narcotic medications fail miserably for chronic pain and many other
conditions . .

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) has sent a
letter to the DEA questioning the raids and the new tactic of
threatening landlords with forfeiture if they lease to
cannabis-collective owners. The Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment would
put an end to this waste of resources and disrespect of state law.

It seems Rep. Shuler's quick, emphatic refusal to support this
legislation points to groupthink and Shuler's membership in the Blue
Dog Democrats--37 self-described conservative Democrats, mostly
Southern, espousing the same traditional values hijacked by the
neocon Republicans. That the Blue Dog Dems would embrace the neocons'
version of conservatism to guide their morality is disappointing. It
makes me long for the true conservative and traditional values as
exemplified by my ancestor, Sen. Sam Ervin from Morganton. Sen. Sam
was a true statesman, and his constant guiding light and priority was
the U.S. Constitution--a document that was amended for the
prohibition of alcohol; not so for the modern prohibition ("Drug
War"). It would be heartening to see Heath Shuler rise to the
occasion, stand up for the Constitution and lead the Blue Dog Dems
out of the doghouse. If their group is frustrating the leadership in
the House by siding with the Republicans on crucial issues, the Blue
Dogs should read their contract with the people: Their duty is to
their constituents, not the establishment and lobbyists in Washington.

Twelve states have now legalized medical cannabis and should be able
to decide what is best for the health and welfare of their citizens,
as the Constitution stipulates. Removing the federal government from
the equation would simplify the passage of North Carolina's own
medical-cannabis legislation. Please contact Rep. Heath Shuler's
office now, as Hinchey-Rohrabacher will be voted on soon: Asheville
office, 252-1651; D.C. office, 202-225-6401.

- -- Ervin Dargan