MEDICAL MARIJUANA AMENDMENT UNSUCCESSFUL

WASHINGTON - The House defeated an attempt Wednesday to stop the federal
government from prosecuting people who use marijuana for medical purposes in
states that allow it.

Lawmakers voted 264-161 against New York Democrat Maurice Hinchey's
proposal to stop the Justice Department from going after doctors and
patients in the 10 states that permit the medical use of marijuana.
New York is not one of those states, but Hinchey said he got involved
because it's "a human rights issue."

The Supreme Court ruled last week that federal drug laws give federal
agents the right to go after doctors who prescribe marijuana and
patients who use it to relieve pain from chemotherapy, AIDS and other
diseases. Medical marijuana is legal under state law in Washington,
Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon
and Vermont.

"I think it's a humane thing to allow someone to get relief from their
pain so that hopefully their bodies can get stronger and recover,"
Hinchey said. "I don't understand why anybody would object to that,
frankly."

Opponents said Hinchey's amendment, which was co-sponsored by
conservative Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., would undermine efforts
to convince young people that marijuana is a dangerous drug. They said
Marinol, a government-approved prescription drug that contains the
active ingredient in marijuana, offers comparable relief.

"It really sends the wrong message to our children that there can be
health benefits to smoking marijuana," said Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va. "I
think this could be very, very confusing to young people."