FITIAL MAY SIGN POT BILL IF ONLY FOR MEDICINAL USE

Senate Poised to Kill Pot Bill Soon

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial may sign into law a marijuana bill should it
come to his table, but only if the intent is to legalize it only for
medicinal use. Just the same, the governor is not optimistic that the
bill will pass the Senate. And the governor's right-the Senate is
poised to defeat it next week.

Senate President Paul Manglona (R-Rota) said yesterday that the Senate
will disapprove the marijuana legalization bill in its session next
week.

"It's for the same reasons I mentioned before," he told Saipan
Tribune, referring to concerns about marijuana use's impact on CNMI
youth and other ill effects on the community.

Senators also echoed agencies' concerns that the CNMI will lose
millions in federal dollars if the local government approves the
legislation, which is authored by Rep. Stanley Torres (Ind-Saipan).
The Department of Public Health alone said it may lose $10 million
should this bill pass.

Fitial said yesterday he supports marijuana use for medicinal purposes
only.

Torres' House Bill 17-45, however, proposes to legalize marijuana not
only for medicinal but also for recreational and other uses.

"I support it for medicinal use," Fitial told reporters. "I
never smoke marijuana myself so I cannot talk much about it because I
don't have the experience."

The bill passed the House on a 10-7 vote with one abstention. It is
now with the Senate.

Torres' bill seeks to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana use for
medicinal and other purposes in the CNMI, adding to a list of
revenue-generating bills pending in the 17th Legislature.