VERMONT SENATE BACKS MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

MONTPELIER -- Sen. Philip Baruth stood on the Senate floor Thursday
evening and told the story of how two relatives -- his grandmother
and aunt -- had cancer and doctors told them marijuana might help them.

His grandmother was too horrified to consider it, the Chittenden
County Democrat said. In the case of his aunt, he was a college
student and found himself in a tough spot.

"I was in the strange position of having my mother come to me and ask
me if I knew any way we could procure marijuana," he said. He told
her he did, he said, though he was jeopardizing his student loan, his
place at college and his record.

It was in memory of his aunt, Baruth said, that he was voting
Thursday for a bill that would allow up to four medical marijuana
dispensaries to be established in Vermont.

The majority of his fellow senators agreed, voting 25-4 to give the
bill preliminary approval.

"We will protect patients by providing a legal source," Sen. Jeanette
White, D-Windham, told senators.

A 2004 law allowed those with specific medical conditions to sign up
for the state's medical marijuana registry and use the drug without
repercussion. This bill would give those patients a legal means of
obtaining marijuana if they were unable to grow it themselves, White said.

The bill is not without opposition.

"I'm still amazed something illegal under federal guidelines is being
made legal," said Sen. Richard Mazza, D-Grand Isle/Chittenden, who
voted against it.

Mazza said he was disappointed in Public Safety Commissioner Keith
Flynn for supporting the bill, as a previous public safety
commissioner opposed going against federal law.

Flynn, who was appointed by Gov. Peter Shumlin, who also supports the
bill, gave his backing after various safety measures were added,
including a provision that patients may register with only one
dispensary and that Public Safety will establish rules governing the
dispensaries.

Sen. Vince Illuzzi, R-Essex/Olreans, who is also the Essex County
prosecutor, said he has heard from police who oppose the
dispensaries. "It puts law enforcement in a position of violating
federal law," he said.

Virginia Renfrew, who represents the People with AIDS Coalition, said
patients need a safe, reliable source of the right strain of
marijuana for their ailment.

"Dispensaries will know what strain will be good for you," she said.
"That, for me, is huge. On the black market, you don't know what to look for."

After another vote in the Senate today, the bill goes to the House,
where Speaker Shap Smith, D-Morristown, said time is running out this
legislative session, but he will forward the bill to the House Human
Services Committee.

"My hope is they can move it if they have enough time," he said.