HIGHLIGHTS THURSDAY FROM TEXAS LEGISLATURE

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MEDICAL POT

Proponents of the medical use of marijuana on Thursday urged the Texas
Legislature to listen to their plea: Allow sick and dying patients to turn
to marijuana to relieve their pain.

Texans suffering from leukemia, multiple sclerosis, paralysis and other
afflictions told of the pain-reducing benefits of marijuana and said
medical marijuana users should be given grounds to avoid prosecution.

Rep. Elliott Naishtat, an Austin Democrat, has filed a bill that would
create a defense to prosecution for patients who are being treated by a
licensed physician and who use marijuana to relieve the effects of a
legitimate medical condition. The bill also offers protection for doctors
who discuss marijuana with their patients as a treatment option, but it
would not allow physicians to write a prescription for marijuana.

Republican Reps. Terry Keel of Austin, a former sheriff and prosecutor, and
Suzanna Hupp of Lampasas are co-sponsoring the proposal.

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