GOVERNOR DOUGLAS OPPOSES MEDICAL MARIJUANA

On Feb. 26, Gov. James Douglas '72 announced his opposition to legalizing
marijuana for medical purposes.

Douglas said, "I have tremendous empathy for those who suffer from chronic
pain and who feel they would benefit from medical marijuana.

But I think it would be awkward to legalize a substance that could still be
the subject of prosecution by federal authorities." The police and the
Vermont attorney general's office have also expressed their disagreement
with and concerns over the bill, which could benefit chronically ill
patients suffering from diseases like AIDS, cancer and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

The Senate medical marijuana bill has been passed by the Health and Welfare
Committee as well as the Judiciary Committee, and will move to the Finance
Committee shortly.

The bill is largely based on the work of a task force of 13 people who
spent the summer and fall of 2002 listening to testimony and looking at the
processes and circumstances of the eight other states (Arkansas, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington) that have
enacted such a law. The House Bill, however, has moved more slowly through
the committees, although such a bill was passed last session.

The House and Senate bills are similar and outline the terms, usage and
limitations of medical marijuana.

State Representative Betty Nuovo, D-Middlebury, responded to the Governor's
statement, saying, "I think medical marijuana should be allowed under
certain restrictions and safeguards. The federal government can arrest
anyone who uses marijuana whether or not it is for medical use. The whole
purpose of doing these bills is to get the federal government to allow it."

Katherine Perena, co-chair of the HIV Positive Public Policy Project, and
member of the Senate taskforce, said, "I'm disappointed that fear of
retribution from the federal government is driving Gov. Douglas' opinion as
opposed to compassion for chronically ill people who experience severe pain
and need this drug." She went on to say that the federal government has yet
to arrest any patient or doctor for using or prescribing marijuana for
medical purposes and that the bill itself is very specific in its
conditions. Perena also noted that the evidence and experience from the
eight other states demonstrates that such a law does not contribute to
recreational marijuana use, a concern of many who oppose the bill.

"I'm hopeful that there will be enough support and that Gov. Douglas will
change his mind and look at other states' examples.

There's no need to reinvent the wheel.

We're not the first state taking the first step here," said Kendall
Farrell, Executive Director of Vermont Community for AIDS Research,
Education and Services (CARES), an organization whose goal is to "improve
the quality of life, create compassionate communities, and prevent the
spread of HIV by working with people affected by HIV/AIDS as catalysts for
social and individual change."

Although Douglas issued a statement of opposition, he refused to comment on
whether or not he would veto a bill if it were passed by the legislature.
His options would be to approve it, veto it or let it sit for five days
until it automatically became a law.