MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL MAY FACE TOUGH FIGHT

ANNAPOLIS - Del. Donald Murphy, R-Baltimore County, and the more than
50 co-sponsors to his new-to-this-session medical marijuana bill are
hoping it will pass this session after failing on two previous attempts.

The measure has strong support in the House of Delegates, but it may
be up for a tougher battle if it reaches the Senate.

Murphy and several other delegates from both parties pledged their
support for the bill during a news conference Thursday.

``We're here today to declare victory already,'' Murphy said, while
acknowledging the Senate may be more difficult.

``We're going to need some momentum,'' he said.

Murphy said he heralded the fact that Dels. Dan Morhaim, D-Baltimore
County, and Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, D-Baltimore County, are both sponsors.

Morhaim is a doctor, and Nathan-Pulliam a nurse.

``I'm on this bill to help relieve [terminally ill patients'] pain and
suffering during their last few months,'' Morhaim said. Under the
legislation, patients would have to apply for a registry
identification card from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
that would give them immunity from prosecution for possessing or
growing small amounts of marijuana for medical use.

Eight states have similar laws: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii,
Maine, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Seven others are considering
legislation: Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Maryland's previous efforts were killed by lawmakers fearful that the
bills contained too many loopholes.

Trying to address those concerns, the new bill mandates identification
cards, instead of making them optional. The new version also prohibits
a patient from growing marijuana, the better to stop thieves. Also,
the bill restricts caregivers from simultaneously serving multiple
patients, in effort to prevent a caregiver from harvesting large
quantities of the drug.

Maryland voters have supported medical marijuana use in recent opinion
surveys, said Del. Dana Dembrow, D-Montgomery, sponsor of a companion
bill.

Murphy's bill is just one of three bills aimed at allowing patients'
use of the drug. Dembrow's measure would allow a person arrested for
marijuana possession to use medicinal purposes as a legal defense.

The third bill in the series, which is being introduced by Del. Thomas
``Tim'' Hutchins, R-Charles, would allow a judge to consider medical
use when sentencing someone on a possession conviction.

``I'm probably the most unusual person to be standing here because I'm
the only person who's arrested people for this,'' said Hutchins, a
former police officer.

Introducing three bills, Dembrow said, gives one a better chance of
passage.

``This is sort of a backup,'' Dembrow said.

Even if the measure fails, Murphy has adopted a little-engine-that-could
approach. If it's struck down, he plans to try, try again.

``If we can't convince them now, maybe we can in November,'' he said.
``The problem is certainty. After the governor's redistricting map, I
may not be here in a year.''