Subject: Re: Marijuana as Morphine: Unacceptable
List members:
The Colorado Senate today approved HJR 1042, which passed through the Colorado House only yesterday.
Opponents stated objections based on the appropriateness of the action. One House member conducted an informal poll in Denver. As a result of that poll, he said he did not feel it was his place to dissuade voters from going forward with an initiative they felt a need to bring forward.
I'll forward a script later with his name on it.
However, Representative Anderson, who sponsored the non-binding resolution, cited the availability of prescription drugs for pain and other debilitating medical conditions which ballot initiative promoters say can be served better by Cannabis.
Another problem cited by law enforcement was how to patrol "Drug Free" zones when people are "allowed" to use Cannabis.
The measure specifically refers to "smoking" Cannabis.
33 DA's endorsed the resolution.
Here is a copy of the text as handed out today. This will not reflect Senate changes made today.
Second Regular Session, 61st General Assembly
LLS NO. R98-0941.01 JGG
STATE OF COLORADO
BY REPRESENTATIVES Anderson, Dean, Allen, C. Berry, Grampsas, June, and Reeser; also SENATOR Wells
JUDICIARY House Joint Resolution 98-1042
WHERAS, We the elected representatives of the citizens of the state of Colorado are committed to protecting the health and safety of our citizens, expecially our children; and
WHERAS, Our state is now under attack by groups of persons who are part of a well-organized and well-financed national movement to leagalize marijuana, which groups are targeting Colorado by organizing an initiative campaign to place on the ballot tfor the next general election a measure to leagalize marijuana in the Constitution of Colorado; and
WHERAS, One initiative petition that is currently being circulated misleads the voter of Colorado to believe that there are medicinal uses for marijuana/ however, the American Medical Association, the American Cancer So9ciety, and other medical associations have rejected SMOKING MARIJUANA AS THE ONLY WAY TO ACHIEVE MEDICINAL BENEFITS; and (CAPS HERE DENOTE
HOUSE AMENDMENT)
WHERAS, Research demonstrates that marijuana actually harms the brain, heart, lungs, and immune system and that it impairs learning, memory, perception, judgement, and the ability to operate a motor vehicle; and
WHERAS, Marijauana a a Schedule 1 controlled substance under federal law, indicating that it has a high potnetial for abuse and that it is recognized as a gateway substance of abuse that frequently leads to the abuse of other drugs, including cocaine, "crack" cocaine, methamphetamine (speed") and heroin; and
WHERAS, There are safe, effective, legal, medical alternatives for those suffering with chronic pain and other medical problems; and
WHERAS, The legalization of marijuana would decrease the
perception of risk associated with the abuse of drugs, especially in the eyes of our youth; and
WHERAS, The proportion of drug possession arrest attributable to juveniles has increased by FOUR HUNDRED TWENTY-SIX
PERCENT in Colorado between the years 1991 and 1996, now, therefore,
Be it Resolved by the House of Representative of the Sixty-first General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein: That the General Assembly hereby opposes any effort to mandate in the Constitution of Colorado that marijuana be described as medicine or that the possession and use of it be decriminalized for medicinal or any other purpose.
Be It Furthur Resolved. That any informationn
provided to the general public that attempts to mislead the public into believing that marijuana has medicinal uses for which less harmful, legal, and medical substitutes could be utilized is hereby rejected.
I don't think he was saying that all approaches have equal merit, at least that's not what I think. I think the medical marijuana approach has more merit than the legalize everything now approach.
One would think so. But "legalize everything" (heroin, cocaine, etc.) and "lift Prohibition on Cannabis used for specific purposes" are horses of very different colors.
How nice that Dave Fratello, Dave Borden and others are
"willing to take that risk" as though "their" risk can't hurt the efforts of the rest of us. And let's get our words correct: It MOST CERTAINLY MEANS that those reformers
ENDORSE PROHIBITION. My dictionary defines "endorse" as "to give support or approval to". Please explain how arguing for, giving money to create, etc. a system that SPECIFICALLY PROHIBITS marijuana for all but a tiny minority "in no way means" that those reformers endorse prohibition. A more accurate statement would be that those reformers don't like to ADMIT the fact they clearly and openly endorse prohibition.
Most of us believe that prohibition is a failure.
Right. But what is the right step now for movingforward instead of backward? As those individuals working for Colorado on the Colorado campaign must realize now ............. the police are opposed no matter what. The new world order. It's not we who are limiting the discussion to medical marijuana. It's the public that is unwilling to accept anything more.
Sorry, don't agree. And this is the key point.
When I introduced a medical marijuana plank into the Democratic Party platform here, the comment I got from one of the platform committee members was that it was a shame the public wasn't ready to accept complete legalization. You seem to ignore the fact that we have to deal with the public. Why don't you go out and try to get this written into one of the major parties' platforms.
Boulder County Democrats came within one vote of endorsingthese initiatives for two consecutive years.
It's the associations people have made about marijuana users - and certain lifestyles. Many of these associations we ingest with our culture.
Remember the numbers: The war on drugs falls disproportionately on "people of color". Lives are being lost every day in the vicious trade that has flourished as a black market.
Let's teach people that Cannabis is a much maligned plant: Why? Because it frees people to be self-sufficient.
KGNU radio recently received "The Healing Magic of Cannabis", by Dr. Beverly Potter and Dan Joy, from Ronin Publishing, and two classics on hemp: Hemp Horizons and Hemp Today. If you haven't read books like these, you may be underestimating the power of the plant and why powerful forces mobilize against it's re-introduction as a legal crop.
