Posted on 07/01/2007 8:40:25 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
(AP) SANTA FE, N.M. -- New Mexico has a new medical marijuana law with a twist: It requires the state to grow its own.
The law, effective Sunday, not only protects medical marijuana users from prosecution — as 11 other states do — but requires New Mexico to oversee a production and distribution system for the drug.
"The long-term goal is that the patients will have a safe, secure supply that doesn't mean drug dealers, that doesn't mean growing their own," said Reena Szczepanski, director of Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico.
The state Department of Health must issue rules by Oct. 1 for the licensing of marijuana producers and in-state, secured facilities, and for developing a distribution system.
The law was passed in March and signed by Gov. Bill Richardson, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Other states with medical marijuana laws are Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Maryland's law doesn't protect patients from arrest, but it keeps defendants out of jail if they can convince judges they needed marijuana for medical reasons.
Connecticut's governor vetoed a medical marijuana bill recently.
The distribution and use of marijuana are illegal under federal law, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 in a California case that medical marijuana users can be prosecuted.
Faced with that dilemma, the health department has asked state Attorney General Gary King whether its employees could be federally prosecuted for running the medical marijuana registry and identification card program, and whether the agency can license marijuana producers and facilities.
"The production part is unprecedented. ... No other state law does that," said Dr. Steve Jenison, who is running the program for the health department. "So we're trying to be very thoughtful in how we proceed."
In the meantime, however, patients must obtain their own supplies.
The state will immediately begin taking applications from patients whose doctors certify they are eligible for the program.
Within weeks, approved patients — or their approved primary caregivers — would receive temporary certificates allowing them to possess up to six ounces of marijuana, four mature plants and three immature seedlings. That's enough for three months, the department says.
The law allows the use of marijuana for specified conditions including cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and HIV-AIDS, as well as by some patients in hospice care.
An eight-member advisory board of doctors could recommend that other conditions be added to the list.
Martin Walker was diagnosed four years ago as HIV positive and uses marijuana to combat nausea and depression. He said he looks forward to being able to obtain the drug legally.
"If there's a system in place that's going to allow me to do this treatment without having to break the law ... I'll just be able to sleep better at night," said Walker, who runs HIV prevention and other outdoor-based adult health programs for the Santa Fe Mountain Center.
always said as soon as the govt found a way to control and tax it, it would be available
plus, look at the more govt jobs it creates
Has anyone sent an email of this to the Mexican drug smugglers?
and now that drug dealers are competition, more police will be put on the trail to arrest them
Dave’s not here, man...he moved to New Mexico.
NM Ping
Exactly....want to pay for a war? Make it legal.
I guess that there will be some new Mexico specific “brand names” for their pot. Move over Maui Wowie, here comes Santa Fe Jay!
Kinda lends a whole new meaning to agriculture.
This thread is going to get some interesting competition....
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1427384/posts
Growing my own tobacco -I’ve had it with these prices! (A journal)
Yes, it does. Our sheriff told us about a couple of the Mexican dope growers here in our forests. They had legitimate, government issued green cards and were members of MS13.
Canadastan grows medical cannabis for approved patients in an underground mine and from what I’ve read the government is not very good at producing a medical grade product. Alabama has the only government approved cannabis farm for the 5 or 6 US sanctioned marijuana patients left from the small window of prescriptions allowed in the early ‘80’s. The US product is so bad most patients left on the program grow their own or procure their cannabis from other sources. This will be very interesting to watch.
Funny how Al Qaeda and gangs keep pointing to politicos.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1420911/posts
America’s Most Dangerous Gang
Drugs, contras, weapons running....
I used to be fuzzy on this, but we should just make it legal nationwide.
We should also drop the Schedule I on MDMA and LSD and start researching them again since there are already scientists wanting to use them to treat PTSD and schizophrenia.
Honestly I’ve seen more people irrevocably screw up their lives with alcohol than anything else.
Don’t take this as any kind of endorsement or testimonial from me, please. :-)
Cabrera was indicted in 1983 by a federal grand jury, on racketing and drug charges. In 1988, he was accused of managing a continuing narcotics operation. He pleaded guilty to lesser charges and served 54 months on prison .After his visit to the White House, Cabrera would be sentenced to 19 years in prison for transporting 6,000 pounds of cocaine into the US.
Instead of importing 1000 pound bails from Mexico, we’ll have to bring over their skilled workers to grow the pot lazy New Mexicans won’t want to grow.
The state needs to create its own Area 51 to grow the stuff. They would make the place so secret not even the Feds would know where it is. That would drive the Feds batty.
How do they know that?
They list six conditions under which "medical" marijuana will be dispensed -- what, the dosage and frequency are idential for all illnesses? What's the THC level -- will that have an effect on dosage or frequency? What about drug interactions with existing medications?
A patient with glaucoma, for example, needs to smoke marijuana every two hours -- that's as long as the effects last. That 10 joints/day right there.
What a joke.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.