Congress joins the Supreme Court, and the President, Send the Sick to Jail

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Congress joins the Supreme Court, and the President, " Send the Sick to

Jail "

 

B06861 / Thu, 16 Jun 2005 19:52:27 / War on Drugs

 

 

 

Congress Turns Its Back On The Sick and Dying

 

Congress To Continue Prosecution Of State-Authorized Medi-Pot Patients

161 House Members—The Most Ever—Vote To Halt Raids

 

June 16, 2005 – Washington, DC, USA

 

Republished from NORML.org

 

Washington, DC: State-authorized patients and their caregivers who use

or possess medical cannabis will continue to be subject to federal

arrest and prosecution, after the House of Representatives rejected a

proposed amendment to bar the US Department of Justice (DOJ) from

targeting patients who use marijuana medicinally in accordance with

the laws of their states.

 

The House voted 264 to 161 against the bi-partisan measure, sponsored

by Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Maurice Hinchey (D-NY). The 161

House votes in favor of the patient-protection provision was the

highest total ever recorded in a Congressional floor vote to

liberalize marijuana laws. Of those who voted in support of the

Hinchey/Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment, 15 were Republicans

(a loss of four votes from 2004) and 128 were Democrats (a gain of 17

votes from last year). The House's only Independent Congressman,

Vermont Representative Bernard Sanders, also voted in favor of the

amendment.

 

This year's vote came days after the US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that

the Justice Department has the authority to prosecute state-authorized

medicinal cannabis patients for violating the federal Controlled

Substances Act. Writing for the majority, Justice John Paul Stevens

called on Congress to address the issue of whether the use of

medicinal cannabis should be criminalized.

 

" With the Supreme Court's ruling, Congress and the Justice Department

have a choice: They can choose to waste taxpayers' dollars and

undermine states' rights by arresting and prosecuting seriously ill

patients who possess and use medical cannabis in compliance with state

law, or they can choose more worthwhile priorities, like protecting

national security, " NORML Executive Director St. Pierre said.

" Yesterday, 264 members of Congress chose to prosecute patients. "

 

Speaking on the House floor in favor of yesterday's amendment,

co-sponsor Maurice Hinchey said, " It is unconscionable that we in

Congress could possibly presume to tell a patient that he or she

cannot use the only medication that has proven to combat the pain and

symptoms associated with a devastating illness. How can we tell very

sick people that they cannot have the drug that could save their lives

simply because of a narrow ideology and bias against that drug in this

Congress? ... Taxpayers' dollars should not be spent on sending

seriously or terminally ill patients to jail. "

 

Also speaking in favor of the provision were Minority Leader Nancy

Pelosi (D-CA) and co-sponsor Dana Rohrabacher, along with Reps. Earl

Blumenauer (D-OR), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Sam Farr (D-CA), Barney Frank

(D-MA), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Zoe Lofgren

(D-CA), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).

 

Congressmen Elton Gallegly (R-CA), Steve King (R-IA), John Peterson

(R-PA), Mark Souder (R-IN) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) spoke in opposition

to the amendment.

Vote: vote Avg: 5.00 Votes: 2 Comments: 2 [Add]

Related Items RELATED ITEMS

 

* High court sides with feds, OKs medicinal marijuana prosecutions

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* A few bad apples ruin pot's coming out party

Posted by anthony on Tuesday, June 14th 2005

* Lies Cloud Medical Marijuana Debate

Posted by Namaste_Rich on Monday, February 14th 2005

* Legalization of Marijuana - The Economic Implications

Posted by Namaste_Rich on Friday, June 3rd 2005

 

 

RECENT COMMENTS

 

Nothing great about it, really. Unless you're a DEA agent of course.

Or a pharmaceutical company. Even a prison warden. Great news indeed

for them. The campaign checks and loyal lobbying are paying off well

indeed.

 

Witness the great voiding of our checks and balances . The Separation

of Powers, the democratic tool to prevent one party or man from having

total power over the people, is now gone.

 

All three branches, acting as one focused power over the people – in

this case the weakest of our people – the sick and dying. No one is safe.

Namaste_Rich @ 06/17/05 15:50:3