Medical Marijuana: Bill Passes New York Assembly, Senate Must Act By Monday
For the second year in a row, the New York Assembly has passed a medical marijuana bill. But the state Senate must act by Monday, when the legislature recesses, or the effort to enact a medical marijuana law in the Empire State will be dead for this year.
The Assembly bill, sponsored by Rep. Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan), would allow patients to use marijuana for specified life-threatening or debilitating conditions upon their doctors' certification that it is the most effective treatment. Patients and caregivers would register with the state and receive ID cards. They would be allowed to grow up to 12 plants and possess 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana, although the bill foresees a state-regulated distribution system upon approval of the federal government.
After the state Senate balked at the last minute last year, supporters of the medical marijuana bill attempted to assuage the worries of foes, some of whom felt that last year's version did not provide adequate regulation. The state-regulated distribution system attempts to address those concerns.
"Every day that goes by without this sensible, compassionate law is a day in which our most vulnerable citizens must choose between suffering debilitating pain or risking arrest in order to find relief," said bill sponsor and Assembly Health Committee Chair Gottfried in a statement from the Marijuana Policy Project, which supports the bill. "These patients don't have the luxury of waiting another year for their elected representatives to act -- they need the Senate to stand up for them now."
No word yet on what the Senate Republicans will do. Last year, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said he supported medical marijuana, but changed his mind at the last minute. This year one of his staffers delivered a statement for Bruno at an event organized by the Marijuana Policy Project to support the New York state lobbying effort to pass the bill, so maybe this will be the year.
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redditNY MEDIA CONTROL FROM HUBBARD BROADCASTING?
Comment posted by Anonymous on Sun, 06/22/2008 - 11:56amThe website for WNYT, Albany's NBC TV station, completely crashed a few minutes after I posted a list of health organizations supporting medical marijuana. Normally I wouldn't think twice about a site going down, but given tomorrow is the last chance for medical marijuana, I am a little suspicious.
Does WNYT's web-site being down have anything to do with the fact that WNYT is owned by the Hubbards, the far-right, wildly biased, quickly spreading media mold, I mean family, from Minnesota?
I was shocked at how the Hubbard-owned Minnesota affiliate KAAL tried to spread blatant lies about Minnesota's recently killed medical marijuana bill; and then later, dumped comments/information that contradicted their ignorant stance.
Here's an example, where Hubbard-owned KAAL "showcased" a blatant lie from a MN law enforcement official, and then they hid all the comments correcting the lie:
http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S430375.shtml?cat=10151
Notice how they omit any medical support, but say "patients say," instead of the "American College of Physician says," or the "New England Journal of Medicine says" or the "Institute of Medicine says." Censuring, corrupt bleeps.
Now, they are poisoning New York with their "information-hiding" scary form of journalism. If I were a bettin' man, I'd bet something fishy is going on (WNYT web-site going down), especially given Monday is the last chance for medical marijuana in New York.
I've been watching the Hubbard's wildly irresponsible and wildly biased coverage of medical marijuana for a while now; and it's pretty scary how anti-medicine and anti-science their slop has been. They marginalize and vilify medical marijuana, by conveniently omitting the BROAD MEDICAL AND PUBLIC SUPPORT from ALL their coverage and by spreading deliberate lies.
I can't wait until the Hubbard's slop is included with the original "Reefer Madness," as a prime example of how some media outlets remained profoundly ignorant (or crooked), despite the science, all the way up until 2010.
People are suffering and dying RIGHT NOW, because media outlets, like the Hubbards' shameful affiliates, refuse to cover cannabis' history and science.
Hubbard Broadcasting's complicity and direct participation in this war on medicine and on our sick and dying is highly unethical and profoundly disturbing.
Check out how broad their poisonous reach is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubbard_Broadcasting_Corporation
Please ask WNYT to put their site back up and ask WNYT and Hubbard Broadcasting to stop disseminating lies about medical marijuana.
Finally, let them know that we are watching and documenting ALL their scary crap.
Excellent Exposé
Comment posted by Giordano on Sun, 06/22/2008 - 2:48pmHubbard Broadcasting appears to be a family business run by some crusted old-fart. His grandchildren probably all smoke dope and cringe every time his pot button gets pushed and Hubbard decides to play the all-too-transparent fascist propaganda game. As this friggin’ codger Hubbard stumbles into an old age not medicated by marijuana, he will pay, and pay, and pay….
In the meantime, given your excellent revelations about this fascist newscorp, it would be most appropriate if you could re-post your comments to the “discussion” section of the Wikipedia site you listed for Hubbard Broadcasting. I’m sure many readers, possibly even the Hubbard family themselves, will find it awesomely revealing.
Giordano
Still a Chance for Medicine?
Comment posted by Anonymous on Mon, 06/23/2008 - 10:20pmFROM WETMTV.COM:
New York State Lawmakers Still At It
Contributor: Zack Wheeler
Last Update: 9:08 pm
Albany - New York’s lawmakers are trying to tie up several loose ends before the state legislature ends its session for the summer. The session is supposed to end Monday, but lawmakers are expected to work into the week to wrap up unfinished business.
One of the biggest issues is the governor's proposal to cap your property taxes at four-percent. Both the senate and assembly have not passed it yet.
Lawmakers went into session Monday morning. END OF ARTICLE
IF THEY'RE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THE WEEK, IS THERE STILL A CHANCE?
SENATOR BRUNO COMES OUT STRONG IN THE 15TH ROUND?
Comment posted by Anonymous on Tue, 06/24/2008 - 4:41pmI think it was wonderful how New Mexico's Gov. Bill Richardson revived NM's medical marijuana bill & then lobbied overtime to convince NM's lawmakers to protect legitimate (doc recommended) medical marijuana patients from being arrested, from being possibly injured of killed in a "no knock" raid, or from being caged for following their doctors' recommendations.
Wouldn't it be great if Senator Bruno rallied his team to do the right thing (I don't have any idea, if there's still a chance, but I'm dreaming)? Does Bruno realize approx. 80 PERCENT of NY'ers support medical marijuana. Has he read the ACP's paper on medical marijuana? Has he seen the HUGE list of health organizations supporting medical marijuana?
If Bruno has voiced support for medical marijuana in the past, why doesn't he follow through and make it happen before he steps out? Implementing the "WILL of THE PEOPLE" (not the will of the pharmaceutical lobby) really is the right thing to do:
80 percent of respondents supported allowing physicians "to prescribe marijuana for medical purposes to seriously and terminally ill patients, and to alleviate symptoms of diseases and the side effects associated with treatments."
POLL: Zogby International
DATE: April 1999
Sample size: 700
85 percent of respondents supported "permitting doctors to prescribe marijuana."
POLL: The New Yorker Magazine
DATE: January 1998
Sample size: 1,400
Senate
Comment posted by Anonymous on Wed, 06/25/2008 - 3:32pmWhat happened with the vote at Senate? Why do these things take so long? We should know by now, right?
Medical Marijuana in NY State
Comment posted by Anonymous on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 11:12amI certainly hope that a Law passes in favor of medical marijuana in NY State!
BUT I hope that the "I.D. Card" they refer to for patients using it is NOT a microchipped ID card. This country is being taken over by fascists. Efforts so far to force an Orwellian ID card onto us have so far failed, due to the awareness & diligence of The People ( See "REAL ID ACT" on youtube. Read: Spychips by Dr Katherine Albrecht). The New World Order is still pushing this card via "enhanced social security cards" etc. If the price being paid for the freedom to use medical marijuana is that of having this draconian ID card pushed onto ppl. let's JUST SAY NO! Vote 4 Ron Paul for President in 2008. While he officially ended his candidacy, there is a whole movement to write him in. Get an absentee ballot & write in Ron Paul. He is for HEALTH FREEDOM! He wants to decriminalize drugs, & protect our Right to take whatever health supplements we want ( a Right that is now in jeopardy). He is also against having vaccinations & meds FORCED onto people, which IS happening now & will only get worse.
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