New push in Ariz. for medical marijuana
Sunday, April 19th, 2009 at 9:20 pm | By: MrSpof
An initiative planned for the 2010 ballot would ask Arizona voters to legalize medical marijuana, setting up a California-style network of cannabis clubs and even allow some patients to grow their own drug supply.
It’s the fourth time since 1996 that state voters have been asked to decriminalize marijuana as a medical treatment. Local supporters, backed by the national Marijuana Policy Project, have their sights set on the 2010 general election and plan to submit ballot language to the Secretary of State’s Office as early as next week.
The initiative would allow individuals with illnesses ranging from cancer to HIV/AIDS or glaucoma to seek a doctor’s recommendation for medical marijuana, according to draft ballot language obtained by The Arizona Republic.
Eligible individuals would be able to purchase up to 2 1/2 ounces of the drug every 14 days from a series of non-profit outlets, known as dispensaries. Patients in rural areas of the state could cultivate a limited number of their own marijuana plants.
via – The Arizona Republic “New push in Ariz. for medical marijuana“
[What is with these medical marijuana bills and initiatives lately that eliminate the right of patients to grow their own medicine? This initiative states that a person who lives within 25 miles of dispensary would be forbidden from growing their own, which essentially sets up a government monopoly. I too want to see more medical marijuana states, but capitulating to the fear mongering of law enforcement regarding home cultivation is a step in the wrong direction. Go ahead with the dispensaries, but don't eliminate the patient's right to produce their own medicine at a far lower cost and with complete control over strain type, growing methods, and pest control.
This is that "box canyon" trap of medical marijuana that I fear. As people become more accustomed to the medicalization of cannabis, it will become more and more restricted like a prescription drug. There won't be concepts of "medical marijuana" vs. "recreational or social marijuana", it will become "cannabis medicine" vs. "abuse of cannabis medicine". Legalization has to happen now before medicalization becomes the only way people think of marijuana. -- "R"R]
Topics: Arizona, marijuana policy project
