New York Benefit to Celebrate Recent Medical Marijuana Successes : NewsLI.com - Long Island News, News Long Island

(Long Island, N.Y.) On Wednesday, May 14, 2008 the Marijuana Policy Project (www.MPP.org) will host a spring soiree, a night of comedy and music to benefit MPP’s efforts to protect seriously ill New Yorkers from arrest and jail if they use medical marijuana with their doctor’s recommendation. Patient advocate Joel Peacock will be honored and Sony/BMG recording artist Nicole Atkins & The Sea and other special guests will perform. All funds raised will be used to pass a bill to make New York the 13th medical marijuana state in the country.

The Host Committee for the event and those attending include: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’s Lewis Black, Political Pundit Tucker Carlson, Tony Award Winner Savion Glover, MTV News’ Kurt Loder, Musician Michelle Phillips, ABC’s John Stossel from 20/20, Talk Show Host Montel Williams and more.

Last year - - for the first time ever - - the New York Assembly passed a medical marijuana bill - by a 95-52 vote, sending the bill over to the Senate.

Before his resignation, Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) expressed his openness to signing medical marijuana legislation, and the new Gov. Paterson seems likely to be a supporter as well, so all eyes are now focused on the Republican-controlled Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno is supportive of allowing medical marijuana, but has not brought the issue to a vote.

With the Republicans facing a tough election this November, when they could very well lose control of the Senate, we’re hoping they’ll pay attention to the public opinion polling that indicates 76% of New York voters -and even 55% of Conservative Party voters in the state –support legal protection for medical marijuana patients.

The MPP benefit will take place at the Highline Ballroom, 431 W 16th Street between 9th and 10th Aves. (212) 414-5994. Tickets for $250 in advance- $300 at the door (most of your contribution is tax-deductible) are available at (202) 462-5747 Ext. 104 or www.mpp.org/highline

Ad urges Pawlenty to allow medical marijuana use
ST. PAUL - A new TV ad features a woman suffering from extreme back pain tearfully asking Governor Tim Pawlenty not to stand in the way of a medical marijuana bill.

The Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project says it’s spending more than $100,000 to air the message statewide starting later this week.

A bill that would make Minnesota the 13th state to allow medical marijuana use is headed for a House vote. The Senate approved the legislation last year.

But Pawlenty says he stands with law enforcement in opposing the bill.

The woman in the ad, Lynn Rubenstein Nicholson of Minneapolis, says she’s tired of being a criminal.

Nicholson says she broke her back as a child and currently can’t use marijuana because she is required to take drug tests as a condition of receiving other pain medications.

As offensive as I find Gov. Pawlenty’s opposition to medical marijuana, I find it more offensive that patients in pain are required to take a drug test in order to receive care. The point is to avoid prescribing powerful pain meds to addicts, but what the effect has been is that doctors are severely under-treating pain in this country for fear of being locked up by the feds.

Lest you think that passing medical marijuana in Minnesota will help in that regard, think again. Here in Oregon, where we’ve had medical marijuana for ten years, we have a major health care provider that is threatening not to provide any prescriptions for pain medications if a person is a medical marijuana patients. Once again, it’s that underlying prejudice that somehow the pot patients are just addicts with an excuse.

Our opponents wish to take away our medical marijuana patients’ right to work, to drive, to take pain medications, to teach, to run for office, or to work in government. It’s a modern shunning - if you won’t take the pharma drugs like a good citizen, then you’re just another pothead…

(By the way, check out the review of the video out at Wonkette entitled “Medical Marijuana Ads Featuring Tragically Ill People Bum Everybody Out”. Most tellingly, read the comments of those insensitive people who are dismissing this disabled woman because of her weight. You know, people, being confined to a wheelchair since childhood might just lead to some weight gain.)