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An Anniversary That Calls for Action
By Steve Fox, AlterNet, June 2, 2004
Posted on Marijuana.com by Greenbud

One year ago, on June 4, 2003, something remarkable happened in a California courtroom: A judge who could have sentenced the defendant in front of him to 40 years in federal prison instead heeded the pleas of the jurors who had convicted the man, who said that their own verdict was wrong. The judge let the man walk free, sentenced only to time already served, and a tragic injustice was averted.

Still, Ed Rosenthal – who was simply obeying the laws of his state and trying to help sick people – left that courthouse a convicted felon. Congress must make sure that such an injustice never happens again.

Eight states allow seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana legally, and in a matter of days Vermont will become the ninth. These laws have given a measure of comfort to tens of thousands of patients battling cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other horrific illnesses. But the federal government refuses to accept these laws and continues to wage a bizarre and cruel war on the sick.

Federal agents have stormed into homes and businesses, arresting sick people and their caregivers. In one particularly grotesque raid, Drug Enforcement Administration agents pointed automatic rifles at the head of Suzanne Pfeil, paralyzed from the after – effects of polio, demanding that she stand – and when she couldn't, they handcuffed her to her bed.

[Suetaznote: I don't understand how any human being could treat another like this. This is insane, inhumane treatment. All over a plant!]

Congress will soon have an opportunity to stop this madness by passing what is called the Hinchey/Rohrabacher amendment. This measure, to be introduced by a New York Democrat and a conservative California Republican during consideration of the Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill, would prevent the federal government from interfering with state medical marijuana laws. It would end the DEA's raids on medical marijuana patients and caregivers following state law. It would not prevent the DEA from arresting individuals who are involved in marijuana-related activities unconnected to medical use.

Last year, 152 members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted for this sensible, humane proposal – an impressive start, but not nearly good enough. It will take 66 more votes for the House to pass this amendment.

Those votes shouldn't be hard to come by, since a huge majority of Americans supports medical marijuana. According to a Time/CNN poll taken in October 2002, 80 percent of the American people "think adults should be able to use marijuana legally for medical purposes." The public understands that it is cruel and pointless to criminalize people battling terrible illnesses for trying to relieve some of their suffering.

Support for protecting medical marijuana patients continues to grow in America's public health community. At its 2003 annual meeting, the 2.6 million member American Nurses Association adopted a resolution supporting medical marijuana, calling for "legislation to remove criminal penalties including arrest and imprisonment for bona fide patients." Other groups taking a similar stand in recent months include the American Academy of HIV Medicine and the Rhode Island Medical Society, as well as the United Methodist Church.

These groups join an impressive list of organizations supporting legal access to medical marijuana for seriously ill patients, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Public Health Association and the New England Journal of Medicine.

The federal government has been consistently hostile to medical marijuana, yet a federally funded study concluded that marijuana is an effective medicine. According to the 1999 National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine's report, Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base, "Nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety are all afflictions of wasting, and all can be mitigated by marijuana."

The experts and the public agree: It makes no sense to subject people fighting for their lives to arrest and jail just because they and their doctor find that medical marijuana provides relief when standard medicines fail. It is time for Congress to stop this madness, now.

Steve Fox is director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.

[Suetaznote: If anyone in the US is interested in participating in June 4 Day of Action on Medical Marijuana, all the info you need can be found at: Drug Policy Alliance]

Logosnote: Greenbud and Suetaz both submitted this. So, to be fair, I used Greenbud's submission, and Suetaz's highliting, and notes. I love cooperative efforts... Thanks to both of you!

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Suetaz

This just makes me sick! Can you imagine lying in a bed paralyzed and DEA agents storm into your room pointing rifles at you and scream at you to get up when you are physically incapable?! I don't care if this is one isolated incident, it shouldn't have happened. This cannot be allowed to happen again to anyone. If we were to allow actions like this to continue, we would be right back to the days of the KKK and cross burning on people's lawns. To me, the attitude is the same. This cultural war against marijuana users is the same as the whites thinking all blacks were bad. The feds think all marijuana users are bad, including the sick and dying. Passing the Hinchey/Rohrabacher amendment will be a start, but we will have to fight for full legalization in order to protect all marijuana users from the evils of the DEA.

BTW, a note to all Americans: the link for the Drug Policy Alliance has plenty of helpful tips on how you can help the movement and what you can do to participate in tomorrow's Day of Action on Medical Marijuana.

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StewScum

How can a human being do such a thing. So much for give me your tired, your hungry and your sick, because we do nothing to give them rest, food, or even allow them treatment. Instead our sick who use a controversal medicin get insulted. The feds should really take a hard look at themselves because anyone could tell you shoving a gun to an sick persons face is wrong. I don't think anyone here or anywhere would disagree with that.

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TANJ3113

Hinchey of New York Amendment; Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary Appropriations FY 2004
Preventing the Justice Department from arresting medical marijuana patients
07/23/2003
House Roll Call No. 420
108th Congress, 1st Session

</SPAN>Failed: 152-273 (see complete tally)

This amendment would prohibit the Justice Department from spending funds to interfere with the implementation of state medical marijuana laws.

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</SPAN>Failed: 152-273 (see complete tally)

SuXxoRs

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russell j

I agree that it is certainly unnecessary to point a gun and handcuff someone who is paralyzed, but you do have to understand that the DEA agent who did that was just doing their job. Their assignment was probably simply to arrest a drug user, someone breaking the law, and when the woman wouldn't get up I bet the first step of standard procedure is simply to elimate any threat she could pose to the health of the DEA agebt. I also bet that the same DEA agent does significantly more drug-raids of dangerous drug dealers than little old ladies, people who could possibly claim they were hurt to buy a chance to grab a weapon. Until marijuana is legalized things like this will happen. The DEA is not to blame; legislation making marijuana against the law is.

The same goes for Ed Rosenthal. Federal law prevails over state, and there was never any question on whether he could be prosecuted and convicted for what he was doing by the federal government. As much as it sucks he was certainly guilty and im surprised he slipped through and got away.

Greenbud

Riiiight, it needs 66 more House votes to pass. This was from when it failed last year. They haven't voted on it yet this year.

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