Hashishi

MMJ movement loves Obama
5-12-'08 | The Dallas Morning News | by Karen Brooks

Just got a notice from the happy folks over at the Marijuana Policy Project that Sen. Barack Obama "stands with us" on access to medical marijuana.

I'm not sure this helps his campaign, although the growing number of states (a dozen, at least) that have approved the use and prescription of medical marijuana may mean that he'll get support on the issue. Here in Texas, the decriminalization legislation - way stronger stuff than what the Medical Pot People are pushing - comes from both sides of the aisle.

So I guess what I'm saying here is, uhm, who knows if this will help or hurt him.

Helpful, I know.

Anyway, these laws and ordinances quickly go up in smoke when the feds - who just can't stand the idea of anyone smoking pot and getting away with it - decide to bust down doors and haul away the cancer patients and their docs anyway.

The pro-medical marijuana states and cities have gotten no backing from the feds, which is why the MPP is so excited about this excerpt in the San Francisco Chronicle today:


"Voters and legislators in the states -- from California to Nevada to Maine -- have decided to provide their residents suffering from chronic diseases and serious illnesses like AIDS and cancer with medical marijuana to relieve their pain and suffering. Obama supports the rights of states and local governments to make this choice -- though he believes medical marijuana should be subject to (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) regulation like other drugs."

Check out a Clinton-Obama comparison here.

Obama's been saying this for a little while now, telling Oregon papers back in March that doct ors prescribing marijuana for glaucoma and cancer might be appropriate but that changing federal law, which would required to end the arrests of patients and providers, would be low priority.

Clinton's been kind of all over the map on the issue, saying last summer that she'd stop the federal raids and saying not too long ago that they should just be a low priority.

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