Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning January 2007 » State DEMS vote on a Medicinal Marijuana Resolution « Previous Next »
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Bagman
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Username: Bagman

Post Number: 79
Registered: 06-2004
Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 9:11 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Looks like the Governess, The two Levin brothers and many others are out of step with their party line.

This was passed by unanimous vote at the state convention last week, that means they ALL agreed.

Resolution Opposing Criminal Penalties For Doctors
Who Prescribe And Patients Who Use Prescribed Medical Marijuana

WHEREAS, four Michigan cities (Detroit, Ann Arbor, Ferndale, Traverse City) have now overwhelmingly passed initiatives in support of medical marijuana; and
WHEREAS, public polls of Michigan residents have shown 70-80% in favor of medical marijuana; and
WHEREAS, the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine concluded, after reviewing relevant scientific literature including dozens of works documenting therapeutic value of marijuana, that “there are some circumstances in which smoking marijuana is a legitimate medical treatment”; and
WHEREAS, a scientific survey conducted in 1990 by Harvard University researchers found that 54% of oncologists with an opinion favored the controlled medical availability of marijuana, and 44% had already suggested at least one that a patient obtain marijuana illegally; and
WHEREAS, tens of thousands of patients nationwide, people with AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis have found marijuana in its natural form to be therapeutically beneficial and are already using it with their doctors’ approval; and
WHEREAS, numerous organizations have endorsed medical access to marijuana, including the AIDS Action Council, AIDS Project Rhode Island, Alaska Nurses Association, American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM), American Anthropological Association, American Bar Association, American Nurses Association, American Preventive Medicinal Association, American Public Health Association, Americans for Democratic Action, Associated Medical Schools of New York, Being Alive: People With HIV/AIDS Action Committee (San Diego), California Democratic Council, California Legislative Council for Older Americans, California Nurses Association, California Pharmacists Association, California Society of Addiction Medicine, California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, Colorado Nurses Association, Connecticut Nurses Association, Consumer Reports magazine, Episcopal Church, Gray Panthers, Hawaii Nurses Association, Illinois Nurses Association, Iowa Democratic Party, Life Extension Foundation, Lymphoma Foundation of America, Medical Society of the State of New York, Minnesota AIDS Project, Minnesota Nurses Association, Minnesota Public Health Association, Minnesota Senior Federation, Mississippi Nurses Association, National Association of People With Aids, New Mexico Medical Society, New Mexico Nurses Association, New York County Medical Society, New York State AIDS Advisory Council, New York State Association of County Health Officials, New York State Hospice and Palliative Care Association, New York State Nurses Association, New York Statewide Senior Action Council, Inc., Ninth District Of the New York State Medical Society (Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, and Ulster counties), Oregon Democratic Party, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Project Inform (national HIV/AIDS treatment education advocacy organization), Rhode Island Medical Society, Rhode Island Nurses Association, Test Positive Aware Network (Illinois), Texas Democratic Party, Texas League of Women Voters, Texas Nurses Association, Union of Reform Judaism (formerly Union of American Hebrew Congregations), Unitarian Universlist Association, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, United Nurses and Allied Professionals (Rhode Island), Wisconsin Nurses Association, and Wisconsin Public Health Association; and
WHEREAS, a national CNN/Time magazine poll published November 4, 2002, found that 80% of U. S. adults “think adults should be able to use marijuana legally for medical purposes”; and
WHEREAS, a national Gallup poll released in November, 2005 found that 78% of Americans support “making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering”; and
WHEREAS, numerous other national public opinion polls have found substantial support for medical marijuana, including surveys conducted by ABC News, CBS News, the Family Research Council, and the Gallup Organization between 1997 and 2006; and
WHEREAS, since 1996, medical marijuana initiatives received a majority of votes in every state in which they appeared on the ballot: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington State; and
WHEREAS, since 2000, state legislatures in Hawaii, Vermont, and Rhode Island have enacted effective medical marijuana laws; and
WHEREAS, the May 14, 2001, and the June 6, 2005, United States Supreme Court rulings on medical marijuana dealt exclusively with federal law and do not affect the ability of individual states to allow patients to grow, possess, and use medical marijuana under state law; and
WHEREAS, the Ninth U. S. District Court of Appeals, in the case of Walters v. Conant, upheld the right of physicians to recommend medical marijuana to patients without federal government interference, and the United States Supreme Court declined to hear the federal government’s appeal of this ruling; and
WHEREAS, on September 6, 1998, after reviewing all available medical data, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s chief administrative law judge, Francis L. Young, declared that marijuana is “one of the safest therapeutically active substances known” and recommended making marijuana available by prescription; and
WHEREAS, the federal penalty for possessing one marijuana cigarette, even for medical use, is up to one year in prison, and the penalty for growing one plant is up to five years; and,
WHEREAS, the penalties are similar in most states, where medical marijuana users must live in fear of being arrested; and
WHEREAS, the present federal classification of marijuana and the resulting bureaucratic controls impede additional scientific research into marijuana’s therapeutic potential, thereby making it nearly impossible for the Food and Drug Administration to evaluate and approve marijuana through standard procedural channels; and
WHEREAS, seriously ill people should not be punished for acting in accordance with the opinion of their physicians in a bona fide attempt to relieve suffering;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that licensed medical doctors should not be criminally punished for recommending the medical use of marijuana to seriously ill people, and seriously ill people should not be subject to criminal sanctions for using marijuana if the patient’s physician has told the patient that such use is likely to be beneficial.
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Jt1
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Username: Jt1

Post Number: 8494
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 9:13 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I am pro marijuana (medicinal or otherwise) but don't our state lawmakers have much bigger issues to deal with?
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Thejesus
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Username: Thejesus

Post Number: 716
Registered: 06-2006
Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 9:16 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

link?
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Bagman
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Username: Bagman

Post Number: 81
Registered: 06-2004
Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 9:31 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Start here:
http://www.michigandems.com/re solutions.html
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Mcp001
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Username: Mcp001

Post Number: 2469
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 9:40 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Interesting link.

Among the resolutions that were posted, was this little gem:

quote:

Resolution Declaring The Essence Of American Patriotism Is To Honor The Constitution Of The United States

WHEREAS, the Constitution of the United States establishes the governing framework under which we have come to live and work together peacefully, despite our differences, while generally avoiding the fate of places like Beirut, or Kabul, or Baghdad; and

WHEREAS, the Constitution’s establishment of due process and equality before the law are bedrock principles of our Democratic Party, which is the Party of Jefferson; and

WHEREAS, every brave man or woman serving in any branch of the United States armed forces swears an Oath to protect and defend that same Constitution against all enemies, foreign or domestic; and

WHEREAS, the President of the United States and all Members of Congress are likewise sworn to defend the Constitution; and

WHEREAS, the Executive – and until recently a complicit, Republican-controlled Congress—have betrayed both the trust of those who serve in uniform, and their own oaths of office, by seeking to undermine Constitutional Separation of Powers, circumvent the system of Checks and Balances, deny due process to United States citizen, and generally place the Executive above the law.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Michigan Democratic Party recognizes that genuine American patriotism means upholding the nation’s founding principles and values by consistent adherence to the Constitution’s provisions as we go about the business of self-governance; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Michigan Democratic Party proclaims that the rights secured under the Constitution necessarily apply to everyone lest they become no more than an empty promise to us all; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Michigan Democratic Party declares it the duty of all patriotic Americans to defend the Constitution of the United States by demanding the observance of its system of Checks and Balances and Separation of Powers, and its provisions for due process and equality before the law; and by upholding the rights it secures for everyone, all of the time. No exceptions.



Ha haha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha haha!

Good one.

I'm curious if those attending the 2007 Democratic State Convention have actually read it?

If so, then why advocate policies & programs that aren't even listed?
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Charlottepaul
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Username: Charlottepaul

Post Number: 638
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 6:26 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Well it is just a resolution. The MI state government passed one in my honor when I became an Eagle Scout. It isn't like a law or anything...
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Ray1936
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Username: Ray1936

Post Number: 1183
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 6:39 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Legalize Pot, Criminalize Tobacco.

You liberals kill me.
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Lmichigan
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Username: Lmichigan

Post Number: 5191
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 4:14 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah, because weed has killed so, so many people, and no one ever dies from tobacco, right? Thank you for smoking. If it's a match to see who has killed more the data is blatantly clear.

You so-called conservatives kill...period.

BTW, I think Flint, and perhaps a few other municipalities, have, or are in the process of passing resolutions of making possession of small amounts of weed the lowest concern of their local law enforcement departments. Good for them.
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Rugbyman
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Username: Rugbyman

Post Number: 84
Registered: 06-2005
Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 4:22 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Close Ray, but I think a more accurate representation would be "set the groundwork for taxing pot and keep taxing the hell out of tobacco." I personally don't see anything wrong with sin taxes. If anything, Republicans should be all about them- they're the ultimate in user-paid assessments. So put that in your pipe and smoke it (I couldn't resist).
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Walkerpub
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Username: Walkerpub

Post Number: 134
Registered: 12-2003
Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 4:29 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I think I like this resolution...I mean...what were we talking about again?
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Johnlodge
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Username: Johnlodge

Post Number: 204
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 4:30 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ray, nobody said criminilize tobacco. Also, you don't have to be a liberal to advocate the legalization of marijuana. Plenty of people from Libertarian to right wingers agree.
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Blort
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Username: Blort

Post Number: 55
Registered: 02-2007
Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 4:52 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Who said anything about criminalizing tabacco?


Here is an interesting little chart for Ray.

Annual Causes of Death in the United States 2000
Tobacco 435, 000
Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity 365, 000
Alcohol 85, 000
Microbial Agents 75, 000
Toxic Agents 55, 000
Motor Vehicle Crashes 26, 347
Adverse Reactions to Prescription Drugs 32, 000
Suicide 30, 622
Incidents Involving Firearms 29, 000
Homicide 20, 308
Sexual Behaviors 20, 000
All Illicit Drug Use, Direct and Indirect 17, 000
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Such As Aspirin 7, 600
Marijuana 0

Source: Mokdad, Ali H., PhD, James S. Marks, MD, MPH, Donna F. Stroup, PhD, MSc, Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH, "Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000, " Journal of the American Medical Association, March 10, 2004, Vol. 291, No. 10, pp. 1238, 1241.
http://www.csdp.org/research/1 238.pdf
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Winstin_o_boogie_iii
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Username: Winstin_o_boogie_iii

Post Number: 13
Registered: 02-2007
Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 4:53 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Fire it up, Dude!!
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Winstin_o_boogie_iii
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Username: Winstin_o_boogie_iii

Post Number: 14
Registered: 02-2007
Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 4:57 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


Dude!!
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Walkerpub
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Username: Walkerpub

Post Number: 136
Registered: 12-2003
Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 9:29 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)



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Themax
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Username: Themax

Post Number: 602
Registered: 09-2005
Posted on Saturday, March 10, 2007 - 9:00 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

At least with medicinl marijuana, you should know what you're getting. The whole point to the tobacco case was that the tobacco companies were raising the level of nicotine or using additives to increase the amount of nicotine you could get from each puff and then lying about it to Congress.
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Eric_w
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Username: Eric_w

Post Number: 42
Registered: 02-2007
Posted on Saturday, March 10, 2007 - 10:30 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I'm anti drug but I fully support Marijuana for medicinal purposes. I've known some people with serious illnesses that used it to alleviate pain that no doubt helped them recover.
Yes their could be abuses but no more than anything else- The question would be: If you had cancer,MS or something else and taking it helped you would you want some politician telling you you can't because it's " Wrong" ?
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Citylover
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Username: Citylover

Post Number: 2196
Registered: 07-2004
Posted on Saturday, March 10, 2007 - 12:49 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I'm with you Eric_ w ; good post.

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