Medical Marijuana Bill Boosted by New Mexico Win
CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications, (415) 668-6403 or
(202) 215-4205
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS With the Senate floor vote on the Illinois medical marijuana bill expected in the next two weeks, yesterday's passage of medical marijuana legislation in the New Mexico House of Representatives has given the measure a huge boost, advocates said today.
With the 36-31 House vote, New Mexico seems assured of becoming the 12th state to protect medical marijuana patients from arrest. The measure already passed the Senate which must concur on a minor amendment by a lopsided 32-3 margin. Gov. Bill Richardson (D), a consistent supporter, lobbied House members to support the measure. Other supporters include the New Mexico Nurses Association and New Mexico Public Health Association.
"Yesterday's victory in New Mexico is one more sign of the momentum that's building across the country for protecting medical marijuana patients from arrest," said Ray Warren, former circuit court judge and now director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. "Just as in New Mexico, a broad coalition has come together in Illinois to support medical marijuana legislation, including the Illinois Nurses Association and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. With new research coming out almost every week, there is a growing consensus that laws criminalizing sick people for using medical marijuana simply make no sense."
"Patient reports attest to the therapeutic value of marijuana, and rigorous scientific studies emerging from other countries are confirming age-old clinical observations," said Dr. Christopher Fichtner, former director of mental health with the Illinois Department of Human Services and associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Chicago. "I think Senator Cullerton's bill is being well received and I would expect it to move forward in the near future. Nationally, we're at a tipping point on this issue."
Research in the U.S. and abroad continues to show marijuana's medical value. A study published in the Feb. 13 issue of the journal Neurology found that medical marijuana relieved a type of debilitating nerve pain that afflicts many HIV/AIDS patients, and did so without significant side effects.
With more than 21,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.
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