Mississippi senator reintroduces medical marijuana bill for 2012
For the fourth straight year, Sen. Deborah Dawkins
(D-Pass Christian), a compassionate legislator, has introduced medical marijuana
legislation. S.B. 2252 would authorize the doctor-recommended medical use of marijuana
for patients with debilitating medical conditions and reschedule marijuana to
Schedule II.
Please email
your state legislators to let them know you support legislation that protects
Mississippi’s seriously ill. The more legislators hear from people
like you, the more likely they are to pass effective medical marijuana laws. It
only takes a few minutes but can have an enormous effect.
In the irony of ironies, the University of
Mississippi has been growing marijuana for the federal
government's little-known medical marijuana program, the
Compassionate Investigational New Drug program, for decades. Each month, the
federal authorities send four patients a tin canister filled with about 300
pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes. If the federal government can grow medical
marijuana for out-of-state patients in Mississippi, why can't Mississippi's
seriously ill patients access the medicine they need?
Did
you know Mississippi is a "decrim" state?
Mississippi is one of the 14 states that
have decriminalized personal use marijuana possession. First offense possession
of 30 grams (a little more than an ounce) is punishable by a $250 fine instead of
jail time, and a civil summons as opposed to arrest, as long as the offender
provides proof of identity and a written promise to appear in court. Even so,
there were still 10,401 marijuana arrests and/or citations in 2007. You can
learn more about Mississippi's marijuana penalties and enforcement by reading
this report by Jon Gettman, PhD. You can also write your state legislators to ask
them to end marijuana prohibition in the state and replace it with a taxed and
regulated system.
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