Title:
Ask Governor Martinez to support efforts to reclassify marijuana
Message:
As you may
have heard, Governors Christine Gregoire of Washington and Lincoln Chafee of
Rhode Island recently
submitted a petition asking the federal government to change its policy
with respect to medical marijuana. Marijuana is currently considered a “Schedule
I” drug, with a high potential for abuse and “no currently accepted medical use
in treatment in the United States.” As over 4,000 patients enrolled in New
Mexico’s medical marijuana program can tell you, that is patently false.
Unfortunately,
the petition only asks that marijuana be moved to Schedule II, which would
still leave it very difficult for patients to obtain medicine. And
regrettably, Chafee and Gregoire have used the petition as cover for their
failure to implement laws passed by their state legislatures that would have
made medical marijuana available to patients through well-regulated channels. Nonetheless,
moving marijuana out of Schedule I is an important step in the right direction
that other governors should support.
Please ask New Mexico Governor Susana
Martinez to join other governors in asking the federal government to reclassify
marijuana.
Fortunately,
New Mexico’s well-regulated network of dispensaries allows patients to safely
obtain marijuana, but there are 34 states with no medical marijuana laws at
all. Moreover, reclassification would make it possible for marijuana to be
prescribed and dispensed through traditional channels. Governors
from Vermont and Connecticut have already announced that they will join the
rescheduling effort, and you can ask Governor Martinez to do the same by emailing her now.
