Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
The Delaware Senate approved legalizing marijuana for limited medical purposes Thursday, despite reservations from some supporters who indicated the legislation has flaws.
The bill would decriminalize parts of the state's drug laws and allow adults with debilitating diseases such as HIV or cancer to get permission from their doctors to purchase marijuana from a state-licensed dispensary.
On an 18-3 vote, the Senate sent Senate Bill 17 to the House, where supporters believe they have enough votes to get the legislation to Gov. Jack Markell's desk for a signature. Critics said the bill puts Delaware on a path toward legalizing marijuana altogether.
"If you don't think this is a step in that eventual process, you are sorely mistaken," said Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover South.
Markell, a Democrat, supports the concept of the bill and changes that have been made to address concerns by doctors and law-enforcement agencies, spokesman Brian Selander said.
"There's a long road between the concept of providing medical marijuana to people with medical needs like cancer patients and the implementation of that effort," Selander said.
Fifteen other states and the District of Columbia already have legalized marijuana possession and use for medicinal purposes. Pennsylvania and Maryland lawmakers are currently considering similar legislation.
"This is really out of compassion for people who have been suffering unnecessarily," said Sen. Margaret Rose Henry, the bill sponsor and a Wilmington Democrat.
After the bill passed, Henry handed out packages of brownies from BJ's Wholesale Club, making a joke about the recreational use of "pot brownies" as an edible form of ingesting marijuana.
"They were just regular brownies," Henry said afterward. "It was done in jest and not to take away from the seriousness of the bill."
Under the bill, individuals with qualifying illnesses would be issued identification cards and be limited to purchasing up to six ounces of marijuana each month. Marijuana could only be purchased from a dispensary, and home cultivation would be prohibited. Qualifying conditions would include cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, post-traumatic stress disorder, glaucoma, Crohn's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease or other chronic wasting diseases.
NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: courierpostonline.com
Author: Chad Livengood
Copyright: 2011 courierpostonline.com
Contact: Courier-Post
Website: Delaware Senate approves use of medical marijuana
The bill would decriminalize parts of the state's drug laws and allow adults with debilitating diseases such as HIV or cancer to get permission from their doctors to purchase marijuana from a state-licensed dispensary.
On an 18-3 vote, the Senate sent Senate Bill 17 to the House, where supporters believe they have enough votes to get the legislation to Gov. Jack Markell's desk for a signature. Critics said the bill puts Delaware on a path toward legalizing marijuana altogether.
"If you don't think this is a step in that eventual process, you are sorely mistaken," said Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover South.
Markell, a Democrat, supports the concept of the bill and changes that have been made to address concerns by doctors and law-enforcement agencies, spokesman Brian Selander said.
"There's a long road between the concept of providing medical marijuana to people with medical needs like cancer patients and the implementation of that effort," Selander said.
Fifteen other states and the District of Columbia already have legalized marijuana possession and use for medicinal purposes. Pennsylvania and Maryland lawmakers are currently considering similar legislation.
"This is really out of compassion for people who have been suffering unnecessarily," said Sen. Margaret Rose Henry, the bill sponsor and a Wilmington Democrat.
After the bill passed, Henry handed out packages of brownies from BJ's Wholesale Club, making a joke about the recreational use of "pot brownies" as an edible form of ingesting marijuana.
"They were just regular brownies," Henry said afterward. "It was done in jest and not to take away from the seriousness of the bill."
Under the bill, individuals with qualifying illnesses would be issued identification cards and be limited to purchasing up to six ounces of marijuana each month. Marijuana could only be purchased from a dispensary, and home cultivation would be prohibited. Qualifying conditions would include cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, post-traumatic stress disorder, glaucoma, Crohn's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease or other chronic wasting diseases.
NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: courierpostonline.com
Author: Chad Livengood
Copyright: 2011 courierpostonline.com
Contact: Courier-Post
Website: Delaware Senate approves use of medical marijuana
