Jacob Bell
New Member
SHORELINE, Wash. -- A supply of marijuana-laced edibles help John Florio deal with the pain as he battles what doctors tell him is a terminal case of leukemia.
"All you need is one little bit of this, and it just takes that nausea feeling away," Florio said. "This I just feel not as nauseous. I don't feel dizzy. It helps me a lot better than the pharmaceuticals."
Florio gets his medicine from Green Hope Patient Network in Shoreline. It's one of dozens of medical pot clubs abiding by state guidelines that's still at risk of being raided by federal agents.
"And even this dispensary is now in danger of being determined to be illegal or maybe even shutdown," said Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland.
Goodman wants to legalize pot dispensaries, which are neither allowed nor prohibited under current state law. He says despite the governor's recent veto of medical marijuana legislation, he sees momentum for change at the state level.
Now he wants to lead the charge at the national level.
"It's a nascent effort in Congress. It's a difficult culture to get reforms like this through. That's why I'm hoping to be in Congress to exert that leadership," he said.
Goodman is running for U.S. Congress in 2012, and hopes to unseat Republican incumbent Dave Reichert in part on this pot platform.
Meantime, sick and dying patients like Florio must face the prospect that their medicine could be cut off with the next federal raid.
"That would be very sad, because I wouldn't have safe access to my medicine, and it would put me on the spot - put many patients on the spot - to where they'd have to go on the streets again," he said.
Last week, Congress began considering a new bill to protect medical marijuana patients. The bill likely won't get passed, but Goodman says more of these efforts are needed.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: komonews.com
Author: Joel Moreno
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Fisher Communications, Inc.
Website: State rep to run for Congress on medical marijuana platform
"All you need is one little bit of this, and it just takes that nausea feeling away," Florio said. "This I just feel not as nauseous. I don't feel dizzy. It helps me a lot better than the pharmaceuticals."
Florio gets his medicine from Green Hope Patient Network in Shoreline. It's one of dozens of medical pot clubs abiding by state guidelines that's still at risk of being raided by federal agents.
"And even this dispensary is now in danger of being determined to be illegal or maybe even shutdown," said Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland.
Goodman wants to legalize pot dispensaries, which are neither allowed nor prohibited under current state law. He says despite the governor's recent veto of medical marijuana legislation, he sees momentum for change at the state level.
Now he wants to lead the charge at the national level.
"It's a nascent effort in Congress. It's a difficult culture to get reforms like this through. That's why I'm hoping to be in Congress to exert that leadership," he said.
Goodman is running for U.S. Congress in 2012, and hopes to unseat Republican incumbent Dave Reichert in part on this pot platform.
Meantime, sick and dying patients like Florio must face the prospect that their medicine could be cut off with the next federal raid.
"That would be very sad, because I wouldn't have safe access to my medicine, and it would put me on the spot - put many patients on the spot - to where they'd have to go on the streets again," he said.
Last week, Congress began considering a new bill to protect medical marijuana patients. The bill likely won't get passed, but Goodman says more of these efforts are needed.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: komonews.com
Author: Joel Moreno
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Fisher Communications, Inc.
Website: State rep to run for Congress on medical marijuana platform
