Delaware Ready for Medical Marijuana?
State Sen. Margaret Rose Henry has introduced legislation to provide for the controlled distribution of marijuana to relieve chronic pain in people suffering from serious medical conditions. Ginger Gibson writes in today’s News-Journal article:
Under Senate Bill 94, residents would be allowed to have up to 6 ounces of marijuana, considered a month’s supply, Henry said, and would be issued identification cards to prevent them from being prosecuted for having that amount or less. The state would also license centers to grow and sell marijuana to be sold for medicinal purposes.
Nationwide, efforts like Henry’s got a boost last week when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to California’s medical marijuana law, allowing the law to stand and the sale of medical marijuana to continue.
He concluded the post with this question:
With 13 states already having adopted compassionate use act legislation, Delaware might be ready to permit this humane treatment for people suffering from acute pain. Any legislative interest?
Turns out the answer was ‘yes’.
‘Bulo’s take: He doubts that the votes are there yet to enact this legislation. However, it is the type of bill that will grow support as hardened perceptions change, not unlike other bills that have become important to readers of this blog. Sen. Henry correctly points out that it took years for her ‘needle exchange’ legislation to be enacted, but that the empirical data shows (show?) that it has been a big plus for public health.
Which brings ‘bulo to an…AIMLESS MEANDER: One of the ways to identify the better legislators is to view their ability to keep at something when it doesn’t pass the first (sometimes second, third, fourth…) time. Karen Peterson on Open Government, Bob Marshall on Nursing Home Reform, Margaret Rose Henry on Needle Exchange. It’s easy when the wind is at your back, the Governor is in full support, and the media has anointed it as Worthwhile and Important. But it’s tough when you start with, at best, a small band of supporters, and ultimately build it into a successful coalition.
The Beast Who Slumbers suspects that Sen. Henry will face long odds again. However, she’s already overcome a similar challenge, so ‘bulo wouldn’t bet against her in the long run.
Tags: Delaware, General Assembly, Health Care
Good for Sen. Henry! This legislation is long overdue.
Oh, I have to second your opinion on keeping at important legislation. It’s easy to jump onboard popular legislation. It’s a lot more difficult to push for needed legislation that is not popular and to keep at it, despite odds against it.
The state would also license centers to grow and sell marijuana to be sold for medicinal purposes.
I don’t smoke, but if I did I’d be thinking about the kick ass weed that the scientists at Dupont could come up with.
We could go for the real radical solution to our state’s debt problem and go for full legalization and just tax the snot out of it. Bet you in a month we’d be the richest state in the union. Think of the tax potential and the money we’d save on incarceration and court costs. After all, FDR’s decision to end prohibition was justified in economic terms….just my random thoughts.
To M McKain’s point…I was going to be snarky, but as I thought it out, it actually probably would happen…
IF that extent of legalization happened…being the only state in the union (for the time being…you know New Jersey and MD would suddenly pitch major fits and replicate) to do it, the tourist bucks would ka-boom! What happens when you have people staying overnight here in Hotels, etc? Rent tax…ka-boom!
It would be the finest expression of our state’s craven corporate soul to turn itself into America’s Amsterdamn in order to rake in tax money from pot heads.
From Leah Burcat’s story in today’s DSN:
“Sen. Henry said it was stories like the one told by Mr. Scarborough that made her realize introducing this legislation was the right thing to do. She thanked the legislation’s co- sponsors — Rep. Hazel D. Plant, D- Wilmington, Sen. Karen Peterson, D- Stanton, Sen. Robert L. Venables, D- Laurel, and Senate Minority Whip Sen. Liane M. Sorenson, R- Hockessin — for ‘being brave enough to join me on this journey’.”
My response in #5 aside, medicinal marijuana is very important. I know it’s medical-cure affects are debated, but it’s ability to ease pain while allowing the patient to remain alert, as opposed to inducing a state of grogginess, is not debated. Medicinal marijuana does not have the hallucinogenic effect of “street” marijuana, as that element is not present in this plant strain, which is so often easily overlooked by the opposition. It does, however, have the ability to soften pain, but without the side effects that more common and more widely accepted prescription pain killers do. To me, this is a slam dunk, but to those caught up on that magic word, not so much.
Oh, wow, man.
“Sen. Henry said it was stories like the one told by Mr. Scarborough that made her realize introducing this legislation was the right thing to do.”
What, Mr. Scarborough can’t find it the same way everyone else who smokes it does?
M. McKain wrote: “We could go for the real radical solution to our state’s debt problem and go for full legalization and just tax the snot out of it.”
The Mellow Beast Who Has the Munchies suspects that, while worthwhile, McKain’s proposal is ‘one toke over the line’ when it comes to likely acceptance.
Bummer, dude.
Which, of course, brings ‘bulo to “The World’s Saddest Song”.
See if you agree:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9QIpSg6E_k&feature=related
People smoking marijuana for medical reasons aren’t smoking all that much, typically. Usually a couple of hits to settle a stomach or to help alleviate pain. They aren’t smoking to get high.
Three of the sponsors are committee members, of which Henry is the chairman, McDowell, Hall-Long, and Blevens are the other three.
Any word on when this is going to be heard by the committee? Has it been scheduled yet? I am assuming by the drumming up of media support that it will be soon coming.
It’s being heard on Wednesday, June 3rd.
UD students will rejoice at this.
Medical marijuana is a threat to my marriage.
“They aren’t smoking to get high.”
Then they’re missing the point. If a couple of hits doesn’t give them a buzz, they’ve been given ditchweed.
Oh my…she’s that bad, Geek? 😈
Just anticipating David Anderson’s testimony before the committee…
“McKain’s proposal is ‘one toke over the line’ when it comes to likely acceptance. ”
ha, yeah, if our legislature can’t accept equal rights for homosexuals, I’m pretty sure they won’t take my suggested path to economic security. Such a shame….it would work nationwide, too. Silly faux morality….reminds me of my favorite Frank Zappa quote “A drug is neither moral nor immoral — it’s a chemical compound. The compound itself is not a menace to society until a human being treats it as if consumption bestowed a temporary license to act like an asshole.”
thx oh hai
Speaking of legalized stufffolksdoonweekends, the Supreme Court just gave a first-and-10 to sports betting.
Sinsemilla has the highest level of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Dust of those bongs!
I’m the Mr. Scarborough that Sen. Henry spoke of. In responce to everyone who has posted…
I was brave enough to show my face, give my name, and to fight for something I believe in…What are YOU doing?
and to “geezers” comment..YES, I do get it the same way everyone else does, only NOW I have to be more careful.
So what is wrong with a medicine that does not taste bad? So a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy gets a bit of a high from some bong hits?
Look for the neo-puritans coming out and railing about ‘gateway drug effects’.
How many people have you known who took a few tokes in their life? How many of them used injected drugs? Divide the shooters by the tokers. Does the number look like unity? Or a very small percentage?
One might as well claim that beer is the gateway to absinthe.
One should forget about tax revenue from pot. Decent homegrown can be cultivated without that much difficulty.
One can make wine at home but my preference is for the stuff in bottles.
I also prefer beer from kegs that are bought at stores. I just tapped a keg of Newcastle (not the county) Brown Ale and invite anyone interested in a few hours of political discussion to try some agreeable disagreement. There is sometimes some free time. No hemp, please.