Pubdate: Tue, 07 Jun 2005
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2005 Albuquerque Journal
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10
Author: Kate Nash
Cited: Drug Policy Alliance ( www.drugpolicy.org )
Cited: Gonzales v. Raich ( www.angeljustice.org/ )
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Raich (Raich v. Gonzales)

ACTIVIST TO PUSH MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Court Ruling Won't Affect Legislative Efforts

SANTA FE Reena Szczepanski says she won't let the U.S. Supreme Court get in 
her way when she lobbies state legislators to legalize medicinal marijuana 
next year.

The nation's high court Monday ruled the federal government can prosecute 
people whose doctors have recommended they use medical marijuana to help 
alleviate their illnesses, regardless of state laws that allow it.

But Szczepanski said the ruling wasn't on the merits of medical marijuana 
use and basically leaves matters the way they have been. The justices did 
not strike down state laws but affirmed the authority of federal law 
officers to enforce federal law.

"Unfortunately, what's kind of in play out there is that this annuls state 
laws. . . . That's very far from the truth. We're in the same situation we 
were before," she said this morning.

Szczepanski and members of the Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico 
unsuccessfully pushed for a state law this year to allow seriously ill and 
registered patients to have access to regulated amounts of medical marijuana.

And while the 2006 session is primarily to be about budget matters, 
Szczepanski said, her understanding is Gov. Bill Richardson will put the 
topic on his call, allowing lawmakers to consider it in the 30-day session.

Richardson during the session said he supports a "sensible, compassionate 
plan that makes medical marijuana available to patients suffering from 
life-threatening disease."

Szczepanski said the measure she pushed for had a good chance of becoming 
law. Time ran out on the 60-day session, however.

"I think the political will and support were there last session, but we got 
caught in that last-minute bill debating," Szczepanski said.

Because supporters were able to frame the issue in terms of helping the 
seriously ill, not drug legalization, she said a majority of lawmakers were 
supportive.

"It's not a Democrat-Republican issue. It's an issue all of us can 
understand because we all know someone who's been seriously ill," she said. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake