Pubdate: Wed, 05 Jan 2005
Source: Patriot Ledger, The  (MA)
Copyright: 2005 The Patriot Ledger
Contact:  http://ledger.southofboston.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1619
Author: Tom Benner,  Patriot Ledger State House Bureau
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

AFTER RHODE ISLAND'S APPROVAL

Hedlund Favors Allowing Medical Use Of Marijuana; Bill's Passage 
Would Make Mass. Latest State To Legalize

BOSTON - A state senator from the South Shore is among those hoping 
Massachusetts follows the lead of Rhode Island and Maine by 
legalizing marijuana  for medical use.

On Tuesday, Rhode Island became the 11th state to legalize medical 
marijuana and the first to do so since the June U.S. Supreme Court 
ruling that patients who use the drug still may be prosecuted under 
federal law.

State Sen. Robert Hedlund, R-Weymouth, is co-sponsoring a bill that 
calls for allowing people to grow and use small amounts of marijuana 
for medical reasons. Hedlund said he has heard many stories from ill 
people, including a close friend with glaucoma, who say marijuana 
eased their pain.

"I know it's anecdotal, but I believe him," Hedlund said. "I'm not in 
favor of the full-blown legalization or decriminalization of 
marijuana, but I think there should be a dialogue about whether 
there's a medical benefit to this."

Jim Cook of Quincy said marijuana was the only thing that gave relief 
to his brother Alan when he was dying of AIDS in the mid-1980s. Alan 
Cook lived in Montreal, where people are allowed to smoke marijuana 
to ease the symptoms of disease or the effects of disease treatments 
such as chemotherapy.

"It is an absolute no-brainer that it should be available to people 
with terminal illness," Jim Cook said. "The prohibitions against it 
are an unnecessary intrusion of the government into the private lives 
of citizens." Cook is a member of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition.

"In this state, the politicians are just totally out of step with the 
population," said coalition spokesman and Georgetown attorney Steven 
Epstein, adding that nonbinding ballot questions endorsing the use of 
medicinal marijuana have passed in communities across the state. 
"Everywhere it's been on the ballot, it's won."

Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, the Romney administration's point person on 
drug policy, had no comment yesterday.

In the past, she has opposed decriminalization of marijuana.

The Rhode Island House voted 59-13 to override a veto by Gov. Don 
Carcieri, allowing people with illnesses such as cancer and AIDS to 
grow up to 12 marijuana plants indoors or possess up to 2.5 ounces 
without being arrested..  The law requires them to register with the 
state and get a photo identification card. Federal law prohibits any 
use of marijuana, but Maine, Vermont, Alaska, California, Colorado, 
Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and now Rhode Island 
allow people to grow it for use as medicine.

On June 6, U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people who smoke marijuana 
because their doctors recommend it can still be prosecuted under 
federal drug laws. Federal authorities acknowledged that they were 
unlikely to prosecute many medicinal users, and Rhode Island 
lawmakers pressed on, passing their medical marijuana bill on June 7.

In November 2004, voters in five South Shore towns - Abington, 
Whitman, East Bridgewater, Canton and Stoughton - approved by large 
margins a nonbinding ballot question that proposed allowing seriously 
ill people to grow and use marijuana, with a doctor's permission.

In the same election, voters in Cohasset, Hingham, Hull and Scituate 
passed a nonbinding question that proposed treating the possession of 
one ounce or less  of marijuana as a civil, rather than crimimal, offense.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman