Pubdate: Tue, 27 Mar 2007
Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI)
Copyright: 2007 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Contact:  http://www.starbulletin.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/196
Author: Sarah Margaret
Note: Sarah Margaret Taylor lives in Hilo.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?161 (Marijuana - Regulation)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

SAY 'NO' TO GREEN HARVEST, 'YES' TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA

I am a patient with a medical marijuana permit in three states and 
Canada. I was a schoolteacher, a case manager and for the past 14 
years I have been a disability advocate here in Hawaii. This is a 
call to all Hawaii residents to say "no" to federal money for Green Harvest.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, Green Harvest is a program 
whereby Hawaii receives federal money to arrest growers of marijuana. 
Most people don't realize that our state allows patients to grow 
their marijuana or have a caregiver grow it, but we cannot buy it. We 
cannot buy the seeds, nor can we buy certain growing equipment 
without being prosecuted. Meanwhile, patients who can tolerate 
pharmaceutical pain medications are not required to "grow" their own 
anti-inflammatory medications, painkillers or muscle relaxants.

Allowing public funds to go to the war on marijuana violates many 
civil rights laws, for example:

)) Propaganda by the government against this medicine violates the 
Americans with Disabilities Act by causing others -- the patient's 
family, friends, employers and community -- to discriminate against 
people with disabilities who have the right to use marijuana to treat 
their medical condition.

)) Not only do patients have the right to use, possess and grow 
marijuana in 11 states, they have this right through the ADA of 1990. 
According to this act and the Rehabilitation Rights Act of 1973, a 
substance is NOT an illegal drug if it prescribed by a medical 
doctor. Both these acts are tied to the Controlled Substance Act, 
which is a federal law.

. By imprisoning growers, suppliers of growing equipment and 
distributors, we are illegally coercing and threatening people with 
disabilities, their families, their medical doctors and providers, 
further violating the ADA of 1990.

. People who are interfering with the legalization of medical 
marijuana should understand fully that they are, in fact, personally 
contributing to discriminating against, threatening, isolating and 
harming people with disabilities. They are causing families to turn 
against family members with disabilities, further isolating and 
harming these patients with disabilities.

. We do not use public funds to turn family members against patients 
using antidepressants, oxycodone, Valium and so many far more 
dangerous medications. We do not threaten users of prescribed 
pharmaceuticals from taking their medications on airplanes, buying it 
via the Internet or shipping via the post office; nor do we charge 
them with violating rules of interstate commerce.

Most states do not have the budgets to continue to incarcerate 
marijuana users, growers and distributors. We still have in our 
prisons people who merely bought fluorescent lights or sold seeds to 
grow marijuana. Our prisons are full, and as taxpayers we can no 
longer afford to spend money on Green Harvest. Shame on us, America 
and Canada, that we should be so intolerant, shortsighted, cruel and 
wasteful of hard-earned tax money.

Please, let's stop the prohibition and get on to better uses of our 
money. Please contact your County Council members and legislators, 
and say "no" to Green Harvest -- and "yes" to ending marijuana prohibition.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake