Pubdate: Thu, 11 Nov 2010 Source: Saipan Tribune (US MP) Copyright: 2010 Saipan Tribune Contact: http://www.saipantribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2666 Author: Haidee V. Eugenio Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/source/Saipan+Tribune FITIAL MAY SIGN POT BILL IF ONLY FOR MEDICINAL USE Senate Poised to Kill Pot Bill Soon Gov. Benigno R. Fitial may sign into law a marijuana bill should it come to his table, but only if the intent is to legalize it only for medicinal use. Just the same, the governor is not optimistic that the bill will pass the Senate. And the governor's right-the Senate is poised to defeat it next week. Senate President Paul Manglona (R-Rota) said yesterday that the Senate will disapprove the marijuana legalization bill in its session next week. "It's for the same reasons I mentioned before," he told Saipan Tribune, referring to concerns about marijuana use's impact on CNMI youth and other ill effects on the community. Senators also echoed agencies' concerns that the CNMI will lose millions in federal dollars if the local government approves the legislation, which is authored by Rep. Stanley Torres (Ind-Saipan). The Department of Public Health alone said it may lose $10 million should this bill pass. Fitial said yesterday he supports marijuana use for medicinal purposes only. Torres' House Bill 17-45, however, proposes to legalize marijuana not only for medicinal but also for recreational and other uses. "I support it for medicinal use," Fitial told reporters. "I never smoke marijuana myself so I cannot talk much about it because I don't have the experience." The bill passed the House on a 10-7 vote with one abstention. It is now with the Senate. Torres' bill seeks to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana use for medicinal and other purposes in the CNMI, adding to a list of revenue-generating bills pending in the 17th Legislature. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake