Pubdate: Tue, 08 May 2012 Source: Union Leader (Manchester, NH) Copyright: 2012 The Union Leader Corp. Contact: http://www.theunionleader.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/761 Note: Out-of-state letters are seldom published. Author: Ted Siefer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Rosenfeld FEDERAL POT PATIENT TO SPEAK AT STATE HOUSE CONCORD - One of the only people in the U.S. to receive marijuana from the federal government will be the featured guest of medical marijuana advocates Tuesday, as they continue to press for passage of a bill the governor has vowed to veto. Irvin Rosenfeld is one of four patients who receive medical marijuana from the federal government as part of the Compassionate Investigative New Drug Program, a little-known initiative that was closed to new applicants in 1992. Rosenfeld will speak at a State House press conference Tuesday alongside the sponsors of Senate Bill 409, Sen. Jim Forsythe, R-Strafford, and Rep. Evalyn Merrick, D-Lancaster. The bill would allow a patient with a "debilitating medical condition" or a registered caregiver to possess up to six ounces of marijuana or cultivate up to four plants within a locked and secured facility in a location known to law enforcement. Rosenfeld, 59, has suffered since childhood from a rare bone disorder called Multiple Congenital Cartilaginous Exostosis. Rosenfeld is a senior vice president at an investment firm in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington, D.C.-based group that organized the press conference. SB 409 garnered wide support last month in the House, which voted for the bill, 236-96, a wide enough margin to overcome a promised veto from Gov. John Lynch. However, in order to get the three-fifths majority for an override in the Senate, bill backers need to win the support of at least three senators who voted against the bill. The bill is being reviewed by the House Finance Committee. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom