Pubdate: Fri, 03 Aug 2012
Source: Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA)
Copyright: 2012 The Press-Enterprise Company
Contact: http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/letters_form.html
Website: http://www.pe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/830
Author: Jeff Horseman

MARIJUANA ACTIVISTS ALIGN WITH DEMOCRATS

Advocates for medical marijuana and marijuana legalization have 
formed a club affiliated with Riverside County's Democratic Party, 
according to a news release.

The Brownie Mary Democratic Club of Riverside County was formed at 
the June monthly meeting of the county Democratic Central Committee, 
read the release issued by club founder Lanny Swerdlow.

The club seeks "to promote the Democratic Party, help Democrats get 
elected and to work within the Democratic Party to protect the rights 
of medical marijuana patients and bring marijuana prohibition to an 
end," the release read.

Swerdlow, one of the Inland region's most vocal medical marijuana 
activists, said in the release that a state Assembly bill (AB 2312) 
benefiting medical marijuana patients passed in May 41 to 28, with 
every vote in favor cast by a Democrat.

Seventy-two percent of Democrats compared to 11 percent of 
Republicans in the House of Representatives voted for a bill (HR 
5326) in May to prevent the U.S. Department of Justice from raiding 
medical marijuana providers in California, Swerdlow said.

"Democrats are supporting medical marijuana patients," he said. "It's 
time we started supporting Democrats."

The club has 32 members, eight of whom registered with the Democrats 
to join, the release read.

The club is named for the late Mary Jane Rathbun, who was known as 
"Brownie Mary" for baking marijuana brownies and giving them to AIDS 
patients in San Francisco hospitals.

Sue Ann Young, chairwoman for a local Democratic Party district, 
could not be reached for comment Friday.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom