Parker's Toke(n) Support For Pot

Not that I would expect in-depth analysis from columnist Kathleen Parker on the issue of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes (I came across her column in the Bucks County Courier Times).

Parker says that the arrest is no cause for celebration, which is true of course, but then manages to suggest at the end that Al Gore could moderate a discussion about legalizing this drug, and oh, wouldn’t that be just soooo delicious of a topic for Parker and her fellow journalistic assassins.

(I swear, these people have absolutely no shame. And on top of that, Parker even manages to sneak in another evergreen freeper lie about Social Security getting ready to go bankrupt at any moment.)

While Parker provides a litany of reasons why the drug should be legalized nationally – the fact that possession of the drug has been decriminalized in twelve states, the idiocy of federal law enforcement invading the homes of people using the drug for medical purposes in states where such a practice is permitted, reduced law enforcement costs generally – she doesn’t really tell any of her reader how to support this position.

This link takes you to information on House Bill H.R. 2592, The States’ Right To Medical Marijuana Act, introduced by Barney Frank of Massachusetts in 2001, along with 42 cosponsors including Ron Paul of Texas (#20 on the list - sorry for all the work, but the Thomas site links are flaky). As you can see, the bill has been languishing in a House subcommittee for almost seven years. Here is the text of the bill…

This legislation states: "No provision of the Controlled Substances Act [or] ... the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act shall prohibit or otherwise restrict

(A) the prescription or recommendation of marijuana by a physician for medical use, (B) an individual from obtaining and using marijuana from a prescription or recommendation of marijuana by a physician for medical use by such individual, or(C) a pharmacy from obtaining and holding marijuana for the prescription of marijuana by a physician for medical use under applicable state law in a State in which marijuana may be prescribed or recommended by a physician for medical use under applicable State law." Since 1996, nine states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington) have implemented laws allowing seriously ill patients to possess and use medical marijuana under a doctor's supervision. While these laws protect patients from state criminal marijuana penalties, they do not shield patients from federal prosecution, nor do they allow a state legislature to legally distribute medical marijuana. H.R. 2592 would afford patients legal protection under federal law by rescheduling marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II, and permit those states that wish to establish medical marijuana distribution systems the legal authority to do so.

To contact Congress and tell them to get moving on this, click here. Also, I wish the Gores well as they deal with this difficult family matter.