Medical Marijuana Poker Cards Reach Congress

[Cozmo]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — If members of Congress preparing to consider two important pieces of medical marijuana legislation wonder, "What's the deal on medical marijuana?" they are about to get the answer -- in the form of medical marijuana playing cards from the Marijuana Policy Project.

This week, the D.C-based marijuana policy reform group will distribute decks of cards to every House lawmaker with a logo on one side that says, "The Deal on Medical Marijuana: 52 Reasons Why You Should Support Medical Marijuana Access," and has numerous organization endorsements, breakthrough scientific research, supportive polling data and personal testimonies about medical marijuana on the other.

Congress will soon consider the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment, which would prevent the Justice Department from using its funds to arrest medical marijuana patients protected by state laws. MPP is also fighting legislation introduced by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) that could make patients and caregivers vulnerable to arrest for violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act – even in the 12 states with medical marijuana laws. If passed, medical marijuana opponents may even try to use the new law to impose the federal government’s will on states that protect patients from arrest and jail, though supporters of compassionate access are almost certain to fight such attempts in court.

"Federal opposition to sensible medical marijuana laws is well-funded and intentionally misleading, causing the debate to get stuck in a rut," said Aaron Houston, MPP director of government relations, as he drew a joker from the deck quoting drug czar John Walters ridiculing medical marijuana as no different from medical crack. "These decks are an attempt to break out of that rut. Is it a gimmick? Sure, but when you don't have the resources the government has, there's nothing wrong with using a gimmick in service of the truth."

Members of the media may contact MPP to get one of the decks or see images of some of the cards online here: Medical Marijuana Playing Cards. Here are examples of other cards:

* The jack of spades quotes the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine saying "a federal policy that prohibits ... prescribing marijuana for seriously ill patients is misguided, heavy-handed, and inhumane."

* The ace of diamonds quotes a Drug Enforcement Administration judge calling the DEA "unreasonable, arbitrary, and capricious" for standing "between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance."

With more than 21,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana—both the consumption of marijuana and the laws that are intended to prohibit such use. MPP believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is imprisonment. For more information, see Marijuana Policy Project.


Newshawk: CoZmO - 420Magazine.com
Source: Marijuana Policy Project (Washington, D.C.)
Contact: info@mpp.org
Copyright: 2007 Marijuana Policy Project
Website: Marijuana Policy Project

[User]

i hope the aides enjoy the cards. i've sat in some of those congressional offices in the cause of hepatitis C and was not impressed. i imagine the aides and pages will be using them in their break rooms, but i hope i'm wrong.