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South Dakota voters this fall will be asked for the second time whether marijuana should be legal for medicinal purposes, and supporters like their chances.
Organizers behind Initiated Measure 13 say strong grass-roots support and a lack of organized opposition improve the chances of South Dakota becoming the 16th state to allow the illegal drug to be used as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, glaucoma and chronic pain.
A similar initiative failed by a narrow 5,000-vote margin in 2006 despite heavy opposition from then-Attorney General Larry Long.
Since 2006, the American Medical Association has called for research into the potential medical benefits of the drug, celebrities such as John Stossel and Montel Williams have come out in favor of medical marijuana, and voters in several states have passed similar measures.
"Times have significantly changed since four years ago," said Tony Ryan, a retired police officer and spokesman for the initiative's backers, the South Dakota Coalition for Compassion.
Detractors say the medical marijuana initiative will cause problems for police and contend there still is a dearth of hard evidence that the drug has a medical benefit.
When the AMA changed its policy in November in favor of more research, it included a cautionary sentence saying that it should not be seen as proof that "scientific evidence on the therapeutic use of cannabis meets current standards for a prescription drug product."
Vermillion Police Chief Art Mabry, head of the South Dakota Association of Police Chiefs, said he is convinced that medical marijuana merely is a ruse designed to help legalize the drug altogether.
"If this passes, the people we call drug dealers today will be called 'caregivers,' " Mabry said. "I'm curious about what a caregiver does with plants that don't sell."
Mabry is concerned the law would create a black market for unused marijuana and increase the danger of drugged driving. Marijuana-related traffic fatalities have increased in Montana since that state passed a medical marijuana statute six years ago.
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: argusleader.com | Argus Leader | Sioux Falls news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Author: John Hult
Contact: Submit Feedback | argusleader.com | Argus Leader
Copyright: 2010 argusleader.com
Website:Case for medical marijuana | argusleader.com | Argus Leader
Organizers behind Initiated Measure 13 say strong grass-roots support and a lack of organized opposition improve the chances of South Dakota becoming the 16th state to allow the illegal drug to be used as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, glaucoma and chronic pain.
A similar initiative failed by a narrow 5,000-vote margin in 2006 despite heavy opposition from then-Attorney General Larry Long.
Since 2006, the American Medical Association has called for research into the potential medical benefits of the drug, celebrities such as John Stossel and Montel Williams have come out in favor of medical marijuana, and voters in several states have passed similar measures.
"Times have significantly changed since four years ago," said Tony Ryan, a retired police officer and spokesman for the initiative's backers, the South Dakota Coalition for Compassion.
Detractors say the medical marijuana initiative will cause problems for police and contend there still is a dearth of hard evidence that the drug has a medical benefit.
When the AMA changed its policy in November in favor of more research, it included a cautionary sentence saying that it should not be seen as proof that "scientific evidence on the therapeutic use of cannabis meets current standards for a prescription drug product."
Vermillion Police Chief Art Mabry, head of the South Dakota Association of Police Chiefs, said he is convinced that medical marijuana merely is a ruse designed to help legalize the drug altogether.
"If this passes, the people we call drug dealers today will be called 'caregivers,' " Mabry said. "I'm curious about what a caregiver does with plants that don't sell."
Mabry is concerned the law would create a black market for unused marijuana and increase the danger of drugged driving. Marijuana-related traffic fatalities have increased in Montana since that state passed a medical marijuana statute six years ago.
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: argusleader.com | Argus Leader | Sioux Falls news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Author: John Hult
Contact: Submit Feedback | argusleader.com | Argus Leader
Copyright: 2010 argusleader.com
Website:Case for medical marijuana | argusleader.com | Argus Leader
