T
The420Guy
Guest
ANNAPOLIS -- The compromised version of the medical
marijuana defense bill successfully passed the House of
Delegates Monday night after an impassioned debate.
Last week, a change of heart by Del. Carmen Amedori,
R-Carroll, forced a compromise in the House Judiciary
Committee, which had been poised to kill the bill.
The original bill would have given patients who use
medical marijuana protection from arrest. The compromise
maintained that possession of marijuana is still a
criminal act, worthy of prosecution and punishment,
but gives people the option of trying to prove a medical
defense.
If the courts determine that there is evidence of
possession for medical use, the judge can do no more than
fine the person up to $100.
The compromised bill, which passed by a vote of 80-56,
will now head to the Senate for approval.
==============
For more news articles and MPP's press release, please
see Marijuana Policy Project | We Change Laws .
It is true that the Maryland bill is inferior to the
Vermont bill, which allows patients and caregivers to
grow and possess marijuana without the fear of arrest or
prosecution. While the original Maryland bill --
which had a record-breaking 53 co-sponsors -- also
protected patients and caregivers in the same way, the
Maryland House Judiciary Committee amended the bill on
Friday night to make it more restrictive, while at
the same time still removing criminal penalties for
medical marijuana.
While the House floor debate and vote yesterday was
exhilarating, the Friday night committee confrontation
was more intense still. Of the 22 committee members, we
had rounded up 12 "yes" votes -- the minimum needed to
pass our model bill -- after months of lobbying, targeted
mailings to voters in key districts, and universally
positive media coverage across the state (for three years
now).
The chairman, who was opposed to our bill, scheduled the
committee debate and vote for when two of our 12
supporters were not present; a Republican former
policeman was home sick, and a Democratic co-sponsor
was nowhere to be found. We tried desperately to get the
two of them back to the committee room, and the Democrat
did finally come back during the debate. With only 11
supporters present, the chairman was about to call the
vote when Del. Carmen Amedori (see article above)
announced she was changing her vote from a "no" to a
"yes."
Surprised, the chairman abruptly announced, "I'll be
damned if we are going to pass a bill that breaks federal
law." He then called the four subcommittee chairmen (who
are all co-sponsors of our bill) and Del. Don Murphy (R),
the bill's lead sponsor, into his back office. With a
roomful of reporters watching the debate, the chairman
knew that if he refused to bring the bill up for a vote,
he would be attacked in the news as obstructing a bill
that had finally achieved majority support. So he offered
a deal to our allies on the committee: Would they be
willing to agree to a bill that would impose a maximum
fine of $100 -- and no jail time -- on patients and
caregivers who are caught with medical marijuana?
Late that night, the MPP team and the supportive
legislators discussed these two options via speakerphone,
and we ultimately chose to pursue the amended bill rather
than insisting on our model bill and not having any vote
at all.
On Saturday, the committee passed the amended bill with a
14-4 vote, with three members not present and the
chairman abstaining (which is traditional).
Then, yesterday -- the last day for the full House to
vote on House bills this year -- the medical marijuana
bill was debated on the House floor ... twice. Our bill
was the last to be brought up for a vote last night,
ultimately passing with an 80-56 vote. Of the 22
committee members, 17 (including the chairman) voted for
the bill on the floor, with five opposing it.
When our medical marijuana bill was first brought before
this same committee two years ago, we counted only eight
or nine supporters. But for three legislative sessions,
MPP brought effective patient witnesses in to testify, we
have blasted our message through the mainstream news
media, we have invited constituents to lobby their
legislators in Annapolis ... we did everything a lobbying
organization should do. And, by doing so, we doubled the
support on the committee.
The medical marijuana bill now goes to the Senate
Judicial Proceedings Committee, where the bill's fate is
uncertain. If it passes through the Senate committee and
full Senate and is signed by the governor, we will have
achieved more than anyone thought we could this year --
an election year when all state senators and delegates
are up for re-election. If, however, our bill fails in
the Senate, then we will return next year with our model
bill and the knowledge that a solid majority of House
members voted for medical marijuana this year -- a
powerful base to build upon.
Of more than 9,700 subscribers to this e-mail list,
approximately 1,400 (14 percent) are dues-paying members
of MPP. If you have never made a financial donation to
our work, would you please consider donating now if you
like what you're seeing?
I will continue to e-mail you with updates on Vermont and
Maryland in the weeks to come. Thank you ...
Sincerely,
Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.
P.S. To donate to MPP's legislative efforts in the
states, please see Marijuana Policy Project | We Change Laws ...
where tax-deductible donations can also be made.
Thanks again.
marijuana defense bill successfully passed the House of
Delegates Monday night after an impassioned debate.
Last week, a change of heart by Del. Carmen Amedori,
R-Carroll, forced a compromise in the House Judiciary
Committee, which had been poised to kill the bill.
The original bill would have given patients who use
medical marijuana protection from arrest. The compromise
maintained that possession of marijuana is still a
criminal act, worthy of prosecution and punishment,
but gives people the option of trying to prove a medical
defense.
If the courts determine that there is evidence of
possession for medical use, the judge can do no more than
fine the person up to $100.
The compromised bill, which passed by a vote of 80-56,
will now head to the Senate for approval.
==============
For more news articles and MPP's press release, please
see Marijuana Policy Project | We Change Laws .
It is true that the Maryland bill is inferior to the
Vermont bill, which allows patients and caregivers to
grow and possess marijuana without the fear of arrest or
prosecution. While the original Maryland bill --
which had a record-breaking 53 co-sponsors -- also
protected patients and caregivers in the same way, the
Maryland House Judiciary Committee amended the bill on
Friday night to make it more restrictive, while at
the same time still removing criminal penalties for
medical marijuana.
While the House floor debate and vote yesterday was
exhilarating, the Friday night committee confrontation
was more intense still. Of the 22 committee members, we
had rounded up 12 "yes" votes -- the minimum needed to
pass our model bill -- after months of lobbying, targeted
mailings to voters in key districts, and universally
positive media coverage across the state (for three years
now).
The chairman, who was opposed to our bill, scheduled the
committee debate and vote for when two of our 12
supporters were not present; a Republican former
policeman was home sick, and a Democratic co-sponsor
was nowhere to be found. We tried desperately to get the
two of them back to the committee room, and the Democrat
did finally come back during the debate. With only 11
supporters present, the chairman was about to call the
vote when Del. Carmen Amedori (see article above)
announced she was changing her vote from a "no" to a
"yes."
Surprised, the chairman abruptly announced, "I'll be
damned if we are going to pass a bill that breaks federal
law." He then called the four subcommittee chairmen (who
are all co-sponsors of our bill) and Del. Don Murphy (R),
the bill's lead sponsor, into his back office. With a
roomful of reporters watching the debate, the chairman
knew that if he refused to bring the bill up for a vote,
he would be attacked in the news as obstructing a bill
that had finally achieved majority support. So he offered
a deal to our allies on the committee: Would they be
willing to agree to a bill that would impose a maximum
fine of $100 -- and no jail time -- on patients and
caregivers who are caught with medical marijuana?
Late that night, the MPP team and the supportive
legislators discussed these two options via speakerphone,
and we ultimately chose to pursue the amended bill rather
than insisting on our model bill and not having any vote
at all.
On Saturday, the committee passed the amended bill with a
14-4 vote, with three members not present and the
chairman abstaining (which is traditional).
Then, yesterday -- the last day for the full House to
vote on House bills this year -- the medical marijuana
bill was debated on the House floor ... twice. Our bill
was the last to be brought up for a vote last night,
ultimately passing with an 80-56 vote. Of the 22
committee members, 17 (including the chairman) voted for
the bill on the floor, with five opposing it.
When our medical marijuana bill was first brought before
this same committee two years ago, we counted only eight
or nine supporters. But for three legislative sessions,
MPP brought effective patient witnesses in to testify, we
have blasted our message through the mainstream news
media, we have invited constituents to lobby their
legislators in Annapolis ... we did everything a lobbying
organization should do. And, by doing so, we doubled the
support on the committee.
The medical marijuana bill now goes to the Senate
Judicial Proceedings Committee, where the bill's fate is
uncertain. If it passes through the Senate committee and
full Senate and is signed by the governor, we will have
achieved more than anyone thought we could this year --
an election year when all state senators and delegates
are up for re-election. If, however, our bill fails in
the Senate, then we will return next year with our model
bill and the knowledge that a solid majority of House
members voted for medical marijuana this year -- a
powerful base to build upon.
Of more than 9,700 subscribers to this e-mail list,
approximately 1,400 (14 percent) are dues-paying members
of MPP. If you have never made a financial donation to
our work, would you please consider donating now if you
like what you're seeing?
I will continue to e-mail you with updates on Vermont and
Maryland in the weeks to come. Thank you ...
Sincerely,
Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.
P.S. To donate to MPP's legislative efforts in the
states, please see Marijuana Policy Project | We Change Laws ...
where tax-deductible donations can also be made.
Thanks again.