Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
The Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project on Wednesday took a major step toward asking voters to legalize medical marijuana.
It was the first initiative effort to turn in the signatures of support needed to get on what is expected to be a packed Nov. 2 ballot. The Secretary of State's Office and the counties have 38 business days to determine whether at least 145,697 of the 252,000 submitted signatures are valid.
The initiative proposes to allow patients with a debilitating medical condition such as cancer, HIV or multiple sclerosis to purchase, possess and use 2.5 ounces of marijuana every two weeks with a doctor's "recommendation." Non-profit dispensaries regulated by the state would grow and sell the drug to approved patients.
The Arizona campaign is largely bankrolled by the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, which provided most of the $487,250 spent by the state effort through Dec. 31, nearly all for paid signature collectors. Individual contributors to the Arizona campaign through Dec. 31 have given $12,185, come from across the country and range from engineers to pizza delivery drivers.
Initiative supporters showed up Wednesday with the 103 boxes of signatures.
Heather Torgerson, 29, of Scottsdale, said she used to make fun of "potheads." Now the Arizona brain-cancer survivor smokes marijuana illegally to combat nausea and other side effects of her monthly chemotherapy treatments.
"I wrote a paper against this in college," she said. 'I did not know what it was like to be on the other side of the fence."
She said three years ago, she was given six months to live. Radiation and chemo left her unable to eat and lowered her white blood cell count.
"It came to the choice of either the cancer will kill me or the chemo will kill me," she said. "The doctor had exhausted all the options she had. I had to find my own way."
She found marijuana, saying it enabled her to eat and gain weight.
"I am the face of a patient standing here because of the use of medical marijuana," she said. Gov. Jan Brewer said during an unrelated news conference that she is not in favor of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, saying it was a "gateway" to other illicit drug use.
"Modern medicine, modern science can develop drugs that are just as strong and pain-relieving," Brewer said.
Thirteen states allow the possession of small amounts of marijuana for medical purposes, although only California has established a widespread network of dispensaries to distribute it. This is the fourth time since 1996 Arizona voters have been asked to decriminalize marijuana as a medicine.
That year, voters approved a ballot initiative that allowed use of the drug with a doctor's prescription. But authorities threatened to revoke the license of doctors who prescribed the drug, and state lawmakers gutted the law.
In 1998, voters rejected a pair of referendums that would have hindered the legalization of medical marijuana — most notably by requiring Congress or the federal government to OK its use before any doctor could prescribe it.
In 2002, voters rejected an effort to make it legal to possess small quantities of marijuana and make the drug available for free to patients suffering from cancer and other diseases.
This latest effort is different than previous efforts in Arizona and in other states, said initiative campaign manager Andrew Myers.
Most states allow individuals to grow their own marijuana but do not allow its sale at dispensaries. California has dispensaries, but they are for-profit and not state regulated.
It would still be illegal to use marijuana in a public place or to drive under the influence of marijuana in Arizona, but the initiative forbids employers from firing qualified medical marijuana users who test positive for the drug unless they can prove the patient used or was impaired while at work.
A top official of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it has concerns about the workplace-related provisions but did not know whether it would take any active role in opposing the initiative.
"We don't look at it as a positive development," chamber President Glenn Hamer said.
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: azcentral.com
Author: Alia Beard Rau
Copyright: 2010 azcentral.com
Contact: Contacting The Arizona Republic
Website: Arizona medical pot backers turn in 252,000 signatures
• Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
It was the first initiative effort to turn in the signatures of support needed to get on what is expected to be a packed Nov. 2 ballot. The Secretary of State's Office and the counties have 38 business days to determine whether at least 145,697 of the 252,000 submitted signatures are valid.
The initiative proposes to allow patients with a debilitating medical condition such as cancer, HIV or multiple sclerosis to purchase, possess and use 2.5 ounces of marijuana every two weeks with a doctor's "recommendation." Non-profit dispensaries regulated by the state would grow and sell the drug to approved patients.
The Arizona campaign is largely bankrolled by the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, which provided most of the $487,250 spent by the state effort through Dec. 31, nearly all for paid signature collectors. Individual contributors to the Arizona campaign through Dec. 31 have given $12,185, come from across the country and range from engineers to pizza delivery drivers.
Initiative supporters showed up Wednesday with the 103 boxes of signatures.
Heather Torgerson, 29, of Scottsdale, said she used to make fun of "potheads." Now the Arizona brain-cancer survivor smokes marijuana illegally to combat nausea and other side effects of her monthly chemotherapy treatments.
"I wrote a paper against this in college," she said. 'I did not know what it was like to be on the other side of the fence."
She said three years ago, she was given six months to live. Radiation and chemo left her unable to eat and lowered her white blood cell count.
"It came to the choice of either the cancer will kill me or the chemo will kill me," she said. "The doctor had exhausted all the options she had. I had to find my own way."
She found marijuana, saying it enabled her to eat and gain weight.
"I am the face of a patient standing here because of the use of medical marijuana," she said. Gov. Jan Brewer said during an unrelated news conference that she is not in favor of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, saying it was a "gateway" to other illicit drug use.
"Modern medicine, modern science can develop drugs that are just as strong and pain-relieving," Brewer said.
Thirteen states allow the possession of small amounts of marijuana for medical purposes, although only California has established a widespread network of dispensaries to distribute it. This is the fourth time since 1996 Arizona voters have been asked to decriminalize marijuana as a medicine.
That year, voters approved a ballot initiative that allowed use of the drug with a doctor's prescription. But authorities threatened to revoke the license of doctors who prescribed the drug, and state lawmakers gutted the law.
In 1998, voters rejected a pair of referendums that would have hindered the legalization of medical marijuana — most notably by requiring Congress or the federal government to OK its use before any doctor could prescribe it.
In 2002, voters rejected an effort to make it legal to possess small quantities of marijuana and make the drug available for free to patients suffering from cancer and other diseases.
This latest effort is different than previous efforts in Arizona and in other states, said initiative campaign manager Andrew Myers.
Most states allow individuals to grow their own marijuana but do not allow its sale at dispensaries. California has dispensaries, but they are for-profit and not state regulated.
It would still be illegal to use marijuana in a public place or to drive under the influence of marijuana in Arizona, but the initiative forbids employers from firing qualified medical marijuana users who test positive for the drug unless they can prove the patient used or was impaired while at work.
A top official of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it has concerns about the workplace-related provisions but did not know whether it would take any active role in opposing the initiative.
"We don't look at it as a positive development," chamber President Glenn Hamer said.
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: azcentral.com
Author: Alia Beard Rau
Copyright: 2010 azcentral.com
Contact: Contacting The Arizona Republic
Website: Arizona medical pot backers turn in 252,000 signatures
• Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
