Farr comes to the defense of medical marijuana

Bill would cut federal funding

By KEVIN HOWE
Herald Staff Writer

Posted: 05/10/2012 06:15:42 PM PDT

Updated: 05/11/2012 08:54:37 AM PDT

Medical Marijuana Debate
Aug 5:
Monterey says no to medical marijuana

Three Congressmen want the U.S. Department of Justice to keep its hands off medical marijuana.
Reps. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, Dana Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa, and Maurice Hinchey, D-New York, Tuesday introduced a bill that would cut off funding for federal enforcement of drug laws against medical marijuana suppliers by amending HR 5326, which funds the Justice Department.
"Patients suffering from painful and serious illnesses are following the recommendations of their doctors by using medical cannabis to minimize their pain and support their recovery," Farr said.
"It is time for the federal government to stop targeting the legal vendors that are providing safe access to this treatment and instead focus limited resources on those who sell illicit drugs."
Farr said the amendment will work to assure funds under Justice do not target safe access to medical marijuana.
The bill comes in response to an interagency crackdown on medical marijuana involving more than 100 raids, primarily on California marijuana dispensaries, many of them operating in compliance with state laws.
Since October 2009, Justice has conducted more than 170 raids in states where medical marijuana is legal, resulting in 61 federal indictments, according to data compiled by the marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access.
The full text of the amendment states: "None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to the States of

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, to prevent such States from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana."
Kevin Howe can be reached at 646-4416 orkhowe@montereyherald.com

RePrint

Font Resize

Return to Top

Send us your feedback | Our commenting policy
The Monterey County Herald's commenting service is provided by Disqus. We encourage commenters to use their real names and to respect other commenters and readers.

Add New Comment

Image

Real-time updating is paused. (Resume)

Showing 5 of 8 comments

kevin_hunt

Reps. Sam Farr, Dana Rohrabacher, and Maurice Hinchey deserve our support for standing up to the failed war on marijuana.
- Like
- Reply
rulegal

I will support their opponents in the next election. California needs to replace Farr, Pelosi, Boxer, B. Lee, Stark, Waxman, Steinberg, Perez to free us from reckless spending and government growth.
- Like
- Reply
jontomas

What does that have to do with the topic?
- Like
- Reply
TonyMonterey

I agree with you, but look on the bright side, as long as the Left stays stoned, keeps getting abortions and if you allow gays to marry Natural Selection will make them extinct in 100 years!!!
- Like
- Reply
jontomas

Thank you Sam Farr! You have consistently come down on the side of the people, justice, and common sense. Here's hoping you ascend higher so the 99 percent can have even more representation!

-------------------------------

Everyone who has been paying attention knows marijuana is less "addictive" than coffee and FAR less harmful than alcohol. Indeed, polls show public support for ending the fraudulent marijuana prohibition has now passed 50 percent - nationwide. So why do we still have this barbaric persecution?

Because police, prosecutors and politicians build their careers and empires on it. Because industries like alcohol and pharmaceuticals don't want the competition. Because other interests like the drug treatment/testing industry and the prison industries depend on it for their life's blood. Because many shaky corporations couldn't exist without the laundered money. And because governmen...t uses marijuana prohibition as a means of controlling minorities and the poor.

Of course, the TRILLIONS of dollars made by the drug gangs have not been buried in the ground. They have been invested in legitimate business, causing another huge support of this persecution of millions of innocent people.

For a good view underneath the iceburg, see Catherine Austin Fitts' excellent article: "Narco Dollars For Beginners." - keeping in mind that while Fitts employs cocaine because it best suits her metaphor, FBI statistics show marijuana sales comprise 80 percent of all "illegal" drug transactions.

http://www.ratical.org/co-glob...

It's time to dismantle the marijuana-prohibition-industrial-complex!