Bushlet Supports States’
Rights On Medical Marijuana;
At Odds With Party Leaders, The Anointed One Continues To Move To The Center.
(Marijuananews note: Bush seems to have an
insurmountable lead for the Republican nomination, so he has already started to move to
the center. This statement comes as Elizabeth Dole, the candidate with perhaps the
goofiest "drugs policy," had to withdraw because Bush has all the money in the
world.As this article points out, this stand puts Bush at odds with the rabidly
prohibitionist Republicans in the Congress. That fact, plus the continuing rumors about
his past cocaine use, make the extreme prohibitionist position ever less tenable for the
Republicans. Of course, they may not notice…)
See
"If you say it's okay
for D.C. to legalize marijuana, then what's next?
Legalizing cocaine? Or heroin? Or perhaps rape and murder?"
-- The Appalling People Who Govern Us Continue To Block Medical Marijuana In D.C.
Bush backs states' rights on marijuana
He opposes medical use but favors local control
October 20, 1999
From The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com
By Susan Feeney / The Dallas Morning News
WASHINGTON - Gov. George Bush said he backs a state's right to decide whether to allow
medical use of marijuana, a position that puts him sharply at odds with Republicans on
Capitol Hill. "I believe each state can choose that decision as
they so choose," the governor said recently in Seattle in response to a reporter's
question.
Chuck Thomas, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, a
medical marijuana lobbying group, praised Mr. Bush as "courageous" and
"consistent on states' rights. I would hope he would be an example for Republicans in
Congress."
See
Marijuana Arrests
Decline Slightly;
Feds Leak Stats To "Marijuana" Group That Opposes Legalization;
Tell NORML That The Data Is "Embargoed"
Aides said Mr. Bush does not support legalizing marijuana for medical use. But his
position supporting state self-determination opens the door to medical marijuana use in
some places. President Clinton and most Republican lawmakers, by contrast, oppose all
state medical marijuana legalization laws, saying they could lead to abuse.
But Mr. Clinton - in a move philosophically in tune with Mr. Bush - has said
Republicans in Congress went too far in seeking to block the District of Columbia's
medical marijuana ballot initiative, which won 69 percent support last year.
The president recently vetoed the district's $4.7 billion budget approved by Congress,
in part because of a provision to overturn the medical marijuana law.
See
Republicans Hold DC
Hostage To Block Medical Marijuana,
After Clinton Vetos DC Appropriations Bill, Thereby Upholding Initiative 59.
Prohibitionism Uber Alles
"For us, that's an issue of local control," of not "micromanaging local
government," said White House spokesman Jake Siewert. The veto was not about the
merits of the issue, he said.
Among the Republicans leading the charge against the district's law are GOP House
leaders and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Bush supporter and chairwoman of the District of
Columbia Appropriations Subcommittee.
The district should not be "a haven for marijuana use, even for medicinal
purposes," Ms. Hutchison said on the Senate floor. "I don't think we should take
an illegal drug and allow it to be legalized in our capital city."
Alaska, Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington have approved medical
marijuana laws, giving the issue prominence in key Western states.
Mr. Bush, campaigning for president in Seattle on Saturday, told reporters he felt
certain that such a move was "not going to happen in Texas." The state has no
direct referendums or voter initiatives.
Although addressing the states' rights issue, Mr. Bush didn't comment directly on the
District of Columbia issue. His position of opposing the medical marijuana but saying
states should decide is unique among presidential contenders, Mr. Thomas said.
Staff writer Wayne Slater in Austin contributed to this report.
Supported