House Vote Against Medical
Marijuana "A Nonsense Resolution"
-- Says Orange County Register Editorial
From the Orange County Register
See
The Libertarian
Orange County Register Editorializes Against Lungren’s Attacks On Medical Marijuana
And Prop 215
Editorial Page
letters@link.freedom.com
http://www.ocregister.com/
September 17, 1998See
The Congressional
Record On The House Medical Marijuana Debate Requires Powerful Anti-Emetics
A NONSENSE RESOLUTION
Casually and with virtually no debate, U.S.representatives rejected the idea that
marijuana might have medicinal application for patients who seek relief.
It is a position that ignores evidence both anecdotal and factual.
It borders on the inhumane.
House Joint Resolution 117, passed 310-93 Wednesday, with no public hearings, is not a
new law. It’s simply a "sense of the Congress" resolution to the effect
that Congress believes marijuana to be dangerous and addictive, and that Congress is
unequivocally opposed to the legalization of marijuana for medical use.
It also directs the U.S. attorney general to prepare reports on how much marijuana has
been eradicated through federal efforts in recent years and the annual number of arrests
and prosecutions for federal marijuana offenses.
In essence, the House stuck its finger in the eye of California and Arizona voters, who
recently passed initiatives to make marijuana available to patients with the
recommendation of licensed physicians.
Even more important, it told thousands of patients and their doctors - who believe that
marijuana can alleviate their conditions, often with less serious and dangerous
side-effects than "standard" prescription medications - that Congress is pleased
to see them continue to suffer or to obtain relief only at the price of becoming
criminals.
Perhaps it should be called the "Congress has no sense" resolution.
Even more distressing is the fact that most of the Orange County delegation voted for
this resolution. Reps. Dana Rohrabacher and Loretta Sanchez voted against it, but Reps.
Chris Cox, Jay Kim and Ron Packard, all of whom should know better, landed on the
"yea" side.
See
Voting
Record On House Resolution 117: Marijuana is a Dangerous and Addictive Drug
And Should Not be Legalized for Medicinal Use -- See How Your Representative Voted
The stated intention of this resolution was to chide California and Arizona voters and
to weigh in on medical-marijuana initiative races in Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon,
Washington and possibly the District of Columbia.
See
Medical Marijuana
Initiative To Be On Ballot In D.C. In November
The message? A Congress filled with lawyers should have a veto power
when patients and doctors are considering the medicinal use of a plant about which the
Chief Administrative Law Judge of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration reported
that "there are simply no credible medical records to suggest that consuming
marijuana has caused a single death."
The old joke is that if ‘pro" is the opposite of "con," then
Congress must be the opposite of progress. Sadly, Congress sometimes makes the quip seem
more truth than joke.
Supported