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The Alabama House Judiciary Committee was supposed to vote on HB642 (aka HB434, aka The Michael Phillips Compassionate Care Act...i.e, legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes; similar to what you will find in 13-14 other states at the moment...CA, CO, etc...) tomorrow, March 31st. Through not surprising slight-of-hand antics, HB642 was left off of this week's judiciary calendar (another bill was listed twice 'by mistake' thus filling up the docket). No further details are given as to when it will be put back on the calendar.

If we can't play bingo, I am doubting we will ever be able to be prescribed marijuana legally any time soon in the State of Alabama...BUT, at least it's made it this far....and, who knows maybe it will pass?

**Of course, the overly talented reporting staff of the Times Daily is certainly keeping us all informed of the progress of this bill...and/or even it's existence.** /sarcasm


Local members of the House Judiciary Committee:

marcel.black@alhouse.org, (334) 242-7667
Tammy.Irons@alhouse.org, (334) 353-9032
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I just read the bill. Seems like a good one for me. One of the best provisions is that an employer couldn't take disciplinary action against a card holder solely for the fact that that person holds a medicinal marijuana card. Of course, there is an exception (as there should be) in the event an employee ingests marijuana on the premises of the business or comes to work under the influence of marijuana. Wal-Mart fired someone not long ago because they failed a drug test for marijuana. The person held a medicinal card and there was no evidence that the person had used marijuana on Wal-Mart property or come to work under the influence of marijuana.
quote:
Originally posted by Johnsonville:
While I doubt it will pass anytime soon, medical marijuana is something we need in this state. A naturally occurring plant that can alleviate the symptoms of a number of ailments...who can be against that?
Opium is natural. So are you for legalized heroin? Coca is natural. Are you for legalized cocaine?
Moose, that's an old arguement that just has no basis in facts..I know people that smoke marijuana on a daily basis...and they have smoked it for years without going to other drugs. I don't condone it, but it is fact.
all you have to do is look at a drunk teenager and a teenager high on marijuana....I'd rather have neither.....legalizing marijuana would take the dealer out of the equation...hopefully.
Ask any 8th grader and they can tell you where to buy marijuana, if you think otherwise you have one end in the sand and your brain sticking straight up...
Last edited by mamyliga
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Originally posted by Moose:
quote:
Originally posted by Johnsonville:
Opium is natural. So are you for legalized heroin? Coca is natural. Are you for legalized cocaine?

Actually, yes ! Put the stuff in drug stores, and require a script for it. Allow doctors to write scripts for addicts.
The real price of heroin and cocaine is actually very, very cheap. Sell it in drug stores on the cheap.
Since there would be no profit in it for the drug cartel, and pushers on the corner, the street drug trade would dry up virtually overnight , and there wouldn't be some crackhead on the corner trying to get kids hooked on the stuff so he could sell it to support his own habit. Women would not have to go into prostitution to support their habit. Having a legal "fix" most would be able to return to being a productive citizen.
I've never seen a pharmacist out trying to get some kids hooked on what they are selling.
Instantly gone would be much of the street crime experienced all over the country, instantly millions saved from trying to support the failed "war on drugs", border crime should dry up pretty fast as well.
Some may say "it will be abused, some will overdose etc" well in that case NHI.

Edited to include: de-criminalize marijuana all together. Back in the 60's they changed the law from DWI (driving while intoxicated) to DUI (driving under the influence) . Let the games begin.
well see my mother's ex husband is a drug dealer and he grew tons of marijuana and is a heavy user of it , he was mean to me as a kid and i was a behaved kid, i never got into trouble or did drugs or made bad grades. he was high all the time and he sold it all the time. he has even been accused of making far more illegal substances. my mother was sick of it and when he abused her she divorced him, we've reported his proven drug activity to the authorities and they do nothing we even tiold them his hiding places and given them more than enough reasons to obtain a warrant and nothing. but an innocent guy can go to jail because a friend has left a small amount of pot in his car. the system sucks and therefore i am way against marijuana or any other illegal drugs.
Homer,

I am not condoning drug use but it sounds like your stepdad may have just been a bad guy period. It may be that weed had nothing to do with it. I understand your hate of the situation but the blame may lie with the man and not his vices. Not trying to instigate an argument, just thinking the root of the problem may be a simple matter, bad guy all the way around.
i'm in favor of legalizeing it... legalizing everything, and regulating and taxing it. work out sort of a system like the new food stamp cards. the card along with your driver's licence or maybe social sec. number (for added proof of ID) would allow you to purchase a set amount per month of whatever product you're interested in. as soon as all that's in place, make it a capitol crime to drive under the influence of anything sold at the dispensaries. go out.. get some blow.. do it in the car , then drive home.. instant attemped murder charge. make it the same as if the person driving had been wielding a gun instead of a ford.
and for the record, i don't do any of those drugs. smoked a lil pot 20+ years ago, have a little alcohol now and then today. it isn't a matter of whether i'm a druggie or not, it's just the only way i can see to shut down the illegal drug trade. adding stiffer penelties to the existing laws will only make it more dangerous to sell/buy, so will just increase the price, with the end result of even more people in prision, more people killed over it, and the bosses getting richer. to end the drug trade you have to take it away from them. until it's legal, no matter how many you put in jail or the grave, someone will always be ready to step up and take their chance at getting rich.
quote:
Actually, yes ! Put the stuff in drug stores, and require a script for it. Allow doctors to write scripts for addicts.
The real price of heroin and cocaine is actually very, very cheap. Sell it in drug stores on the cheap.
Since there would be no profit in it for the drug cartel, and pushers on the corner, the street drug trade would dry up virtually overnight , and there wouldn't be some crackhead on the corner trying to get kids hooked on the stuff so he could sell it to support his own habit. Women would not have to go into prostitution to support their habit. Having a legal "fix" most would be able to return to being a productive citizen.



Ok, while i'm neither for or against legalizing marijuana this argument makes no sense. We have people addicted to prescription pain killers. You can get a doc to write you a script for that but yet these people still go to local drug dealers to aquire their pills. So you are still not cutting out drug dealers or what people are willing to go through i.e. prostitution etc... to get these drugs. As long as there is a demand for something there will be a supply and people will go to whatever lengths necessary to get their drugs.
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Ok, while i'm neither for or against legalizing marijuana this argument makes no sense. We have people addicted to prescription pain killers. You can get a doc to write you a script for that but yet these people still go to local drug dealers to aquire their pills. So you are still not cutting out drug dealers or what people are willing to go through i.e. prostitution etc... to get these drugs. As long as there is a demand for something there will be a supply and people will go to whatever lengths necessary to get their drugs.


People who want professional advice on medicine will always go to doctors. People who want to get high will always find a way to get high. It should all be legal. An advanced society should not incarcerate people for non-violent drug crimes.
I am all for the complete legalization of marijuana, at least on the same terms that alcohol is legal. We are at a point in this country where a majority of adults have smoked marijuana. Future presidents smoke it, as do senators and congressmen. I just fail to see what the big deal is. Not to mention that if we stop arresting people for marijuana, then we will free up prison space for the violent offenders.
LMAO @ Hawg.

Hmm.. All of ya that're extolling the virtues of legalizing and taxing marijuana and say it's not so bad...Consider this:

These people DRIVE. On the same roads as you.

Wave and smile pretty to the stoner as he/she plows into you broadside at an intersection...

It's already bad enough with the cell phones! I swear, one fine summer day I'm just gonna go the top of a hill somewhere in Florence and just sit there listening to the sound of impacts all over the city...
quote:
Hmm.. All of ya that're extolling the virtues of legalizing and taxing marijuana and say it's not so bad...Consider this:

These people DRIVE. On the same roads as you.

Wave and smile pretty to the stoner as he/she plows into you broadside at an intersection...


If we outlawed everything that could impair driving, nothing would be legal. Women often put on make-up while they drive, and make-up isn't illegal. I, personally, would rather share the road with someone who's high than with women putting on make-up, kids texting, people over 80, etc...
quote:
Originally posted by Road Puppy:
LMAO @ Hawg.

Hmm.. All of ya that're extolling the virtues of legalizing and taxing marijuana and say it's not so bad...Consider this:

These people DRIVE. On the same roads as you.

Wave and smile pretty to the stoner as he/she plows into you broadside at an intersection...

It's already bad enough with the cell phones! I swear, one fine summer day I'm just gonna go the top of a hill somewhere in Florence and just sit there listening to the sound of impacts all over the city...


I was thinking the same thing RP. How will they enforce or even test for highness and what level of highness would be safe for driving? Is there a field test for THC already in the body?
Road Puppy...If pot became legal, it would not mean that everyone would suddenly get high and drive around. The same individual intangibles that keep folks from getting drunk and driving around are the exact same individual intangibles that would keep folks from getting high and driving around. Just because something is legal does not mean that everyone would automatically become an 'addict'. How many pill/pot-heads do you know that go without their vice now, even though it's illegal?

Explained in a different context...Alcohol is legal now. Anyone over the age of 21 can walk into a liquor store and purchase whatever they want...whenever they want it. The same personal conviction that keeps a heart surgeon from getting blasted drunk prior to a surgery...is the exact same personal conviction that would keep that same surgeon from getting high prior to a surgery. Likewise, if that same surgeon decided he indeed would get drunk prior to a surgery...he might also decide to get high. The point is he would arrive at that conclusion regardless of the legality of marijuana.
Me? No, I probably could not remain a productive anything if I smoked pot all the time. If it were legal, this fact would not change either...

The point of this bill is to provide an alternative medicine for people who suffer from the following ailments (copied/pasted directly from the Bill itself):

(3) DEBILITATING MEDICAL CONDITION. Any of the following medical conditions:

a. Cancer.

b. Glaucoma.

c. Multiple sclerosis.

d. Chronic arthritis.

e. Cachexia.

f. Chronic pain.

g. Fibromyalgia.

h. Migraine.

i. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

j. Anorexia.

k. Seizures, including, but not limited to, seizures associated with epilepsy.

l. Severe nausea.

m. Any other chronic or persistent medical symptom that either substantially limits the ability of the person to conduct one or more major life activities as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336) or if not alleviated, may cause serious harm to the patient's safety or physical or mental health.

////

If you, or anyone you care about, suffered from any of these conditions and it became apparent under the guidance of a competent physician that marijuana could provide you/them some (any) relief/comfort, would you not want them (yourself) to have legal access to it?

@ ROAD PUPPY
As of today, most of these ailments are treated with prescription narcotics. <--THESE PEOPLE DRIVE TOO! What happens to your argument when it's applied to BOTH sides of the debate?
Last edited by REDNEVEDNAV
quote:
Originally posted by Road Puppy:
LMAO @ Hawg.

Hmm.. All of ya that're extolling the virtues of legalizing and taxing marijuana and say it's not so bad...Consider this:

These people DRIVE. On the same roads as you.

Wave and smile pretty to the stoner as he/she plows into you broadside at an intersection...

It's already bad enough with the cell phones! I swear, one fine summer day I'm just gonna go the top of a hill somewhere in Florence and just sit there listening to the sound of impacts all over the city...


I'd much rather meet a driver who just smoked one than a driver that just finished off a pint of JD.

Drunks on the road are SO unpredictable.

Stoners on the other hand only drive 15 mph, are easy to get around and if you lay down on your horn when you go by they're going to get paranoid and get off at the next convenience store....for more Doritos, of course.
quote:
Originally posted by Homer Jim Billy Bob:
if marijuana completely cured any of the ailments i could understand the legaslization but it doesnt so it should remain illegal


ok.. lets run with that.
first then, lets list all the drugs that cure things.
1- antibiotics. they kill bacterial infections.
2- anti-fungals. they kill fungal infections.
3- antiparasiticals. they kill a parasite infection.
those cure.
everything else treats a sympton. lorcet doesn't cure a broken arm or a stab wound or a tooth ache.
even chemo therapy doesn't cure.. it has a chance to reduce and reverse the growth rate of cancerous cells.
anisthetics don't cure anything, they just put you to sleep.
midol doesn't cure menstral issues, they just let the husband/boyfirend/brother/any male within knife throwing distance live another day by reducing the symptoms.

vaccinces don't cure, they help prevent.
prilosec doesn't cure acid reflux, it lessens the pain of the heartburn associated with it.
nyquil doesn't cure the cold or the flu, it just helps you cope by working on the symptoms.
the stuff that michal j fox takes. doesn't cure parkenson's, it just lets he be able to work and function on a day to day basis.
heart meds ( to many to pick just one) don't cure heart disease, they just help keep it form killing you quickly.

no one has ever been cured of athritis, no matter what medicines they take.

so, then, other that the first three, should we outlaw everything else? because they do exactly what medical marajuna does.. they treat and lessen the symptoms to a bearable level.
quote:
Originally posted by Homer Jim Billy Bob:
yes but those are legal already with a prescription, or over the counter, lets see if another addict on here can come up with an excuse this is kinda fun


/sigh
do you not read sir? i said in an earlier post i don't partake of any of those any more.. the last time being 20 plus years ago.
however, even if i DID still enjoy a little smoke now and then, there remains 2 issues.
1- marajuna is NOT repeat NOT has never been and never will be addictive. it's habit forming. yo ucan get used to being stoned and feel weird when your not. heroin is addictive, and takes hard work, guts and often professinal treatment to to get rid of the addiction.
2- is there some reason that looking at a valid reply contrary to your own beliefs and shouting ADDICT ADDICT ADDICT makes the previous counterpoint invalid? you haven't acctually offered any information or data or any real argument against legalization of marajuana other that a bit of foolosih squawking about addictino and then smugly basking in the glow of your own self congradulatory self proclaimed victory.

now. a final point. i don't smoke it any more, so i really couldn't care less one way or the other. i do see the benefits of legalization, and obviously you don't/can't/won't see past what you've decided is the right answer, evidince be hanged.
at one point in our nations history -
aspirin requied a persription, while cocaine and heroin could be obtained without them.
it's called progress - things change from what was, as we learn more. without it, we'd all still be dying from the flu and a bad tooth and a simple ear infect could cripple us for life.
shall we dispense with any medical progress, just so you can live happy with the knowledge people are still going to jail to fireing up a bong?

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