Majority Of States Could Soon Have Medical Marijuana

[Michael Komorn]

Majority of states could soon have medical marijuana

 

http://coloradoindependent.com/94133/majority-of-states-could-soon-have-medical-marijuana

 

A few months ago, CongressmanJared Polis told the Colorado Independent that he thought it would take amajority of states legalizing medical marijuana or otherwise liberalizing theirlaws before Congress would be likely to do anything at the federal level.

 

Currently, 16 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medicalmarijuana. Now it looks like at least one more state is moving in thatdirection, with two different measures moving toward a vote in Ohio.

 

FromThe Columbus Dispatch:

 

While Cleveland billionaire Peter Lewis already had sent up smoke signalsabout organizing and funding a medical-marijuana ballot issue, another groupquietly has been laying the groundwork for a constitutional amendment.

 

If approved by voters, the Ohio Medical Cannabis Act of 2012 would establisha regulatory system modeled after the Ohio State Liquor Control system. Therewould be an Ohio Commission of Cannabis Control, plus a state division and superintendentto run it. Marijuana purchases would require a doctor’s prescription and wouldbe subject to state and local sales taxes.

 

PeterLewis is the chairman of the board of Progressive Insurance Company, acompany founded by his father. He has donated almost a quarter of a billiondollars to Princeton University, at least $15 million to the ACLU and $3million to the Marijuana Policy Project,an organization that, among other things, tracks marijuana policy in thestates.

 

Karen O’Keefe, of MPP, says she sees a scenario by which 27 states havelegalized medical marijuana by 2014. In addition to Ohio, other statesapparently on the cusp include Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Arkansas,Idaho, North Dakota and New Hampshire.

 

Once a majority of states have passed laws, she says it becomes much morelikely that Congress will pass a bill like the one recently introduced by Rep.Barney Frank, D-MA, Rep.Jared Polis and others that would actually legalize marijuana federally,leaving it to each state to either keep it illegal at the state level or tolegalize, regulate and tax it.

 

She said that even if a bill like that doesn’t pass, with each new statethat legalizes medical marijuana it becomes more likely that congress willaddress the issue by at least instructing federallaw enforcement agencies not to prosecute anyone who is in compliance withstate laws that legalize and regulate medical marijuana.

 

 

Posted by:

 

Michael Komorn

 

18006562557

 

 

[bobandtorey]

Majority of states could soon have medical marijuana

 

http://coloradoindep...dical-marijuana

 

A few months ago, CongressmanJared Polis told the Colorado Independent that he thought it would take amajority of states legalizing medical marijuana or otherwise liberalizing theirlaws before Congress would be likely to do anything at the federal level.

 

Currently, 16 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medicalmarijuana. Now it looks like at least one more state is moving in thatdirection, with two different measures moving toward a vote in Ohio.

 

FromThe Columbus Dispatch:

 

While Cleveland billionaire Peter Lewis already had sent up smoke signalsabout organizing and funding a medical-marijuana ballot issue, another groupquietly has been laying the groundwork for a constitutional amendment.

 

If approved by voters, the Ohio Medical Cannabis Act of 2012 would establisha regulatory system modeled after the Ohio State Liquor Control system. Therewould be an Ohio Commission of Cannabis Control, plus a state division and superintendentto run it. Marijuana purchases would require a doctor’s prescription and wouldbe subject to state and local sales taxes.

 

PeterLewis is the chairman of the board of Progressive Insurance Company, acompany founded by his father. He has donated almost a quarter of a billiondollars to Princeton University, at least $15 million to the ACLU and $3million to the Marijuana Policy Project,an organization that, among other things, tracks marijuana policy in thestates.

 

Karen O’Keefe, of MPP, says she sees a scenario by which 27 states havelegalized medical marijuana by 2014. In addition to Ohio, other statesapparently on the cusp include Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Arkansas,Idaho, North Dakota and New Hampshire.

 

Once a majority of states have passed laws, she says it becomes much morelikely that Congress will pass a bill like the one recently introduced by Rep.Barney Frank, D-MA, Rep.Jared Polis and others that would actually legalize marijuana federally,leaving it to each state to either keep it illegal at the state level or tolegalize, regulate and tax it.

 

She said that even if a bill like that doesn’t pass, with each new statethat legalizes medical marijuana it becomes more likely that congress willaddress the issue by at least instructing federallaw enforcement agencies not to prosecute anyone who is in compliance withstate laws that legalize and regulate medical marijuana.

 

 

Posted by:

 

Michael Komorn

 

18006562557

 

 

 

Thanks for the post lets End the WAR on MMJ for all States one at a time

[tooldini]

thats exactly what I figure would make the feds change things. It will be hard to deny medical benefits if all states are approving cannabis for medical use