The only thing I don't like, on the state side of this matter, is that the rules aren't being followed. Yes, under state law, they are. But the ultimate goal of the medical marijuana movement, is to get the drug to the people who NEED it for their comfort of living and to gain an edge into legalizing it completely, from border to border, right?
In doing so, we don't need to be aimed at impressing our individual state governments. We need to be aimed at impressing federal authorities with actions of responsibility and order.
Handing recommendations out to anybody under the sun isn't going to do that. Yes, that is what your laws are designed to do. You were given loopholes (ie, doc can prescribe to any person over the age of 18 for
any reason) to take advantage of, while other states were not. My state can't even get it on the ballot... the government here refuses to put it on. So now we have to go through the people, and prove to our government that our people want it on the ballot, with figures of 73% of our states voting populous being FOR medical marijuana "for those in need." This is what the proposition accounts for:
...including but not limited to:
• Multiple Congenital Cartilaginous Exostosis
• Glaucoma
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Nail-patella Syndrome
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
Added to the Amendment are:
• Any terminal patient or person with a terminal condition
• Agitation of Alzheimer's Disease
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• Cancer
• Celiac Disease
• Crohns Disease
• Hepatitis C
• Mylomalacia
• Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD)
• Sickle Cell Anemia
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Injury or disease to the spinal cord, spinal column, or vertebra; or the treatment of these conditions.
• Those suffering from a "Debilitating medical condition."
"Debilitating medical condition" means one or more of the following: All federally approved medical conditions for the use of medical cannabis covered under the federal Compassionate Investigational New Drug program, including but not limited to: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe or chronic pain; severe or chronic nausea; seizures, including those characteristic of epilepsy; and severe or persistent muscle spasms.
Fortunately, for me, I am elligible under the boldened text, but my friends are not. But, this is how I define MEDICAL marijuana. Not by my state's definition or your state's (because I believe that's exactly where you're going to go with it has you have several times in this thread), I know. Medical Marijuana carries the cannotation that the drug will be used medicinally as a supressant of pain, or other ailments. Medicinally. Meaning NOT everyone in the state that is of age can walk into a clinic and pick up a script. I understand your state allows for it through those loopholes I mentioned earlier, but you aren't truly a medical marijuana state. You're a legalized marijuana state under the guise of medical recommendation, so you can get by with it legally. It's a ploy to a means to an end. But atleast the people who truly need it are getting it now.
Having said this, I'm all for legalizing marijuana as I've said before! I just think it has to be done a certain way in order for it to be done successfully. We've had a prohitbition on marijuana for 90-100 years. The federal government is familiar with it and will continue to uphold that prohibition until the law changes, whether they're upholding federal law in California or doing it in Rhode Island. Federal law trumps state law.
-nasty