NOW THERE ARE 16 STATES DrugSense FOCUS Alert #468 - Saturday, May 14th, 2011 Today the front page of The News Journal, Delawar's major newspaper, printed the article below. Will this, the most restrictive law any state has, ever actually help patients? Will the federal government allow the state to have three not-for-profit dispensaries? You may read the law at http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS146.nsf/vwLegislation/SB+17 If you have been following the news at http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 you know that the feds are continuing to attack medicinal marijuana providers in various ways. Until Congress passes a law supporting medical cannabis that is not likely to change. Please consider House vote tallies for the Hinchey/Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment at http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll733.xml You will notice which party tends to give medical marijuana the most support. The vote also shows that much needs to be done before federal laws will be changed. Please contact your Members of Congress. Please write letters to the editor of newspapers. It Is Not What Others Do, It Is What You Do. If you need medicinal cannabis facts please visit http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/node/54 DELAWARE GOV. JACK MARKELL SIGNS LAW ALLOWING MEDICAL MARIJUANA Regulatory, Licensing Process Begins for Three Dispensaries Gov. Jack Markell signed legislation Friday legalizing marijuana growing, distribution and use in Delaware for limited medical purposes. The General Assembly sent Markell the medical-marijuana legislation on Wednesday. The governor signed the bill Friday morning without the usual ceremony in order to initiate a one-year regulatory and licensing process for three not-for-profit dispensaries that will be authorized to sell marijuana to qualified patients, according to his office. Under Senate Bill 17, physicians could recommend marijuana for patients suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease and post-traumatic stress disorder. People with other chronic disease or debilitating medical conditions could qualify if other medicines or surgical procedures have failed to relieve their pain or caused seizures, severe or persistent muscle spasms and intractable nausea. Physicians and patients would have to have a "bona fide physician-patient relationship" and other medical treatments would have to be exhausted before marijuana is recommended, according to the bill and its legislative sponsors. Qualified patients who get a doctor's recommendation and a state-issued identification card will be able to purchase up to six ounces of marijuana at one of the dispensaries. Marijuana growing and purchases will be limited to the dispensaries. Patients will not be allowed to grow their own cannabis. "We made clear that this would need to be very limited in scope and actively targeted to only Delawareans with profound and chronic illness like cancer and ALS. It is. This bill needed to be about giving targeted help to the most sick in a way that made medical sense, and it is," Markell said in a written statement. Prepared by: Richard Lake, Focus Alert Specialist www.mapinc.org =.

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