Pubdate: Sun, 06 Nov 2005
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Copyright: 2005, The Detroit News
Contact:  http://detnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/126
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Author: Maureen Feighan
Cited: Ferndale Coalition for Compassionate Care http://www.ferndalecares.org/
Cited: Gonzales v. Raich ( www.angeljustice.org/ )
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

LEGALIZING MEDICAL POT UP TO FERNDALE VOTERS

If Passed, the Measure Would Remove All Local Penalties for Sick
People Who Have Doctor's Order.

FERNDALE -- Police say nothing will change if a controversial medical
marijuana measure passes in Tuesday's election, since marijuana use
remains illegal under state and federal laws.

But that won't stop people such as Melissa Hohauser-Thatcher from
voting yes. The 38-year-old fund-raiser for Detroit's Loyola High
School has a friend who suffered from colon cancer and smoked pot to
deal with nausea after chemotherapy.

"I absolutely agree with it," said Hohauser-Thatcher, who also sits on
the Ferndale school board. "I've read a lot of information about it,
and for certain conditions -- everything from glaucoma to menstrual
cramps -- it works."

Ferndale voters will head to the polls Tuesday to decide on the
measure that would remove all criminal penalties under local law for
marijuana used by patients with the recommendation and supervision of
a state-licensed physician.

Current penalties for marijuana possession range from up to 93 days in
jail under city ordinance or one year in jail under state law.

Supporters of the ballot measure say sick people should have the right
to use whatever medicine they and their doctors deem fit, including
pot.

Police and critics say the measure is nothing more than a symbolic
"political stunt." Marijuana is illegal under state and federal law,
and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that those smoking pot for
medical reasons in the 10 states where it's allowed could still be
prosecuted under federal law.

The Ferndale measure is "bad law, bad policy," said Ferndale Police
Capt. Timothy Collins, who has been on the force for 27 years and
can't recall an instance when someone was arrested for smoking pot for
medical reasons.

"It they want to change this, change it the proper way," he said. "Go
to the federal government and tell them, 'This is what the people
want.' To go at from this angle ... it's nothing more than a political
stunt."

Ferndale's measure comes roughly a year after voters in Detroit and
Ann Arbor approved legalizing medical marijuana use. Supporters say
marijuana has been shown to be an effective treatment for several
illnesses, including multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and the side effects
of chemotherapy.

Donal O'Leary III, chair of the Ferndale Coalition for Compassionate
Care, which got the measure on the ballot, said he was motivated by
the measures in Ann Arbor and Detroit and decided to tackle the issue
in his hometown. Even if the measure has no bearing on state or
federal laws when it comes to marijuana, O'Leary said it still sends a
loud message.

"If Proposal D passes -- and I'm very hopeful that it will -- I think
it's a pretty clear sign that citizens of Ferndale don't want their
tax dollars used to persecute sick people using marijuana as a
medicine under the guidance of their doctor," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake