Pubdate: Thu, 19 Jan 2006
Source: New Mexican, The (Santa Fe, NM)
Copyright: 2006 The Santa Fe New Mexican
Contact: http://www.freenewmexican.com/emailforms/letters.php
Website: http://www.freenewmexican.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/695
Author: Steve Terrell
Cited: Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico 
http://www.drugpolicy.org/about/stateoffices/newmexico/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

MEDICAL MARIJUANA ON AGENDA

In an unforeseen move, Gov. Bill Richardson on Wednesday night said 
he will include a medical-marijuana bill on his agenda this 
legislative session.

The governor's decision surprised drug-law-reform advocates, who had 
been disheartened by Richardson's statement earlier this week that 
there wouldn't be enough time in an already packed 30-day session to 
take on the measure.

House Speaker Ben Lujan, DNambe, said before the session started that 
he had asked Richardson not to include medical marijuana on his call, 
saying there wasn't enough time.

But on Wednesday night, Richardson said in a news release, "After 
speaking with many seriously ill New Mexicans, I have decided to 
include this bill on my call. This issue is too important, and there 
are too many New Mexicans suffering to delay this issue any further."

"We're so thrilled and so grateful," said Reena Szczepanski, director 
of the state chapter of The Drug Policy Alliance, a national advocacy 
group that has been pushing the proposed bill.

"We're proud to have a governor who will stand up for compassion. We 
know it was a hard decision," she said.

This week, the group advertised in newspapers urging readers to 
contact officials about the issue.

An e-mail from Szczepanski to supporters this week said, "Thanks to 
public outcry from supporters like you, we've had hundreds of letters 
from our members sent to the governor."

The proposed bill would allow patients seriously ill with cancer, 
AIDS or certain other medical conditions legal access to marijuana.

Patients would be recommended by their doctors to a program overseen 
by the state Department of Health.

The department would be responsible for developing regulations for 
licensed producers of medical marijuana within the state and coming 
up with standards for safety, security and distribution.

Although both Richardson and Lujan said the bill might be too 
controversial for a short session, last year relatively little 
controversy surrounded the bill, which had bipartisan support.

Last year, the legislation sailed through the Senate, passing 27-11 .

Though it breezed through House committees, the bill died in the 
House after Rep. Dan Silva, D-Albuquerque , got upset with the bill's 
sponsor, Sen. Cisco McSorley, D-Albuquerque, over Silva's unrelated 
zoning bill.

McSorley will sponsor the bill again this year, an alliance news release said.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake