Pubdate: Thu, 23 Aug 2012 Source: Virgin Islands Daily News, The (VI) Copyright: 2012 Virgin Islands Daily News Contact: http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3486 Author: Lou Mattei SENATORS VOTE YES ON INDUSTRIAL HEMP, NO ON MEDICAL POT ST. THOMAS - Proponents of legalizing cannabis scored a victory but suffered one narrow loss Wednesday in the V.I. Legislature. Sen. Terrence Nelson proposed two cannabis-related measures that hit the Senate floor ednesday. The separate bills would have put the following yes-or-no questions to voters on the November General Election ballot: Are you in favor of the Legislature enacting legislation that allows for the production, processing, manufacturing and distributing of industrial hemp in the Virgin Islands? Are you in favor of the Legislature enacting legislation that allows for the licensing and regulation of medicinal marijuana patients, care-givers, cultivators and distribution centers? Come November, voters may get a chance to answer the first, but not the second, of these questions. The medicinal marijuana proposal died in a 6-6 tie, with Sen. Nereida Rivera-O'Reilly and Sen. Patrick Simeon Sprauve not voting and Sen. Craig Barshinger absent from the session. Senators Carlton Dowe, Neville James, Usie Richards, Celestino White Sr., Janette Millin Young and Alvin Williams Jr. voted no. Senators Shawn-Michael Malone, Alicia Hansen, Louis Hill, Ronald Russell, Sammuel Sanes and Nelson voted yes. The hemp proposal passed 10-4 with Barshinger absent. Dowe, Hansen, Williams and Millin Young voted no. Rivera-O'Reilly, Sprauve, James, Richards, White, Malone, Hill, Russell, Sanes and Nelson voted yes. The votes followed more than a week of public discussion on the issue after the Senate's Committee of the Whole conducted hearings last week on St. Thomas and St. Croix to solicit input on the cannabis questions. Nelson began the session Wednesday by saying he had been "demonized" by a St. Croix pastor for introducing the bills. "I, too, am a man of God, so that's the word, and I will speak the word," Nelson said. "It's OK to be against a piece of legislation, but I will not be demonized." Nelson reiterated that the nonbinding bills would only ask voters whether the Senate should pursue legislation on either issue. "I want for you all to get off this taboo about quote-unquote marijuana," Nelson said. Supporters rallied around Nelson's message that putting the question to voters prior to pursuing any legislation would allow the people to answer the question as democratically as possible. Some, including Nelson and Hill, also questioned why marijuana is illegal in the first place. But several senators remained firm in their opposition to one or both of the proposals, especially the medicinal marijuana question. "In the words of my son, who's 19 years old, this is a slippery slope that we are not ready to climb," RiveraO'Reilly said. Rivera-O'Reilly, who did not vote on the medicinal marijuana question but voted in favor the industrial hemp question, listed a number of concerns with medicinal marijuana. Allowing marijuana to be used in this way could open the door to complete legalization or the increased use of marijuana, she said. Marijuana also remains illegal under federal law and could lead to absenteeism or a lack of productivity in the workplace, Rivera-O'Reilly said. The discussion stopped well in advance of the vote on the measures to make way for lengthy debate over several amendments to a different bill. Leading up to the session, Paul Chakroff, executive director of the St. Croix Environmental Association, made one of the most compelling cases in favor of legalizing industrial hemp. Chakroff said hemp is an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic materials for things such as clothes and shopping bags, and it has a potential use as a biofuel. In an interview last week, Chakroff said it would take a team of agricultural economists to fully assess the impact of using some of the 4,000 suitable acres on St. Croix for cultivating industrial hemp. But he also pointed out that the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, at least for now, does not recognize the difference between a hemp plant and a marijuana plant. After the vote, Nelson said that though he was disappointed both measures had not passed - "I just can't see why anyone would want to deny the people a chance to express their voice" - he hopes the governor "sees the wisdom" in promoting industrial hemp and will sign the bill so voters can answer the question in November. The governor has 10 days to either sign the industrial hemp bill or return it to the Senate. Nelson chalked up the lack of support in the Legislature for the medicinal marijuana bill to "cowardice" from senators afraid to support a controversial initiative. Rivera-O'Reilly said she struggled with her decision not to support the medicinal marijuana bill, but she felt it poses too much risk as a gateway drug with too little upside. Industrial hemp, on the other hand, could be heavily regulated and provide an economic spark to the territory, she said. Messages left Wednesday afternoon for the other senators who abstained or voted against the medicinal marijuana legislation but voted for the industrial hemp bill were not returned. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom