Pubdate: Thu, 27 Sep 2012
Source: Tucson Weekly (AZ)
Copyright: 2012 Tucson Weekly
Contact:  http://www.tucsonweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/462
Author: J. M. Smith

SENATE MUSINGS ON THE ISSUE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA, JEFF FLAKE HAS A 
FRIENDLIER, CLEARER STANCE THAN RICHARD CARMONA

It would not surprise me if in the next six years-the term of a U.S. 
senator-the federal government were to tackle the issue of 
marijuana-law reform.

The feds have been bitch-slapping the populace over the issue for 
decades now, on both the medical side and the recreational, and it 
seems to me that America is getting tired of playing Larry to the 
federal government's Moe. And since incumbents have a huge advantage 
in U.S. Senate elections, either Richard Carmona or Jeff Flake might 
well have a chance to help get the feds out of the cannabis-control 
business, even if the issue isn't resolved within six years.

But would they? Maybe.

Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, representing the donkey in 
the Arizona race for Senate, kinda-sorta spoke out against medical 
cannabis as long as a decade ago, and as recently as 2008. He 
maintained it was bad, because smoking is bad, mmkay?

But back in June, the superhero (he once fatally shot-then tried to 
save-a murder suspect in a shootout), former SWAT surgeon and vice 
admiral told KTVK in Phoenix that decriminalization should be on the table.

"I don't think there's a clear-cut answer. What we do need is a 
rational debate about this to make a decision ... I think we have to 
have everything on the table-the health effects of that, the economic 
effects and also the impact on the judicial system, which is now 
really overwhelmed with so many people with minor drug offenses," he 
said right there on TV.

Carmona has also spoken out against the twisting, suppression and 
general misuse of science at the behest of politicians (the second 
Mr. Bush, for example). But none of that shows clear support for 
state medical-marijuana laws or a desire to change the Controlled 
Substances Act.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, who hopes to ride an elephant to a November 
victory over Carmona, has a clearer position. Also a superhero 
(according to the Citizens Against Government Waste: 
www.cagw.org/newsroom/releases/2012/taxpayer-watchdog-praises.html), 
Flake has served since 2001 in Congress. He currently represents 
Congressional District 6, which stretches along either side of U.S. 
Route 60 from Mesa eastward to rural Pinal County.

In 2005, Flake voted for an amendment on a House bill that would have 
prevented-yes, I said prevented-the feds from arresting, prosecuting 
or even suing God-fearing Americans (or me or you) for using or 
distributing medical marijuana in compliance with state law. The 
amendment failed, but that's a pretty ballsy vote for a Republican. 
Most Republicans seem to want the federal government out of their 
business-but when it comes to religion and vaginas and drugs, they 
want to be all up in your shit.

Flake also once signed on to a Republican Liberty Caucus policy 
statement supporting alternatives to the "ineffective" War on Drugs, 
which gave us "frightening abuses of the Bill of Rights which could 
affect the personal freedom of any American." The statement also says 
that, per the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, "matters such 
as drugs should be handled at the state or personal level." Hear, hear.

Those positions earned Flake a plus-20 rating from NORML on drug 
reform. Only 109 members of the House got plus 10 or better, on a 
scale from minus 30 to plus 30. Impressive.

All of this leaves me a bit confused. Jeff Flake is a slash-and-burn 
fiscal conservative who I fear would make every effort to emasculate 
government by ditching spending at every turn. That sounds good, 
until Grandma is sifting through the Dumpster for dinner, and your 
baby dies of pneumonia because you don't have health-care coverage. 
Yet Flake would probably keep his hands out of my medicine cabinet.

Carmona is a Democrat, and I am generally all for more Democrats in 
the Senate. Being represented by a surgeon superhero SWAT admiral 
seems like a good idea to me. Carmona will get my vote in November.

But if you are basing your decision solely on marijuana law, either 
medical or recreational, I would say go with Flake. Carmona's murky 
statements leave me wondering what he really thinks.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom