Pubdate: Wed, 12 Mar 2014
Source: Tulsa World (OK)
Copyright: 2014 World Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.tulsaworld.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/463
Author: Lisa Bowman
Note: Lisa Bowman is president of the Drug Policy Reform Network of OK.

CONSERVATIVES SHOULD SUPPORT CANNABIS RIGHTS

Oklahoma Republican legislators, such as Sen. Dan Newberry of Tulsa,
are rallying Republicans to support anti-cannabis legalization. They
use divisive rhetoric such as calling supporters of cannabis
legalization "liberals." As a Republican myself, I am curious: When
did using legislation to allow government to trump the rights of
individuals become conservative? When did refusing to hear bills
because of personal beliefs become conservative? When did eroding
liberties by advocating for the nanny state to micromanage our lives
become conservative?

The misinformed public is an ally in the prohibition cause, but that
demographic is shrinking. The demographic that concerns them though is
the educated and well-informed one working together despite political
labels. Ending prohibition is not a liberal-conservative battle. It is
a fundamental right.

I went to the Capitol on Feb. 12 with many other fellow Republicans
supporting reform to cannabis laws. Only two senators attended the
medical cannabis committee hearing that day. There was a special
Capitol event in November, when families, scientists and doctors
shared stories and educated people.

Yet the response to cannabis supporters by legislators is often "more
information is needed." Although information, studies, and real-life
cases were all delivered to their doorstep, most turned a blind eye
and a deaf ear. Their statements sadly reflect their unwillingness to
make informed decisions, displaying a militant ignorance on this issue.

There is no reason why anyone should suffer because they are denied
the right to seek out the treatment of their choice, while across an
imaginary line others are able to. I heard a disturbing statement
regarding cannabis supporters from another Republican senator, A.J.
Griffin of Guthrie. She said, "If you don't like the laws of the state
that you're in, you don't have to ask the permission of the
government, you can move."

First of all, not everyone can just up and move. And second, the
people should not be asking permission from their government to
exercise their rights. The government should be protecting the rights
of the people.

Somehow so-called representative government has been twisted and
warped into a perceived grantor of rights that believes it should
control every aspect of our lives. This is all wrong, and Republicans
who claim to be for limited, smaller government need to start
demonstrating what that really means: Limiting government and
protecting all rights, not just their chosen few.

It is not the proper role of government to use the force of law to
infringe the individual rights of people to seek medical treatment of
their choice. It is not the proper role of government to legislate
morality. It is not the proper role of legislators to force their
beliefs upon others or dictate medical treatments. To ignore studies,
hard data, and real-life cases, yet profess to not know enough is an
insult to the people of Oklahoma and to the families who visited the
Capitol with all of that information.

As a Republican, a conservative, and the president of the Drug Policy
Reform Network of Oklahoma, I do not support cannabis prohibition.
Republican legislators who continue to support enforcing prohibition,
preventing peaceful people from seeking (proven) treatment of their
choice and infringing upon the basic individual right to put into
their bodies what they choose, should stop pretending to be
conservative: I don't think that word means what some self described
conservative Oklahoma legislators think it means.

It would be to their and their constituents' benefit to get on the
moral and truly conservative side of this issue and become
well-informed. It is not an issue that can continue to be ignored at
best, deliberately misrepresented at worst.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D